In pictures: the people's pedalboards

Power to the people

Pedalboards, pedalboards, pedalboards. When we're not analysing star 'boards (you can see plenty of those in our monster pro pedalboards gallery), we're looking at each other's, gazing in wonder and, most likely, envy.

As anyone who's spent literally days of their lives wrangling with patch cables and isolated power supplies will know, putting together the perfect pedalboard is a fine art, and like any fine art, it should displayed - perhaps in a physical gallery, perhaps in an online one. And that's where we come in.

Ahead are the 'boards their owners deemed fit for inclusion: among them, you'll find the boutique, the beautiful and the bonkers, but above all, you'll discover plenty of inspiration for your own rig.

Your pedalboard here!

If you'd like your pedalboard to appear on MusicRadar, join our burgeoning Facebook group (opens in new tab) dedicated to the art of pedalboarding. Share your photos and we'll upload our favourites on this here gallery.

Alternatively, email us at contact@musicradar.com with photos and a brief description (and preferably, a signal chain) using the subject line, 'The people's pedalboards'. In return, we'll share them for all the world to see, along with a pithy caption and your name up in interweb lights.

Patricia Serrano

Patricia’s ’board carries all the hallmarks of a guitarist in the know, with some bonafide classics and unsung heroes. She’s even filmed a video playing through the whole lot! Some very tasty tones here...

Signal chain: Manlay Sound Ronno Bender, Mooer Eleclady, Fulltone Dejavibe, Manlay Sound The Sound, Z.Vex Box Of Rock, MXR Carbon Copy, Korg Pitchblack, Catalinbread Topanga

David Lee

David has gone Keeley mad with his 16” Pedaltrain, kitting it out a pair of the company’s Workstations and the pimped-out Compressor Pro. We’d love to have a play through this one.

Signal chain: Tapestry Audio Bloomery Active Volume, Keeley Compressor Pro, J Rockett Archer Ikon, Xotic Ac+, Analogman SunBender MK1.5, Keeley Mod Workstation, Keeley Delay Workstation

John ‘Bongo’ di Filippo

“While modest, my board covers the bases for an old guy (70) that played in a cover band till the 9:30 start time, 2/3 sets, low pay, and cheap beer got to him,” jokes John. “Nowadays jamming with friends is just right.

“My ’board is set up with most used pedals up front. Signal chain is tuner to wah, wah to fuzz, fuzz to OD, OD to boost, boost to chorus, chorus to reverb, reverb to amp. Voodoo Lab Pedal Power Iso 5 powers the whole shooting match. I enjoy messing with the settings.

“When playing, I know things are just right when my wife comes in and tells me it’s too loud. Too loud - how can that be?”

A philosophical conundrum, indeed. Looks like there’s a gap on the ’board that needs filling, too...

Daniel Poe

Daniel knows where it’s at, equipping his ’board with a Mooer Radar, in case an amp isn’t available - otherwise it stays out of the chain.

“I am very pleased with this and it looks like this pedalboard will be pretty much fixed without any more changes,” Daniel says, proudly.

“I use this pedalboard with clean amps and it works great with the music I play, which is mainly blues, jazz, pop, and rock.”

Signal chain: Line 6 G30 Receiver >> Tomsline Tuner >> Dunlop GCB-80 Volume Pedal >> Dunlop GCB-95 Wah Pedal >> Mooer Yellow Comp >> Boss FB-2 Feedbacker/Booster >> Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini >> Mooer Hustle Drive >> Mooer Black Secret >> MXR Classic 108 Fuzz Mini >> Mooer Micro Preamp US Classic Deluxe (Only in use if no amp is available) >> TC Electronic Corona Chorus >> TC Electronic Pipeline Tap Tremolo >> Boss DD-20 Giga Delay >> TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2 >> Mooer Radar (Only in use if no amp is available) >> Out

Powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power Digital and a separate 12 V power supply for the Mooer Radar

Macca

An individual known only as ‘Macca’ (we’re assuming it’s not that Macca) sent in this almighty configuration, which really runs the gamut of tonal possibilities, ably controlled by Joyo’s PXL-Pro.

“The compressor, drives and Rat form loop 1, which goes straight into the amp front end, he explains.

“The rest forms the effects loop. Two power supplies fixed on the underside supply the juice.”

Andrew Moore

New additions to Andrew’s capably equipped ’board include the Electro-Harmonix C9 and MXR Carbon Copy.

It’s now so well-stocked, he’s contemplating a switching system. We don’t blame him: there are an awful lot of sonic options here.

Jimmy Takacs

“Just did a rearrange, took all the pedals I need to be able to easily get to and put them on the bottom row,” explains Jimmy

 “Using the Blurst as my wah and the Harmonist for dive bombs. So stoked.”

Very nice - it’s been a while since we’ve seen a DOD Phasor. Also, we like the fat burger next to the Fat Sandwich.

Dethniteblod

Although the name scares the bejesus out of us, Dethniteblod has generously sent us a detailed explanation of their rig and the thinking behind it.

“My guitar goes to the Super Hard On which splits it to my tuner (And I might use that as a DI point.) and Lo Fi Looper then Looper into Boss Line Selector with two loops: one modulation (MXR Phase 95 to MXR Micro Flanger) and distortion (Green Rhino to Zvex Fuzz Factory to Fender Pugilist Distortion).

“This way, I can switch quickly from mod to distortion (Smashing Pumpkins-style) or switch the distortions off and use the phaser and flanger mixed with a clean signal.

“Then from the Line Selector to a new addition, the Stone Deaf Tremotron (built by the great Luke Hilton), to sculpt the clean or distorted sound, and then lastly, like most people, into a MXR Carbon Copy.

“If I was playing live, I would stick my Line 6 M9 on the end for extra delays but if I'm recording I use delay plugins so I can properly sync the guitar to the track later on.”

Ivo Kuijf

These here are Ivo’s twin bass pedalboards: the effects reside at the back of the stage, the controllers at the front.

“The Soleman/boss/expression control the SA pedals, synths and a laptop running samples, loops etc,” Ivo explains.

“The EBS is always on, the MXR set to match venue and vibe. Signal: Tuner > Kingmaker > Multicomp > Preamp/DI > Mercury > Nemesis. Power brick hidden under our band logo.”

Fernando Fmrat Ramirez

“Pedalboard 2019... any suggestions, comments or tips?” muses Fernando. Don’t change a damn thing, says us!

There’s no arguing with the pedal choices here - we’re particular fans of the Dr Scientist Reverberator and Red Panda Particle combo, plus the Keeley Dark Side. Epic!

Steven Bailor

Steven has kindly given us a description of this talk box-equipped beast:

“In case it's not obvious, order is tuner followed by whatever else (Banshee is only on the way out and only on one of two outputs) in any order you want and you can run whatever you want in parallel (all thanks to the Sound Sculpture Switchblade 8F), with anything else or everything else or whatever combination floats your boat, and then Banshee if you want (oh, and Banshee can run in parallel with whatever else since there are two outs).

“Phase issues won't exist, because I've incorporated a phase inverter too. TOO MANY CHOICES! (And that's just the front end unless I use this standalone; in which case that's all I get - so sad.)”

Dylan Steed

Trusty Steed has made some savvy decisions in kitting out his ’board, with some choice picks from TC Electronic’s budget range and a couple of neat mini pedals to boot. Impressive real estate use, too!

Frédéric Dao

Now we’re talking! Frédéric’s ’board is ready to handle high-gain amp-overdrive thrills, and we’d wager EVH is an influence, too…

Scott Wallace

Scott is a man after our own hearts, supplying a proper, actual signal chain! Thank you, Scott.

Superb picks across the ’board here, too - The Bends, Ventura Vibe and Nautila are real unsung heroes.

Signal chain: PolyTune >> Ventura Vibe (split to 2nd amp - Katana) >> The Bends Compressor >> Tube Screamer Mini >> Nobels ODR-1 >> Carcosa Fuzz >> REVV G3 Distortion >> AMP (Laney L5) >> FX Send >> Nautila Chorus >> Flashback Mini >> Marine Layer Reverb >> Ditto Looper >> FX Return >> 1x12 Laney Cab

Anciferov Alexey‎

“Just some pedals to play metal riffs” says Anciferov. Well, yes, but what pedals they are!

We bet that Horizon Devices Precision Drive and Mooer Radar combo sounds beastly.

Nikhil Dass‎

The generous guy that he is, Nikhil gone and sent us an essay on his thinking behind this ’board, so we’ll leave it to him...

“I'm pretty old school in my approach to playing guitar, so for a while I thought that maybe 4-5 pedals would do it for me. Yeah, right.

“Signal chain: Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul > the stuff in front of the amp > Marshall DSL100H or 2555X > effects loop stuff > aforementioned Marshall

“Stuff in front of the amp:

“Korg Pitchblack Mini - I'm one of those guys who's never been able to fully appreciate polyphonic tuners

“TC Electronic Sub N' Up Mini - currently loaded with a TC TonePrint that has an organ-like modulation on it, except I've tweaked it so the octave up control affects not just the level of the octave up, but also the mix of the modulation (i.e. fully counterclockwise is no modulation, fully clockwise is throbbing modulation)

“CAE MC404 Wah - tweaked so the yellow Fasel inductor has a little less Q than stock, and the red Fasel has a little more

“Fulltone Supa Trem - set up as an always-on clean boost, and when I want a subtle tremolo I can hit the hard/soft switch

“MXR Gypsy Fuzz - purely self-explanatory

“Wampler Tumnus - a lot of players use this as a (sorta) clean boost, but I've got this dialled in for more gain when the situation requires it; this also helps smooth out the fuzz and give it some more mids so the fuzz doesn't get lost in the mix

“MXR Phase 95 - currently in script Phase 90 mode, can create some neat textures when paired with the fuzz or stacked with the tremolo

“Effects loop stuff:

“MXR 10-band EQ - helps to tame the fizziness of the DSL

“TC Electronic Spark Mini - I ride the volume knobs on my guitars to get clean tones, so I usually kick this on so I don't completely disappear from the mix when I roll the guitar volume back

“MXR Smart Gate - in the absolute last place in the chain it can go; if I ever upgrade to an isolated power supply, I'll probably flip this

“Boss DD-3 - see Gypsy Fuzz

“TC Electronic Hall Of Fame Mini - currently loaded with TC's basic plate reverb TonePrint, this is mainly used with my 2555X as that doesn't have onboard reverb

“Power: One Spot daisy chain
Patch cables: EBS flats, Ernie Ball
Board: Temple Audio DUO 24
Patchbay: Loopmasters Three-way
Lights: Temple Audio RGB LED strip”

Sean Ag

“Wuddup group!” Sean presumably yells as he leaps into the fray with this finely tailored affair.

The handcrafted board comes courtesy of Dr. Kron Kraftwerx, but the choices are all Sean’s. Whammy into Echoplex Delay into Phase 90? Noice.

Ivan Destruktor

A full signal diagram? Ivan, you spoil us! And that’s the first appearance of a talkbox on TPP that we can recall, too.

“Almost all pedals are cheap ones,” Ivan says. “But what matters is the passion of building, I agree that pedalboard creation is an art and needs to be shared. In my case, I like a pedalboard with tons of colours and flavours.”

Derek Blow

EHX fan Derek is new to the pedal game and busy setting up his ’board for maximum tone.

The only placement we’d question is the Silencer and Cock Fight – stick those up front, we say!

Jess Rahbek

“I play in the Danish country band Bound By Law,” begins Jess. “The pedalboard is a Pedaltrain Nano+. The signal chain is TC Polytune > TC Spark Booster > Nobels ODR-1 > MXR '78 > Ibanez DL5 > Joyo Tremolo.

“The pedalboard is powered by a Cioks Adam as it fits under the Nano+ and can switch between 115V and 230V. There are four power outputs from the Adam, so the ODR and '78 are sharing an output, while the power out of the Polytune powers the Spark.

“In order to limit the size and weight I had to find alternatives to my old ’86 RAT distortion and Memory Boy Deluxe but it should get the job done just fine.”

We whole-heartedly agree, especially with the classic Nobels Overdrive on there.

Nick Dee

Nick is a serial offender on TPP, and this entry might just be his most obscene yet.

There’s so much to admire here, from the selection of off-the-wall pedals (like the Hologram Dream Sequence, Fuzz Factory 7 and Meris Polymoon) to the meticulously put-together homemade. Then there’s that Stratocaster sparkle. Drool.

Andy Hosker

Some classic Vox picks appear on Andy’s ’board: a proper Tone Bender and the ol’ Cooltron Over The Top Boost. We love the delay settings stuck to the Boss DD-7, too.

Here’s the signal path provided by Andy:

Loop1 > 1960s Vox Tonebender MKII > Loop2> TU2 > Cali 76 > Vox OTTB > 4-channel soft switch true bypass looper (1. Heavily modded TS9, 2. RAT, 3. PedalProjects Growly, 4. PedalProjects Klone) > PedalProjects Bufferlo (underneath) > > NGR Poker BC107> Mini Volume pedal > DD20 > Cathedral > DD-7 > Trelicopter > Zcat Hold Reverb > Ditto Looper > EHX Holy Grail Nano > amp

Adam Craig

A very neat setup, this: an expert use of space has enabled Adam to fit just about the maximum he can get on his Pedaltrain. Impressive picks, too.

Signal chain: Tuner > Mosaic > Spark > Tumnus > Broadcast > Muff > Plimsoul > Gypsy Vibe > Tremelo > Flashback Mini > RV-6 Reverb > Ditto

Paul Cutrona

“It's simple (and recently more simplified), and nothing boutique, but it works for me,” says Paul.

“The Mistress, Canyon, Crayon and looper go in the amp loop (DSL100 stack or DSL40 depending on the gig). The rest are in front of the amp.” Noice.

Edward Worrall

Edward is really speaking our language: Strymon BigSky and Eventide Space? Happy trails, indeed.

“Chain goes: AMT Volume, Z.Vex Box of Rock, Fulltone OCD, MXR Dyna Comp, Morley Wah, Hardwire Valve Distortion, Strymon Timeline, Boss DD-7, Strymon BigSky, Eventide Space, BBE Sonic Maximizer. FAMC Liquid Foot Jr for midi control,” Edward elaborates.

“Additional MIDI controlled looper for DD-7, Hardwire and PolyTune. There’s a small loop pedal which acts as a cut off switch so the rig runs super-quite when not playing.”

Martin Drake

There are a few sleeper pedals on Martin’s ’board, including the Visual Sound H2O and Amptweaker TightDrive.

“Not quite finished but tidier than before,” says Martin. “Might find room for a Q-Tron at some point. All going through a Laney IRT-Studio paired with a GS212.”

Andrius Mamontovas

“My custom Lava guitar goes perfectly with all-in-one Aclam Guitars pedalboard,” beams Andrius.

“Two-channel preamp and stereo cabinet simulator by A/DA. And the effects I use to rock on. Strymon Zuma power brick underneath. No heavy lifting and it all sounds very good. Plug and play direct to PA.”

Donny Coyle

Two Tube Screamers and a John Petrucci Dreamscape? Nifty choices here.

“We play a few acoustic songs in our shows so the TC Helicon accommodates this,” explains Donny.

“Signal is split at the noise gate between dirt pedals and verbs/delays. It even has programmable LED lighting on the undercarriage. All patch cables are hand made and I use 3m Dual Lock to attach the pedals.”

Alex Sharp

“Finally got the Mothership rewired after a lot of head scratching and digging out a few more patch cables,” says a presumably exhausted Alex.

“New on my ’board are a TC Helix Stereo Phaser and my Diamond Tremolo has returned, this time running on one side of a stereo rig after tips from That Pedal Show.

Signal chain: TC PolyTune > Analogman Mini BiComp > Whammy V >  
G Lab Wowee-Wah WW-1 > Fuxx Fuzz > EHX Soul Food > OCD > EP Booster > Fender ABY > DigiTech Ventura Vibe > TC Helix Phaser  
=> Left side - HOF mini > Diamond Trem into delay  
=> Right side - straight to delay
> Nemesis Delay
Left amp: Bugera T50 Infinium paired with Celestion V30 cab
Right amp: Laney LC15R with Ragin Cajun speaker

“Pedals are powered by a Truetone 1 SPOT Pro CS12.  

“Guitars are Fender Strat Plus ‘84 with lace sensors and PRS S2 Semi-hollow with Alnico IV pickups.”

Terry Korsmo

We’ve been seeing an increasing number of direct ’boards lately, and Terry’s is a fine, tone-rich example indeed.

Neunaber’s Iconoclast is clearly a winner.

Jairo Ruge

Lovely stuff here: classic MXR modulation and a TC Electronic ambience pair.

Plus, it’s always good to have a capo handy.

Stephen A Wilson

Stephen - no, not Steven - Wilson has put together what he reckons is a pretty versatile setup.

“This ’board covers a lot of ground tonally. I love the Boss CP-1X - I think its seriously underrated. The Looking Glass and Archer pedals stack brilliantly together.

“I upgraded my Flashback Mini to the full blown TC ND-1 which is great, and I’ll never take the BigSky off my board. I like ambient post-rock and this ’board is perfect for my home studio.”

Music to our ears, Stephen.

Ian Cig Roberts

A tidy bass ’board here, especially with the addition of the Zoom MultiStomp.

Graheme Smith

Well, well, we’re starting to see Origin Effects’ do-it-all RevivalDrive on pedalboards.

There are a host of other classy picks here, too: a couple of excellent stompboxes from Catalinbread and Function F(X)’s Accufunkture auto-wah. Nicely.

Marco Formentini

Sweet dirt choices abound in Marco’s rig, including Fredric Effects’ Klon-inspired Golden Eagle and MXR’s underrated Custom Badass Modified OD.

Mark Rice

Mr Rice has given us the full lowdown here - this is a well-equipped contemporary recording rig with a minimal footprint. We dig!

“I’m a gigging drummer, but enjoy writing and producing guitar in my free time,” he says.

“Living in a flat, though, I can’t crank a full volume amp. This board centres around a valve preamp pedal which runs into a digital load box providing a 6L6 power amp section and a vintage Vox 2x12 cab impulse. This is recorded directly into my DAW and gives me high-quality recordings at low volumes.

“The signal chain is Boss TU-3 (lives off-board) > Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini > Boss JB-2 Angry Driver > Two Notes Le Clean Preamp with the TC Electronic Flashback Mini in the FX loop > Two Notes Torpedo Live load Box > Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 > Logic X. A Harley Benton PowerPlant Jr powers the effects and the ’board is a Pedaltrain Nano+.

“I mostly keep it the cleaner channel A and get all my drive tones from the pedals. The delay also has a small amount of chorus mixed into the effect. It's surprisingly versatile and sounds great!

“I plan on getting something like an EHX Magnum 44 just to power my 2x12 Orange cab until I decide on/fund the right amp for me.”

Alex Fernandez

H9 x 3 = H27? Alex’s ’board is a stunner, with some of our favourite stompboxes of the past couple of years making an appearance: D&M Drive, FreqOut and Synth9? Yes, yes, yes!

The wiring is so complex, he even sent us an actual spreadsheet detailing the signal chain - we’ve reproduced to the best of screenshotting ability below.

If you’d like to hear this insane build in action, give Alex’s band Horizon Arcs (opens in new tab) a listen.

Paulo Grassia

With pitch, delay and a whole lotta gain options, Paulo has his heavy needs sorted, as he explains…

“This setup helps me getting a modern metal tone in any situation, with some decent clean tones, too,” he muses.

“The Organizer sounds a lot like an EHX POG, and the Strymon is for long/almost reverby delays, and the Flashback is for short delays. I use a bass OD because it was the only one I had, and it works just fine as a regular OD for doing the clean boost thing.”

Boss Bass OD ODB-3 > Mooer 005 > ISP Decimator II > EarthQuaker Devices Organizer > Strymon DIG > TC Electronic Flashback > DOD Bifet Boost 410

Martin Rivers

“I use this board in an acoustic duo,” says Martin. “I put it together to add colour to the electro-acoustic guitar and to add vocal FX/harmonies. I'm still getting to grips with the looper!”

You’ll get there, Martin - in the meantime, this is an ace acoustic setup. Any more acoustic players out there keen to share their setups?

Mark Vincent

A tidy setup from Mark here - good to see Fender’s new The Bends compressor cropping up on ’boards, and Mojo Hand’s ace Mirror Ball analogue delay.

Vicente Roa Giménez

Vicente kindly sent us an in-depth description of his expertly arranged ’board, so we’ll leave the talking to him…

“The chain goes like this: A Martin D-28 and a Fender Telecaster /wirelessly through a Line6 Relay G30) go to Fender ABY pedal. From there it goes to my way pedal and from there to the GSC-4 unit.

“The GSC-4 contains six pedals (in loop order): Moore Yellow Comp, TC Electronic Nova Drive, Line 6 M5, banez TS10, Moore Rumble Drive, Strymon Mobius (in the Pre setting). From there, it goes to a Fender ABY pedal which goes to either a Fender Supersonic or straight to a PA (for the acoustic). The GSC-4 is connected to a TC Electronics Polytune 1 through its tuner output.

“The effects loop of the Fender Supersonic goes to a G-Lab ML-4 which has four pedals (in loop order): EP Booster, Strymon Mobius (in the Post setting), Strymon Timeline, Hall Of Fame.

“Since the GSC-4 has midi capabilities, I can switch on and off all the effects before the Supersonic and of its FX loop, plus change the patches on the Nova Drive, Mobius, Timeline and M5. When playing with the Tele into the amp, the GSC-4 also changes the channels of the amp and turns on/off its reverb. With the acoustic into the PAI can use the Yellow Comp for compression, Nova Drive for boosting, the Mobius for chorus and M5 for delay or reverb. Total flexibility!

“Sadly, this pedalboard exists no more. It was way too heavy for a weekend warrior like me. The Pedaltrain Pro plus its case and pedals weighed around 25 kg. Now I've changed the Supersonic for a Two-Rock Exo 15 and I'm assembling a new pedalboard. Gone are the GSC-4, the Nova Drive and Hall Of Fame... and I've welcomed a Boss ES-5 and Strymon BigSky! I'll tell you about it when it's finished!”

We can’t wait to see it, Vicente…

Joe Kiernan

Instrumental rocker Joe has appeared here before with his gorgeous pedalboard, but there are enough updates to warrant its inclusion here. Plus, it looks mighty purdy.

“I removed the full-sized Whammy pedal and added a Ricochet pedal, a Dunlop mini volume pedal, a JHS Colour Box and a EarthQuaker Devices Palisades. Plus my ’board can now do the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.”

Major props for ultimate soundscape enabler Montreal Assembly Count To Five, too.

Paul Bingham

Paul’s current rig features master tone shaper Voodoo Lab Giggity flanked by the killer pairing of Fulltone’s OCD and Xotic’s SL Drive. He’s also stuck his Boss CH-1 at the end of the chain, which no doubt provides some tasty modulated delay and reverb sounds when paired with the Boss DD-20 and TC Electronic Hall Of Fame.

Paul's hoping to add the TC Electronic Flashback Delay or Eventide H9 at some point in the future, too…

Ethan Thibeault

“It’s a little junkie, but does what it needs to,” says Ethan, modestly.

“I have an SP Compressor on its way, and I am soon to get a Flashback X4 to replace the D-Seed, which is actually pretty good for the price. I will also eventually get either the Hall Of Fame, or Arena reverb, and a PolyTune, then go from there.”

Sounds like a plan to us. Plus, looks like he’s never short of plectrums.

Tobias Krieß

Tobias has employed Adam Hall’s STRS12U tabletop rack for his ’board, which is full of hidden pedal gems.

“My Danish zero-latency non-blinking pedalboard. Keep in mind that Budda pedals are original Carl Martin but have a 3PDT footswitch.

“The middle row contains the ‘always on’ pedals. Unfortunately it is hardly portable, therefore I cannot annoy somebody with my limited guitar skills!”

Jeffrey Brewer

Mega pedalboard alert!

“This is my multi-pedalboard setup,” says prog wizard Jeffrey. “Pedalboard left is for bass; middle pedalboard controls rack mount synths, bass pedals and vocal effects; pedalboard right is for guitars.

“Signal chain is: Bass into Line 6 G90 wireless into Nose A/B switch thru Joyo PXL4 to MXR Comp to Boss modded EQ to Ernie Ball volume pedal then into loop B of the LS-2.

“Loop B out to Ampeg SCDI to the Donner Noise Killer if needed. M13 is in parallel loop A of LS-2. The Future Impact, Blueberry OD, Billy Sheehan OD and Donner Jet Convolution Flanger are in the loop of the PXL4. Finally the Gecko MK 2 midi controller controls both the M13 and Future Impact. Everything but the M13 is powered by two Mooer micro power units under riser.

“Signal chain is guitar into Nady UHF-3 wireless system into pedalboard. Loop A to Mooer Yellow Comp to Joyo Wooden Sound to TC elec Mojo to Line 6 Roto Machine to DigiTech Mosaic into channel 1 of volume pedal back to loop A of pedalboard then to amp input.

“Line 6 is in loop B of pedalboard into channel 2 of volume pedal back to loop B of pedalboard which goes out to amp effects loop. MIDI Mouse controls the M9 - additional onboard amp effects accessible with Vox footswitch.”

Daniel Clear

Daniel’s choices are Clear (arf): this is a guitarist who values, erm, value for money. Hence the proliferation of mini pedals from brands like Rowin and Aroma. We also clocked the perennially underrated Zoom PD-01 Power Drive, too - nice.

Signal chain: Dunlop Cry Baby, Korg DT-10, Donner Ultimate Comp, Zoom PD-01, Rowin Flanger, Aroma Mod Station, Mosky Spring Reverb, NUX Time Core Deluxe

Mark Overfield

A keen poster to our burgeoning Facebook group (opens in new tab), Mark has provided regular updates on his ’board progression. With his latest tweaks, courtesy of a gift or two from Santa, he reckons he’s near completion.

Praise goes to the low-profile ‘square’ right-angled plugs and two Chase Tone preamps, which complement the Cornish OC-1, Wampler Ego Compressor and MXR Phase 95 in this Gilmour-inspired rig.

Nicu Barbieru

We’re digging the portable and hugely versatile natural of Nicu’s setup here - that Atomic Ampli-Fire will cover a lot of ground. The whole lot’s powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power Iso 5.

Signal chain: BSM Model RM-Metal, Atomic Ampli-Firebox, Neunaber Echelon, Neuenaber Chroma

Tobias Bettzüge

Oh, Tobias, you spoil us: some legit boutique choices are all topped off by the siren song of that Two-Rock footswitch. Something tells us this rig sounds goooood.

This is the order of the chain: Boss TU-2 - Jam Pedals Wahcko+ - Himmelstrutz Fetto Maximus - Jam Pedals Delay Llama - Way Huge Supa Puss - Diamond Tremolo

Ryan Chadwick

“Still in the middle of wiring this bad boy, just waiting on the MIDI cables!” says Ryan. Regardless, this is a truly remarkable setup - Chase Bliss Audio in particular has done awfully well out of Mr Chadwick.

John Best

It’s incredible what you can achieve with a small setup these days - John’s rig spans a Jekyll & Hyde for his drive needs, while the MS-3 handles everything else.

Throw in the rechargeable Volto power supply and Xvive wireless system, and this is a truly contemporary rig.

Clyde Miles

None of Clyde’s pedals cost over $100 - got some good deals there. And, of course, there’s also the yellow patch cables. Lovely stuff.

Luke Saunders

Luke describes his setup as a “good little jam rig”, and we’d most certainly concur - the Trio is a seriously useful pedal when it comes to playing by yourself, especially when accompanied by such tasty drive tones.

Mark Sowden

“Any guesses as to the inspiration?” quizzes Mark. We’d wager David Gilmour was the muse for this particular rig, but with that assortment, Mark has a versatile setup that’ll handle just about anything.

David Stobie

We like the flexibility of this offering from David, spanning a variety of atmospheric options on a Pedaltrain Classic 2.

David notes that “everything is in normal order, except I go DD-3>DL4>RV7>JamMan Delay. Great setup for what I enjoy playing.”

Alex Speck

“Can't see myself changing much about this setup for a while,” says Alex. “It covers all the bases I need!”

And therein lies the beauty of compact multi-effects like Line 6’s M5: everything for every eventuality. Cool to see the ol’ Echo Park and Verbzilla make an appearance, too.

Mark Forshaw

“My ’board is a studio setup,” explains Mark. “It’s used on synths, guitars, drum machines, samples, etc.”

It’s a stunning assortment, for sure - here’s what’s there…

Signal chain: George Dennis Tremolo Volume / DigiTech FreqOut / Sunmachine Fuzz 0))) / Stone Deaf PDF-2 Parametric Overdrive / Fuzzhugger Doom Bloom / Meris Audio Ottobit Jr / Chase Bliss Faves / Chase Bliss Warped Vinyl mkII / Moogerfooger Cluster Flux / Catalinbread Belle Epoch / Old Blood Noise Eneavours Dark Star Pad Reverb / Caroline Météore Lo-fi Reverb / Strymon BlueSky Reverb / Cooper FX Generation Loss / Keeley Limiting Amplifier / Chase Bliss MIDI Box / Electro-Harmonix 45000 Looper / Strymon Ojai power supplies under the ’board

Richard Thomas

Richard is still looking for a decent wah (and an actual pedalboard), but he reckons his rig sounds amazing. We’re inclined to believe him based on his choices here.

Signal chain: Boss Chromatic Tuner, Suhr Koji Compressor, Owen Electronics Axe Man, Boss Blues Driver, Boss Super Chorus, EarthQuaker Devices Grand Orbiter, Death By Audio Reverberation Machine, Marshall Echohead. Plus a Fender Super Champ footswitch

Simon Jarvis

That’s right: Simon has the full, five-strong complement of Electro-Harmonix 9 series pedals. Pair that with the T-Rex Spin Doctor, and that’s decades’ worth of classic keyboard, synth and organ sounds at your feet.

It’s a good thing, too, because Simon plays in a covers band, playing New Wave from the late ’70s early ’80s such as Elvis Costello, The Cars and Squeeze.

Steven Tijerino

Steven calls this his ‘gets the job done’ ’board, and there are some inspired choices in here, from the Chase Bliss Tonal Recall to the Big Ear Woodcutter and modded POG Nano. Nifty.

Muddy Angel

We’re not sure if Muddy Angel is a real name or a pseudonym, but we want to hear the music they make with this monster.

With the trio of Strymon big boxes (Mobius, TimeLine and BigSky), plus the Boss SY-300, BeatBuddy and a quartet of drives up top, it’s no wonder Muddy needs a GigRig G2 to switch everything. An impressive piece of work.

Sean Smith

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Weeping Demon, but we’re pleased to see its presence here. Liking the DS-1 mod aesthetic, too.

Korg Pitchblack > Boss CS-3 > Ibanez Weeping Demon JR > Whammy 5 > DigiTech Bad Monkey > Boss DS-1 (with seeing eye/ultra mod) > MXR Fullbore Metal > EHX Small Stone > EHX Neo Clone > TC Electronic Echobrain > Akai HeadRush E2

Shavkat AV

Shavkat’s looking to add a Whammy, or perhaps some flange or phase, to his custom ’board, which he’s painted the same colour as his guitar.

There’s already a good assortment here, though, and that G3 covers an awful lot of ground.

Stephen A Wilson

“This is my first pedalboard,” confesses Stephen. Could have fooled us: it’s a helluva lot better than our first ’boards.

“I've tried to make it pretty versatile, and thrown the Trio+ on so I can jam and improvise to my heart’s content,” he continues. “Special mention to the Tone City Wildfire. What a pedal!”

Tom Clark

We just love a ’board with lights, and Tom’s has us green with envy (sorry).

This is a versatile beast for sure, with a quartet of Eventides and Source Audio Multiwave Distortion. Let Tom be your guide…

“The right hand side goes straight into the amp - TC Electronic PolyTune > Source Audio Polymod Pro > Wampler Ego Compressor > Wampler Velvet Fuzz (or Wampler SLOstortion) > Source Audio Multiwave Distortion into either a Victory V100 or a Mesa Boogie Mark IV, with the two Bright Onion switchers controlling amp channel-switching.

“On the effects loop side it's the Eventide Pitchfactor > Modfactor > Timefactor > Space with the two T1M switchers controlling the extra functions and patch switching.

“Looking to get a looper to stop tap dancing next!”

We don’t blame you, Tom - that’s a whole lotta tones at your disposal.

Joe Darlow

“Finally built!” Joe exclaims. “After many sheets of ply and a few cups of tea.” Rightly so.

It’s not quite wired up in this shot, but there are some killer units here (major props for the DigiTech FreqOut, EHX Freeze and JHS modded Soul Food), and a whole lot more under the shelves, including a DigiTech Bad Monkey, EHX Soul Preacher, TC Electronic Spark Boost, EHX LPB2, Marshall Echohead, EHX Memory Toy, EHX Q-Tron, EHX Silencer and EHX Worm, as well as TheGigRig Generator that powers the whole lot.

Monster ’board, and a nice built to boot.

John Naismith

Holy Double Double Deca, Batman! John’s triple-delay setup (note the Rowin Wave, too) goes into his Hughes & Kettner’s effects loop, while the Camel Toe handles dirt duties up front.

Paul Cousins

Paul’s ever-evolving bass ’board is loaded with contemporary classics and some real unsung heroes - check out the JHS Phaser and Arion Metal Master for starters. Then there’s the modern-day DopeFX Boba Fuzz and Old Blood Noise Endeavours Dark Star. Awesome.

“The top row and the Dark Star go to one amp,” says Paul. “The bottom row is split between two more amps.”

Joe Kiernan

Joe pairs this beast with an Axe-Fx for the ultimate in versatility. Add in a wireless system, and this is a true 21st century rig.

Let Joe guide you through it…

- Line 6 G10 Wireless
- Xotic EP Booster (I always leave this pedal on, just makes everything sound better)
- Strymon TimeLine
- Strymon BigSky
- DigiTech Whammy V
- Dunlop Cry Baby Mini
- Morningstar MC6 (MIDI controller for my Axe FX)
- Hotone Soul Press (Currently being used as an expression pedal for my Axe-Fx)
- Morningstar expansion switches for the MC6

“Gotta say, I'm pretty happy with it.”

Ivan Self

Oh, this one tickles us just right: Whammy, SDD-3000, two Red Witch pedals? Oh, stop it, Ivan. What’s the full line-up, then?

“From top right to bottom left... Korg tuner, Source Audio Multiwave digital distortion, Red Witch Fuzz God, Keeley Monterey, DigiTech Whammy, Boss Wah, Roland expression pedal, Korg SDD-3000 delay and preamp, Boss GE-7 and a Red Witch Chorus/Trem. It's all powered by a Walrus Audio Aetos.”

Greg Boschert

Greg’s recent appointment of a Boss MS-3 Multi Effects Switcher has seen him ditch a load of his Boss pedals.

“Liking it so far,” he says. “The MS-3 does a ton of stuff!”

There’s plenty of flexibility elsewhere, too - and we’re digging the use of those footswitch toppers.

Martin Yam Møller

“I have a serious Moog addiction,” admits Hong Kong native Martin Yam Møller, now living in Denmark.

“Is this a pedalboard? I dunno, you be the judge. I can say that it started as a pedalboard, but honestly, I've stopped playing guitar through it. Now nearly all sounds I make get thrown through these delicious FX.”

We’ve never seen so many Moogerfoogers in one place. Pedalboard or not, we love it.

Harris Tenis

Harris turns to a handful of tried-and-tested tools for his work in German sludge merchants KATAKLYSMØS, most notably the Screaming Skull fuzz from Kleissonic, followed by a custom German Cannibal fuzz, based on the Sunn O))) drone sound.

Now imagine that delayed and looped… heavy.

Signal chain: Boss TU-2, Boss GE-7, Kleissonic Screaming Skull, German Cannibal fuzz, Fulltone OCD, Boss RE-20, Boss DD-7, TC Electronic Ditto X2 Looper

Phil Holliday

As Phil says himself, his pedalboard is “simple yet versatile” and covers all his indie and blues needs.

He’s equipped his T-Rex ToneTrunk pedalboard with a Dunlop Cry Baby wah, Moen MO-OD Overdrive, Boss DS-1, Caline Boost, Ibanez Analog Delay Mini and Boss TR-2, all powered by a T-Rex Fuel Tank Jr mounted underneath. Neat!

Anton Khabibulin

“Hope my ’board will be interesting for you,” begins Anton Khabibulin’s pedalboard submission. Damn right it is, Anton!

Besides the MR-approved Rick And Morty sticker action, Anton’s setup also gets points for the appearance of the underrated Boss DSD-2, top-drawer Strymon Mobius and Eventide H9, plus the fact it’s all mounted on a freaking skateboard.

Top it all off with a Boss BD-2, and we’re most definitely on board.

Alan MacDonald

We commend the neatness of Alan’s setup here - excellent use of those sticky wire tidy things. The pedals ain’t bad, either: we appreciate the mix of everything from Joyo and Mooer to Fulltone and TC Electronic.

Here’s the full rundown from the man himself:

“The signal chain into the front end of my Blackstar amp is as follows: Korg Pitchblack Tuner -> MXR Dyna Comp -> Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini -> Mooer Blues Crab -> Fulltone Full-Drive 2. The TC Electronic Nova Modulator -> Joyo Analogue Delay -> DigiTech Supernatural Ambient Verb go through the amp’s FX loop. The Blackstar channel selector switches between the amp’s clean dirty channel (obviously).

“All patching in and out of the ’board is done via a TheGigRig Cinco Cinco Patch Bay. Power is supplied from a T-Rex Fuel Tank. All the effects can be fed into the front end of an amp without FX loop by addition of a simple jumper patch cable on the Cinco Cinco.”

Ben Pinkus

Mr Pinkus is a UK-based guitarist, who “plays in many different bands spanning multiple genres”, so accordingly, he needs a versatile ’board, and boy, has he delivered. Here’s what he had to say…

“This pedalboard goes through my Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special. I wanted a ’board that would cover all my needs from ambient to big leads, and this certainly does it!

“It's powered by a One Spot Pro, and from the amp is TC PolyTune Mini>Keeley Red Dirt Mini>Ibanez TS9>Keeley C4 Compressor>Xotic XW-1>ISP Decimator G string.

“In the loop I have the ISP Decimator G string, MXR 10 Band EQ, TC Electronic Dreamscape, Strymon Timeline (with multi switch) and Strymon Big Sky.”