Pedal Line Friday :: Heron F.

This is a collection I have been working on for some time in my band Blood & Stomach Pills, and it is now at a place I am very happy with.

First on the board is an original 60’s Mosrite Fuzzrite, which I picked because it was the fuzz that Ron Ashton used in The Stooges. This pedal doesn’t do well with a buffered signal, so it goes first.

Second in the chain is a Rattlesnake Cables line buffer which has a nifty off-on switch that is convenient for smaller venues.

Third is a Death By Audio Evil Filter, which has a lot of capabilities, but I use it at the factory suggested setting of 666hz. Of course, being a DBA product, it has fuzz built in, but I don’t use it much.

Fourth is a Beetronics Filtremulator, which, like the pedal before it, is a bit of a Swiss Army knife, probably more so than the EF. But the handy thing about this one is it has 2 presets easily accessible by a flick of a switch. And, being Beetronics, it has some of the wildest settings and effects on my board. I still have a lot of exploration ahead with this, but right now it’s fantastic for a rich, clean tremolo that’s followed by crazy oscillating noise. Ultimately, this one works as a filter, so it goes early on.

5th is a double compressor pedal from Analogman called the CompROSSer. One side is a Ross style compressor similar to the DynaComp, but improved and with more control. This one is good for some snarl. The other side is based on the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer and gives a dark, tight compression. I use both sides pretty equally.

6th pedal heads into boost/overdrive terrain with the discontinued Beetronics Buzzter. This is a simple clean, double boost pedal with two individual knobs driving two circuits and a master volume. One switch goes between circuits, the other is a true bypass on-off. I like this because it’s a very clean boost or overdrive, depending on what I need.

7th is the interestingly textured Blessed Mother overdrive from Heather Brown Electronicals. This one gives a very nice, sweet tone, with an overdrive that mixes in smoothly with the Immaculator knob. I have it set with a clean, bright tone that has a layer of fuzz creeping up behind it. Ironically, it pairs with the Evil Filter beautifully.

8th in the line is where modulation starts with a MXR Analog Delay that was made in the late 70s/early 80’s. This is a bulky predecessor to the Carbon Copy and has a heavy duty power supply built in. I use this to insert some slapback.

9th is the Death By Audio Echo Dream 2, which, unlike the previous model, has control over fuzz level, rather than an on/off switch. This one is great for modulation and can sound amazing with the fuzz mixed in just right.

The last item in my pedal chain is yet another Rattlesnake Cables line buffer, which gives options for overall tone and can help with outdoor performances.

Of course, none of these pedals would be worth much without power, so I have 2 Voodoo Labs ISO 5 isolated DC power blocks. I have 2 because these are one of the only power blocks that has 18v output, and 2 of my pedals need between 12-18v. Both are powered with Rattlesnake Cables IEC cables.

And, last but not least, there is the Death By Audio Echo Master which is designed for vocals and is used for a nice slapback. It also has a preamp built in, as well as an effects loop that I have been experimenting with of late. That one didn’t make it into the picture, but it’s always on.

Bands / Projects

Blood & Stomach Pills

Social Links

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.