“The funny thing is I don’t even really like pedals... I’ve used them, but constantly stomping on different pedals to get what I need is still bonkers”: Jennifer Batten reveals what’s on her pedalboard
The former Jeff Beck and Michael Jackson guitarist is no stompbox addict, but has everything she needs in this simple setup, built around a compact pedal amp
(Image credit: Alberto Gandolfo/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“My pedalboard is about simplicity. Weight is also huge because 99 percent of my gigs involve getting me on a plane. I also need functionality. But the funny thing is I don’t even really like pedals.
“I got into them when I started doing clinic tours for DigiTech in the ’90s. Since then, I’ve used them, but constantly stomping on different pedals to get what I need is still bonkers.
“It starts with the board itself, a D’Addario XPND. From there, I have my amp, the BluGuitar AMP1 [Mercury Edition]. I was Thomas Blug’s first customer. It’s a 100-watt, four-channel amp, and it’s MIDI capable. That leads me to the next thing, a MeloAudio MIDI Commander [multi-effects USB MIDI foot controller], which switches my effects and the amp simultaneously.
“From there, I have an MXR [M293] Mini Booster. I like that little box; it does the job when I need a little extra during solos. I had a full-sized one, but it was a tank. Aside from that, I’ve got a Line 6 [EX-1] Expression Pedal and a Boss [FV-50] stereo volume pedal.
“And I have a Line 6 HX Stomp XL [multi-effects pedal] with a steampunk skin design by Chad Boston at Gear by CEBA. The Line 6 stuff has got a Whammy that goes down a whole step, and it also lets me program in some cool slide effects. Plus, it all fits in my carry-on.
“As simple as my ’board is, the cabling is not. I’ve got cabling going between everything, and I color-code it all to keep it straight. And I always take a spare snake in case a cable goes out. If I lose one of the cables, I have no time to troubleshoot it. So I slam a whole new color-coded snake in when that happens.”
If I had to chose one pedal for a full show...
“That’s a trick question, because I need that BluGuitar AMP1; otherwise, there’s no sound. But assuming I’ve got that, it’d be the Line 6 HX Stomp XL, because it has everything under the sun.
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“The way I can route everything through that is so powerful. It’s almost like a preset pedalboard on its own since it can be kicked up to eight effects simultaneously, with tons of presets and nerdy guitar stuff.”
Andrew Daly is an iced-coffee-addicted, oddball Telecaster-playing, alfredo pasta-loving journalist from Long Island, NY, who, in addition to being a contributing writer for Guitar World, scribes for Rock Candy, Bass Player, Total Guitar, and Classic Rock History. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.