Ed O'BrienPedalboard, 2020
Ed O'Brien's 2020 Earth tour board is ten loops, traced cable by cable: a Boss EQ-200 and Cali76 compressor, a Sidecar overdrive and Page Tube Boost, a Whammy V, then four delays — Polymoon, Deluxe Memory Man, Belle Epoch Deluxe and Timeline — and an Epoch Pre.
Earth tour ten-loop board
Order evidence: Sequence verified cable by cable
Inside the rig · 10 units
Pedal roles & evidence
How each unit fits Ed O'Brien's 2020 setup. Board-specific roles and the evidence behind each identification and position.
Cable-traced orderIdentity and position are evidenced separately. Reconstructed positions are not observed connections.
Filter & EQ
EQ-200 Graphic Equalizer
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Reshapes the guitar at the first loop with EQ curves that can change during a song.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Dynamics
Cali76 Compact Deluxe
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Controls dynamics before the board's gain and time-effect loops.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
Sidecar Overdrive
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Provides the first gain stage with more EQ range than a conventional three-knob overdrive.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
Page Tube Boost
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Adds hair and thickness as O'Brien's second gain stage.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Pitch & Synth
Whammy V
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Introduces foot-controlled pitch movement before the cascading delay section.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
Polymoon
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Begins O'Brien's four-delay sequence with rhythmic multi-tap movement.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
Deluxe Memory Man 1100-TT
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Adds long bucket-brigade echoes and modulation in the second delay loop.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
Belle Epoch Deluxe
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Provides O'Brien's favorite tape-style delay color in loop eight.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
Timeline
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Closes the delay group with MIDI-recallable rhythmic and ambient programs.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
Epoch Pre
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Finishes the ten-loop chain and makes the combined board sound coherent before the amplifier.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Documented equipment · Documented order · Switchable effects loops
Close photographs expose the ten RJM Mastermind loop connections and The King of Gear records them in numbered order. O'Brien independently identifies the same live board and explains the Whammy, Cali76, Page, Deluxe Memory Man, Belle Epoch Deluxe and its companion preamp. The RJM controller and guitar input selector are omitted because they route or control the signal rather than create an audio effect; the ten loop devices are shown in their documented order.
Cited sources
MethodologyQuestions about Ed O'Brien's 2020 pedalboard
- What pedals did Ed O'Brien use in 2020?
- This dated entry lists 10 units: EQ-200 Graphic Equalizer, Cali76 Compact Deluxe, Sidecar Overdrive, Page Tube Boost, Whammy V, Polymoon, Deluxe Memory Man 1100-TT, Belle Epoch Deluxe, Timeline, Epoch Pre. 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 Ed O'Brien's pedals in?
- The order is documented from a traced cable run. See the diagram and routing notes for the separate paths and any unconfirmed connections.
- Is this Ed O'Brien's full guitar rig?
- No. This dated entry covers 10 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Ed O'Brien 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?
- February 8, 2020. Chicago, Earth tour. This is one dated setup as documented, not a career-wide gear list.
- How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?
- 2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including The King of Gear, MusicRadar. Among them a photograph and an interview. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.