“People get too dependent on the sound they’re getting from the pedals”: Duane Betts on why less is more on his pedalboard – but a tuner and a boost? Everyone should have one

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The guitarist and songwriter on why, for him, it’s all about amp tone

Duane Betts wears a western shirt and cowboy hat as he plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard onstage during the during the Allman Betts Family Revival at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
(Image credit: Mickey Bernal/Getty Images)

“The general methodology behind my board is that my sound is more about a natural, pure tone coming from the amp. So my approach to pedals is very minimal at the moment. I do think having a tuner is very important, and everyone can use a boost in the heat of battle.

“Over the years, as far as how my board has shifted, I would say my board has gotten more minimal. I’ve used delay pedals in the past and, sometimes, different fuzz pedals. But at the moment, my sound is basically the guitar into the amp.

“That said, pedals are a great way to help a guitar player develop their own style and their own unique sound. However, people get too dependent on the sound they’re getting from the pedals.

“Having said that, my board starts with my tuner, a TC Electronic Polytune 3. After that, I’ve got an Analogman King of Tone [overdrive], and I’m rounding out my minimalist board with the Solar Flare [distortion] by Sarno Music Solutions.”

Duane Betts Pedalboard 2024: A Solar Flare distortion, Analog Man King of Tone and TC Electronic guitar tuner and that's it. As Betts reveals, his tone is mostly his amp and guitar.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Duane Betts)

If I had to choose only one pedal for a full show...

“Definitely my TC Electronic tuner. But aside from that, when I’m playing through reissue amps for fly-in shows, it is great to have my King of Tone.”

Andrew Daly
Andrew Daly

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 Bass Player, Guitar Player, Guitarist, and Music Radar. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Morello, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.