How To Know When Your Pedals Are On... Or Off!

Q. How can I tell when my pedals are on or off under the harsh stage lights?

A. TG reader Spud from Andover asked for help in solving a pedal-related problem recently...


Spud has a large number of effects pedals on his board and often finds it hard to keep track of which are on and which are off, especially when playing outdoors.

http://cdn.mos.musicradar.com/images/legacy/totalguitar/lightbulb.jpg


"I use Boss pedals which are very reliable and you can see them in the dark easily. One problem, though, is if you´re playing a festival outside then the light bleaches out the little LEDs so you can´t see whether your pedals are on or off! How can I solve this problem?!"


We asked around and got this handy reply from Fightstar guitarist Al Westaway, who suggests a little bit of cardboard improvisation...


"When we play festivals we build a little cardboard visor [to put in front of your pedals]. It casts a shadow and then you can see the lights again.”


Problem solved!