Pedal Line Friday :: Saul M.

Although I've been playing for a long time, I only started experimenting with pedals five years ago. At this point, I mostly play at home, switching among acoustics and electrics based on what I feel like playing, and occasionally jam with others or do a coffeehouse type thing. I play an eclectic mix of blues (acoustic and electric), rock, folk, singer-songwriter stuff, depending on mood or with whom I am playing. Five years later, here are the two boards I use, one for electric and one for acoustic.

Electric Pedalboard w/Outboard Wah

Board: Temple Audio Duo 17, powered by a Cioks 8 power supply. There is a four input/output mod on the left side for connections. The jacks are #1-4 from bottom to top if you are looking down at the board. The Guitar cable (Rattlesnake, of course) goes into Jack 1.

Signal Chain:

1.Kingtone Fuzz. Terrific pedal with two diode choices and three voices. I am partial to the geranium/vintage or geranium/fat combination, but the Zonk and silicon settings are great edgier fuzz. The pedal is very responsive to the guitar volume control. The Kingtone output goes back to Jack 2.

2.Additional Effects Loop. Jacks 2 & 3 are an additional effects loop after the Fuzz, which I use for an outboard Wah when I want to use it (a sometimes thing for me). If I want to use the loop (as shown in the photo), the red Rattlesnake loom connects the Wah. If I don't want to use the loop, a four-inch Rattlesnake flex-patch connects Jacks 2 & 3.

3.Dunlop Cry Baby. One of the classics. Having never used a wah before, it seemed like a good choice, and it has turned out to be. If I used it more, I would consider something with more controls (like the Xotic), but for something like Season of the Witch (Super Session version) era music, this works.

4.Keeley Compressor. First in the chain from Jack 3, the Keeley has straightforward controls, runs quiet, is impeccably built, and offers a wide range of compression choices. A "single coil/humbucker" toggle changes the compression parameters if you switch between guitars that primarily use different types of pickups. One of my guitars is an HSS, for which I leave it on the single coil setting, but for a pure humbucker guitar, I flip the switch. There are compressors with more controls, but the Keeley balances ease of use and flexibility.

5.Drives:

a. Heather Brown Blessed Mother. Some reviewers have likened its driven tone to a TS, and maybe that's right, but I think it has its own voice. Volume, drive, and two tone knobs provide lots of options, but the magic is the "immaculator" knob (lower left), which blends in clean signal (unaffected by the drive and tone controls) with the driven signal. Almost like running a clean boost and drive in parallel. Very cool, quiet, and very well built.

b.Rimrock Effects Mythical Overdrive. One of the better Klon Klones. Can be warm and fat, or dialed up to scream if you like (not my style). Great on its own for blues, but stacks well with The Blessed Mother (which is also great on its own, just different). With the immaculator at 50%, I can push the MO with half Blessed Mother driven tone and half clean guitar tone, and the result is quite cool.

c. Warm Audio Warmdrive. A version of the well-known Zendrive, the Warmdrive has a Dumble-like quality to it. It's a great always on pedal for blues and California folk-rock (think David Lindley on "Running on Empty"). And it stacks well with either or both of the other drives for some interesting tones, when you want more.

d. Could I survive with just one of these three, and juice it with the Fuzz for killer distortion when needed? Sure. But the fun is in the experimenting, right?

6.Keeley Halo. A number of built-in presets make this pedal fun right out of the box. The Andy Timmons signature Halo echo/delay, a lovely blooming sound unlike any other delay I have tried, invites experimentation.

For most of what I play, I use the short slapback setting, and play with the other settings to experiment with new sounds. The presets can be modified, of course, so if you are a big fan of echo, ambience, and spaciness, check this pedal out.

7.Strymon Flint. Two pedals in one. A three voice tremolo side (left) and a three voice reverb side (right). The order is switchable, and I have it set Tremolo to Reverb. I have used it the other way, but for now I like this better. If you want to travel back to the mid-sixties and do a credible "Pipeline" or "Crimson and Clover", dial up the tremolo intensity, and you are there. Turn down the intensity, and it just fattens up your sound without obvious wobble. And the three reverb types are excellent (my main amp has a spring reverb tank, so I can use the Flint to increase/layer reverb or when I am plugged into an amp that does not have built-in reverb.

All of the pedals are connected with Rattlesnake flex-patch cables, some in custom lengths to minimize bunching. Special thanks to Hank for consulting on, and making, the loom for the short Wah loop, and on the patch cables. The output from Jack 4 (Rattlesnake cable of course) goes to a Carr Mercury V most of the time.

Acoustic Board

Board: Temple Audio Solo 18, powered by a Strymon Ojai five port power supply. Two input/output mod on the left side. And, of course, all pedals are connected with Rattlesnake flex patch cables. The output goes eitherto my Acoustic Image Corus or a PA (or both).

Signal Chain:

LR Baggs Venue DI. The main engine, with pretty much all of the EQ and preamp one needs for any type of passive or active acoustic guitar pickup. The input from Jack 1 goes into the Venue (right side), and the Venue's unbalanced output (which has a volume control) goes to Jack 2, for an output to an amp. The Venue also has an XLR out on the back for a PA, which is not subject to the output volume control. The Venue's only shortcomings are that the power plug is too close to the effects loop plugs, so it gets in the way of the right angle signal cable plug, as you can see in the photo, and the tuner is mediocre. The other two pedals are in the Venue's effects loop (post EQ).

J Rockett Airchild Compressor. A new product, modeled on the famous Fairchild rack compressor used in studios, the Airchild is quite different from other compressors. The output (volume), threshold (essentially how quickly the compressor jumps in and how much compression you get), and blend (clean versus compressed) are very interactive. Experimenting finds the balance you want. The tone knob is magical. Turn counterclockwise and it nicely tames ice-pick trebles; clockwise it will brighten a dark guitar or pickup. It's terrific for acoustic pickups of all designs.

Strymon El Capistan. The El Cap has a built in reverb (a secondary function) along with any delay you dial in. With only a short slapback delay, and a Mix at about 9 o'clock, it adds a little ambience without feeling like an "effect." Of course, if you want more, it's there in spades.

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.