“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

“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. 

“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.”