Disclaimer: Our Potent Pairing series aims to get you in the ballpark of the sounds on your favorite recordings using affordable, accessible pedals. The pedals featured are not the exact pieces of gear used on the recordings.
Pedals Used in this Video
Vox V847A Wah
MXR Prime Distortion
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Electro-Harmonix POG 2 Octave Generator
Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini
Electro-Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb
Xotic Robotalk RI
MXR Carbon Copy
Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
Way Huge Swollen Pickle MK II
Boss PS-2 Digital Pitch Shifter Delay
Vox DelayLab
The Mars Volta had an explosive but somewhat brief career from 2001 to 2012. Formed in the wake of At the Drive-In's breakup under the direction of guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López, the band produced six albums rich with conceptual depth and experimental soundscaping. They also put on some of the most high-energy, visually awesome live shows this side of the 1980s.
After being crowned "Best Prog-Rock Band" by Rolling Stone in 2008 and winning a Grammy in 2009 for their song "Wax Simulacra," the group put out one more album, Noctourniquet, in 2012 before all moving on to other projects.
What remains is a canon of challenging, inventive music that will probably be revisited by the hipsters of the 2040s and lionized after the fact. We decided not to wait.
Below is a track-by-track breakdown of the settings used on the pedals in the video above.
"Eriatarka" from Deloused in the Comatorium
"Intertiatic Esp" from Deloused in the Comatorium
"Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt" from Deloused in the Comatorium
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