05/24/2026
Over the course of the many years that I have been playing guitar I have gone through a lot of gear. Not so much a situation of "searching for the perfect tone" because, well things seem to sound a certain way for me no matter what I am playing through. For me, it's about ease of use and simplicity. I have the pictured pedalboard for use at home; it's the perfect collection of sounds (for me) when it comes to practicing, composing and jamming in my home audio. I have a Line6 HelixLT that I settled on for my "fly rig" but more on that later... If anything, I think that the complexity of pedals like the H9, Boss DD500 and BossMD500 might find them getting switched out with simpler more dedicated components. MIDI switch ability is cool, and I do have these "midi'd" but... that feels "complicated" and I like the idea that I can just stomp on a thing and it does a job. Turn a dial to change it (no menus required).
What I really love about a pedalboard is the ability to switch out dedicated components. It's MUCH less expensive to switch out one or two pedals as opposed to an amp... or a complete processor (AxeFX, Helix, Kemper, etc). No. As I get older, I find myself becoming much more frugal with my disposable income. A new pedal, while it WILL annoy my wife is an expense that is much easier to digest. Sure, I have a lot of pedals kicking around - but at the end of the day having them on hand means that when I am inevitably bored with my sounds I can just make a quick switch with what I already have. Bang. Itch scratched. Or whatever.
The above pictured board has been evolving over time since I first thought I'd get into a board (I was a late bloomer - I always preferred amp distortion and digital effects through the loop...). It's one of those things that looks like an absolute disaster and can always be cleaned up, generally tidied, revised and refined to reflect my current musical tastes and direction.
Now the amp that this goes into can vary. My philosophy? A good , basic clean tone is what is required for the platform. Nothing in particular but some amps I have used that I absolutely adore in conjunction with my pedalboard; Peavey Classic 30/Classic 50. Roland JC120. Boss Nextone Special. Fender Projr (except it kept blowing fuses and tubes!). Fender Bassman. My preference is a single channel amplifier that doesn't really distort and has a good volume "bloom". From the "amp" side of things, I find that speaker choice can really make or break an amplifier.
Anyways. Pedals and pedalboards are fun - I always like checking out the boards that the players in my community share. Different players, different needs, different situations. Those little boxes are handy!
