The world''s largest pedalboard came out of nowhere at NAMM, and ended up drawing attention from guys like Seymour Duncan, NAMM''s official publication, and Gibson. When the dust settled, we sat down with organizer Jaux King about how this juggernaut started, what kept it all together, and what happened to those 142 pedals.
Where did the idea for the world’s largest pedalboard come from?
Basically, it kind of came from a laugh. We just sort of had the idea out of nowhere, and it took on a life of its own – the whole thing kind of just worked itself out.
| To see our video of the World''s Largest Pedalboard in action, click here. |
Oh yeah, we get a lot of great response. All the sponsors and everybody involved thought it was really great. And they actually ended up thinking it was a pretty cool thing. We made the cover of the NAMM UpBeat magazine, which was pretty sweet!
Nice, man. That’s huge! How did you get this rolling?
We had a lot of help from our sponsers – Pedaltrain, George L’s, Seymour Duncan and Visual Sound. And we had a lot of other secondary sponsors that helped out by either giving us some gear or coming to help out with different things; the Creation Audio Lab guys invested a lot of time in just helping us tweak the board and make sure that it worked properly. That was really cool of them.
You had 142 pedals I think we counted?
Yeah, 142.
What did you string all the pedals together with? Was it just kind of regular patch cable?
It was all George L’s cables. We managed to wire most of those up there on the spot in a matter of…I guess it took us probably 2-2 1/2 hours to put the whole thing together.
I can’t believe you didn’t need more buffers or anything…
You know, I can’t either! I was blown away that we had two Creation Audio Labs Mark 4.23 boosters and the chain, and that was it.
Didn’t that guitar have the redeemer circuit in it? Yeah, we also used a green Les Paul standard that had a redeemer circuit in it so that coupled with those two pedals right there drove the world’s largest pedalboard.
What happened to the pedals after the show?
Well, we finished everything up that night and a lot of it was auctioned off for the National Kidney Foundation. It was really great – we ended up raising $6,014 for the National Kidney Foundation.
Is there a reason you chose that particular charity?
The National Kidney Foundation is charity that’s really close to Al Johns’ heart – his wife has had some kidney issues in the past.
Do you remember how many guys you had on the board?
Well I don’t know. We had a couple of guys who were confirmed to come in and kind of do some clinics, and we struggled with that at first – what we were gonna do after we built it. Obviously we wanted to demonstrate it, and let people know how it works, but we were a little wary of letting just anyone play it for liability reasons and things like that. What we decided to do was just get some people from within the industry to come out and just wank around on the board a little bit.
We had a few guys lined up, and they didn’t end up working out, but luckily that night we got there and as we were putting the board together a few guys showed up and we got them to agree to play a little bit – Brian Lionman from Creation Audio Labs for example.
Wasn’t there someone from Pedaltrain who played?
Yea, I think John probably jammed on it a little bit on it. I know Bob Weil from Visual Sound got up and did quite a show.
Aren’t you kind of trademarking this or something?
Yeah, well right now I own worldslargestpedalboard.com, so as I work through the process of getting the world record stuff online, that website will end up being what we use to document it. As a matter of fact, yesterday we got word back from World Record Academy who is sanctioning it, so we’ve got one world record now officially under the belt.
Really? Wow. So is there a book it’ll go in?
Well I don’t know if there’s a book, but it’s similar to what Guinness has. When you get put in the Guinness World Records, you’re placed in a database so it’s not like every single world record they do ends up in the Guinness Book of World Records. Because a book is merely something they put out, you know to showcase some of the more well-known records I guess. So we’re in the database, and there was a blurb on it in Google news yesterday! We’re really excited about that step – that’s a huge step in the right direction.
Congrats, man. That’s big. How’s it feel – you have a world record!
It feels great! You know, it’s weird. I never thought I would hold a world record for anything, let alone something so silly, but it ended up being this huge thing. And it’s just been great fun. There are plans to do another party next year and make it even bigger.
So are you one of those pedal guys, is that where this came from?
Yeah, I mean I’m into gear across the board, but I’ve got to admit I’m a complete pedal whore. I mean, it’s just ridiculous. I got a pedal a couple weeks ago and have already kind of cycled through it, tried it out, moved on, gotten rid of it and now I’m on my way with something else, you know what I mean? I go through pedals like I go through socks. It’s crazy.
I think there are a lot of guys out there like that. Was there a favorite pedal on the board for you?
I’ll tell you, my favorite pedal I’ve got right now is not only a great sounding pedal but it’s really unique. It’s a Robert Keely Gib 1 CI-only mod, and it’s interesting because he’s not doing this pedal anymore, now he does a DS1 that has the CI mod and the Ultra mod – its got two mods in it with a switch to switch between the two. But the one I have, has only the CI mod, and I was actually talking to Al John about it very soon after I got it and he said well you know you should open it up and see what it looks like inside because in the early days Robert used to sign and date the inside of the pedal. So I opened it up, and sure enough he’d signed and dated it 2003. That’s kind of a favorite pedal in a sense, that’s my most recent find that I really think is just a keeper because it’s so unique.
For more about the pedalboard, read Jaux''s blog GearTrap, at GearTrap.com
Linkin Park share a new single (HERE) and video (premiering HERE at 4pm PT/7pm ET), for “The Emptiness Machine,” plus a global livestream performance (happening now HERE and available only for 24 hours), and the launch of 6 upcoming arena shows in Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul, and Bogota as part of the From Zero World Tour. LP Underground fan club exclusive pre-sales start September 6 and general on-sales September 7. Go to LinkinPark.com for more info.
These surprises herald the arrival of LINKIN PARK’s first album since 2017, FROM ZERO, on November 15.
Tomorrow, Friday September 6th, the band joins long-time friend and Apple Music host Zane Lowe for an in-depth candid conversation about the incredible legacy of Linkin Park, the 7-year long journey to new music and their excitement for the future.
Without expectations, Shinoda, Delson, Farrell, and Hahn quietly began meeting up again in recent years. Rather than “trying to restart the band,” their instinct was to simply spend more time together, and reconnect with the creativity and camaraderie that has been at the core of their friendship since college. During this time, they invited various friends and cohorts to join them in the studio; among the guests, they found a special kinship with Armstong and Brittain. A natural chemistry drew these musicians back into its gravitational pull as they logged more and more hours in the studio. It was the sound of lifelong musicians rediscovering the uncontainable energy of a new beginning once again. Over this season, FROM ZERO was born.
FROM ZERO
FROM ZERO TRACKLIST
- From Zero (Intro)
- The Emptiness Machine
- Cut The Bridge
- Heavy Is The Crown
- Over Each Other
- Casualty
- Overflow
- Two Faced
- Stained
- IGYEIH
- Good Things Go
About the new era, Shinoda stated, “Before LINKIN PARK, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future—embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what LINKIN PARK has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.”
Right out of the gate, “The Emptiness Machine” channels the DNA of LINKIN PARK, harnessing the band’s explosive energy and retaining the hallmarks of their instantly identifiable and inimitable sound. A chameleonic and catchy anthem, Shinoda’s hypnotic melodies hand off to Armstrong’s blistering chorus, over distorted riffs and head-nodding drums.
Shinoda elaborated, “The more we worked with Emily and Colin, the more we enjoyed their world-class talents, their company, and the things we created. We feel really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energized new music we’ve made together. We’re weaving together the sonic touchpoints we’ve been known for and still exploring new ones.”
FROM ZERO WORLD TOUR 2024
September 11, 2024 | Kia Forum - Los Angeles, CA
September 16, 2024 | Barclays Center - New York, NY
September 22, 2024 | Barclays Arena - Hamburg, Germany
September 24, 2024 | The O2 - London, UK
September 28, 2024 | INSPIRE Arena - Seoul, South Korea
November 11, 2024 | Coliseo Medplus - Bogota, Colombia
The new coiled cables are available in four eye-grabbing retro colors – Surf Green, Electric Blue, Orange and Caramel – as well as three standard colors: Black, White and Red. There is also a CME exclusive “Chicago Cream” color on the way.
Guitarists can choose between three different connector configurations: straight/straight plugs, right angle/straight and right angle/right angle options.
The Voltage Vintage Coil offers superior sound quality and durability thanks to ISO-COAT treatment, a patent-pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations. This first-of-its-kind airtight seal prevents corrosion and oxidization, a known factor in cable failure and degradation. ISO-COAT protected cables are for guitarists who value genuine lifetime durability and consistent tone throughout their career on stage and in the studio.
Voltage cables are hand made by qualified technical engineers using the finest components available and come with a lifetime warranty.
Voltage Vintage Coil features include:
- Lifetime guarantee, 1000+ gig durability
- ISO-COAT treatment - corrosion & oxidization resistant cable internals
- Strengthened structural integrity of solder terminations
Voltage Vintage Coils carry $89.00 USD pricing each and are available online at voltagecableco.com, as well as in select guitar stores in North America, Australia, Thailand, UK, Belgium and China.
About Voltage Cable: Established in 2021, Voltage Cable Co. is a family owned and operated guitar cable company based in Sydney, Australia. All their cables are designed to be played, and built for a lifetime. The company’s ISO-COAT is a patent pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations.
MonoNeon, aka Dywane Thomas Jr., came up learning the bass from his father in Memphis, Tennessee, but for some reason, he decided to flip his dad’s 4-string bass around and play it with the string order inverted—E string closest to the ground and the G on top. That’s how MonoNeon still plays today, coming up through a rich, inspiring gauntlet of family and community traditions. “I guess my whole style came from just being around my grandma at an early age,” says Thomas.His path has led him to collaborate with dozens of artists, including Nas, Ne-Yo, Mac Miller, and even Prince, and MonoNeon’s solo output is dizzying—trying to count up his solo releases isn’t an easy feat. Premier Guitar’s Chris Kies caught up with the bassist before his show at Nashville’s Exit/In, where he got the scoop on his signature 5-string, Ampeg rig, and simple stomp layout, as well as some choice stories about influences, his brain-melting playing style, and how Prince changed his rig.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Orange You Glad to See Me?
This Fender MonoNeon Jazz Bass V was created after a rep messaged Thomas on Instagram to set up the signature model, over which Thomas had complete creative control. Naturally, the bass is finished in neon yellow urethane with a neon orange headstock and pickguard, and the roasted maple neck has a 10"–14" compound radius. It’s loaded with custom-wound Fireball 5-string Bass humbuckers and an active, 18V preamp complete with 3-band EQ controls. Thomas’ own has been spruced up with some custom tape jobs, too. All of MonoNeon's connections are handled by Sorry Cables.
Fade to Black
MonoNeon’s Ampeg SVT stack isn’t a choice of passion. “That’s what they had for me, so I just plugged in,” he says. “That’s what I have on my rider. As long as it has good headroom and the cones don’t break up, I’m cool.”
Box Art
MonoNeon’s bass isn’t the only piece of kit treated to custom color jobs. Almost all of his stomps have been zhuzhed up with his eye-popping palette.
Thomas had used a pitch-shifting DigiTech Whammy for a while, but after working with Paisley Park royalty, the pedal became a bigger part of his playing. “When I started playing with Prince, he put the Whammy on my pedalboard,” Thomas explains. “After he passed, I realized how special that moment was.”
Alongside the Whammy, MonoNeon runs a Fairfield Circuitry Randy’s Revenge (for any time he wants to “feel weird”), a literal Fart Pedal (in case the ring mod isn’t weird enough, we guess), and a JAM Pedals Red Muck covers fuzz and dirt needs. A CIOKS SOL powers the whole affair.
