“Jeff Beck gave me his gold J Rockett Archer, based on the Klon. That can never leave”: Featuring a Joe Bonamassa wah and an overdrive gifted by Beck himself, Carmen Vandenberg’s pedalboard is a tour de force of tone

When Carmen Vandenberg last spoke with Total Guitar she was still undecided as to what she wanted for her touring pedalboard – but what she did know was that this was no fly-in setup, a drive, a delay and a reverb pedal to get through a quick set.

No, she was going all-in, mooting two ‘boards. While she likes to shake things up a bit, to cover the different electric guitar tones required to get through a set with Bones UK or Morrissey, there were going to be some ever-presents that are non-negotiables – including one overdrive pedal with great sentimental (and tonal) value.

“A few of my classics are always just going to stay on the ‘board,” she said. “Jeff Beck gave me his gold [J Rockett] Archer, based on the Klon. And the octave, the Micro Pog. All of that can never leave. I’m probably gonna do two different pedalboards this time. The tap-dancing becomes a bit tricky.”

Now her Bones UK rig has been finalised. We’re going to offer you a guide to the nine most important effects on her ‘board, why they’re there and what they’re for.

1. DigiTech Whammy

This is a perennial favourite of creative guitarists, from Steve Vai and Tom Morello to Sean Long of While She Sleeps. In Bones UK, Carmen uses it for their 2021 track Boys Will Be Girls, where she uses the two-octaves-up setting for some radical bends.

BONES UK – Boys Will Be Girls (Official Music Video) – YouTube

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2. Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Cry Baby wah

The copper treadle and subtle signature in the rubber foot grip give this away as a Bonamassa wah. It’s just an authentic vintage wah pedal sound with a switchable true bypass, the most common modification for stock Cry Babys.

3. J Rockett Archer iKon

This gold Archer is special because it lived in Jeff Beck’s ’board before he gave it to Vandenberg. The Archer was one of the first and most respected pedals to closely replicate the Klon Centaur circuit in a small and comparatively affordable format.

The Archer Ikon gets extra close to the Klon by using the same diodes, offering slightly smoother overdrive than the regular Archer. While many users prefer the Klon as a clean boost with the gain at 0, Carmen uses it with the gain at 3 o’clock.

4. Pigtronix Octava Micro

Like the Octavia Hendrix used on Purple Haze, this generates an analogue octave effect that is clearest when playing above the 12th fret on the neck pickup. Unlike Hendrix’s Octavia, the fuzz is switchable, so you can have the octave with or without fuzz.

5. MXR Super Badass Distortion

Carmen never sets her amps entirely clean. They’re always slightly broken up, but she can get a clean sound by picking more lightly. All the dirt pedals are used to push the tone further into distortion. She tends to use the different drives individually rather than stacking them, so the gain is set fairly high on each

6. MXR Analog Chorus

With Morrissey, Carmen uses much more extreme chorus settings than Slash, another Analog Chorus fan. Where Slash has the depth at about 1 o’clock, Carmen puts it closer to 4 o’clock. Slash also cuts the high frequencies as much as possible, whereas Carmen only subtly reduces the high cut (top right) from its maximum (flat) setting.

7. EarthQuaker Devices Organizer

This cunningly titled pedal emulates an organ. Other Organizer fans include Idles’ Lee Kiernan and the Vaccines’ Freddie Cowan.

BONES UK – Won’t Settle (Official Music Video) – YouTube

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8. Mooer Audio ShimVerb

Carmen’s CV30 signature guitar amp does have reverb, which she keeps on at a low setting. The pedal is only for when a washy sound is needed, hence the quite heavy spring reverb setting she has here.

9. EarthQuaker Devices Astral Destiny

A reverb with modes that pitch-shift the reverb tail up or down, the Astral Destiny allows expansive and ethereal tones.

The sub mode setting used here adds a lower octave to the reverb tail, filling out the low end. The left footswitch, labelled ‘stretch’, doubles the length of the reverb tail and temporarily shifts the pitch, allowing even more other-worldly tones.

• Soft is out now via Sumerian.