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I live in the suburbs west of Chicago, and play in three iterations: a five-piece cover band (Instagram @modern_inconvenience), a three-piece cover band (Instagram @minor_setback_band), and as a solo acoustic/electric performer (Instagram @cheesygorditahunch). Primarily a vocalist who really just two years ago unlocked the brain cheat code for singing and playing at the same time, my guitar+amp+pedals setup is carefully curated to an ear that's rarely satisfied, but I've been on what you see here for over a year and counting.
- First, the board: West Coast Pedal Board 18x12 angled board wrapped in purple Marshall tolex, nestled into a tweed case with lift-off top that I aged and lacquered myself (complete with cigarette burns, which may or may not have been intentional...). This is my third board from Spence and his crew, a very Goldilocks situation (too big/too small/just right). There's a Walrus Audio Aetos mounted underneath for clean power to the pedals; it's hot pink, and a shame to be out of sight. The Aetos also has a handy extra 110 plug, which I use for an Apple USB-C block to keep ample juice in an iPad mounted to my mic stand for Midas mixer controls, Turbosound speaker controls, and the Songbook Pro app for tab and lyrics (because I can't remember anything anymore...).
- From the guitar, first of two "off-board outsiders" is an Xotic Effects XVP-250k high-impedance volume pedal. I never ran volume pedals before a month ago, but was tired of not having level control when switching between instruments, and am pleased so far. The Xotic has a dedicated tuner out, and I run a Boss Waza Craft TU-3w tuner. No matter where it's lived in the order, I'm not always 100% on the accuracy; likely user error, but there's a chance it gets replaced by a Strobo ::shrugs::
- The next outsider is a Jerry Cantrell Rainier Frog wah from Dunlop, which I primarily bought for playing "Up On Cripple Creek" by The Band (#iykyk), but I've been having fun incorporating other wah jams into my sets.
- The outsiders connect into the WCPB 1/4" jack, and the first pedal in the board chain is a Boss Waza Craft FZ-1w fuzz. Previously I ran a Supro fuzz and a Big Muff Pi, and never got what I wanted out of them. I have a Land Devices HP-1 that also does the trick, but is ultimately too large for this footprint.
- FZ-1w goes into a Boss Blues Driver BD-2 model that was allegedly modded by Brian Wampler (which he would neither confirm nor deny). Had issues with it "shorting" at one time, and before diagnosing a one-spot power issue, I had purchased the Waza version. When I could appropriately A/B test both, this one beat the Waza handily for overall tone.
- BD-2 goes into a Critter Electronics "Critter Family Recipe" (CFR) Klon Klone - the widebody with the wooden sides. I use it for color, it's almost always on (I know, I know... "that's not how you use the Centaur," someone will inevitably say...). If it were closer to my hands while playing (tabletop versus a board), I could honestly get rid of all the other drives, it's exceptionally versatile; Ronnie at Critter doesn't get enough love from the pedal world. I bought another from him in a smaller enclosure to save space, but in another proper A/B test, this one had more warmth overall.
- Klone goes into Boss Waza Craft BP-1w Booster Preamp. Sad-but-true admission, I don't know how to use it "properly." Sometimes I use it to boost a solo, sometimes I leave it on all show because I forgot to turn it off, and sometimes I dabble with punching up a flat-sounding acoustic guitar. It's probably unnecessary.
- BP-1w goes into a Catalinbread Echorec I adore. Think "Pink Floyd at Pompeii" - thick, ethereal, and goes on forever. It has a multitude of settings; I found my favorite on day one and have never touched the dials again.
- Echorec goes into a JHS-modded Boss Tremolo pedal. Aside from the obnoxious always-blinking green LED, Josh & co. added a volume knob on the port side since the trem effect can often cause a volume cut when engaged.
Other potent potables:
- Electric amp of choice is a Mesa Boogie 6V6 4:40 California Tweed with the attenuation typically set at 30W and the master volume at 9.97/10. Thank God for the Xotic volume pedal, because the dB is blaring.
- Acoustic amp of choice is a Mesa Boogie Rosette 300 2:8 wrapped in (bubinga wood?). Love how much you can customize both channels (guitar + vox). I have a slew of acoustics I was running just fine into a simple Fender Acoustic 100, but when I acquired a Taylor T5 that sounded thin through the Fender (and overdriven through a clean Tweed), I went searching for something special. FOUND IT.
- If I'm running two guitars, I will put a JHS A/B pedal in front of the Xotic.
- The AirTurn PED Pro was a Sweetwater demo model, and while finicky as hell (I should replace it...), is a necessity for paging through that aforementioned cheater app on the mic stand iPad.
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.
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