Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

The Chain Gang: Reader Pedalboards 2016

Another year means another chance to show off your pedal playground.

Carlos Lobato: Short and Sweet
Carlos uses this setup down in Guadalajara, Mexico. His signal chain is as follows: Junkie Tone Booffer (below the Pedaltrain board), Moogerfooger MIDI MuRF MF-105, DOD FX84 Milk Box Compressor, Lovepedal Eternity Roadhouse HW, Pro Co RAT (with JHS Rat Pack mod), ZVEX Fuzzolo, Strymon Mobius, Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo, TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb.

Pedals are universal. As you’ll see from these boards assembled by guitarists living across the globe, stomping transcends borders. From Connecticut to California, Canada to Mexico, Portugal to Slovakia, passionate players answered our call to share their prized collection with PG tone freaks.

This year’s submissions include an obsessive church guitarist, a 6-stringer with a penchant for gothic art, and a board with a sumo wrestler mascot. A few of you even showed us your effects overflow, including a dedicated room for pedals that don’t fit on the gig board … sounds about right!

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.
{'media': '[rebelmouse-file-pdf 80034 original_filename="Bach+to+the+Beach.pdf" site_id=20368559 expand=1]', 'media_html': 'Bach to the Beach.pdf', 'id': 80034, 'type': 'pdf', 'file_original_url': 'https://roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/files/80034/Bach to the Beach.pdf'}

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.

Read MoreShow less

See and hear Taylor’s Legacy Collection guitars played by his successor, Andy Powers.

Read MoreShow less

The Oceans Abyss expands on Electro-Harmonix’s highly acclaimed reverb technology to deliver a truly immersive effects workstation. The pedal is centered around dual reverb engines that are independently programmable with full-stereo algorithms including Hall, Spring, Shimmer and more. Place these reverbs into a customizable signal path with additional FX blocks like Delay, Chorus, Tremolo, or Bit Crusher for a completely unique soundscape building experience.

Read MoreShow less

Our columnist’s silver-panel Fender Bandmaster.

How this longstanding, classic tube amp design evolved from its introduction in 1953.

Read MoreShow less