# Bo Diddley Pedalboard 1955: Full Gear & Pedal List

> The 1955 Bo Diddley board ran one pedal: DeArmond Tremolo Control. Signal-chain order, settings and cited sources.

- Canonical page: https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/bo-diddley/debut-single-tremolo-path-1955/
- Machine-readable index of the archive: https://pedalboardarchive.com/llms.txt
- Evidence and reconstruction conventions: https://pedalboardarchive.com/methodology/

## At a glance

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Artist | Bo Diddley |
| Board | Debut single tremolo path |
| Date | 1955-01-01 — 1955 debut single sessions (year precision) |
| Context | Chess Records debut sessions, Chicago |
| Scope | Core signal path |
| Signal path | 1 unit · Guitar to amplifier |
| Routing | Serial path |
| Unit evidence | Documented |
| Order evidence | Source-described |
| Status | Historically documented recording effect |
| Audited | 2026-08-02 |
| Sources | 4 |

Bo Diddley recorded his 1955 debut single at Chess Records with one effect: a DeArmond Tremolo Control, worked by hand, giving the rhythm guitar its watery pulse.

## Signal chain

**Order evidence — Source-described.** A source states the sequence.

`Guitar → DeArmond Tremolo Control → amplifier`

| # | Unit | Role | Zone | Unit evidence | Position evidence | Catalog page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | DeArmond Tremolo Control | Modulates the guitar volume behind the clave rhythm on Bo Diddley's 1955 debut single. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/dearmond-tremolo-control/ |

## Reconstruction note

In a 2007 Guitar Buyer interview, Diddley described buying the DeArmond Trem-Trol from guitarist Jody Williams after first building his own mechanical tremolo; the article calls the commercial unit Model 60. Premier Guitar's dedicated history identifies the unit on the 1955 recording as a 601, and Guitar.com's independent history corroborates the early standalone effect. Because the surviving specialist sources use both model numbers, the display keeps the model-neutral faceplate name Tremolo Control and preserves 601 and Model 60 as aliases. Amplifier reverb and later guitars with onboard EQ, delay and chorus are outside this dated snapshot.

## Questions

### What pedals did Bo Diddley use in 1955?

This dated entry lists one unit: DeArmond Tremolo Control. This is the recorded inventory, not a claim that every connection or model identification is confirmed; see the evidence and routing notes.

### What order were Bo Diddley's pedals in?

A cited source states the order: Guitar → DeArmond Tremolo Control → amplifier.

### Is this Bo Diddley's full guitar rig?

No. This dated entry covers one unit in the effects path, not every piece of gear Bo Diddley owned or used. Floor pedals, rack units and routing devices are included only where recorded; omitted equipment and uncertain connections are explained in the notes. It is not a complete or current rig inventory.

### When and where was this pedalboard used?

1955 debut single sessions. Chess Records debut sessions, Chicago. This is the core signal path documented for that period, not a career-wide gear list.

### How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?

4 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Guitar Buyer, Premier Guitar, Guitar.com. Among them an interview and a written article. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-08-02.

## Sources

4 cited sources across 4 independent groups. Two sources sharing an independent group report the same observation and count once.

1. [First Effects: Trem Fatale](https://danformosa.com/articles/GuitarBuyer_BoDiddley_DanFormosa.pdf) — Guitar Buyer (Primary source · interview), published 2007-05-01, accessed 2026-08-02, independent group `guitar-buyer-bo-diddley-dan-formosa-2007`
2. [Late-1940s DeArmond 601 Tremolo](https://www.premierguitar.com/late-1940s-dearmond-601-tremolo) — Premier Guitar (Specialist source · article), published 2013-01-09, accessed 2026-08-02, independent group `premier-guitar-chris-kies-dearmond-2013`
3. [All About Tremolo](https://guitar.com/guides/essential-guide/all-about-tremolo/) — Guitar.com (Specialist source · article), accessed 2026-08-02, independent group `guitar-com-tremolo-history`
4. [Bo Diddley Was a Guitar Slinger](https://www.premierguitar.com/bo-diddley-was-a-guitar-slinger) — Premier Guitar (Specialist source · article), accessed 2026-08-02, independent group `premier-guitar-michael-ross-bo-diddley-2008`

## Related pages

- Every documented board by Bo Diddley: [Bo Diddley board history](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/bo-diddley/)
- [Duane Eddy — Rebel Rouser tremolo path](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/duane-eddy/rebel-rouser-tremolo-path-1958/): shares DeArmond Tremolo Control
- Previous board in archive order: [Billy Strings — Four-drawer MIDI touring board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/billy-strings/four-drawer-touring-board-2023/)
- Next board in archive order: [Bonnie Raitt — Dig In Deep touring core](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/bonnie-raitt/dig-in-deep-touring-core-2016/)