Nels ClinePedalboard, 2011
Nels Cline's 2011 Wilco rig wires twenty effects in one long series line with no loop switcher: a Fuzz Factory, a Deja'Vibe, a Whammy, a Klon Centaur, a Hot Cake, two Boss delays and more, plus a hand-worked table chain with a Deluxe Memory Man and a Kaoss Pad 2.
Wilco straight-line effects rig
Order evidence: A source states the sequence
Inside the rig · 21 units
Pedal roles & evidence
How each unit fits Nels Cline's 2011 setup. Board-specific roles and the evidence behind each identification and position.
Source-described orderIdentity and position are evidenced separately. Reconstructed positions are not observed connections.
Gain
Fuzz Factory
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Provides Cline's unstable, highly interactive fuzz voice at the start of the effect chain.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
Deja'Vibe
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Supplies Hendrix-style pulsing modulation and can be paired with the final DD-7.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Pitch & Synth
Whammy
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Drops the Fuzz Factory signal by two octaves for Cline's extreme end-of-the-world textures.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Dynamics
CS-3 Compression Sustainer
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Provides one of the compression stages Cline identified as central to his sound.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
VB-2 Vibrato
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Creates pitch movement used in lead textures including the live treatment of Ashes of American Flags.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
Magnavibe
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Adds the Magnatone-like movement Cline could not obtain from other compact pedals.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
Centaur Overdrive (Gold enclosure)
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Provides Cline's principal lead voice for songs such as Impossible Germany.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
Starlight Overdrive
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Creates an old-school RAT-like distortion voice in the middle of Cline's gain section.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
Hot Cake
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Adds a separate overdrive texture after the Starlight and Centaur.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
'69 Fuzz
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Supplies Cline's warmer vintage germanium fuzz voice after the overdrive group.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
Pulsar Tremolo
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Introduces amplitude pulses between the fuzz section and final boost.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
Viagra Boost
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Raises level before Cline's volume pedal and final time-effect section.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Routing & Control
FV-500H Volume Pedal
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Controls swells, overall level and single-coil hum before the delay section.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
DD-3 Digital Delay
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Provides the first digital delay stage near the end of the floorboard.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
Phase 45
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Adds a subtler two-stage sweep between Cline's two compact digital delays.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
DD-7 Digital Delay
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Closes the floorboard chain and can be paired with the Deja'Vibe for Hendrix-style textures.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
Deluxe Memory Man
Table chain
Role in this rig
Begins the hand-operated table chain with modulated analog echoes.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Delay & Echo
16 Second Digital Delay
Table chain
Role in this rig
Continuously records material for the on-the-fly loops that have anchored Cline's sound for decades.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
Ring Thing
Table chain
Role in this rig
Adds tuned and untuned metallic modulation within the table effects chain.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Multi-effects & Modeling
Kaoss Pad 2
Table chain
Role in this rig
Lets Cline manipulate tape-delay-like effects and unstable clusters by hand.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Reverb & Ambience
Holy Grail Plus
Table chain
Role in this rig
Finishes the table chain with reverb used alongside other effects for expansive live textures.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Documented equipment · Documented order · Serial path
Premier Guitar published the top and bottom signal chains and Cline explicitly said the pedals were straight in line with no loops. The TU-2 tuner is omitted because this archive displays audio effects, leaving 16 floor effects followed by five table effects. The source confirms the order and selected uses, but not a fixed knob position for every device; undocumented settings are therefore not inferred.
Cited sources
MethodologyQuestions about Nels Cline's 2011 pedalboard
- What pedals did Nels Cline use in 2011?
- This dated entry lists 21 units: Fuzz Factory, Deja'Vibe, Whammy, CS-3 Compression Sustainer, VB-2 Vibrato, Magnavibe, Centaur Overdrive, Starlight Overdrive, Hot Cake, '69 Fuzz, Pulsar Tremolo, Viagra Boost, FV-500H Volume Pedal, DD-3 Digital Delay, Phase 45, DD-7 Digital Delay, Deluxe Memory Man, 16 Second Digital Delay, Ring Thing, Kaoss Pad 2, Holy Grail Plus. 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 Nels Cline's pedals in?
- A cited source states the order. See the diagram and routing notes for the separate paths and any unconfirmed connections.
- Is this Nels Cline's full guitar rig?
- No. This dated entry covers 21 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Nels Cline 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?
- Late 2011. The Whole Love touring cycle. 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 Premier Guitar. Among them a rig rundown and an interview. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.