# Nels Cline Pedalboard 2011: Full Gear & Pedal List > The 2011 Nels Cline pedalboard, pedal by pedal: Fuzz Factory, Deja'Vibe, Whammy and 18 more. Signal-chain order, settings and cited sources. - Canonical page: https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/nels-cline/wilco-straight-line-rig-2011/ - Machine-readable index of the archive: https://pedalboardarchive.com/llms.txt - Evidence and reconstruction conventions: https://pedalboardarchive.com/methodology/ ## At a glance | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Artist | Nels Cline | | Board | Wilco straight-line effects rig | | Date | 2011-11-01 — Late 2011 (era precision) | | Context | The Whole Love touring cycle | | Scope | Exact board snapshot | | Signal path | 21 units · Guitar to amplifier | | Routing | Serial path | | Unit evidence | Documented | | Order evidence | Source-described | | Status | Artist-demonstrated · source-described order | | Audited | 2026-07-18 | | Sources | 2 | 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. Newer board: [Nels Cline — Pelican-case travel rig (2018)](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/nels-cline/pelican-case-travel-rig-2018/). ## Signal chain **Order evidence — Source-described.** A source states the sequence. | # | Unit | Role | Zone | Unit evidence | Position evidence | Catalog page | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Fuzz Factory | Provides Cline's unstable, highly interactive fuzz voice at the start of the effect chain. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/fuzz-factory/ | | 2 | Deja'Vibe | Supplies Hendrix-style pulsing modulation and can be paired with the final DD-7. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/deja-vibe/ | | 3 | Whammy | Drops the Fuzz Factory signal by two octaves for Cline's extreme end-of-the-world textures. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/digitech-whammy/ | | 4 | CS-3 Compression Sustainer | Provides one of the compression stages Cline identified as central to his sound. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/cs-3-compression-sustainer/ | | 5 | VB-2 Vibrato | Creates pitch movement used in lead textures including the live treatment of Ashes of American Flags. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/vb-2-vibrato/ | | 6 | Magnavibe | Adds the Magnatone-like movement Cline could not obtain from other compact pedals. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/magnavibe/ | | 7 | Centaur Overdrive (Gold enclosure) | Provides Cline's principal lead voice for songs such as Impossible Germany. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/centaur-overdrive/ | | 8 | Starlight Overdrive | Creates an old-school RAT-like distortion voice in the middle of Cline's gain section. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/starlight-overdrive/ | | 9 | Hot Cake | Adds a separate overdrive texture after the Starlight and Centaur. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/hot-cake/ | | 10 | '69 Fuzz | Supplies Cline's warmer vintage germanium fuzz voice after the overdrive group. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/69-fuzz/ | | 11 | Pulsar Tremolo | Introduces amplitude pulses between the fuzz section and final boost. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/pulsar-tremolo/ | | 12 | Viagra Boost | Raises level before Cline's volume pedal and final time-effect section. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/viagra-boost/ | | 13 | FV-500H Volume Pedal | Controls swells, overall level and single-coil hum before the delay section. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/fv-500h-volume-pedal/ | | 14 | DD-3 Digital Delay | Provides the first digital delay stage near the end of the floorboard. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/boss-dd-3-digital-delay/ | | 15 | Phase 45 | Adds a subtler two-stage sweep between Cline's two compact digital delays. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/phase-45/ | | 16 | DD-7 Digital Delay | Closes the floorboard chain and can be paired with the Deja'Vibe for Hendrix-style textures. | Integrated board | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/dd-7-digital-delay/ | | 17 | Deluxe Memory Man | Begins the hand-operated table chain with modulated analog echoes. | Table effects chain | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/deluxe-memory-man/ | | 18 | 16 Second Digital Delay | Continuously records material for the on-the-fly loops that have anchored Cline's sound for decades. | Table effects chain | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/16-second-digital-delay/ | | 19 | Ring Thing | Adds tuned and untuned metallic modulation within the table effects chain. | Table effects chain | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/ring-thing/ | | 20 | Kaoss Pad 2 | Lets Cline manipulate tape-delay-like effects and unstable clusters by hand. | Table effects chain | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/kaoss-pad-2/ | | 21 | Holy Grail Plus | Finishes the table chain with reverb used alongside other effects for expansive live textures. | Table effects chain | Documented | Documented | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/holy-grail-plus/ | ## Reconstruction note 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. ## Questions ### 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. ## Sources 2 cited sources across 2 independent groups. Two sources sharing an independent group report the same observation and count once. 1. [Rig Rundown: Wilco's Nels Cline](https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/rig-rundown-wilcos-nels-cline) — Premier Guitar (Primary source · rig-rundown), published 2012-01-26, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `premier-guitar-nels-cline-rig-rundown` 2. [Nels Cline's 5 Essential Effects](https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/guitarists/nels-cline-pedalboard) — Premier Guitar (Primary source · interview), published 2013-04-09, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `nels-cline-first-person-column` ## Related pages - Every documented board by Nels Cline: [Nels Cline board history](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/nels-cline/) - [Nels Cline — Pelican-case travel rig](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/nels-cline/pelican-case-travel-rig-2018/): shares 16 Second Digital Delay, CS-3 Compression Sustainer, Fuzz Factory, FV-500H Volume Pedal, VB-2 Vibrato, Boss DD-3 Digital Delay, DigiTech Whammy - [Nick Zinner — Four-board sampling rig](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/nick-zinner/four-board-sampling-rig-2013/): shares DD-7 Digital Delay, DigiTech Whammy - [John Mayer — Compact electric board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-mayer/blue-note-tokyo-2023/): shares Centaur Overdrive - [Ed O'Brien — Earth tour ten-loop board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/ed-o-brien/earth-tour-loop-board-2020/): shares Deluxe Memory Man, DigiTech Whammy - [Chris Buck — Dual Schmidt Array touring system](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/chris-buck/schmidt-array-touring-system-2024/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Multi-effects & Modeling, Dynamics, Reverb & Ambience, Routing & Control, Modulation, Delay & Echo, Gain) - [David Gilmour — PULSE / Division Bell rig](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/david-gilmour/pulse-division-bell-rig-1994/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Dynamics, Pitch & Synth, Reverb & Ambience, Routing & Control, Modulation, Delay & Echo, Gain) - Previous board in archive order: [Nels Cline — Pelican-case travel rig](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/nels-cline/pelican-case-travel-rig-2018/) - Next board in archive order: [Nick Zinner — Four-board sampling rig](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/nick-zinner/four-board-sampling-rig-2013/)