Randy RhoadsPedalboard, 1982
Randy Rhoads' Diary of a Madman touring board is six units in a published order: a Roland FV-2 volume pedal, a Cry Baby wah, an always-on MXR Distortion+, a ten-band MXR EQ, an MXR Flanger and an MXR Stereo Chorus.
Custom touring pedalboard
Order evidence: A source states the sequence
Inside the rig · 6 units
Pedal roles & evidence
How each unit fits Randy Rhoads's 1982 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.
Routing & Control
Roland FV-2 Volume Pedal
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Controls the guitar level before the wah and gain stages and lets Rhoads silence the high-gain path.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Filter & EQ
Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Provides the vocal sweep after the volume pedal and before the always-on distortion stage.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Gain
MXR Distortion+
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Stays on continuously to push the Marshall input and establish the rig's bright, saturated base voice.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Filter & EQ
MXR Ten Band Graphic Equalizer
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Shapes the already-distorted signal before it reaches the two large-format modulation effects.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
MXR Flanger
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Adds the jet-like modulation after the EQ and before the final stereo chorus stage.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Modulation
MXR Stereo Chorus
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Finishes the documented pedalboard flow and can send a stereo-modulated output toward the amplifier system.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Documented
Documented equipment · Documented order · Serial path
Rhoads named the live board's effects at his February 2, 1982 clinic and stated that the Distortion+ stayed on. The published historical rig diagram supplies the six-device audio order shown here and identifies Pete Holmes as the custom board builder; the Dunlop team later inspected the preserved board with the Rhoads family and verified the original Distortion+. The clinic transcription contains an additional unqualified "a chorus" before "MXR stereo chorus"; because the diagram shows only the MXR unit, no duplicate chorus is invented. The board also switched external echo and occasional delay units, but the diagram presents mutually exclusive Korg/Roland and MXR/Yamaha alternatives rather than one fixed dated unit, so those outboard choices are excluded from this exact core flow.
Cited sources
MethodologyQuestions about Randy Rhoads's 1982 pedalboard
- What pedals did Randy Rhoads use in 1982?
- This dated entry lists 6 units: Roland FV-2 Volume Pedal, Dunlop Cry Baby Wah, MXR Distortion+, MXR Ten Band Graphic Equalizer, MXR Flanger, MXR Stereo Chorus. 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 Randy Rhoads's pedals in?
- A cited source states the order: Guitar → Roland FV-2 Volume Pedal → Dunlop Cry Baby Wah → MXR Distortion+ → MXR Ten Band Graphic Equalizer → MXR Flanger → MXR Stereo Chorus → amplifier.
- Is this Randy Rhoads's full guitar rig?
- No. This dated entry covers 6 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Randy Rhoads 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 2, 1982. Diary of a Madman tour. This is one dated setup as documented, not a career-wide gear list.
- How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?
- 3 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Guitar World, full in bloom, Dunlop Manufacturing. Among them an interview, a written article and an official listing. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.