Free US / Domestic Shipping On Orders Over $135!


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





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.



Testimonial Images

  • Testimonial Image
  • Testimonial Image
  • Testimonial Image
  • Testimonial Image
  • Testimonial Image
  • Testimonial Image
  • Testimonial Image
  • Testimonial Image

Reviews on Google

Paul Echols
Paul Echols
5/12/2024
Rattlesnake Cable Company are makers of the Highest Quality Cables and goods. Customer service is beyond words it's so excellent. My Rattlesnake, Snake Head, Big Sky, instrument cable is the absolute best! My Rattlesnake standard Snake weave cable has my cat "Mia" fooled and she is still sneaking up... Read
James Gayler
James Gayler
9/3/2020
I bought myself several cables for instrument and speaker use, and they so impressed me that I bought one for each member of my band (except drums). They are very well constructed, no noise, no tangling, nice colours, well-packaged. I have bought several more since then and plan to buy more in the... Read
Mark Miller
Mark Miller
4/8/2025
Have used my new Rattlesnake instrument cable on a half dozen gigs now. Excellent cable. Like the colors that the team at Rattlesnake cable company put together as well. I do have ( in my opinion) a quieter and stronger signal path from my basses to my Aguilar rig. I will be purchasing more soon.... Read
Paul Echols
Paul Echols
5/12/2024
Rattlesnake Cable Company are makers of the Highest Quality Cables and goods. Customer service is beyond words it's so excellent. My Rattlesnake, Snake Head, Big Sky, instrument cable is the absolute best! My Rattlesnake standard Snake weave cable has my cat "Mia" fooled and she is still sneaking up on it when she comes in to jam. The Rattlesnake patch cables with pancake plugs are perfect for space saving between pedals! I'm so pleased with the improvement on my electric/acoustic signal(s) with just the instrument cables, I've ordered 2 more instrument cables to connect my pedals to my amplifiers. Once you get your hands on a Rattlesnake Cable you will feel the goodness, hearing music played thru a Rattlesnake Cable will seal the deal. Hank Donovan and the Rattlesnake Team are bright spots in the music world!
James Gayler
James Gayler
9/3/2020
I bought myself several cables for instrument and speaker use, and they so impressed me that I bought one for each member of my band (except drums). They are very well constructed, no noise, no tangling, nice colours, well-packaged. I have bought several more since then and plan to buy more in the future as needed. Great cables!
Mark Miller
Mark Miller
4/8/2025
Have used my new Rattlesnake instrument cable on a half dozen gigs now. Excellent cable. Like the colors that the team at Rattlesnake cable company put together as well. I do have ( in my opinion) a quieter and stronger signal path from my basses to my Aguilar rig. I will be purchasing more soon. Going to tap into some of their amp power cables next. Thanks gentlemen, Mark Miller

Search

Fomo

JORGE in Greenfield MA just made a purchase!
about 31 minutes ago

Fomo

Robert in Augusta GA just made a purchase!
about 3 hours ago

Fomo

Ben in Thompson’s Station TN just made a purchase!
about 8 minutes ago

Fomo

Jonny in Haifa Israel just made a purchase!
about 5 hours ago

Fomo

Travis in Littleton CO just submitted a custom loom request!
about 4 hours ago

Fomo

Anthony in Rock Creek OH just submitted a custom loom request!
about 2 hours ago

Fomo

Robert in Mt. Pleasant SC just submitted a custom build request!
about 3 hours ago

Fomo

Scott in Avon OH just submitted a custom build request!
about 3 hours ago

Fomo

Andrew in Fort Mill SC just made a purchase!
about 2 hours ago

Fomo

Rusty in Yorba Linda CA just made a purchase!
about 2 hours ago

Enter Code