Pedal Line Friday :: Michael R.

Hi, I'm Michael! I'm primarily a songwriter and an occasional singer/musician, originally from Baltimore, MD, now a long time resident of Boston, MA!

There was a time, not that long ago, I never even used a pedal, or ever wanted to!

I'm a clean, retro, brit-pop, kind of guy! I'm strictly rhythm, I don't want to make you cry or sing! I let the guitar do the jangle and really didn't need more than the reverb and possibly tremolo option built into my amp (Fender Twin Reverb or VOX AC15) Which I still use religiously today! Back in the 90's I did get into a Roland Jazz Chorus JC120, loved the clean but I missed the tubes!

Today, I still think the favorite of my amps is my Fender Vibroverb (sadly a reissue) but it checks all the boxes for me. I will always love any kind of simple, vintage sound whether it be guitars, amps or pedals.

As I've gotten older, I have built quite a collection and have wanted to expand my horizons, not only with guitars and amps but now also with pedals. I have a few separate rigs setup and like trying different guitars, amps and effects to inspire me. Although I still love the bright clean sound of just a Twin Reverb or Vibroverb alone, I have experimented with simple subtle effects, both vintage and newer to add some depth and color to my playing and recording. I have three major pedal boards and all three are completely different and unique however, for Pedal Line Friday, I have chosen one of my newer rigs, in my office!

My signal chain for this one is as follows:

Electro Harmonix LPB 2UBE Preamp > Electro Harmonix Black Finger > Mesa Goldmine > Mesa Dynaplex > Ibanez Tube Screamer > Electro Harmonix Attack Decay > Electro Harmonix Lester G > Electro Harmonix Grand Canyon > Electro Harmonix Rerun > Electro Harmonix Holy Grail (missing from picture) > Tube & Transistor MORESo, this is obviously an Electro Harmonix-heavy board but I recently dug out an old Big Muff and became curious about EHX again! Especially, with their tube driven pedals.

I still lean towards a clean, warm "tube" sound and the EHX 2UBE preamp starts this chain nice and clean with a bit of punch and drive! From there it feeds into the Black Finger, I really can't say enough about this pedal, I love the very subtle, warm compression I get and it smooths out the tube glass/gloss that rings through!

So, I'm not too much of a distortion guy but being a MESA fan, I fell in love with these pedals... First is the MESA Goldmine, I keep this set to a low "overdrive" setting which is nice, somewhat clean and punchy, when needed! From there, it links into the Dynaplex (I love this pedal) based on British (Marshall) "plexi" amps, it gets a sweet, warm sustain and pairs nicely when pushing beyond the Goldmine.

Lastly, the classic Tube Screamer. Talk about a sweet, warm sustain that can cut through a brick wall! It is amazing how well this pedal has stood the test of time!I can run all three of the distortions simultaneously and I really love the punch I get, for the rare solo I play!

The EHX Attack Decay gives some cool swell effects and even a reverse sound that is cool for trying new techniques but not a frequently used pedal for me. From there into the Lester G (I love this one as well)! I saw George Harrison using an actual Leslie cabinet during Let It Be (Get Back) and I love the swirly, somewhat psychedelic sound. This pedal beautifully recreates that effect! Including the swell of turning on/up the speed of a Leslie cabinet! It offers a little more than just a chorus or tremelo and I find myself just leaving it on more than I would expect.

Next is the EHX Grand Canyon, I originally bough this for the reverse and clean reverb effects but it offers a great "pre" and "post" variety of clean, full effects options! It is also a loop pedal which is great when I am thinking of arrangements.

Into the EHX Rerun, a simple "tape" echo / delay, warm and I like that I can set the delay a little shorter for more of a chorus effect, along with the tape wobble and ridiculously small for what it offers. All of this into a EHX Holy Grail (not in photo) just to add reverb on top of everything, if I am not using the amp reverb!

And lastly, I have a Tube & Transistor MORE (preamp) pedal, mostly for my Gretsch, which needs a little bit of a boost. This one works wonders as a "post amp" to boost the volume of any guitar, without breaking up or distorting (at all)!

And this board goes into my 68 Custom Fender Twin Reverb, which unfortunately suffers from the dreaded buzz/hum but sure does sound nice otherwise!

For this rig, I typically use my Rickenbacker 330 (2011), Gretsch Double Anniversary (1967) or Gibson Les Paul Supreme (2003).

Excluding the distortion pedals the others can also work well with an acoustic guitar for the singer/songwriter I have become today.

I recently discovered Rattlesnake cables and I LOVE the look, feel and sound they add to all of the above.

Looking to try some of their patch cables and see how well the fit!

Thanks for reading!
Rock on!

Michael R
The Casual Outcasts
Boston, MA

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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.