# Robert Randolph Pedalboard 2017: Full Gear & Pedal List

> The 2017 Robert Randolph pedalboard, pedal by pedal: Dunlop CAE MC404 Wah, Budda Zenman Overdrive and 2 more. Signal-chain order, settings and cited sources.

- Canonical page: https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/robert-randolph/nashville-pedal-steel-board-2017/
- 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 | Robert Randolph |
| Board | Nashville pedal-steel board |
| Date | 2017-07-05 — Nashville rig rundown, July 2017 (day precision) |
| Context | 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville |
| Scope | Exact board snapshot |
| Signal path | 4 units · Guitar to amplifier |
| Routing | Serial path |
| Unit evidence | Documented |
| Order evidence | Reconstructed |
| Status | Artist and tech documented exact compact board - order reconstructed |
| Audited | 2026-07-18 |
| Sources | 3 |

Robert Randolph's compact 2017 board is four pedals: a Dunlop CAE MC404 wah, a Budda Zenman overdrive, an MXR Phase 95 and a Mission VM-Pro volume pedal, into his high-headroom signature pedal-steel amp.

## Signal chain

**Order evidence — Reconstructed.** No source publishes this sequence; the order is reconstructed. The units are evidenced; their sequence is the archive's inference from the convention below, not an observation. Do not report this order as documented.

Reconstruction convention: Tuner → Wah and filter → Compressor → Overdrive, distortion and fuzz → Modulation → Delay → Reverb → Amplifier. A documented routing zone always overrides it.

`Guitar → Dunlop CAE MC404 Wah → Budda Zenman Overdrive → MXR Phase 95 → Mission Engineering VM-Pro → amplifier`

| # | Unit | Role | Zone | Unit evidence | Position evidence | Catalog page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Dunlop CAE MC404 Wah | Creates Randolph's vocal, speech-like steel-guitar filter sweeps. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/dunlop-cae-mc404-wah/ |
| 2 | Budda Zenman Overdrive | Adds controllable drive and solo lift to Randolph's high-headroom pedal-steel amplifier. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/budda-zenman-overdrive/ |
| 3 | MXR Phase 95 | Adds the sweeping phase texture Randolph frequently uses across his electric steel vocabulary. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/mxr-phase-95/ |
| 4 | Mission Engineering VM-Pro | Controls pedal-steel swells and overall stage level, an essential part of Randolph's articulation. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/mission-engineering-vm-pro/ |

## Reconstruction note

Randolph and technician Tim Miller presented the four audio pedals in Premier Guitar's 2017 rundown; JamBase independently documents the walkthrough. A Vintage Guitar interview from the same period confirms that Henretta Engineering built his board and that phase and wah were central, but names a Phase 90, 535Q and Moody Blue used during the Got Soul sessions. Those earlier devices are not merged into this later photographed touring board. The tuner and power supply are omitted as utilities. The complete cable order was not published.

## Questions

### What pedals did Robert Randolph use in 2017?

This dated entry lists 4 units: Dunlop CAE MC404 Wah, Budda Zenman Overdrive, MXR Phase 95, Mission Engineering VM-Pro. 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 Robert Randolph'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: Guitar → Dunlop CAE MC404 Wah → Budda Zenman Overdrive → MXR Phase 95 → Mission Engineering VM-Pro → amplifier.

### Is this Robert Randolph's full guitar rig?

No. This dated entry covers 4 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Robert Randolph 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?

Nashville rig rundown, July 2017. 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville. 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 Premier Guitar, Vintage Guitar, JamBase. Among them a rig rundown, an interview and a written article. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.

## Sources

3 cited sources across 3 independent groups. Two sources sharing an independent group report the same observation and count once.

1. [Rig Rundown: Robert Randolph \[2017\]](https://www.premierguitar.com/rig-rundown-robert-randolph-2017) — Premier Guitar (Primary source · rig-rundown), published 2017-07-05, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `premier-guitar-bohlinger-randolph-2017`
2. [Robert Randolph](https://www.vintageguitar.com/31666/robert-randolph-2/) — Vintage Guitar (Primary source · interview), published 2017-05-01, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `vintage-guitar-randolph-may-2017`
3. [Robert Randolph Provides a Rig Rundown](https://www.jambase.com/article/robert-randolph-provides-rig-rundown) — JamBase (Specialist source · article), published 2017-07-06, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `jambase-scott-bernstein-randolph-2017`

## Related pages

- Every documented board by Robert Randolph: [Robert Randolph board history](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/robert-randolph/)
- [Kim Thayil — King Animal wet/dry touring board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/kim-thayil/king-animal-wet-dry-board-2013/): shares Dunlop CAE MC404 Wah
- [Johnny Marr — Smiths BCB-6 board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/johnny-marr/smiths-bcb-6-board-1986/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Routing & Control, Filter & EQ, Modulation, Gain)
- [Randy Rhoads — Custom touring pedalboard](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/randy-rhoads/custom-touring-pedalboard-1982/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Routing & Control, Filter & EQ, Modulation, Gain)
- [Stevie Ray Vaughan — Late-era effects chain](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/stevie-ray-vaughan/late-era-1989/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Routing & Control, Filter & EQ, Modulation, Gain)
- [Joe Bonamassa — Four-amplifier touring board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/joe-bonamassa/touring-rig-2013/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Routing & Control, Filter & EQ, Modulation, Gain)
- [Philip Sayce — That Pedal Show studio signal flow](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/philip-sayce/that-pedal-show-board-2026/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Routing & Control, Filter & EQ, Modulation, Gain)
- Previous board in archive order: [Robert Quine — Lean live chain](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/robert-quine/lean-live-chain-2004/)
- Next board in archive order: [Robert Smith — Three-board Boss system](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/robert-smith/three-board-boss-system-2019/)