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Boulevard of Dreams

What Happened to My Sound?

While playing in our band, The Dust Devils, I had a distinctive sound that I acquired more or less by accident. Most of my gear was an accumulation of second hand equipment and self engineered stuff. My pedal board at the time was a prime example. I got the idea to build a pedal board for my growing collection of effects after we played an opening set for Ian Moore in the late 80s. He had a pedal board he had made from a ragged piece of paneling. Being a carpenter, I felt fairly certain I could improve on that design.

I built a wedge shaped platform from 3/4 inch plywood (painted black, of course) with room for power strips and power supplies under the pedal deck. I rewired any effects without external power supply support to use power supplies purchased at Radio Shack instead of batteries. I modified the effect cases as needed to fasten them permanently to the pedal deck. The pedals remained wired on the board and power could be supplied by plugging in the internal power strips to an extension cord. The pedal deck could be lifted from the pedal board case for power suppy maintenance by removing eight drywall screws. It was pretty industrial looking but it saved a lot of time when setting up for a show. I was using a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 for amplification combined with all my second hand effects devices.

I started digging around in my electronic bone pile to see if I could re-create that sound. First, I had to locate all the components and see if they even worked. The results of my search:

• Roland Jazz Chorus 120 Retired but available for duty · This incredibly loud and clean stereo amp also supplied built-in distortion and chorus effects. I've gone to all tubes and rarely use the JC 120 anymore. I'll have to add a chorus effect to my new lineup.


• EchoPlex tape loop echo MIA · I got this unit from a friend for $25 in the 80s. It was a greenie with a serial number in the 9000s. I had it refurbished with a new tape cartridge and Groove Tubes. I stopped using it and put it away for 20 years. I sold it a couple of years ago at a local guitar show.


• Roland Sustain pedal DOA · I loved this pedal and was disappointed to find it in poor condition. I hope to repair it. It's a classic.


• Dunlop Wah-Wah pedal Redshirt · This classic pedal just needs a new potentiometer and it's good to go.


• Morley Distortion 1 pedal Active Duty I found this in a bargain bin for $30 20+ years ago. I still use it every day.


• Alesis MidiVerb II Active Duty · I use this rack unit for a light slapback echo and leave it on most of the time.

There were other bits and pieces that drifted in and out of the lineup but this was the core. Now that I know what happened to the components of my old sound, what do I do next? Do I hit every pawn shop and guitar show searching for working replacements for the missing bits? Should I research modern functional equivalents and buy new replacements? DO I bring the JC 120 back into my amp lineup or buy a chorus pedal? You would hope things have improved in the 20 or 30 years, including me!

I begin my quest with a modern replacement for the Roland Sustain pedal.

Hasta, amigos!