Dean Brown

I have used the Boss OD-3 since the late 70s, then started using the Xotic pedals a few years ago. I really love them. Very transparent. I still like the Boss. It’s a real estate problem to keep everything on the board, which is right at 45 lbs(the limit before it is considered overweight by most airlines).

I have used the Boss OD-3 since the late 70s, then started using the Xotic pedals a few years ago. I really love them. Very transparent. I still like the Boss. It’s a real estate problem to keep everything on the board, which is right at 45 lbs(the limit before it is considered overweight by most airlines).

Dean Brown mentions on his website that he owns the MXR MX-120 Envelope Filter, though he notes that it is no longer in production and many of his units are broken. He suggests the Robotalk II as a viable alternative.

I love the MXR, but they don’t make it anymore and most of mine are broken. The Robotalk II is a pretty cool alternative.

This is a great pedal designed to emulate the front end of an old Echoplex. It’s not an echo device, but rather a warmly voiced clean volume booster. It makes bad amps sound decent and good amps sound great. I love it! I typically put it right before the volume pedal in the chain.

Guitarist Dean Brown uses an Ernie Ball 6166 Mono Volume Pedal, which he has modified to include a tuner output, as stated on his official gear page.

Guitarist Dean Brown utilizes the TC Electronic Hall Of Fame Reverb, as detailed on his official website. Brown praises the pedal for its ability to emulate the sound quality of a high-end rack unit. He employs it by placing reverbs and delays after the volume pedal, allowing for seamless transitions between lead and clean tones. This setup enhances the illusion of overlapping sounds and is particularly effective for creating smooth swells.

Guitarist Dean Brown mentions on his website that he has been using the Boss OD-3 OverDrive pedal since the late 1970s.

Guitarist Dean Brown has used the Boss OC-2 Octaver for years. According to his official website, while touring about 15 years ago, his original unit broke, leading him to "borrow" a replacement from a fellow musician, MM.

Dean Brown shares on his website that he began using the EBS OctaBass Triple Mode Octave Divider Pedal after his previous pedal broke while on tour 15 years ago, borrowing it from MM.

If you set this just right and control the attack, you can get it to sound like a Fender Rhodes. Check out the comping on the version “Camel Hump” from DBIII.

The knob on the side controls the voicing of the pedal. Mine is broken at the moment, but I’m gonna fix it, because I like the different sounds it gets. I have used it a lot in the studio.

I’m not a big fan of compression, but this is a good one. There is a certain “hit the wall” thing that you can only get with a compressor. Generally,they tend to reduce the subtle differences in attack that are such a big part of my playing.

I’ve used the Boss since the 70s. When I was playing the Roland 505 guitar, I used to put it first in the chain, because it loaded the signal in a way that seemed to work with my other pedals and amp. Eventually, I started using other guitars and found that it didn’t work well in the chain with them, so I would just hook it up to the tuner out on the volume control pedal.

I’ve used the Boss since the 70s. When I was playing the Roland 505 guitar, I used to put it first in the chain, because it loaded the signal in a way that seemed to work with my other pedals and amp. Eventually, I started using other guitars and found that it didn’t work well in the chain with them, so I would just hook it up to the tuner out on the volume control pedal. Then, two years ago I was playing at the NAMM show with Chris Minh Doky, David “Fingers” Haynes, and George Whitty at the TC booth and the guys at TC turned me on to the Polytune. It’s a total game changer. The deal is you can hit all the strings at the same time and it will tell you which ones are in or out of tune!

Dean Brown mentions on his official gear page that he acquired his Ibanez AD9 Analog Delay in the late 70s and has since modified it with a true bypass.

This was my main delay for years until I found…

Guitarist Dean Brown uses the TC Electronic Flashback Delay, praised for its exceptional sound quality and versatility, as listed on his official gear page.

I have three of these for use in either the U.S., Europe, or Japan. Batteries sound the best, but this is the closest thing if you don’t want to spend your rent money every gig buying them. Clean, stable power is a must. Last but not least… the first and last line of defense