“A bass overdrive gives me more control over which frequencies push forward when I want to take more risks”: Yvette Young spills the secrets of her pedalboard – and names the one stompbox she could play an entire show with
The Covet phenom's 'board is rigged for stereo, sequenced for experimentation, and makes us wonder if we've been missing a trick by not having a bass overdrive in our setup
(Image credit: Eli Chavez)
“I organize everything by stereo, just in case I want to run stuff in stereo. It’s nice to have a device to point to on my pedalboard where I know it won’t reduce things to mono. Most of my stereo effects are at the end of my 'board so I can experiment. But in general, having my gain and modulation pedals at the beginning of my 'board – and the reverb and stuff later – is nice.
“I have an EarthQuaker Devices Warden optical compressor. From there, I’ve got a D’Addario TC20 tuner, followed by a Beetronics Fatbee Overdrive and ZVEX Mastotron [silicon] fuzz. Next is the Ground Control Audio Noodles, which is like an EQ and gain combined; I use that when I’m looking to push specific frequencies.
“Then I have a Boss OC-5 Octave, which leads to my Electronic Audio Experiments Longsword, a bass overdrive that gives me more control over which frequencies push forward when I want to take more risks. That, and the little boost, adds grit to my delay. I also have a great modulation pedal, the Caroline Guitar Somersault Lo-Fi Modulator, followed by the Walrus Audio Julianna chorus/vibrato.
“I have a ton of delays, but the MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe is my favorite as far as analog goes. I also love the EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run V2, a more pronounced rhythmic delay, and a Boss DD-3 Digital Delay. That brings me to my Meris Mercury7 Reverb and Hologram Electronics Microcosm. I use that for transitions and granular stuff, but the multi-delay is nice too.”
(Image credit: Courtesy of Yvette Young)
“That’s the main stuff, but I do have a Universal Audio Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo & Reverb; I use that for stacked delay stuff. And I have a bunch of DigiTech stuff, like the Whammy Ricochet and the FreqOut. The Ricochet is my newest addition; I use it when I want to make my pitch plummet or go off the deep end. The FreqOut is for when I want some controlled feedback.”
If I had to choose one pedal for a full show...
“The EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run V2. While I love my delay pedals and my Warden compression pedal, I could use only the Avalanche Run and still be able to make everything sound pretty. I’d use it subtly and keep it nice and low in the mix.”
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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.
