Stevie Ray VaughanPedalboard, 1989
Stevie Ray Vaughan's late-era chain, 1988 to 1990, put five effects into a custom five-loop switcher: a Vox V846 wah, a Fuzz Face, an Octavia, a Uni-Vibe and an Ibanez TS10 Tube Overdrive.
Late-era effects chain
Order evidence: No source publishes this sequence; the order is reconstructed
Inside the rig · 6 units
Pedal roles & evidence
How each unit fits Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1989 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.
Routing & Control
Custom Five-loop Switcher
Integrated board
Role in this rig
Brings multiple effect loops in and out without requiring the pedals to remain in one fixed serial chain.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Filter & EQ
V846 Wah
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Shapes the attack before the late-era fuzz and octave effects in Vaughan’s Hendrix-influenced setup.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Gain
Fuzz Face
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Adds the saturated, cleanup-sensitive fuzz Vaughan adopted for his late Hendrix-inspired material.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Gain
Octavia
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Receives the wah and fuzz signal to produce the cutting octave sound heard in Vaughan’s later shows.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Modulation
Uni-Vibe (Original black floor unit)
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Adds the pulsing, asymmetrical modulation used for Hendrix-derived textures.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Gain
TS10 Tube Overdrive
Switched loop
Role in this rig
Supplies the focused midrange gain Vaughan used to push his clean, high-headroom amplifier rig.
- Identity
- Documented
- Position
- Reconstructed
Documented equipment · Reconstructed order · Switchable effects loops
The late-era effect set is documented, but it was not one permanently active serial chain. Photo-based research shows a custom five-switch loop controller replacing the simpler earlier selector, while the sources place the Octavia after wah and fuzz in most cases and document combinations with the Tube Screamer. This schematic flattens those switchable loops into a readable order; the exact loop assignment changed and remains unverified. Vibratone and delay control switches are excluded because they did not carry the guitar signal.
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 Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1989 pedalboard
- What pedals did Stevie Ray Vaughan use in 1989?
- This dated entry lists 6 units: Custom Five-loop Switcher, V846 Wah, Fuzz Face, Octavia, Uni-Vibe, TS10 Tube Overdrive. 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 Stevie Ray Vaughan'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 Stevie Ray Vaughan's full guitar rig?
- No. This dated entry covers 6 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Stevie Ray Vaughan 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?
- 1988–1990. In Step and final tours. 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?
- 3 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including SRV Archive, Guitar World, SMALLGARAGE. Among them an archive record, a written article and a photograph. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.