May 2 2011

Dominic Aitchison Pedal Board – Mogwai

Dominic Aitchison of Mogwai w/Travis Bean bass - photo by Gavin Kelly

I came across this sweet recent photo of Dominic Aitchison (bass player of Mogwai) playing a Travis Bean bass  (photo by Gavin Kelly1). I thought it was pretty wicked and got me thinking it would be cool to showcase his board. But as it seems with all bass players, getting that information is pretty hard.

I came across a still that someone took of the PSL TV show. I used stills from that to showcase for Stuart Braithwaite and John Cummings‘ pedal board as well in the past. That piece of footage has great information on Mogwai’s gear.

As I mentioned, there wasn’t too much available as far as gear lists or discussions. I did find one post on talkbass.com, and I’m using that info for this post. Below is a shot of Dominic’s pedal board:

Dominic Aitchison Pedal Board - Mogwai

From right to left:

Boss TU-2 Tuner
Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive
Boss ???
Boss DD-7 Digital Delay
Electro-Harmonix Knockout
SansAmp Bass Driver
Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synthesizer
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+

I had some doubt on the EHX Bass Micro Synth due to the size of the enclosure in the photo, but I think it’s how the photo is skewed. There is one unidentified pedal. It almost looks like some type of modified Boss pedal. Not sure. If anyone can shed some light, please comment below!

Popularity: 11%

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Mar 27 2011

Chris Shiflett – Foo Fighters – Pedal Board

Last night I caught the tail end of Foo Fighter’s performance on Austin City Limits. I’ve seen this before, and I always seem to catch the last 2-3 songs. One day I’ll watch it from the beginning. Of course I would keep a third eye on the floor of the stage to see if I can see anything interesting going on with the effects/set up. I did notice Chris Shiflett and his two Line 6 DL4s so for today, I thought I’d do some research and break down his pedal board. Without further ado I present Chris Shiflett’s pedal board.

I didn’t have to look hard at all to find something recent. At HC, niceguyollie posted some fresh photos of his board (posted 3/24/2011).

Below are the shots of the board:

Chris Shiflett - Foo Fighters - Pedal Board

Chris Shiflett - Foo Fighters - Pedal Board

Chris Shiflett - Foo Fighters - Pedal Board

Here is a break down of pedals:

Dunlop DVP1 Volume Pedal
Boss TU-3 Tuner
Voodoo Labs Amp Selector
Vox Input Selector/Jumper Switch? (custom)
Menatone Red Snapper
Fulltone Fulldrive 2 MOSFET
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Nano
Electro-Harmonix Micro POG (Polyphonic Octave Generator)
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler x2
Line 6 MM4 Modulation Modeler

The only one I wasn’t sure about was the black pedal labeled ‘Vox’. I’m assuming it’s a jumper pedal to blend inputs on the AC30.. not 100% sure.

Popularity: 51%

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Mar 15 2011

Introducing Rock Cr8 – The Guitar Pedal Organizer

Introducing Rock Cr8 - The Guitar Pedal OrganizerI remember early on in my guitar days I use to haul my stuff around in a square green milk crate. I think it would hold 4 gallons of milk or something. It was easy to lug around. I use to toss my pedals at the bottom then stack all the cables on top. It was a mess, but a somewhat organized mess. Of course, I then graduated to a briefcase, we all end up with a briefcase at some point.. right? And finally to a pedal board, yet I still need a case for my cables, tools and utility pieces. This is where Rock Cr8 comes in.

Scott Johnson created the Rock Cr8 to easily store/haul your gear along with your pedal board in one unit. Simple concept.. and a good one. Basically, one of the walls of the case is a detachable pedal board. The case is durable (tolex cover and strong handles). You can use the case as a riser (great for combo amps)! I sent Scott a email with some questions, and this how he responded:

Where did you come up with the concept of rockCr8?

One day I was jamming at home and I realized I took more time to set up and take down, and that I was losing valuable play time. I needed a way to keep my gear ready to go and quick to put away, and have things look presentable very quickly. I like to keep my nice guitars and amps in the house and jam whenever I can, but my wife doesn’t like to see my gear all over the place.

What took it from concept to something you were committed to build?

It was fast. I sketched it out the next day at my day job and had started building by the weekend. I knew I had to make a place to keep my pedals ready and also pick my amp up off the carpet. I was losing tone in the fibers and always had to tilt it back then pull out my old pedal board from the garage and put things together and that kind of made it mandatory.

Introducing Rock Cr8 - The Guitar Pedal Organizer
What advantages does the rockCr8 have over conventional pedal boards?

It really kills two birds with one stone. You have an amp stand and you have a detachable pedal board for traditional use.  Then you can re attach it to the mothership holding up your Amp.  The kicker for me is you have a third element. You have a transportation device for all the other stuff a guitarist needs to take from home to gig. It’s durable and looks like an extension to your amp.

Can you make them custom? how custom? what are the options?

I have not tried anything too crazy yet but I was thinking about adding some lights in there since we have a power strip. Maybe a disco ball or some dice might be cool. We have two hinge styles. A piano hinge for the basic Rock Cr8 and a detachable hinge for the Rock Cr8 Gig.    The main option is the 39 versions of tolex available to make it a nice compliment to your favorite amp. We have a couple handle styles as well.

What is the turn around time to get one?

I am going to keep some body’s ready to be covered to cut down turn around time. My goal is to have it in your hands asap. Week or Two in most cases.  I also plan to keep some staple colors of tolex like Standard Black completed for immediate delivery.

How do they compare to other pedal boards – cost wise?

There is such a range of pedal boards from $50 to $400. We can do most versions of Tolex for about $175 with shipping on top of that. But it’s not just a pedal board, it’s a Cr8.

Check out RockCr8.com for more information and photos of the Cr8! RockCr8 is also on Twitter, so give him a follow!

 

Popularity: 8%

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Feb 27 2011

Brian Cook – Russian Circles – Pedal Board

I while ago I posted Mike Sullivan’s pedal board, and a few people suggested I break down Brian Cook‘s. Sorry for the delay, but I finally got around to it. Brian is the bass player of Russian Circles (as well as These Arms Are Snakes). Russian Circles are know for creating pretty amazing sonic atmosphere, and the bass is a large contributor to the vibe. Just like Mike, Brian also utilizes a loop pedal and distortion boxes for the RC tone.

This photo by lost_dogs of Brian Cook’s pedal board was taken in March 13,2010. This was the most recent photo I could find.

Brian Cook - Russian Circles - Pedal BoardThis pedal line includes the following pedals:

Boss TU-2 Tuner
Morley A/B/Y Selector
DigiTech Whammy
Fulltone OCD
ProCo RAT2
Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff
Earnie Ball Voume Pedal
Akai Headrush E2

Just like with everyone, pedal boards evolve and change (due to new pedals, broken pedals, new sound requirements, etc). Looking at a few past versions, I’ve seen the following pedals that were on board at one time, but not at the time of the most recent photo above:

Way Huge Swollen Pickle MKII
Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 Nano Linear Power Booster
Line 6 DL 4 Delay
Electro-Harmonix Nano Holy Grail
Electro-Harmonix Stereo Pulsar Tremolo

Below are some of the other older versions of this board:

Brian Cook - Russian Circles - Pedal Board
This photo was by bloodyninjafist
Brian Cook - Russian Circles - Pedal Board
This photo was by What’s That Dude Play

If you have any comments or corrections/modifications, please comment below.

UPDATE

Over at http://gearnerd.info/page/2 there was a fresh interview with Brian Cook. Here are some additional notes about his current rig:

i primarily play a Gibson Grabber II. i also have a ‘77 Grabber that’s pretty thrashed at this point. and i have a First Act Delgada i used on the Geneva album. my amp is a Verellen Meatsmoke. i use an Ampeg 8×10 cabinet. i use Dean Markley strings. pedals are harder to pinpoint because i’m always trying out new things. i’ve got a Fulltone OCD in there, a Digitech Whammy, an Akai Headrush, an EHX little Big Muff, an EHX Memory Toy. and i just got a Fuzzrocious Rat Tail and a Tonebutcher Pocket Puss that i’ve been having a lot of fun with.

Popularity: 20%

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Feb 12 2011

Interpol – Daniel Kessler – Pedal Board

A little while ago I asked “Any guitarists out there that you’d like to see on EffectsBay with their board broken down?“, and on that list, there was mention of Interpol’s Daniel Kessler. I thought I’d take a stab at this one. It’s amazing how much out dated information is out there on the web, especially with the ever-evolving world of one’s pedal board. When you search on Google for Daniel Kessler, you will see mentioned over and over of him using a Proco Rat Pedal, multiple Boss DD-5 delays, etc. I found the following photo posted a few months ago (GearWhore Tumblr). This was the freshest photo I could find, and there were some major changes to the board that took some work to iron out. Not to mention that the pedals were not too clear in the image.

Interpol - Daniel Kessler - Pedal BoardPlease let me know if anything is incorrect. I’m not 100% sure on a few of these pedals, and I’ll point those out below. Pedals listed from top right to bottom left.

Boss TU-2 Tuner
Boss TR-2 Tremolo – I see this mentioned many times, the color doesn’t fit, but clearly this is a 3 knob Boss pedal and fits the position compared to older shots
Boss DD-5 Delay – I’m only going with the DD-5 since it’s mentioned so many times. Could be Boss DD-7 now-a-days
MXR Carbon Copy Delay – In the past he used a secondary Boss DD-5 here. Knob position and color/size looks right
Tech 21 CompTortion – Originally I thought this was going to be a Tech 21 XXL, but again, past discussions point out that he uses the discontinued CompTortion
Vox V810 Valve Tone Overdrive
ZVex Super Duper 2 in 1
Diaz Texas Ranger Treble Boost – In the past he used a Roger-Mayer Concorde+Treble Booster in this position of the chain. Diaz is also a red 2 knob pedal (usually seen with white knobs though and sometimes seen with black enclosure).
ZVex Super Hard On (SHO)
Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb (Older version)
All powered with 2 Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ power supplies

The pedals that I’m not 100% confident on are the Diaz and the TR-2 but based on past information, these *should/could* be correct. Again, if you see anything or have any comments, please comment below!

UPDATE:

Looks like what I thought was the Diaz is actually a Keeley Fuzz Head. Here is a much clearer shot of Daniel Kessler’s board at EFXPorn:

Daniel Kessler's Pedal Board (Interpol)

Popularity: 13%

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Jan 25 2011

DunlopTV – Dweezil Zappa Pt. 2, The Gear

Dweezil Zappa's Pedal BoardLast week, @Literate_Monkey asked if I’d seen this episode of DunlopTV.. and I hadn’t. The episode was of Dweezil Zappa talking about his effects set up and demonstrating some of what it can do. Pretty damn complicated set up, but for you gear heads out there.. it’ll be interesting for sure.

Popularity: 6%

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Nov 28 2010

Russian Circles – Mike Sullivan Pedalboard

Here is a band I really like. Last year, I was bordering on obsession with these guys. For those of you who aren’t familiar with them, they are a 3 piece band based out of Chicago. I really like instrumental bands such as Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Earthless, etc. Russian Circles fall in this category, but they definitely play in the ‘harder’, ‘spacer’ side of things.

The guitarist, Mike Sullivan plays with Les Pauls (double cutaway) and Sunn amps and develops complex loops with excellent sonic texturing. I wanted to take a look at how he pulls this off so after doing some research I have a somewhat recent pedal board layout. These pedals would have been used during their 2010 tour.

Russian Circles - Mike Sullivan PedalboardAkai E2 Headrush
Electro-Harmonix Nano Holy Grail Reverb
Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Echo
MXR M-133 Micro Amp
Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer (Keeley Mod)
Fulltone OCD
Digitech Jamman (older version.. not JML2)
Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man (older version)
Boss TU-2 Tuner
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
Furman Pedal Board

Additionally, I did some some pedal board shots where Mike was playing a MXR M-101 Phase 90 as well. Please let me know of any errors or additions by commenting below.

Popularity: 22%

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Nov 27 2010

Pedal boards of Oceansize

I came across a great video by MusicRadar.com where they interviewed the guys from Oceansize. I went ahead and broke down each of the 3 guitarists (Mike Vennart, Gambler and Steve Durose). I haven’t listened to a lot of Oceansize, but like what I’ve heard. Manchester bands have always attracted me… lots of good ones in the past!

Here is the video by MusicRadar (by the way, you need to check out MusicRadar.com!):

Mike Vennart

Oceansize - Mike Vennart - Pedal Board

Boss TU-2 Tuner
Digitech XP100 Whammy Wah
Blackstar HT Series HT-DISTX Tube High Gain Distortion
Pro Co Rat Distortion
BYOC Russion Big Muff (Clone of Russian Big Muff)
Chunky Cheese (Clone of a LoveTone Big Cheese)
Line 6 FM 4 Filter Modeler
Boss DD-3 Delay
Boss DD-6 Delay
Boss DM-2 Delay
Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Nano
Boss TR-2 Tremolo

Gambler

Oceansize - Gambler - Pedal Board

Big Muff Clone (Unknown)
Danelectro Fab Tone Distortion
Digitech Whammy
TC Electronic NDR-1 Nova Drive
Boss DD-20 Giga delay
Boss GE-7 Equalizer

Steve Durose

Oceansize - Steve Durose - Pedal Board

Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion
Marshall JH-1 Jackhammer
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff (Classic USA)
Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser
Boss PH-2 Phaser
Danelectro DJ-5 Tuna Melt Tremolo
Boss CS-2 Compressor
Line 6 DL 4 Delay Modeler
Vox Wah
Original Swell Pedal (possibly Colorsound)
Boss TU-2 Tuner
Boss DD-3 Delay

Let me know if you see any errors, etc. by posting below in the comments. Thanks!

Popularity: 9%

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Nov 22 2010

Pedal Board – Jerry Cantrell – Alice in Chains

Yesterday for my lazy Sunday afternoon between football games, I came across a great video by PremierGuitar where they interview Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains (posted in September of 2009) . They go over the guitars, amps and effects for his rig. I thought it would be fun to break some of these down.

Below is the video by PremiereGuitar:

Here is a shot of the primary tray of effects:

Pedal Board - Jerry Cantrell - Alice in Chains 1MXR M-135 Smart Gate
Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808HW
MXR M288 Bass Octave
Boss CH-1 Super Chorus
Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Eventide TimeFactor Twin Delay
MXR EVH-117 Eddie Van Halen Flanger

Above this rack there is a secondary rack:

Pedal Board - Jerry Cantrell - Alice in Chains 2MXR M-135 Smart Gate
Dunlop JD-4S Rotovibe

On stage he has a small board:

Pedal Board - Jerry Cantrell - Alice in Chains 3Tone Freak Buff Puff
Dunlop JD-4S Rotovibe
Dunlop JC95 Jerry Cantrell Signature Wah

Let me know if I missed anything, or if anything is incorrect by commenting below!

Popularity: 11%

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Nov 14 2010

Pedal Board – Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai

So a couple of days ago, I posted John Cummings pedal board, so I figured it would be good follow up with Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai. I absolutely love the textures that Mogwai creates with their guitars. It can go from thick and engaging to light and beautiful. I’m a fan of tension and release… and these guys are the masters.

I’ll repost the same video I mentioned in the previous post. It was much harder to see the pedal board of Stuart’s in this clip, so if anyone can fill in the gaps, it would be greatly appreciated!

Here is a partial screen capture of one of his pedal boards. Looks like he has two set up.

Pedal Board – Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai

Board #1

Boss TU-2 Tuner
Danelectro Fab Tone DD-1
Home made analog synth/distortion
ProCo Rat
Boss DD-20 Giga Delay
MXR Carbon Copy Delay
Boss ??
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man w/Hazarai

Board #2

Boss RC-20XL Loop Station ?
Boss ??
Boss Pitchshifter?
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+
??

It was interesting that Stuart was talking about the durability of the Danelectro Fab Tone DD-1. Curious why he doesn’t have one re-housed in a sold enclosure… with a good footswitch??

Popularity: 12%

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