Confessions of a Pedal Nerd

Over the years, my passion for pedals has not diminished. I haven’t counted lately, but I’ve got at least 100 in easy-to-access plastic boxes, and 11 or 12 on my ’board at any time. Sure, I enjoy purely organic guitar tone, too, and spent nearly a decade touring with just a couple guitars, a Marshall, and a tuner. But to me, pedals are not a gimmick, as I’ve heard some players and critics disparage them. They are a key to potentially uncharted sonic terrain, or at least, a rarified zone where the inspiration for new songs or epic solos awaits. I once had a vicious argument with a fellow journalist and guitarist who dismissed pedals as a crutch. If pedals are a crutch, so are electricity and amps.