Dan AuerbachPedalboard, 2012
Dan Auerbach toured El Camino with the Black Keys in 2012 on nine pedals, including a Companion Fuzz Wah and a Big Muff Pi, a ten-band EQ to put back what the Muff scoops out, and a Radial JX-2 Switchbone feeding three amps at once.
El Camino touring rig
Order evidence: No source publishes this sequence; the order is reconstructed
Inside the rig · 9 units
Pedal roles & evidence
How each unit fits Dan Auerbach's 2012 setup. Board-specific roles and the evidence behind each identification and position.
Reconstructed orderIdentity and position are evidenced separately. Reconstructed positions are not observed connections.
Modulation
TR-2 Tremolo
Front of amp
Role in this rig
Applies tremolo across the whole multi-amp rig at once.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Pitch & Synth
OC-2 Octave
Front of amp
Role in this rig
Adds sub-octave weight to riffs.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Modulation
PH-3 Phase Shifter
Front of amp
Role in this rig
Supplies phase movement in the modulation group.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Routing & Control
JX-2 Switchbone
Shared path
Role in this rig
Feeds Auerbach's three amps from one path.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Gain
Companion Fuzz Wah
Front of amp
Role in this rig
Provides the mid-scooped fuzz Auerbach favours, used for the fuzz rather than the wah.
Auerbach's tech notes it "has a real mid-range sound which is a lot different than the Big Muff"; Auerbach has named the Shin-ei Companion among his favourite fuzzes.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Filter & EQ
Ten Band EQ
Front of amp
Role in this rig
Puts back the midrange the Companion fuzz scoops out.
Documented as running after the Companion specifically "to replace the mids that the Companion scoops out".
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Gain
Big Muff Pi (Vintage wide chassis)
Front of amp
Role in this rig
The second and thicker fuzz voice alongside the Companion.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Routing & Control
Volcano Volume Control
Front of amp
Role in this rig
Handles level, operated from a Mission EP-1 treadle.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Pitch & Synth
PS-5 Super Shifter
Front of amp
Role in this rig
Adds pitched and harmonised effects at the end of the chain.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Documented equipment · Reconstructed order · Split output path
Premier Guitar lists the contents of this rig but does not trace the cable path between pedals, so the order is reconstructed. Two placements are not guesswork: the Ten Band EQ is documented as sitting after the Shin-ei Companion specifically to replace the mids that fuzz scoops out, and the Switchbone is placed where the signal fans out to the three amplifiers. The Mission EP-1 treadle is omitted because it is a controller for the Volcano rather than an effect in the path, and the Fulltone Tube Tape Echo is omitted because the rundown places it on the Marshall alone rather than on the board. This board rests on that one rundown.
No source publishes this sequence. The units are ordered by conventional signal-chain practice, and any documented routing zone is kept as recorded.
Cited sources
MethodologyQuestions about Dan Auerbach's 2012 pedalboard
- What pedals did Dan Auerbach use in 2012?
- This dated entry lists 9 units: TR-2 Tremolo, OC-2 Octave, PH-3 Phase Shifter, JX-2 Switchbone, Companion Fuzz Wah, Ten Band EQ, Big Muff Pi, Volcano Volume Control, PS-5 Super Shifter. 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 Dan Auerbach's pedals in?
- The complete order is reconstructed, not observed. The layout follows the cited routing constraints and the archive's signal-chain convention where the sources are silent. See the diagram and routing notes for the separate paths and any unconfirmed connections.
- Is this Dan Auerbach's full guitar rig?
- No. This dated entry covers 9 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Dan Auerbach 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?
- April 2012. El Camino tour. This is the rig documented for that touring period, not a career-wide gear list.
- How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?
- One cited source, listed above with the date each was read, including Premier Guitar. Among them a rig rundown. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-08-15.