Pedalboard Archive

Leslie WestGuitar Rig, 1970

Leslie West's Mountain tone in 1970 came from one P-90 in a Les Paul Junior driving Sunn amplifiers. There was no fuzz or distortion pedal in the path.

Board
Junior straight into Sunn amplifiers
Context
Mountain Climbing! period
Board date
Evidence
Documented equipment · 2 cited sources
Order
Not applicable
Scope
Core signal path
Routing
Not applicable
Audited
Signal
Direct · Guitar to amplifier

Junior straight into Sunn amplifiers

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InputGuitar
Direct signalNo floor effects
OutputAmplifier

Documented equipment · Documented order · Not applicable

Asked specifically whether a Fuzz Face was used for the classic Sunn-recorded material, West answered no and confirmed the Junior went straight into the amplifier. This snapshot is limited to the early Mountain sound: his later rigs did add distortion, octave, reverse, chorus and delay devices and must not be conflated with this route.

Cited sources

Methodology
  1. The ToneQuest ReportThe Leslie West Interview: Mountain Climbing
  2. MusicRadarLeslie West: I'm still a good guitar player

Questions about Leslie West's 1970 guitar rig

Did Leslie West use effects pedals in 1970?
No effects pedals are documented in this path. The archive records the guitar going straight into the amplifier, so the sound comes from the instrument, the amp and the player's hands.
When and where was this guitar rig used?
1970. Mountain Climbing! period. 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 guitar rig?
2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including The ToneQuest Report, MusicRadar. Among them an interview. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.