Pedal Problem

As a music journalist, it is my job to review pedals. No doubt about it, it is a great job. I get to try out dozens of cool pedals each year. These days, it is rare to find one that doesn’t sound good, within the parameters of what it is trying to do. I really have nothing to complain about, but I do have a minor caveat.

Pedal builders are using a wide variety of footswitches. Leaving aside the idiotic argument about true bypass versus buffered for another time, my issue is the varying ways the switches need to be pressed.

switches

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Guitar Moderne’s Ultimate Mini Pedalboard

Guitar Moderne presents the ultimate in small pedalboards. Internet searches love this kind of pompous statement. I’m actually talking about my personal go-to board for jam sessions and quick recording work. Its three, extremely versatile, effects pedals cover many of the sounds I need, for a variety of genres. They are packed on a small, sturdy pedalboard, powered without batteries (in the pedals) or needing to plug into a wall. Whether the gig is blues, roots, country, Americana, rock, pop, jazz, improv, experimental, African, Latin, or virtually any other style of music, this pedalboard lets me create appropriate tones. Check out the video and “read more” for full pedal descriptions.

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Publisher’s Rig

In an effort to encourage Guitar Moderne readers to submit their rigs for the new Reader’s Rig section, I proffer my own basic board. I thought it also might be educational to explain how I arrived at this particular configuration. It involved decades of experimentation with dozens of effects, as well as the knowledge gained by being in the lucky position of reviewing and writing about pedals for many years. That said, I am as neurotic as any other guitarist, so rest assured the experimentation is not over, nor ever likely to be.

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