Mdou Moctar

Developed in collaboration with Moctar, who was inspired by the distortion of Van Halen. One was raffled off on July 12, 2020, as featured in this Instagram post. It is also pedal 60 in Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World's Greatest Guitarists, as can be seen in the quick browse video at 0:25.

In 2019 we made a limited number (50) of the ROCKTAR FUZZ designed for Mdou Moctar. The pedal was Inspired by Mdou’s favorite guitarist Van Halen’s fuzz and overdrive. These quickly sold out. This particular pedal was used on a number of recordings in the studio and was with us for the entire 200 shows in 2019. From now until Sunday, June 14th at 11:59pm ET send us a DM of your screenshot donation of AT LEAST $25 to COLOR OF CHANGE (@Colorofchange), ACLU (@aclu_nationwide), THE LOVELAND FOUNDATION (@Thelovelandfoundation), or BLACK LIVES MATTER and we'll raffle a winner for the pedal! This handmade pocket-sized pedal will allow you to bring the raw and powerful Agadez sound anywhere you go. It features JUST a gain control knob with an adjustable volume trim pot inside for achieving maximum volume. This pedal runs off your standard 9-volt power (Boss style center negative power supply). Circuit designed and hand built by @championleccy Art by @dcoltun Assembled by @hey_buddy6 & @les_rhinoceros .

On the Ilana (2019) tour, Mdou Moctar is using an Earthquaker Devices Acapulco Gold. The item can be seen at 0:10 in this video from a concert at the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon (4/13/19).

On the Ilana (2019) tour, Mdou Moctar is using an Electro-Harmonix Bad Stone Phase Shifter. The item can be seen at 0:10 in this video from a concert at the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon (4/13/19).

On the Ilana (2019) tour, Mdou Moctar is using a Boss OD-3 OverDrive. The item can be seen at 0:10 in this video from a concert at the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon (4/13/19).

Mentioned in this May 1, 2019 EarthQuaker Devices interview.

AB: What is your current rig – guitars, amps, drum machines, synths, and pedals?

MM: My band is Ahmoudou Madassane who plays rhythm guitar and sings, Mikey Coltun who plays bass, and Souleymane Ibrahim who plays the drums. With my Fender Stratocaster I use a D’Addario pedal tuner, Boss OD-3, EarthQuaker Devices Hoof and Bellows, Electro-Harmonix Bad Stone, Boss DD-6 which runs stereo into two Roland Jazz Chorus 120s. I use D’Addario strings.

AB: What kind of access to gear do you have in Niger? Do you have to look elsewhere for gear?

MM: We don’t have the places to buy the strings or anything like that. When I come to the United States, I get strings and amps to bring back home with me.

AB: When did you start using guitar pedals, and what role have they played in shaping your sound?

MM: In 2017 I got my first pedal. I like that I can get more sounds out of the guitar with pedals.

Specified and pictured in this May 19, 2021 Music Radar interview.

Guitars: (white) left-handed Fender American Strat, (black) left-handed Fender American Strat, CME (Blue) left-handed Fender Jaguar

Amps: 2x Roland JC-120s (a Boss DD-6 is used for a slight ping delay between the two)

Pedals: D'Addario CT-20, TC Electronic Polytune 2, Boss PH-3, Earthquaker Devices Acapulco Gold, Rocktar Fuzz Pedal, Boss DD-6

It's early in his chain for this video (first seen at around 0:44). The distinctive stripes, three knobs, and big Zvex logo at the top are visible.

We can see on this session video at 12:47 an earthquaker devices westwood pedal

On the Ilana (2019) tour, Mdou Moctar is using a Boss DD-6 Digital Delay. The item can be seen at 0:10 in this video from a concert at the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon (4/13/19).

First seen around 0:44 in this D'Addario Guitar Power interview with Dweezil Zappa, the "Boss ME-80" can be clearly seen at the bottom left of the screen - after his pedal train board.

In his mini board, next to his Boss Overdrive, the blue two-knob chorus can be seen (around 0:44 in the video) with the distinctive Ibanez footswitch easily distinguishable from a Boss one.

Mentioned in this May 1, 2019 EarthQuaker Devices interview and this May 19, 2021 Music Radar interview.

EarthQuaker Devices, May 1, 2019, "Interview: Mdou Moctar"

AB: What is your current rig – guitars, amps, drum machines, synths, and pedals?

MM: My band is Ahmoudou Madassane who plays rhythm guitar and sings, Mikey Coltun who plays bass, and Souleymane Ibrahim who plays the drums. With my Fender Stratocaster I use a D’Addario pedal tuner, Boss OD-3, EarthQuaker Devices Hoof and Bellows, Electro-Harmonix Bad Stone, Boss DD-6 which runs stereo into two Roland Jazz Chorus 120s. I use D’Addario strings.

Music Radar, May 19, 2021, "Mdou Moctar: 'My intention is for the guitar to be spitting out the sound of revolution'"

Guitars: (white) left-handed Fender American Strat, (black) left-handed Fender American Strat, CME (Blue) left-handed Fender Jaguar

Amps: 2x Roland JC-120s (a Boss DD-6 is used for a slight ping delay between the two)

Pedals: D'Addario CT-20, TC Electronic Polytune 2, Boss PH-3, Earthquaker Devices Acapulco Gold, Rocktar Fuzz Pedal, Boss DD-6

Mentioned in this May 1, 2019 EarthQuaker Devices interview.

AB: What is your current rig – guitars, amps, drum machines, synths, and pedals?

MM: My band is Ahmoudou Madassane who plays rhythm guitar and sings, Mikey Coltun who plays bass, and Souleymane Ibrahim who plays the drums. With my Fender Stratocaster I use a D’Addario pedal tuner, Boss OD-3, EarthQuaker Devices Hoof and Bellows, Electro-Harmonix Bad Stone, Boss DD-6 which runs stereo into two Roland Jazz Chorus 120s. I use D’Addario strings.

AB: What kind of access to gear do you have in Niger? Do you have to look elsewhere for gear?

MM: We don’t have the places to buy the strings or anything like that. When I come to the United States, I get strings and amps to bring back home with me.

AB: When did you start using guitar pedals, and what role have they played in shaping your sound?

MM: In 2017 I got my first pedal. I like that I can get more sounds out of the guitar with pedals.

Specified and pictured in this May 19, 2021 Music Radar interview.

Guitars: (white) left-handed Fender American Strat, (black) left-handed Fender American Strat, CME (Blue) left-handed Fender Jaguar

Amps: 2x Roland JC-120s (a Boss DD-6 is used for a slight ping delay between the two)

Pedals: D'Addario CT-20, TC Electronic Polytune 2, Boss PH-3, Earthquaker Devices Acapulco Gold, Rocktar Fuzz Pedal, Boss DD-6

Pictured in this May 19, 2021 Music Radar interview.

Used on Funeral for Justice, as stated by producer Mikey Coltun in this May 28, 2024 Guitar World interview.

What effects did Mdou use for the sessions?

“In terms of pedals, we had a TC Electronic PolyTune 2 and an EarthQuaker Devices Acapulco Gold. I had the latter modded for an internal trim pot to not blow amps – Mdou tends to just turn the knobs on pedals all the way up so I needed to find a boost, but not too much, since the EarthQuaker pedal has a lot of headroom.

“There was the Union Tube & Transistor Shiny pedal, our signature [Champion Leccy] Rockstar Fuzz V1 – this pedal is almost always on as his preamp for slight crunch – and the Boss PH-3 Phaser and a Boss DD-7 for slapback delay.

“I took a few different DI signals from Mdou. There was a clean guitar without pedals, DI with pedals, and a DI with an amp simulator, which was just used for headphone monitoring. With the clean DI, I did use a few different Analog Man pedals such as the King Of Tone and Astro Tone Fuzz through an old Vibro Champ – that’s what you’re hearing on Takoba.”

Used on Funeral for Justice, as stated by producer Mikey Coltun in this May 28, 2024 Guitar World interview.

What effects did Mdou use for the sessions?

“In terms of pedals, we had a TC Electronic PolyTune 2 and an EarthQuaker Devices Acapulco Gold. I had the latter modded for an internal trim pot to not blow amps – Mdou tends to just turn the knobs on pedals all the way up so I needed to find a boost, but not too much, since the EarthQuaker pedal has a lot of headroom.

“There was the Union Tube & Transistor Shiny pedal, our signature [Champion Leccy] Rockstar Fuzz V1 – this pedal is almost always on as his preamp for slight crunch – and the Boss PH-3 Phaser and a Boss DD-7 for slapback delay.

“I took a few different DI signals from Mdou. There was a clean guitar without pedals, DI with pedals, and a DI with an amp simulator, which was just used for headphone monitoring. With the clean DI, I did use a few different Analog Man pedals such as the King Of Tone and Astro Tone Fuzz through an old Vibro Champ – that’s what you’re hearing on Takoba.”

Used for the studio recording of "Takoma", as stated by producer Mikey Coltun in this May 28, 2024 Guitar World interview.

What effects did Mdou use for the sessions?

“In terms of pedals, we had a TC Electronic PolyTune 2 and an EarthQuaker Devices Acapulco Gold. I had the latter modded for an internal trim pot to not blow amps – Mdou tends to just turn the knobs on pedals all the way up so I needed to find a boost, but not too much, since the EarthQuaker pedal has a lot of headroom.

“There was the Union Tube & Transistor Shiny pedal, our signature [Champion Leccy] Rockstar Fuzz V1 – this pedal is almost always on as his preamp for slight crunch – and the Boss PH-3 Phaser and a Boss DD-7 for slapback delay.

“I took a few different DI signals from Mdou. There was a clean guitar without pedals, DI with pedals, and a DI with an amp simulator, which was just used for headphone monitoring. With the clean DI, I did use a few different Analog Man pedals such as the King Of Tone and Astro Tone Fuzz through an old Vibro Champ – that’s what you’re hearing on Takoba.”

Used for the studio recording of "Takoma", as stated by producer Mikey Coltun in this May 28, 2024 Guitar World interview.

What effects did Mdou use for the sessions?

“In terms of pedals, we had a TC Electronic PolyTune 2 and an EarthQuaker Devices Acapulco Gold. I had the latter modded for an internal trim pot to not blow amps – Mdou tends to just turn the knobs on pedals all the way up so I needed to find a boost, but not too much, since the EarthQuaker pedal has a lot of headroom.

“There was the Union Tube & Transistor Shiny pedal, our signature [Champion Leccy] Rockstar Fuzz V1 – this pedal is almost always on as his preamp for slight crunch – and the Boss PH-3 Phaser and a Boss DD-7 for slapback delay.

“I took a few different DI signals from Mdou. There was a clean guitar without pedals, DI with pedals, and a DI with an amp simulator, which was just used for headphone monitoring. With the clean DI, I did use a few different Analog Man pedals such as the King Of Tone and Astro Tone Fuzz through an old Vibro Champ – that’s what you’re hearing on Takoba.”