Pedal Line Friday :: Les B.

I think it is important to support small businesses, especially those within the U.S.

AMPS: Suhr Hombre (Brownface Style) or Winfield Cyclone (Vox Style)
BOARD: West Coast Pedal Board - Icon Series (Tobacco Burst)
INTERCONNECTS: Rattlesnake Flex Patch 10"

Pretty simple setup, all the pedals are in front of my amp(s). I primarily play Gretsch and Guild semi and full hollow-body guitars, and I have found that the pedals made by The Nocturne Brain in San Diego suit my equipment and playing styles perfectly. Though common on "roots" rock and rockabilly boards, I've found that the pedals have a great deal of flexibility and usability, and make for an excellent choice for rock, hard rock, punk, and grunge. In order they are:

Sonic Research ST-300 Turbo Tuner - what can I say, it's the best!

Nocturne Brain Fuzz Ray - British 60's Style "Garage" Fuzz. I have this cranked and use it to get a cool 90's Grunge Sound instead, great for leads!

Nocturne Brain Marquesan - "Rat" style pedal, though this pedal has much more flexibility (and sounds better). My go-to for hard rock and punk.

Nocturne Brain Atomic Brain - RE-301 style preamp - the cleanest clean boost, great for "bumping" up a Gretsch, Guild, or Tele without affecting the sound.

Nocturne Brain Fluid Drive - Super clean, gain-y and crunchy O/D. Works best when slammed in front by the Atomic Brain.

Nocturne Brain Mystery Brain - Tape Echo Simulator + Preamp. I have this set for a mild slap-back at the moment, but the pedal has an incredible amount of flexibility and some truly bizarre sounds can be fashioned if one is feeling especially creative. The Mystery Brain has an Atomic Brain built-in to it - I keep both on my board as it gives me a lot of flexibility - I can boost in front or behind or have both on at the same time.

Nocturne Brain El Pescadoro - An interesting take on reverb, no springs here! The sound is more like playing in a drippy cavern or the local castle dungeon. The El Pesky also has a built-in preamp, except this one is an "Octal Tube Character Preamp." Meant to evoke the sounds of 40's Octal tube amplifiers, I actually find that it is great for "thickening" up thinner sounding single-coils: strats, Dynasonics / DeArmonds, Hi-Lo'Trons, etc.

Surfy Industries Blossom Point - Marketed as a "brownfacer" and intended to get you the sound of a Showman cranked up just enough to hit that sweet spot, just before distortion. I've found that it has a nice (and mild) limiting / compression effect on the sound, so actually use it to tighten up my sound in lieu of an actual compressor.

My board also has an effects loop which is patched in between the Fluid Drive and the Mystery Brain, allowing me to "patch in" any sort of O/D or Distortion I might want to use, on the rare occasion when I reach for a Les Paul with P-90's. Current favorites are a JHS Notaklon (I actually use it as an overdrive) and a PedalPawn Bluesprint (TS9 + Bluesdriver Combo Pedal).

Current Projects: I'm currently on hiatus, polishing my chops and taking as many lessons as I can, prepping for the next big thing - it could be another rock band, or it could be jazz americana. Who knows.

Thanks! Les B.

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.