Full Signal Chain
How the signal actually gets from guitar to speaker
Full parts list & budget
Everything chosen so far, grouped by purchase phase, with approximate current pricing.
| Brand | Model | Function | MSRP (approx.) | Status | Dimensions (W×H×D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owned today | |||||
| Gretsch | G5220 Electromatic Jet BT | Electric guitar | $499.99 | Owned | ‐ |
| Fender | CD-60SCE | Acoustic-electric guitar | $347.99 | Owned | ‐ |
| Marshall | MG10G-U | Practice combo amp (current) | $79.99 | Owned | ‐ |
| P1 | |||||
| LR Baggs | Align Session | Acoustic compressor / DI | $179.10 | Future | ‐ |
| BOSS | TU-3 | Tuner | $103.50 | Future | ‐ |
| P2 | |||||
| BOSS | NS-2 | Noise gate | $120.99 | Future | ‐ |
| EarthQuaker Devices | Plumes | Overdrive | $129.00 | Future | ‐ |
| P3 | |||||
| BOSS | LS-2 | A/B line selector | $119.98 | Future | ‐ |
| Source Audio | EQ2 (SA270) | Programmable EQ | $286.63 | Future | ‐ |
| P4 | |||||
| Orange | OR15 | Amp head | $799.00 | Future | 15.75" × 8.27" × 7.09" |
| Harley Benton | G112 (Celestion V30) | Speaker cabinet | $166.00 | Future | 18.11" × 18.50" × 11.77" |
| MXR | M299 (Carbon Copy Mini) | Delay | $179.99 | Future | ‐ |
| MXR | M300 (Digital Reverb) | Reverb | $235.99 | Future | ‐ |
| BOSS | FS-5L | Footswitch (OR15 boost, latching) | $46.99 | Future | ‐ |
| P5 ‐ alternative amp upgrade: the Marshall stack | |||||
| Marshall | Origin 50H | Amp head | $779.99 | Future | 22.72" × 8.98" × 8.86" |
| Harley Benton | G212 Vintage (2× V30) | Larger for 50H Support | $279.00 | Future | 29.13" × 20.47" × 11.81" |
| Marshall | PEDL-90016 | Footswitch (50H boost + FX loop) | ~$79.99 | Future | ‐ |
| P6 ‐ optional add-ons | |||||
| MXR | M102 (Dyna Comp) | Compressor | $99.99 | Future | ‐ |
| Electro-Harmonix | Pitch Fork | Octave / pitch shifter | $197.80 | Future | ‐ |
| MXR | M234 (Analog Chorus) | Chorus | $139.99 | Future | ‐ |
| BOSS | DD-8 | Tap-tempo delay | $187.99 | Future | ‐ |
| Ernie Ball | VP JR (250K) | Volume / expression pedal | $99.99 | Future | ‐ |
| Optional amps ‐ no phase number | |||||
| Joyo | BanTamP XL Jackman II | Amp head ‐ budget fallback, original pick | $179.99 | Future | 6.42" × 4.33" × 5.51" |
| Mesa/Boogie | Mark V:25 | Amp head only ‐ no new cab needed | ~$2,000–2,300 | Future | 14.00" × 8.00" × 8.75" |
Model names link to a specific listing (Sweetwater, Guitar Center, or Thomann for the Harley Benton cabs). For the two owned guitars, the price shown is what was actually paid, not the current listing price; every other row's price reflects that listing at the time of writing, not official MSRP — treat as a budgeting snapshot, not a checkout total, since retailer pricing and stock shift over time. The Mesa/Boogie Mark V:25 head is currently discontinued at Sweetwater with no live price, so its row keeps the earlier ballpark estimate. Source Audio's real Programmable EQ is the EQ2, model SA270 — "SA246" (used elsewhere in this doc as shorthand) is actually their unrelated One Series AfterShock bass distortion pedal. P4's Orange OR15 and P5's Marshall stack are alternatives to each other — pick one amp at that stage, not both — and treat Joyo and Mesa as separate optional considerations outside either. P6 isn't a phase to complete ‐ it's a menu of independent options on top of P4 (a compressor, a volume/expression pedal, a chorus, a tap-tempo delay, and an octave/pitch shifter), each shown with how it would wire into the loop if you added it. Take any subset, or none. The boost footswitches ride along with their own amp instead of sitting in P6, since the boost feature is dead weight without one from day one — FS-5L with P4's OR15, PEDL-90016 with P5's Origin 50H ‐ and the two aren't interchangeable: the OR15's boost jack just needs a single latching on/off switch (FS-5L, not the non-latching FS-5U), but the Origin 50H puts boost and FX-loop mute on one shared TRS jack, so a plain single-button switch would only get the boost and lock the loop off.
Nothing below the two guitars is bought yet — every pedal, the amp head, and the cab are the target build, drawn dashed. The badges show the buy-as-you-go order from the plan: P1 first, P4 last (P5/P6 and the optional Mesa are later amp swaps, not part of the diagram below).
The interesting part is the loop in the middle: one noise gate (NS‑2) sits at two different points in the path at once — once before the drive pedal, and again on the way back from the amp's own effects loop. Columns group pedals by how far they sit from the amp: NS‑2 / M300 / Plumes share a column, M299 / SA‑EQ2 share the next one in. The cab folds back under the LS‑2 column to keep the board compact, fed by a speaker cable that drops out the bottom of the amp head.
A menu of optional add-ons on top of the same end state ‐ drawn here with P5's Marshall Origin 50H and G212 Vintage cab standing in for P4's Orange OR15 and G112, its own PEDL-90016 boost/loop footswitch bundled in with the amp rather than a P6 pick ‐ showing how each add-on would wire into the loop if you added it: a compressor, an octave/pitch shifter, and a volume/expression pedal on the front end, and a chorus and a second, tap-tempo-capable delay riding in the effects loop alongside the existing delay and reverb. None of this is a goal to complete ‐ take any of it, or none.
How the rig grows, phase by phase
Each snapshot below is the actual signal chain once that phase's gear is bought — everything shown is owned at that point. The badge marks what's new that phase; earlier gear carries over unbadged. Through P1–P3 the Marshall is still the amp, so BOSS NS‑2 just runs Input→Output in series ‐ the dual insert-point trick only exists once the amp's effects loop shows up in P4.
P1 ‐a tuner and an acoustic preamp, straight into the Marshall. Still one guitar at a time by hand.
P2 ‐the gate and overdrive slot in ahead of the amp, still one simple series chain.
P3 ‐the A/B selector finally lets both guitars share one chain with no hand-swapping; EQ rounds out the tone before the amp.
P4 ‐the big rig arrives: Orange OR15 into the Harley Benton G112, plus the FS-5L footswitch the OR15's boost function needs from day one. This shows the front-of-amp view only ‐ once the amp's own effects loop is wired in, the NS‑2 gains its second insert point and the delay/reverb join in. See the full loop wiring in the main diagram at the top of the page.
P5 ‐the Marshall alternative (instead of P4's amp, not in addition): same front chain, swapped for Marshall Origin 50H into the wider Harley Benton G212 Vintage cab. Same loop-wiring principle applies once the effects loop is connected.
P6 ‐not a phase to complete ‐ a menu of independent add-ons, shown wired into the front end once P4's core rig (including its FS-5L boost footswitch) is in: an octave/pitch shifter, a compressor ahead of the overdrive, and a volume/expression pedal after the EQ. Front-of-amp view only: the chorus and tap-tempo delay from the options diagram live in the amp's effects loop, so they don't show up here ‐ see that diagram near the top of the page.
The Orange OR15 head's effects loop (P4) is what finally puts the NS‑2's second insert point, the delay, and the reverb to use ‐ see the full loop wiring in the main diagram at the top of the page. The Joyo BanTamP XL (the original P4 pick) and the Mesa Mark V:25 both remain as optional amps outside either numbered phase — Joyo as a budget fallback, Mesa for maximum flexibility — and both reuse the P4 cab exactly like the diagrams above, just with a different box in that spot.
Alternative equipment ‐ the Voodoo Lab power supply and patch bay: no separate diagram, since it's not a change to the signal chain, so there's nothing new to draw.
- P1 ‐tuner + Baggs Align Session (cheap, work today on the Marshall)
- P2 ‐overdrive + gate (once hiss shows up)
- P3 ‐EQ + the A/B selector (once both guitars need to share one chain)
- P4 ‐the amp head, cab, delay, and reverb — the big rig upgrade, once the Marshall is actually the limiting factor. Current amp pick: Orange OR15, with its BOSS FS-5L boost footswitch bought alongside it ‐ no point owning the boost feature without a way to switch it.
- P5 ‐alternative amp upgrade (instead of P4's amp, not in addition): Marshall Origin 50H + a new, wider Harley Benton G212 Vintage cab + its own PEDL-90016 footswitch ‐ not interchangeable with the OR15's FS-5L
- P6 ‐not a phase ‐ a menu of independent options, each shown wired into the loop: compressor, octave/pitch shifter, volume/expression pedal, chorus, and tap-tempo delay
- Optional, no phase number ‐Joyo BanTamP XL (original P4 pick, budget fallback) or Mesa Mark V:25 (most versatile, priciest): both reuse the existing cab, worth considering independently of P4/P5