Tad Kubler

Tad: “At home, my Bradshaw board is rigged so I can have four switchable outputs so that I can use four different amps. I’ve got a ’57 Deluxe, a ‘Bob’ amp - which our old sound guy built for me - and an AC15 and on each output it’s got a lift and a polarity. These are rentals. I like smaller wattage combos, so I got the Princeton and I thought I’d try this Supro. I want to turn on the amp and hit the fucker as hard as I can and leave that to make the sound. I don’t like something with a master volume. So I usually aim for something that’s 15-watts.”

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the Boss TR-2.

Visible in the bottom-left (to him) corner of the pedal board. Photo taken at SXSW 2004.

For their 2018 tour, Tad states that he's rented a '68 Custom Princeton Reverb and Supro 1964 Reissue Saturn Reverb

Tad: “At home, my Bradshaw board is rigged so I can have four switchable outputs so that I can use four different amps. I’ve got a ’57 Deluxe, a ‘Bob’ amp - which our old sound guy built for me - and an AC15 and on each output it’s got a lift and a polarity. These are rentals. I like smaller wattage combos, so I got the Princeton and I thought I’d try this Supro. I want to turn on the amp and hit the fucker as hard as I can and leave that to make the sound. I don’t like something with a master volume. So I usually aim for something that’s 15-watts.”

Tad: “At home, my Bradshaw board is rigged so I can have four switchable outputs so that I can use four different amps. I’ve got a ’57 Deluxe, a ‘Bob’ amp - which our old sound guy built for me - and an AC15 and on each output it’s got a lift and a polarity. These are rentals. I like smaller wattage combos, so I got the Princeton and I thought I’d try this Supro. I want to turn on the amp and hit the fucker as hard as I can and leave that to make the sound. I don’t like something with a master volume. So I usually aim for something that’s 15-watts.”

“This is like an organ effect. It’s got an up and down octave, lag, tone - to roll off some of the top-end - and then a ‘choir’ control that combines the up and the down and regenerates it, so you get like a third and fourth octave. I hardly use it. I keep putting it on my pedalboard and hoping I will learn to use it tastefully.”

Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady uses the Union Tube & Transistor More boost pedal, as highlighted in a MusicRadar rig tour by Matt Parker. This Vancouver-made pedal is known for being placed at the end of the signal chain to prevent overdriving other pedals.

Playing SXSW 2004, Tad sports a Gibson ES-335.

Tad Kubler is seen playing a Gibson Les Paul Standard during the 2004 SXSW festival, as shown in the image from Imgur.

Tad is shown tuning his Double-neck Gibson EDS-1275 during a Minnesota Public Radio performance.

"That’s sort of my big solo moment on the record and it took me a couple of times to get it, because I really over-thought it. It’s so long that you run out of steam and unless you really have an idea of where you’re going to go with it, it’s easy to just kind of tap out. So I had to do it a few times. But yes, I have a couple of 50’s Deluxes that when Nick came up to do preproduction in Brooklyn he was like “you’re bringing those, right?”

"I have a 345, a couple of 335s, and then I’m working with Jenny and the guys at Gibson Memphis to get kind of a cross between a 345 and a 355. Between Jenny Marsh (our Gibson rep) and Mike in Memphis, they’ve just treated us really well and been like “take a few of these and tell us what you think.”

Both travelled light, with Kubler bringing along a gnarly Gibson ES-135 with P-90s and his ES-335.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the T-Rex Replica.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the Boss FZ-5.

Tad Kubler uses the MXR Custom Audio Electronics MC-403 Power Distributor as part of his CAE signal switching system. A photo on Imgur clarifies this item was initially misidentified as a power supply.

In-use by Tad during their 2009-2010 tour, the RS-5 foot controller is connected to the larger CAE switching system visible at the top of his pedal board.

Boss TU-3 and TC Electronic Polytune Mini

Tad: “I use two tuners and they’re on all the time. It’s just an OCD thing!”

“This I use as like a cut, so rather than needing to back off my volume, I can step on this and do cleaner stuff . I was using that a lot when we did Spinners and I love the fucking reverb on this thing. It’s got that great drippy, spring reverb.”

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the Boss PS-5.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the MXR EVH Phase 90.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the Boss PH-3.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's pedalboard from 2007, one of the pedals that can be seen on the board is the Boss RV-5.

Boss TU-3 and TC Electronic Polytune Mini

Tad: “I use two tuners and they’re on all the time. It’s just an OCD thing!”

“I use this as a kind of rotary. It’s got a nice accelerating feature where if you hold the tap down it speeds up. It’s got filter, vintage trim, destroyer, chorus, flange, phaser and rotary options.”

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the MXR Boost/Line Driver.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the items that can be seen is the T-Rex FuelTank Classic.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the Boss GE-7.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's 2009 Noise Pop SXSW Showcase pedalboard (photo taken by Anna Enriquez), one of the pedals that can be seen is the Dunlop Jimi Hendrix wah pedal.

In this photo, which shows Kubler's pedalboard from 2007, one of the pedals that can be seen on the board is the Boss HF-2 flanger pedal.