Sweetwater and guitarist Rob Scallon break the Guinness World Record for World’s Largest Guitar Effect Pedalboard

(Image credit: Sweetwater)

The Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Guitar Effect Pedalboard has just been set by US music retail giant Sweetwater and YouTube guitarist Rob Scallon.

This gargantuan, 70-foot-long pedalboard was assembled at the Clyde Theater in Fort Wayne, Illinois, and saw  319 different stompboxes from 34 different manufacturers mounted on 34 individual pedalboards, with Scallon's signal path journeying through over 500-feet of cabling to reach its logical conclusion – a massive wall of Marshall stacks.

Thirty-four ISO power supplies were used, eight people were needed just to move a quarter of it at a time. As for Scallon, he had 1,248 knobs to dial in the tone he wanted. 

"Needs more chorus." Rob Scallon takes to the stage. 

"Needs more chorus." Rob Scallon takes to the stage.  (Image credit: Sweetwater)

To satisfy the Guinness World Records committee, the pedalboard had to meet a number of exacting criteria. 

The pedals had to be readily available from existing commercial models and in full working order. A full inventory had to be kept, schematics, with witnesses on hand to ensure all pedals were connected and live in the signal path. Then video and photographic evidence had to be taken. 

Sweetwater says some 155 pieces of evidence had to be turned over before the record could be claimed.

The record was officially set on 9 July 2019, after Scallon took to the stage and started playing. 

Alex Lifeson from Rush even stopped by to try it out. But we'd love to see Geddy Lee's face if Alex started carting this onstage. 

How does your pedalboard compare? Check out the people's pedalboards here

And check out Sweetwater for more details on this epic feat of rig engineering. 

(Image credit: Sweetwater)
Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.

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