It's horses for courses really. Some band I've played in didn't need them (mainly covers bands), so I didn't take them. All of my 'original' bands - ever - have benefitted from a healthy dose of [i]tasteful [/i]effects. Mainly octave, some sort of dirt, filter or synth pedal. I generally always take FX to a rehearsal, but don't feel that I absolutely must use them all of the time. That would make me some sort of guitarist, and I don't want that.