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Pedal Line Friday :: Sid Solomon

Sid Solomon

I'm Lead Guitar for Monica Robins, a kickass singer in Cleveland, Ohio.  We have a Country Band and a Classic Rock Band and play a variety of venues from Bars & Private Events to Stadiums & Festivals.  I've also played live and recorded for Mike Onesko.

I use 2 main pedalboard rigs:  a Friedman 1317 Pedalboard for most shows and a Friedman 1520 board for the larger venues.

I like the 2-level layout of Friedman boards along with the wire routing and integration of his Power Grid 10 & Buffer Bay 6, both of which just slap right into the pedalboard.  The Power Grid 10 is the quietest & lightest power supply I've ever used.  The Buffer Bay 6 is a patch bay where all your cables live and also includes a buffer to push your signal.  You can also bypass the Send/Return and just use an out cable to the amp.  Both boards utilize Dual Lock instead of Velcro as it's super strong and frankly easy to change with a screwdriver between the two pieces, pops right off.

I have a Shure GLXD16+ Cordless unit on a Pedaltrain Nano board that I can use with either rig which also has an onboard tuner, but frankly, prefer to use cables, specifically Rattlesnake Cables & Looms.  While using cables, I'll use a TC Electronics Clip On Tuner.

1317 Rig:  First off you notice the Rattlesnake Loom in Snakeweave.  It's a 12 foot with Amp, Send, Return, and Footswitch.  The cables are color coded on both ends along with the leather labels at both ends.  The cable is a 12 foot Snakehead guitar cable in Black Cherry Weave.  Both cables plug into the Friedman BB6.

Routing Chain:  Top Tier is non-drive modulation pedals which all go through the Send/Return Effects loop.  First is a Dunlop Micro Wah which is switchless, goes into an MXR Phase 95 Mini Phase Shifter, into a Boss Dimension C Chorus then into a Keeley Halo in Andy Apple red.  I'm a set & forget guy, so I like simple mini pedals that sound good.  The Phase 95 is a classic phase shifter sound, The Dimension C is a super easy to use chorus with studio quality results, and the HALO has several settings like Reverb, dotted 1/8 notes, and Rockman that you can easily switch through.

Bottom Tier:  Footswitch is connect to the Buffer Bay for when I use 2 channel amps.  The rest are drive pedals which are all going through the Boss NS2 Noise Suppressor in a loop.  This pedal is fantastic when you use it that way and is dead quiet.  First is a Keeley Mini Compressor.  Great sound, simple and easy to use and can be an always on pedal.  Next is an MXR Duke of Tone Mini set on a very subtle Boost mode only for extra presence, typically also always on.  It also has Distortion & Overdrive modes, the distortion not being as dirty as you may think.  Next is the Wampler Mini Tumnus, one of the best transparent overdrives ever.  All my drives are set around medium gain so I can stack them depending on the need of the song.  Your guitar volume knob is also key to how much drive you give to a song at various points.  This one can warm up the tone whereas the next in line the classic Ibanez Mini Tube Screamer can boost mids & treble.  Stacking the two can go full out hard rock & metal.  Last is the Xotic EP Boost pedal set for a vlume boost during leads.  This can also be used on a completely clean guitar for extra presence as an always on pedal.

1520 Rig:   Rattlesnake Loom in Snakeweave.  20 foot with Amp, Send, Return, and Footswitch.  The cables are color coded on both ends along with the leather labels at both ends.  The cable is a 15 foot Snakehead guitar cable in Sidewinder Black Weave.  Both cables plug into the Friedman BB6 like the 1317 rig.

Routing Chain:  Top Tier is non-drive & modulation stuff.  First off is the Morley Bad Horsey wah which is full sized and switchless.  I'm using some bigger pedals since this is for bigger stages.  From the wah, we go into the Boss OC3 Octave Box which I consider the best octave box I've ever used.  I use the Polyphonic setting, but it has a really cool drive setting for that Pat Travers driven octave type sound. I don't like the newer OC5.  Next we go into a TC Electronics 3rd Dimension Chorus, a knockoff of the Boss Dimension C, but about a 3rd of the Price. Normally an original Boss CE2 Chorus sits here but it's being repaired.  This pedal also sounds great.  We then go into a Boss DD7 Digital Delay which I believe I leave on a modulated setting.  That then goes into a TC Electronica Hall of Fame Mini Reverb which is set on the stock setting at around 9 to 10:00.

Bottom Tier:  Once again, the drive pedals, also through a loop in the Boss NS2 Noise Suppressor as described in the 1317 rig.  This time  we have 2 Friedman drive pedals at the beginning; a Friedman Smallbox overdrive set on the edge of medium and high which goes into a Friedman Golden Pearl drive set on medium.  that then goes into a Keeley Workstation which is a multi drive pedal set for Compressor, Boost then overdrive, in that order as there are 2 options per stomp button and that's the order they were in.  Again, your guitar volume is key for using these drives properly either by themselves or stacked.

You'll notice the front of each pedalboard now has a Rattlesnake Cable Company decal.  That's because they are the best cables on the planet.

Bands / Projects

Monica Robins Music





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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.



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Reviews on Google

Kedi
Kedi
1/19/2021
GET A RATTLESNAKE! THEY DON’T BITE! After years of getting what I considered some of the best guitars and amps I realized that what I had in the way of cables was, well basically junk. Luckily I discovered Rattlesnake Cables. In addition to being a visual treat, colors and patterns, the great... Read
Raymond Hicks
Raymond Hicks
8/16/2021
I ordered my 20’ snakehead cable on a Friday and it was in my hands Tuesday afternoon. High quality materials and build - this cable is built to last and sounds fantastic. I’ve used all the big names (Mog, Full, Monst) and this cable is all I hoped for. Customer service is outstanding - I’m... Read
Craig Simas
Craig Simas
11/18/2022
Needed to replace my XLR cable that connects my foot-controller to my Axe-Fx. I decided to give these a try. The cable arrived very quickly, and was amazing looking. Great fit and finish. They use high end materials to deliver a high end product. I will be buying more form them as my needs arise. I... Read
Kedi
Kedi
1/19/2021
GET A RATTLESNAKE! THEY DON’T BITE! After years of getting what I considered some of the best guitars and amps I realized that what I had in the way of cables was, well basically junk. Luckily I discovered Rattlesnake Cables. In addition to being a visual treat, colors and patterns, the great “snakehead “ concept to protect your guitar finish, the cables provided a solid, stable connection. Gone were the snaps and crackles of thin, poorly soldered connections and loose jacks. Acoustic, electric, tube amp and solid state all sounded better to me and provided confidence in my equipment. I replace my head to cab cable with a Rattlesnake cable made specifically for that application, again no more concerns about connections. I am working on replacing pedalboard jumpers with Rattlesnake connections. Multiple lengths available to solve board design issues. These folks are nice to work with. Packaging is well though out, a nice cable tie include, a cable bag and cool sticker. The hand written thank you note on a small pad, to me, exemplifies their commitment to customer service. It’s a small American company that does things right. Cool T-shirts too!
Raymond Hicks
Raymond Hicks
8/16/2021
I ordered my 20’ snakehead cable on a Friday and it was in my hands Tuesday afternoon. High quality materials and build - this cable is built to last and sounds fantastic. I’ve used all the big names (Mog, Full, Monst) and this cable is all I hoped for. Customer service is outstanding - I’m not a professional musician, but I sure felt like a big name when I received a personal video from Hank giving me the details of my build schedule and thanking me for my business. That’s a really nice touch!! Glad to be part of the Rattlesnake family and will definitely be doing more business with Hank and his crew! Thanks again Hank!!
Craig Simas
Craig Simas
11/18/2022
Needed to replace my XLR cable that connects my foot-controller to my Axe-Fx. I decided to give these a try. The cable arrived very quickly, and was amazing looking. Great fit and finish. They use high end materials to deliver a high end product. I will be buying more form them as my needs arise. I will be building a new studio next year. I will definitely be running with Rattlesnake.

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