Here he goes again on his own.
Adrian Vandenberg is a Dutch rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in Whitesnake during their successful late 1980s period, and also with the band Vandenberg, which he started in 1981. Vandenberg invited PG’s John Bohlinger to his soundcheck before his recent Nashville show to take us through his rig. Special thanks to guitar tech Willem van Roekel for giving us the extra details.
Hot-Rodded Heritage
Vandenberg bought this 1980 Gibson Les Paul Heritage brand new. It’s been his number-one for 44 years. All original black plastics, like the truss rod cover, pickup rings, and more, were replaced by Adrian himself in the ’80’s to give it a unique look compared to other LPs. The day of this rundown, van Roekel replaced the original bridge pickup, which had grown microphonic over the years, with a new Burstbucker. Vandenberg’s strings are Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky (.009-.046), and his picks are Herco Flex 75s.
Proto-Peavey
This Peavey Vandenberg is a prototype of his signature model. It is completely stock, loaded with Seymour Duncan JB Model pickups. The trem was not being used so van Roekel blocked it with a stack of quarters and dimes, which Vandenberg feels helps it get great sustain. The red diamond inlays are not really visible on a stage, so they will likely be changed.
Vandenberg also plays a stock Taylor acoustic, which runs into Vandenberg’s Neural Quad Cortex using their J45 impulse response and some chorus and delay to make it sound like a proper guitar. The acoustic runs Ernie Ball Everlast Coated strings (.010-.050).
Cortex, Cabs, and Chorus
Vandenberg runs his Quad Cortex for all electrics and the acoustic, approaching it as you would a normal rig. The Cortex provides effects like chorus, delays, and a boost for leads. The amp section includes two primary profiles: “Signature Soldano” and “Modded Marshall.” All of the presets include a bit of chorus, and the “Modded Marshall” profile has a short delay on it at all times. His signal is then sent to a Seymour Duncan PowerStage 100 Stereo which feeds four 4x12 Peavey 6505 cabinets. The signals are split across Vandenberg’s cab stacks: The “Signature Soldano” goes to the first top and second bottom cabinets, and the “Modded Marshall” goes to the second top and first bottom cabinets.
Just in case something goes wrong, Vandenberg tours with a backup Quad Cortex and Seymour Duncan PowerStage that van Roekel can swap in a hurry if needed.
Shop Adrian Vandenberg's Rig
Gibson Les Paul Standard '60s Electric Guitar
Gibson Accessories '60s Burstbucker Humbucking Pickup
Peavey Vandenberg Signature Series Electric Guitar
Taylor T5z Custom Koa Hollowbody Electric Guitar
Seymour Duncan TB-6
Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Seymour Duncan PowerStage 100 Stereo
Peavey 6505 II 4 x 12-inch Slanted Cabinet
Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky (.009-.046)
Ernie Ball Everlast Coated strings (.010-.050)
Herco HE211P Flex 75 1.01mm Silver Nylon Guitar Picks
Boss' DM-101 is designed to deliver 12 unique modes, stereo operation, and a wide array of tonal colors, all while maintaining 100 percent analog signal processing throughout.
And with 127 user memories, tap tempo, carryover, MIDI, and more, the DM-101 offers the features and versatility of an advanced digital pedal—but with the vibrant, characterful sound that’s only possible with authentic analog BBD circuitry.
Analog delays based around BBD (bucket-brigade device) microchips emerged in the 1970s as a compact and cost-effective alternative to the standard tape delays of the era. Their warm, saturated, and highly musical sound established a distinctive style of delay that remains favored by many musicians and audio engineers. With its modern CPU control approach, the DM-101 supercharges this classic effect with enhanced capabilities for today’s music makers.
The DM-101 flows effortlessly between gritty vintage echoes and modern analog delay tones with extended high-frequency clarity. Multiple internal circuit elements are switched to define each of the 12 modes, including the number of active BBDs and their connection order, low-pass filter settings, and clocking rates. Twisting the Variation knob cycles through parameters unique to the different modes. And like a traditional analog delay, users can drive the effect into saturated self-oscillation by cranking the Intensity knob.
A major benefit of the DM-101’s CPU control is the ability to realize sophisticated stereo sounds not available with other BBD analog delays. For example, Pan mode routes each BBD and its feedback loop to alternate points in the stereo field, while Dual Mod shifts the modulation phase for each output to generate a wide, spacious delay effect. Six of the 12 modes support stereo operation, providing everything from short reverb-like sounds and expansive modulated delays to pattern delays for intense rhythmic effects.
The DM-101 offers all the creative benefits of an advanced modern delay pedal. Tap tempo and note subdivisions are available with most modes, and there’s carryover for maintaining repeats when the effect is bypassed. Users can store and recall favorite setups with four onboard memories and connect up to two footswitches or an expression pedal for extended real-time control. MIDI I/O takes things further, providing remote access to 127 user memories, MIDI sync, and more. The stereo audio outputs are set for blended operation by default, but they can be easily reconfigured for wet/dry rigs and wet-only parallel setups.
The Boss DM-101 will be available in the US in July for $499.99.
For more information, please visit boss.info.
Analog gear can be finicky, and a bit unpredictable. When digital delays first came onto the scene, guitarists were attracted to the precise timing, pristine sound, and how they can cut through a band or mix. Below, we’ve rounded up 10 different digital delay options that go from straight-ahead echo boxes to all-encompassing workstations that cover nearly every delay sound imaginable.
Boss DD-3T Digital Delay
The updated version of the classic delay offers up to 800 ms of delay time, a short looping feature, tap tempo, and dual outputs for your wet and dry signals.
$154 street
JHS Series 3 Delay
At only $99, this bare-bones setup offers not only the standard trio of controls, but a toggle switch that lets you choose between pristine digital tones and darker analog sounds.
$99 street
Walrus Fundamental Series Delay
Armed with a trio of hip-looking sliders, this budget-friendly stomp not only gives you three different flavors of delay, but also has tap tempo and tap divisions.
$129 street
Meris LVX Modular Delay
Centered around an advanced ARM processor, this deeply tweakable inspiration box offers a wealth of features, including looping, MIDI, presets, configurable delay structures, and much more.
$599 street
Empress Echosystem
With over 40 different algorithms, including reverb, filter, and reverse options, this is a fully featured delay system. It also has stereo ins and outs and the ability to run two delays at once.
$494 street
Keeley Halo Andy Timmons Dual Echo
Andy Timmons’ namesake delay offers a world of ethereal possibilities by offering up true stereo outputs, presets, Andy’s signature settings, and independent footswitches.
$299 street
Strymon Dig V2
An updated iteration of the pinkest delay on the market includes full MIDI control, an analog JFET input circuit, and a powerful tone knob so you can shape the exact sound of the repeats.
$379 street
Wampler Metaverse
Pedal guru Brian Wampler packed 11 of his favorite types of delays into a single unit. It not only hits the mark on a pile of digital-flavored delays; it also comes with a free plugin version of them, too.
$299 street
Red Panda Raster 2
Far more than a simple digital delay, this stomp throws a pitch and frequency shifter into the mix. It covers micro-pitch-style chorus effects, arpeggiator sounds, and much more.
$329 street
Electro-Harmonix #1 Echo Digital Delay
Designed to straddle the line between digital and analog, this echo machine offers controls for blend, feedback, and time. An easy way to get crisp digital-delay sounds for not much dough.
$136 street