Neil YoungPedalboard, 2009
Neil Young's 2009 tour rig is run from a red control box that calls up a Fender tube spring reverb, a Mu-Tron Octave Divider, an MXR M-118 analog delay, a Boss BF-1 flanger and an Echoplex, while the Whizzer sets his tweed Deluxe by itself.
Red board and vintage effects rig
Order evidence: No source publishes this sequence; the order is reconstructed
Inside the rig · 5 units
Pedal roles & evidence
How each unit fits Neil Young's 2009 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.
Reverb & Ambience
Fender Brown Tolex Reverb Unit
Rack insert
Role in this rig
Adds Young's external spring ambience; a switch on the red board can kill its return.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Pitch & Synth
Mu-Tron Octave Divider
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Adds the unstable, heavy lower octave available from a switch across the top of Young's red board.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Delay & Echo
MXR M-118 Analog Delay
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Provides the short, dark analog repeats selected from the red board.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Modulation
Boss BF-1 Flanger
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Adds metallic sweep and moving comb-filter texture from inside the red board.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Delay & Echo
Maestro Echoplex
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Provides tape repeats, preamp coloration and the final named echo voice controlled by the red board.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Documented equipment · Reconstructed order · Switchable effects loops
Longtime tech Larry Cragg identifies every named effect in and around the 2009 red board, the four Whizzer preset buttons, reverb kill, loop bypass, mute and an unidentified 'ugly button.' The Whizzer and utility switches are omitted because they control the amp or routing rather than process audio, and the unknown unit behind the ugly button is not guessed. The source enumerates effects but does not trace their internal connections, so the display order is reconstructed. Young's independent 1992 interview confirms that the overdrive comes from the Deluxe itself rather than a distortion pedal.
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 Neil Young's 2009 pedalboard
- What pedals did Neil Young use in 2009?
- This dated entry lists 5 units: Fender Brown Tolex Reverb Unit, Mu-Tron Octave Divider, MXR M-118 Analog Delay, Boss BF-1 Flanger, Maestro Echoplex. 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 Neil Young'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 Neil Young's full guitar rig?
- No. This dated entry covers 5 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Neil Young 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?
- 2009 electric tour. 2009 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?
- 2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Guitar World, Guitar Player, archived by Thrasher's Wheat. Among them an interview and an archive record. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.