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

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!

Steve Campanella: It’s Personal

This board hails from Toronto, Canada. “My pedal journey was a long one,” says Steve Campanella. “At this point in my life, I’m a hobby guitar player. But back in the ’90s, I was in a local gigging band playing original hard alt-rock (think Alice in Chains and Tool). The extent of my playing now is personal, and a few times a year, I get together with old buddies and play our favorite covers.”

“I use the analog modulation before drive because I prefer the subtler flavor the effects offer when placed before dirt. But I still like the really “wet” sounding stuff, too, and that’s where the Eventide H9s come in handy, as they do basically anything. I feel like I finally accomplished what I’ve always wanted in my setup: I can get totally old-school raw tones to completely modern, wet, processed tones. I don’t discriminate, I appreciate them all.”

Steve’s board is a large Voodoo Lab Dingbat powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus and a Voodoo Lab 4x4. He uses Evidence Audio SIS cables, and his signal chain is as follows: TC Electronic PolyTune Mini, DryBell Vibe Machine V1, Vemuram Shanks 4K Fuzz, Analogman Custom Dual Boost (Bad Bob Boost and Beano Boost), Origin Cali76 Compact Deluxe, Greenhouse Effects Sonic Orb, Hartman Analog Flanger, Klon Centaur, Vemuram Jan Ray, Analogman King of Tone, Tanabe.tv Dumkudo, Vemuram Rage e, Radial Tonebone Regency, and two Eventide H9s.

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!

Billy Strings has become one of the biggest drawing guitar players out on the road these days. His music brings bluegrass fans and jam band scenes together, landing him on some of the biggest stages around. Your 100 Guitarists hosts have brought in guitarist Jon Stickley to help them work out their differences—one of us is a jammer and the other … is not.

Read MoreShow less
Shervin Lainez

Warren Haynes has unveiled the Million Voices Whisper 2025 Tour in support of his new solo album.

Read MoreShow less

Amythyst Kiah began learning guitar at the age of 13, then later attended a creative arts high school, where she found her people among all the “misfits and weirdos.”

Photo by Kevin King

The Americana singer-songwriter, known for supporting her vocals with intricate fingerpicking, found herself simplifying her process for her latest full-length, which, in turn, has led to more personal and artistic growth.

Folk singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah is a formidable fingerstylist. When asked about her creative process, she explains how she’s come up playing a lot of solo shows—something that’s inspired her to bring out the orchestral range of the guitar for her own vocal accompaniment. Over the years, she’s taken her high school classical training and college old-time-string-band experience to evolve her fingerpicking skills, developing three-finger technique and other multi-dimensional patterns influenced by players like Mike Dawes. And for her latest full-length, Still + Bright, she’s only continued to grow in her musicianship, but by stepping back to square one: rhythm.

Read MoreShow less

Designed with versatility and innovation at its core, the St. James 100 features four channels and six modes, alongside a suite of cutting-edge connectivity options

Read MoreShow less