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Tonal Tinker Toys: Reader Pedalboards 2018

When it comes to pedal puzzles and putting together your dream sound rig, there’s no right way—just your way. Check out these boards from your fellow readers, and be inspired!

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Peter Rizzo: A Classic with Special Sauce

Australians take pedalboards seriously, okay? This reader wanted a board with no MIDI controllers, switchers, or loopers that reflected a collection of sounds from his favorite players. So, he enlisted Mikey Woodward from Goodwood Audio in Sydney to take his mostly analog pedals (some with digital conveniences) and wire them up. “Here’s my classic old-school board, with most of the pedals that new builders are trying to clone, emulate, or improve on … all linked with Mikey’s secret sauce in putting it together,” Rizzo says.

Here’s the basic signal flow:

Guitar > passive input to Goodwood Audio Interfacer > passive send to ’70s Vox King Wah > Demeter COMP-1 Compulator > Tycobrahe Octavia fuzz > Fulltone ’69 MkII fuzz > Goodwood Audio Interfacer buffered input > Goodwood Audio Interfacer buffered send > ’70s Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer > ’70s whiteface Pro Co RAT > ’70s Electro-Harmonix Big Muff > Goodrich volume pedal > ’90s Klon Centaur > ’70s MXR Phase 90 > Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Electric Mistress > Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man > Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator > TC Electronic iB Modified ND-1 Nova Delay > right (mono) out to Goodwood Audio Interfacer AMP A (Vox AC30 or Marshall Plexi or Fender Tweed Deluxe) > left out to Arion SCH-1 Stereo Chorus > Goodwood Audio Interfacer AMP B (a cleaner amp like a Roland JC-120 or a Fender Twin or Super) > Goodwood Audio Interfacer tuner send > TC Electronic PolyTune.

It’s that time of year, when Premier Guitar readers from such disparate places as Florianópolis, Brazil, to Katy, Texas, share with us their prized collection of sonic goodies. All kinds of players write in: Sunflower Bean’s frontman/guitarist Nick Kivlen goes down memory lane, describing how he acquired, through many years and sources, all the pedals he loves. Simon Gotthelf, who has his own YouTube channel dedicated solely to the world of guitar and demoing gear, shows us his fave pedal configuration. A few session guitarists give advice on grab-and-go stomp setups. And then there are dozens of players who call themselves “bedroom” guitarists, many of whom know more about how to wire up a board than some stars featured on Rig Rundowns. Now, let’s dig in!