“It’s nothing crazy, but I have some weird, oddball sounds if needed”: Alex Skolnick reveals what’s on his pedalboard

“I play many styles, so I need a ’board that serves many purposes. My current board has plenty of tone options, flexibility and the potential to add on without losing quality. It’s nothing crazy – primarily standard effects – but I have some weird, oddball sounds if needed. 

“This ’board has come through for me during countless gigs and sessions for hire. It could be tidier, but it’s been through some changes of late, so I guess you could say – as is always the case – it’s a work in progress.

“Starting with my off-board effects at the front, I’ve got my TC Electronic Polytune 3 Noir and my JAM Pedals Wahcko [wah pedal].

“Once we get to my on-board stuff, I’ve got a [JAM Pedals] TubeDreamer 88 [overdrive pedal], which goes into my J. Rockett [Audio Designs] Blue Note Overdrive. That leads into this unnamed custom boost pedal by Moollon. From there, I’ve got an MXR Phase 95 Mini, and an EHX [Analog Guitar] MicroSynth.”

“The MicroSynth goes into my JAM Pedals Waterfall Chorus, and after that, I’ve got my Crazy Tube Circuits Splash Reverb. The last two onboard pedals are my TC Electronic Flashback Delay and a technically out-of-line Seymour Duncan Andromeda Dynamic Digital Delay. Then we go offboard again with my EHX POG and my Jim Dunlop volume pedal.”

If I had to choose one pedal for an entire show...

“It would probably be the MXR Phase 95. This is a strange choice since I don’t always keep it on, and phaser stuff is far from essential. But it’s inspiring, and with a decent amp, I could get ’70s-sounding vibes like Tommy Bolin and Eddie Van Halen.”

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