# Thurston Moore Pedalboard 2021: By the Fire Effects

> Thurston Moore's By the Fire pedalboard: octave fuzz, Turbo RAT, Metal Muff and two reverbs. Nine units, artist-described uses and order evidence.

- Canonical page: https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/thurston-moore/by-the-fire-interview-board-2021/
- 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 | Thurston Moore |
| Board | By the Fire interview pedalboard |
| Date | 2021-01-25 — By the Fire era, January 2021 (day precision) |
| Context | Thurston Moore solo rig |
| Scope | Touring-period rig |
| Signal path | 9 units · Guitar to amplifier |
| Routing | Serial path |
| Unit evidence | Documented |
| Order evidence | Reconstructed |
| Status | Artist-documented inventory - partial order described |
| Audited | 2026-07-18 |
| Sources | 2 |

Thurston Moore's 2021 By the Fire solo pedalboard centres on a Dunlop JH-3S octave fuzz, Pro Co Turbo RAT and EHX Metal Muff. His nine-unit inventory also includes Phase 90, Vortex Mini flanger, Cathedral and Hall of Fame Mini reverbs, EP Booster and passive volume. Moore describes combining octave fuzz with the RAT; the full sequence is reconstructed. This is his solo setup, not a Sonic Youth-era board.

## 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 JH-3S Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz → Pro Co Turbo RAT → Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff with Top Boost → MXR Phase 90 → TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger → Electro-Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb → TC Electronic Hall of Fame Mini Reverb → Xotic EP Booster → Passive Volume Pedal → amplifier`

| # | Unit | Role | Zone | Unit evidence | Position evidence | Catalog page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Dunlop JH-3S Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz | Starts Moore's chain and combines with the Turbo RAT for his abrasive octave-fuzz sound. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/dunlop-jh-3s-jimi-hendrix-octave-fuzz/ |
| 2 | Pro Co Turbo RAT | Provides Moore's main distortion, from mild crunch to heavy saturation, and stacks with the octave fuzz. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/pro-co-turbo-rat/ |
| 3 | Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff with Top Boost | Adds the thick metallic high-gain voice Moore adopted after his Russian Big Muff failed. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/electro-harmonix-metal-muff-with-top-boost/ |
| 4 | MXR Phase 90 | Adds a slow, broad phase sweep to Moore's otherwise distortion-led board. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/mxr-phase-90/ |
| 5 | TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger | Supplies occasional compact flanging; Moore said he used it only sparingly. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/tc-electronic-vortex-mini-flanger/ |
| 6 | Electro-Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb | Creates Moore's principal expansive reverb sound from a single favored preset. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/electro-harmonix-cathedral-stereo-reverb/ |
| 7 | TC Electronic Hall of Fame Mini Reverb | Adds a second, compact reverb option alongside the Cathedral. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/tc-electronic-hall-of-fame-mini-reverb/ |
| 8 | Xotic EP Booster | Warms and rounds Moore's output, particularly when a tour requires unfamiliar rental amplifiers. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/xotic-ep-booster/ |
| 9 | Passive Volume Pedal | Controls swells and overall level without adding an active gain stage. | Front of amp | Documented | Reconstructed | https://pedalboardarchive.com/pedals/passive-volume-pedal/ |

## Reconstruction note

Moore listed the board directly to Guitar World, saying the octave fuzz and Turbo RAT are placed together and frequently combined; a later independent Guitar Magazine interview and 2017 board photograph corroborate the central drive, phase, reverb and volume choices. The displayed order preserves the explicitly adjacent octave-fuzz/RAT pair, then groups the remaining effects conventionally because the complete cable path was not published. The tuner is omitted as a utility. Guitar Magazine's 2017 photograph shows a Corona Mini where the 2021 interview names a Vortex Mini, so this dated entry follows Moore's 2021 inventory rather than merging the two boards.

## Questions

### What pedals did Thurston Moore use in 2021?

This dated entry lists 9 units: Dunlop JH-3S Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz, Pro Co Turbo RAT, Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff with Top Boost, MXR Phase 90, TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger, Electro-Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb, TC Electronic Hall of Fame Mini Reverb, Xotic EP Booster, Passive Volume Pedal. 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 Thurston Moore'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 JH-3S Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz → Pro Co Turbo RAT → Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff with Top Boost → MXR Phase 90 → TC Electronic Vortex Mini Flanger → Electro-Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb → TC Electronic Hall of Fame Mini Reverb → Xotic EP Booster → Passive Volume Pedal → amplifier.

### Is this Thurston Moore's full guitar rig?

No. This dated entry covers 9 units in the effects path, not every piece of gear Thurston Moore 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?

By the Fire era, January 2021. Thurston Moore solo rig. 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?

2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Guitar World, Guitar Magazine Japan. Among them 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. [Thurston Moore: Writing music is about stepping away from the ego and creating something that's selfless](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/thurston-moore-writing-music-is-about-stepping-away-from-the-ego-and-creating-something-thats-selfless) — Guitar World (Primary source · interview), published 2021-01-25, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `guitar-world-matt-frost-moore-2021`
2. [Interview: Thurston Moore on his favorite pedals and amplifiers](https://guitarmagazine.jp/interview/2021-0525-thurstonmoore/) — Guitar Magazine Japan (Primary source · interview), published 2021-05-25, accessed 2026-07-18, independent group `guitar-magazine-japan-moore-2021`

## Related pages

- Budget rebuild of this board (editorial, priced): [Thurston Moore pedalboard on a budget](https://pedalboardarchive.com/budget/thurston-moore/by-the-fire-interview-board-2021/)
- Every documented board by Thurston Moore: [Thurston Moore board history](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/thurston-moore/)
- [Chris Buck — Cardinal Black touring system](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/chris-buck/cardinal-black-touring-board-2022/): shares Xotic EP Booster
- [Albert King — Late-career single-phaser path](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/albert-king/late-career-phase-90-rig-1978/): shares MXR Phase 90
- [Michael Lemmo — Compact Allan Rayman touring board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/michael-lemmo/allan-rayman-tour-board-2024/): shares Xotic EP Booster
- [Eddie Van Halen — Debut-era modulation path](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/eddie-van-halen/debut-era-1978/): shares MXR Phase 90
- [John Frusciante — Californication era board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/john-frusciante/californication-era-board-1999/): shares MXR Phase 90
- [Kevin Parker — Core signal path](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/kevin-parker/core-signal-path/): no shared unit; a comparable signal path (Reverb & Ambience, Modulation, Gain)
- Previous board in archive order: [The Edge — eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE programmable rack](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/the-edge/experience-innocence-rack-2018/)
- Next board in archive order: [Tom Bukovac — Vertex stereo studio board](https://pedalboardarchive.com/artists/tom-bukovac/vertex-studio-board-2012/)