Pete Cornish Custom Effects Board

My board is very simple. It contains Foxx Foot Phaser, Cry Baby, which controls the phase speed of Foxx, and Boss CE-2, that's all! Foxx is a 1970's phase pedal made in U.S. which had been used by Brian May from eary 70s until about 1986. Controls of the Foxx are Speed, Depth, Bias and Boost. And controls of the CE-2 are Speed, Depth and Attenuate which prevents any unwanted distortion, overload while you use Treble Booster before this board. Very simple. Just plug on, and play, then you can get a nice sound!

CE-2 is heavily modified by Pete and it sounds much better than normal CE-2. Even the normal CE-2 sounds nice and I loved that. However, this CE-2 modified by Pete sounds amazing! It has much wider dynamic range and sounds much fuller and thicker. And of course it has no noise at all. You can get the sound of David Gilmour.
Foxx side has a little bit noise, because Foxx itself is a very noisy pedal. Pete did not do any special mod on this side, but Foxx side also sounds better than normal one, thanks to Pete's special buffer/line driver. You can get the sound of Keep Yourself Alive, We Will Rock You and White Queen of Brian May, Queen.

I suppose that you have already known the high quality of Pete Cornish products.

He is a real proffessional. If you have any trouble with your equipment, you'd better ask him. He is very kind and helpful.

My favorite band is Queen, Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton. And I play Rock music. If you like them and would like to get sound like them, you must have Pete Cornish products.

If this pedalboard were stolen or lost, definitely I would ask Pete to build new one. In future, I would love to ask him to add Pete Cornish Tape Echo Simulator, SS-2, P-2 and Iron Boost on this board. I am a big fan of his products. If you have any problem with your equipment, ask him and purchase Pete Cornish pedal.

I recently ordered and received one of Pete's custom pedalboards. My unit is probably the simplest ones he's ever made. It has an SS-2, G-2, P-2 built into it along with a mute switch with a tuner out. Cool thing about the tuner out is that you can route the signal to another amplifier or into a mixing board. Ease of use? Anyone finding it difficult to twiddle around with 3 knobs per fuzzbox (volume, tone, sustain) should take up playing the triange. Pete's manuals are custom tailored for each customer with their name on it along with pictures of the outside, inside and wiring diagrams for troubleshooting (not that you'll ever need it). My manual also came with 3 suggested settings per fuzzbox which immediately brings about an "instant gratification" feeling which will soon make you forget about how much you paid for his product. Each rugged trademark footswitch (the doughnut style one's that he is known for) has its own different colored led which can be dimmer controled for brightness - very cool. Obviously, and pedal can be used in conjunction with each other, offering a vast range of tonal possibilities.

I have always felt that any company can produce a high gain distortion box that sounds relatively good. However, few of them can manufacture mild to moderate overdrive pedals with any great level of success. Noted exceptions have always been the usual Ibanez TS-9, TS-808, Fuzzfaces and some boutiqe variations of a similar theme. The SS-2, G-2, and P2 that Pete built into my board sound fantastic. I was actually quite surprised about the available gain level in the SS-2. It can easily be used for most of my blues playing from rhythm to a great lead tone. I'm not certain that I would classify the SS-2 as a mild overdrive - although the mild overdrive sound is available and sounds great, it also has a much wider range than expected which yields very usable sounds. The G-2 fuzz yields a very unique type of tone altoghether - again with a wide range of available gain on tap. I pride myself on having experimented with quite a number of pedals and owning some of the finest ones, however, I must admit that I have never heard any more tonally complex. The P-2 is a high gain monster which will easily let you be heard through any mix. No one should require more gain than that available from this unit, unless of course, you are just plain loco. For you, Pete also makes an NG-fuzz... Sound will always remain subjective, but to my ears, the P-2 sounds like a cross between a Big Muff with a Rat II - simply amazing. The remarkable beauty about all three of Pete's pedals it that at even maxed out gain settings, open chords such as an open C chord, will not crap out. Tubescreamers and the like don't have enough gain to permit them to crap out with open chords - try as I did though, I could not manage to get a bad sound at any setting. Even at extreme tone control settings, all sounds that came out the unit made me feel like I could perform with it, not just settle for it. Although all of my guitars are equipped with single coils, I cannot say that noise was an issue. Each pedal is very quiet for the amount of gain pumped out. Using either the SS-2 or the G-2 with the P-2 yielded and acceptable amount of hiss as to be expected with single coils. Although I was a little sceptical at first, I now beleive that Pete's earned his reputation.

If you've ever looked at his client list you understand that Pete's name is synonymous with reliability. I read somewhere that even Bob Bradshaw enlisted Pete's help to make David Gilmour's pedalboard more roadworthy! His craftmanship is second to none and I would gig without a backup. Oh alright, maybe I'll just pack my favorite Rat II pedal just for good measure.

After numerous email exchanges, I soon realized that Pete really enjoys his work and has a tremendous amount of pride in what he does. Not much else to be said other than that it just doesn't get any better. He even emailed me pictures of the unit while still under construction - now I challenge anyone to beat that...

I have been playing guitars for over 25 years and have started touring small venues in Quebec, Ontario, and Portugal (twice) and have recorded with a handfull of local artists based in Montreal. Most recently, I have been playing with a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band - blues is pretty much all I play, although I will dabble is some simple forms of jazz (with a blusey feel). I have 2 Fender Strats, 2 G&L Legacy (Strats), Godin loaded with P-90s, Martin acoustic, and a Takamine nylon electro-acoustic. For amplifiers I use a pair of Fender Bassman re-issues, a Bad Cat Mini (5 Watt) and sometimes a Peavey Classic 30. For effects, I use a Matchless Dirtbox tube preamp pedal, Bad Cat X-treme tone tube preamp pedal, Rat II, Marshall Bluesbreaker II, Ibanez TS-9, and a Line6 DL-4 digital delay. I must own at lease 50 pedals, most of which are packed up in boxes (including a PODxt!). I did consider adding a compressor and delay unit in the board, but concluded that I am not all that loyal to any one type. At one time my philosophy was to use distortion pedals which contain real tubes - such as Matchless (now discontinued) and Bad Cat - after all, if you like tube distortion, why not use pedals which have real tubes in them? With time, I came to realize that tube distortion is only one aspect of a tonal palette. Some pedals have much character to offer, such are Pete's pedals. Look at it this way, it is like a painter only painting with black and white paint with some shades of gray. Why not add a little color via different stompboxes? Will I get rid of my other pedals? Probably not. Would a painter put away some of his paints? I probably will not use my Matchless and Bad Cat tube preamp pedals much on the road as they are only as reliable as the tubes inside them. I will, however, continue to record with them. Now some of you may have to pimp your sister out to a boat-load of sailors and pawn your grandma's wooden leg to buy one of Pete's pedalboards. Heck, some of you may even have to get a second job massaging fat old ladies at the local mud-wrestling championship. Even so, the price of admission for his tonal wonders is still very fair... well, I must not keep my next mud-wrestler waiting...

The Pete Cornish Custom Effects Board is just that, A CUSTOM product. You contact Mr. Cornish about getting one made, he discusses the effects that you have to place in the board, and everything takes off from there. You can have any size any number of effects placed into the board, but he will give you options as to what the best sound the board will give using what pedals you have. One thing that you must remember is that these boards are fairly large, as they house a great amount of electronics and wirings, so you're not going to want 20 effects on one board. They are built to withstand a pro tour and every detail is thought out from effects placement in the chain, to the diameter and depth of the doughnut rings around the foot switches. (See customer service section)

Once you get the basics to Mr. Cornish, he comes up with a blueprint, that he'll send and you look over. Once you agree where everything should go, he starts his magic....

My Board was quite simple, as I am an Avid David Gilmour fan, I wanted a versitle board that could encompass a few different eras of Pink Floyd so I went with the following:
Boss CS-2 Compressor, Cornish P-2, Cornish SS-2, Chandler Tube Driver (BK Butler Version), EH Mistress, Boss CE-2 Chorus, Cornish T.E.S Echo, Boss GE-7 EQ. Along with this I had 2 spare send returns built into it to add other effects as I saw fit, 2 outputs, and a Boss Tu12H tuner, which is an excellent addition as its always on and the signal is constantly going through it. Added is Pete Cornish's Boost which raises the volume of the guitar without altering the tone and a Mute button, to tune without the guitar signal going to the amp.

Why, you say, would I want to have good pedals taken apart and placed in a board? Quite simple, they are better now than when they left me. They've been given the once over, noise taken away, and placed in a system where each pedal operates at maximum efficiency.

Is it easy to get a good sound out of it? Absolutely, as these were already my effects before I sent them to Mr. Cornish, but here is the differences:

1) No Link Cables
2) Steady Power Supply to all effects - no batteries, no 12 different adapters
3) Virtually no background noise! This is a big plus, while I admit there is some with the Mistress, but it is negligable. (Its a noisy pedal to begin with)
4) All effects have signals leveled and boosted with no tonal loss.
5) Board comes with an input level for matching active and passive guitars
6) A Master volume for the board so that once all the levels for each pedal is set I can increase the overal volume level on the board without tonal loss.
7) Each Pedal acts as if it is the only pedal on, meaning when you get three or four pedals on at a time, each pedals inherent quality and tone is present and not lost in the "muck"

I can't say enough about this piece of equipment, Its totally satisfied my needs and desires! You can see a picture of it on Mr. Cornish's website under effects boards, my board is on the third row.
http://petecornish.co.uk

One final word on this, I am not a professional, but I've developed over the years, a very keen ear on what I want and the sound that I'm looking for, and Pete and Lynda Cornish have more than filled this gap for me. Its also not something that is made over night. It takes time. Depending on their schedules and what your project will involve. The process is long, but the wait is definately worth it.

There was no "manual" per se, it comes with some schematics for power supplies and lighting incase something happens along the way and it needs to be repaired.

I'm rating this a ten because the system compacts and streamlines your existing pedal chain

My Set up as described above includes a 50's Fender with EMG DG20 active pickups, a 1977 Fender Stratocater, and a 1960's Fender MIJ with Fender Gold Lace sensors. For Amplification I run a 1973 Hiwatt DR504.

There is virtually no noise in this system, with the exception of the Mistress as noted above, it is very clean.

The effects are strong, and always sound great, which is more than I can say about them BEFORE I sent them to the Cornishs. They've even added a volume control to the Mistress and the Chorus to help level out the signal which is a boon. Anyone with these pedals can attest to this!

You can read my reviews about hte P-2 and the SS-2 to hear what they sound like. I will be adding a review for the TES at a later date. All the other effects I've had placed into this board actually sound BETTER than when they were sent.

Can I get the sound of my favorite artists? YES with a little tweaking here and there I absolutely can. Again my main influence is David Gilmour, so this board was built to help emulate his tone.

So Far so good, however Pete Cornish stands by his work and should something go wrong, I know it would be corrected. The board comes in a solid wood construction. I think I could toss it at the wall or fall on it and it would still hold up.

I would absolutely GIG with out a backup....Its designed to meet and exceed all pro touring standards

You want proof that this board and Mr. Cornish's work holds true, look at his client list on his website. He's been in business for over 30 years and many of the top groups have purchased something from Pete Cornish, and continue to come back to him for more!

Here is where Pete Cornish shines. His customer support is bar none. Any question you have he answers, any problem he'll walk you through it. Whether it be by phone or by mail, he finds the time for every one of his customers. Both He and Lynda (who does work alongside Pete on many projects) are two of the friendliest people I've ever had a chance to talk with. In a world of its all about me and nothing else matters, they are the enigma. Very courteous, very friendly, VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE about the rock business, the needs and demands, and very meticulous about their work.

I can't say enough about Pete and Lynda Cornish and their business practices!

Now Here I'll mention that everything is carefully thought out for these boards. Over the years, Pete has listened, made and refined these boards. From the paint used on the outside of the box, to the shape and size of the rings around the footswitches so you can stomp them through the board, to the type of cables and wirings used for construction, he has perfected this system. He could mass produce these if he wanted, but the quality wouldn't be as good and his philosophy would be dead. He wants to produce the best possible product for you, no questions asked. If its not good for you, he'll make it better and in the end, his customers are happy, and that is his goal.

I am not a professional as stated above, I play for the sheer enjoyment of playing. I've been toying with the guitar for about 20 years now, and have been through the boutique pedals, the link cables, the adapters etc. This was a natural progression for me. I've attained a very definate attitude as to what my tone should be, and Pete Cornish has helped me realize this. He's thought of everything and there isn't much more I could ask for. It definately helps my style and tone.

Excellent piece of equipment!

All of Pete's equipment is easy and simple to use. However small incremental changes in any one parameter may make dramatic changes in tonal colors. I wanted a totally integrated foot pedal that would contain all the basics, delay, chorus, volume, wah, overdrive, sustain, fuzz, etc. and still be friendly enough to have 2 different inputs (one for acoustic and one for electric). Also two different outputs (one for amp and one for a PA system. No noise or signal loss or degredation of tone. The quality of the effects had to be first rate. I was very tired of buying effects that didn't meet my standards or would not fit well in a chain of other effects.

Mr Cornish was very easy to deal with. We exchanged emails for about 6-9 months before we were both satisfied that we both knew what I wanted. The result was spectacular, and well worth the money. I believe I have spent more money in the last year on amps and effects that I have thrown out and never came close to getting the sound I wanted. Each effect has a few simple knobs to set to taste. Operation of the whole setup is as quiet as a church. All the tonal color of each of my guitars comes through with the effect.

I am using a Gilmour Strat, A Hamer with a sustainiac,another Strat with Humbuckers, An ES335, A carvin AC275 Acoustic, and various other acoustics. My amp is a Rivera S120 stereo amp. The quality of the effects are the best I've heard-bar none. Each one offers an infinite variety of sounds and none of them steals away any of the quality of the sound of the guitar itself. Ultra low noise. I particularly like the overdrive, the sustain, and the echo unit 9which offers a tape echo simulator along with every thing else it does. You are able to set it for individual guitars and amps.

I believe that you could probably drop this unit out of a 2 story house and it would survive intact. I would use this unit anywhere without a backup.

Pete was very friendly and very accomodating. I have called him and emailed him with questions since I received this beauty and he has always been generous with his time and advice.

I play rock, blues, and some jazz. This foot pedal will render just about any sound you would want from it. I have been playing for about 25 years and have never seen or heard anything like it before. If it was lost or stolen I would replace it in a minute as long as I didn't shoot myself first. I ordered everything I wanted with it, and don't feel it lacks anything. However, if I wanted to add different kinds of effects there are a number of ways that are built into the board for me to do it. It facillitates the making of music with my guitars and turns them into new instruments that seem to play themselves.