Pedal Line Friday :: John D.

First off, big S/O to Rattlesnake Cable Company for making cables that truly last a lifetime. Tastes in music evolve over time and gear evolves right along with it. I’ve been deep in the Psychedelic Cumbia and Chicha dance band world for the last couple of decades, and this pedalboard reflects exactly that.

Kicking things off is a gifted copper Dunlop Wah that gets constant use. From classic funky wah tones to carving out space and cutting through a live mix, it does it all. Next up is my true secret weapon: the Mesa Tone-Burst. Based on the RC Boost, it lets me run amps at lower volumes while dialing in EQ and feel—it’s a total Swiss Army knife.

From there, I hit a TS10 and a Plumes. I’ve owned just about every TS-style pedal out there, and running the Plumes in Clean OP Amp Boost mode simply nails it. For ambience, the Keeley Caverns handles those extra reverb and delay moments with ease.

That flows into my $20 hero pedal—the UV300—which honestly gets more use than almost anything else on the board. If you’ve never tried one, trust me: it’s legit. Next is an old DD-3 for trippy, random weirdness, followed by a JHS delay set as an always-on slapback. Rounding it out is the MXR Phase 95, absolutely indispensable for psychedelic textures.

A simple two-button switcher controls reverb and amp tremolo; everything is powered by a Fender PS, and the whole rig lives on a Mono board and case. Plenty of sounds, plenty of movement—and it all gets the job done.

Bands / Projects

Los Desechos

Listen on Spotify

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Submit Your Pedal Line!

About a million years ago, I used to run a blog called EffectsBay. On that blog, the most popular feature I would run was Pedal Line Friday. This is where readers of the site would send pics of their pedalboard and a short (sometimes long) write-up of routing and thoughts about specific pedals and the reasoning why they liked it, etc. Readers. loved this. It was a great way to learn about new applications or techniques regarding pedals. It also brought a little inspiration and knowledge about pedals you were not familiar with. It also brought a great sense of community - people like sharing and absorbing cool things, right? It was a super popular feature, and I loved putting them together.

All you have to do is send a pic of your pedalboard (or pedal line - it doesn't have to be on a board) along with a short (or long) write-up of the board. We want a list of pedals (manufacturer/model), routing would be great, and, most importantly, why you use those particular pedals. Also, this is a great way to promote your band or musical project - include that information as well!

You can send the pic and the write-up to pedalline@rattlesnakecables.com.