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Pedal Alley 2019: Reader Boards

Whether it’s collections of old-school straightforward stomps or elaborate circuits for spacey experimentation, each year we’re blown away by the different pedalboard setups our readers come up with. Here’s a dozen for the tonal takeaway.

1. Dan Stinson: Maple Staple

This board was designed to house all my pedals for my home jam space in Canada. A carpenter friend put together the pure maple board and I soldered all the cables including an output harness. It has primarily been used for lead tones on my Orange amp and sounds killer!

The Chain: MXR EVH Phase 90, ISP Decimator G-String noise reduction, Electro-Harmonix POG2, Orange FS-1, Mojo Hand FX BMP-1 fuzz, Xotic SP Compressor, ZVEX Sonar tremolo, Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, Strymon TimeLine, Eventide Space, Pigtronix/Mission Dual Expression Pedal, and Dunlop Dimebag Cry Baby Wah.

It’s that time of year, when Premier Guitar readers wow us with the intricate details of their pedalboards. A few highlights for 2019 include a surf board station, a bright board with LED lighting, a Nashville guitarist who gigs on Lower Broadway, and a pedal setup with no frills … and literally no board at all. (All this player needs is beer and broken glass.) As an added bonus, a pro pedal builder shares his demo board and tells us why and how he started building pedals from scratch. Read on, play on, stomp on!

AEROSMITH guitarist and songwriter JOE PERRY is set to return to the road for a series of August performances with THE JOE PERRY PROJECT. The 8-date run kicks off August 13 in Tampa, FL and wraps August 23 in Port Chester, New York, with an August 19 performance in PERRY’s Boston hometown (see the itinerary below). For the North American trek—which marks the first solo shows for PERRY this year—the legendary guitarist will be joined by his Aerosmith bandmates Brad Whitford (guitar) and Buck Johnson (keys), along with The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson (vocals), and Stone Temple Pilots’ Robert DeLeo (bass), and Eric Kretz (drums).

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Classic counterpoint techniques that work for surf.

Intermediate

Intermediate

Learn some time-honored guidelines of classical composition.

Apply revered rules to more modern styles.

Create interesting and complex surf lines.
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The term counterpoint scares many people who think it is a carefully devised process that strips you of creative freedom. This is partly true, because some individuals have pushed the practice of counterpoint as strict rules at some point without explaining its purpose. I disagree with the view that music theory is a rule. Counterpoint, like serialism or any other principle of harmony, is simply a recipe for an expected result. These music theory recipes are not baking recipes where exact measurements must be made; music theory is more like cooking, which is more malleable and open to in-the-moment modifications.

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Dive into the ART Tube MP/C with PG contributor Tom Butwin. Experience how this classic tube-driven preamp and compressor can add warmth and clarity to your sound. From studio recordings to re-amping and live stage applications, this time-tested design packs a ton of features for an affordable price.

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