Size isn’t everything… but guess who’s got the biggest ‘board?
(Image credit: Kevin Winter / Getty)
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has been posting some pedalboard snaps taken at the band’s recent LA Forum show (yep, the one where they jammed with Nandi Bushell).
As a busy frontman and arena rock tutor, it’s clear Dave Grohl likes to keep things simple. Despite the blurry shot, it’s easy to see that he’s restricting his ‘board to a couple of Boss DD-3s (one ear-marked for the song Aurora), an MXR Phase 90 and an Xotic FX SP compressor, alongside his amp switching.
Pat Smear’s 2021 pedalboard
Smear’s no-nonsense punk roots (as a founding member of the Germs) shine through on his board. He keep it pretty basic, too, with an EHX Neo Clone Chorus pedal, a (tape-covered) MXR Carbon Copy and a Boss BF-3 Flanger. Finally, there’s a bit of tech thrown in, in the form of the RJM LT Mastermind midi switcher.
Chris Shiflett’s 2021 pedalboard
You might have guessed it, but the prize for fanciest Foos board goes to dedicated gear-nut Chris Shiflett, whose mighty board features an inspiring blend of hard-to-find stompboxes and off-the-peg gear, all routed into custom remote-switching controls at the front.
Going left to right, starting at the top we can spot an Electro-Harmonix Micro POG, JHS Muffuletta Fuzz, MXR M117R Flanger, EVH Phase 90, Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail reverb, JHS VCR (Volume, Chorus and Reverb), Boss CE-2W Waza Craft Chorus, Strymon TimeLine delay x2 (one for his Friedman amp, one for his Vox AC30), a Lehle Little Dual II switcher (for moving between amps), a TC Electronic PolyTune, Klon KTR Professional overdrive pedal, plus Xotic Effects EP Booster, a Boss FS-5L footswitch, an Xotic SP Compressor and Xotic XW-1 wah pedals.
Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.