Pedal Line Friday :: T.Wesley

Hi Hank & all the Rattlers :)

I call this my "main board" - it's the one I use for most gigs and for recording, at least when I need effects at that stage.

I forget what size/model the board itself is, but it's made by Pedaltrain. I think it's one up from the Classic? but not 100% sure.

Routing starts at the bottom right with a Saturnworks I/O buffer, followed by the BOSS TU-2 because no guitarist should ever be caught on stage without a tuner! I know the TU-2 is itself buffered, but I use the Saturnworks I/O for two reasons - first, to ease cable routing (I plug into & out of ONE pedal) and second, in case I want to use my wah pedal, which for some reason doesn't like the buffer on the TU-2, but does like the buffer on the I/O.

From the TU-2, the signal goes to the top right into the JPTR FX Warlow "Fuzz Monstrosity." My understanding is this is a hot-rodded Big Muff circuit, and it does some really, really cool stuff. After that is the 1981 Inventions DRV pedal, which is a variation on the RAT circuit with more warmth and controllability (IMO of course), followed by the Beetronics Overhive, which is my favorite drive pedal and the one I use most often if I'm not using my amp's crunch channel.

After the Overhive comes the Beetronics Buzzter Double Booster - I love this pedal because it allows me to have two boosted presets and while they look kind of the same in the photo, I assure you one is definitely louder than the other.

After the Buzzter, the signal jumps over to the Saturnworks Switcheroo Box, which I use to keep my modulation effects out of the signal path unless I need them in it. The signal flows through its true-bypass switches from right to left, and I had them make it with blue-blue-green LEDs to match at least the colors of the BOSS pedals. First up is the Spaceman FX Delta II Harmonic Tremolo, one of the best tremolo pedals on the market if you ask me. It can go from subtle to "what on Earth did that guy just turn on?" and I keep it set somewhere in the middle. The painter's tape over the knobs isn't to hide the settings, but rather to keep them from getting changed from where I like them while the board is it its carry bag or getting moved around.

The second loop in the Switcheroo holds the BOSS CE-2w Chorus, which is my replacement for the original CE-2 I bought in about 1988 and used up until 2022, when it started glitching. I love the wide, gentle sweep of the CE-2w. Third up in the Switcheroo is the BOSS PH-2 Phaser, great for those swirly-flangy tones when you need *something*, but chorus isn't quite the right thing.

The signal comes out of the Switcheroo and goes into the Strymon El Capistan at bottom left. This is a hugely versatile delay pedal which effectively emulates old tape echo boxes and is highly configurable. I've got all the secondary effects (which are unlabeled) turned off and keep it in this position so I can more easily use the tap tempo button on its left side. From there, signal goes to the Mojo Hand FX Octaverse, which is a reverse delay with an octave up effect mixed in. I love reverse delay for trippy, ethereal passages and adding the octave up helps it cut through a dense mix. From there, the signal makes a long run down to the I/O Buffer and then out to my amplifier - via a Rattlesnake cable, of course, though this shows other brands I was using to test the function of the board.

Everything on this board is powered by a Strymon Zuma power supply mounted under the board where the drive pedals sit.

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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.