Reb Beach guides you through his latest pedalboard

(Image credit: Per Ole Hagen/Redferns)

“I do have a big MIDI pedalboard for regular touring, but when Winger does weekend fly-in shows, I bring this little three-pedal setup with me. If my travel bag is over 50lbs, it costs me an extra $100, and it’s easy to go over 50lbs when you’re bringing stage clothes, cables, a coat and what have you. Actually, I tried taking a bigger pedalboard with me to put in plane overheads, but I left it in the airport bar – twice.

“Fortunately, I don’t need a clean sound or a wah, so this little ’board does the trick for me – a Boss DD-3 Digital Delay, a Suhr Shiba Drive Reloaded and a Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner.”

“If I had to choose one pedal to bring on a desert island, it would be a Suhr Riot [distortion] pedal because it makes any amp sound great, and I imagine the amp on a desert island would suck. A friend of mine did a show with [Aerosmith’s] Brad Whitford, and all they had was a crappy amp. My friend handed him a Riot pedal, and the sound went from crappy to amazing. Brad freaked out at the difference and bought one right away.”

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Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.

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