You are warned __ just two pedals I am waiting on in the mail __ pre sorting the problems

THE PUZZLE 

Just staring at them and going thru my 32 Tunes and thinking where 

they would sound better than what I am using presently.

Think of a small board with 3 OD's and you want to use one 

for the verse, one of the chorus and one for a solo.

Well I do that on every song but each of the the 3 pedals would be on a separate board. 

(technically on one & with some on the floor but wired as 3 separate boards)

So I might have the Brown Sound on board #2 and I would have a Delay and Verb on that board switched on. I could have the MOEN on board #3 with its own Delay and Verb switched on. 

I may or may not use a Compressor, once again each board has its own, or a modulation pedal, once again each board has its own etc. 

Board #1 is my clean sound board but my clean sounds have a choice of low gain drives, boosters, 2 EQ's and 2 compressors, and a 12 string pedal. I also use that board for odd one off things like a Synth.

The down side is if I put both pedals on perhaps board #2. It is not practical to use them on the same tune.

I use a loop switcher. So each board is in one of 3 loops. In a tune I hit one switch and one board all set up with some pedals on and some not comes on. I hit another switch and that board goes off and another comes on.

The rig is complex to rig and switch a dozen pedals between tunes but playing the tune is simple. Just 3 switches. 

....my switcher, I only use Ch. 1, 2 and 3
and only on Bank 1. Or as the window reads. 111, 112 and 113
I use Ch. 4 or 114 as a mute

My temporary board while I build the new ones, now in a near
kit form but not assembled.

WHY SO MANY PEDALS?

Well I tend to try and keep my overall writing in is one distinct style that is homogenous. So when I say I use a lot of flat picking yet go to a Metal sound for two parts in the same sound it does not sound like a Joni Mitchel verse was followed by a Sabbath chorus was tagged onto it. Or maybe a verse is a Metal thing played at a blistering speed using triplets to make it even feel faster. It can very effectively go to the next part of the tune that is a slow moving half time Doom Metal plod.

I also have a style that has a clockworks sound or the sound made by several machines in a machine shop that accidently create a rhythm. Some tunes are nearly all clockworks or folk flat picked or straight Metal but most combine at least two of my approaches. Others have all 3.

These styles need different pedals.

Secondly I use 10 guitars. Never randomly but specific to the kind of tunes they do best. Most have a PAF for the Metal parts and something different for other parts. Like a Rickenbacker or Gold foil for flatpicking or P90 for something extra aggressive.

Once again for example the Ric PU will sound best through one pedal, a Strat PU through another etc.