Joe Bonamassa’s penchant for acquiring high-end vintage electric guitar gear and his in-depth knowledge of how to best use his gear is no secret. That makes his humble pedalboard – which is largely made up of off-the-shelf stock – more surprising.
Built largely from standard-issue pedals acquired from US music giant Sweetwater, it’s a ’board that anyone with a modest budget can recreate, and he’s lifted the lid on some of his pedal picks in the new issue of Guitarist.
“[They’re] standard issue,” he confirms when asked about his relatively straightforward stompbox setup. “I buy them out of Sweetwater.”
There are a few outliers among the bunch, though, but nothing that compares to the sheer exclusively of his wider vintage guitar and amp rig.
“There’s a Tube Screamer that is either an ’80 or an ’81,” he says of his chosen TS, similar examples of which are circa $400 secondhand. “A Micro Pog ($245) and a Fuzz Face ($170) that goes through the [Fender] Twin [amps]. Then the switcher and the wah and the Fulltone [Supa-] Trem ($279) and a Way Huge Conspiracy Theory.”
The latter is a Klon copy that Bonamassa collaborated on. At the time of its launch, he said they were “virtually identical” to the real thing, and the $189 units sold out in double quick time.
Elsewhere, his Silver Jubilee Marshall heads are partnered with a now-discontinued Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere, which he’s called “a fake Leslie [speaker]”. They fetch around $400-600 on the secondhand market. That sits alongside an interchangeable Boss DD-2 delay (circa $200 secondhand).
Boss’ DD-2 delay was released in the early ’80s but was later replaced by the DD-3, which is readily available and costs $154 brand new. Second-hand DD-2’s are also affordable.
It’s an uncharacteristically modest ’board, especially when one considers it’s often paired with what Bonamassa has described as “the world's most expensive three-channel amp.” Nevertheless, it’s an encouraging development for those wanting a little JoBo flavor in their own live rigs, but who have just a fraction of his budget to spend.
The other non-standard pedals are also replaceable with Sweetwater stock – the Rotosphere could be swapped out for a TC Electronic Vibraclone ($99) or a Strymon Lex ($349), for instance, and a contemporary Ibanez TS808 costs just $169.
“The rest of it’s just junction boxes,” Bonamassa expands. “Inputs for the amps, and a junction box to get to the switcher and out, and then there are the two boxes that power everything.”
His rig rundown comes after he broke down his best gear-buying advice with the Guitarist. Choosing the right amp for your next gig, he says, can come at a cut price, while he says players shouldn’t let external pressures influence what electric guitar they splash the cash on.
“At some point in time, we may have to get our head around the fact that these things we trade will be worth absolutely nothing,” he says. “If you’re sitting on the couch and you can’t stop grabbing a guitar, it doesn't matter what it says on the headstock. It doesn’t matter how much you paid for it.”
To read Bonamassa’s full chat with Guitarist – in an issue that also includes features with Elliot Easton and Chris Buck – pick up a copy from Magazines Direct.
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