Johnny Marr Pedalboard
Full effects breakdown — core pedals, signal chain order, and budget alternatives
Johnny Marr's signal chain centres on 2 essential effects: Chorus, Delay (Korg SDD-3000 Digital Delay). The resulting sound: Rickenbacker 330 or Gibson ES-335 into a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus, the cleanest amp available, with a Korg SDD-3000 delay for shimmer. The chorus shapes the signal before it reaches the amp.
Essential Pedals
These effects are non-negotiable for Johnny Marr's tone. Skip any one and the signature sound is lost.
Optional / Contextual Effects
Johnny Marr uses these situationally — great to have but not required for the core sound.
£1,000 Pedalboard Breakdown
Specific gear recommendations at the £1,000 budget tier.
Pedalboard at Every Budget
The effects chain scales with budget — budget tiers keep the essential categories intact with less expensive alternatives.
- OverdriveJoyo Vintage Overdrive
- ChorusBoss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
- DelayTC Electronic Flashback 2
- ReverbStrymon Flint
Signal Chain Order
Delay last in the chain (or in the effects loop) ensures the repeats are clean reproductions of the effected signal. Running delay before drive would create driven, distorted repeats that accumulate into an indistinct wall.
- Guitar
- Delay (after modulation, before reverb)
- Amp
Related Gear
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FAQ
Johnny Marr Pedalboard — Common Questions
Johnny Marr's pedalboard includes: TC Electronic Flashback 2, Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble. The core effects in Johnny Marr's sound are Chorus, Delay.
The standard signal chain for Johnny Marr's pedalboard follows the professional convention: guitar → tuner → wah (if used) → compression → overdrive/distortion → amp → modulation (chorus/flanger) → delay → reverb. Delay last in the chain (or in the effects loop) ensures the repeats are clean reproductions of the effected signal. Running delay before drive would create driven, distorted repeats that accumulate into an indistinct wall.
Johnny Marr typically uses a transparent overdrive or boost to push the amp's front end rather than relying on a dedicated distortion pedal.
Building a Johnny Marr-style pedalboard depends on budget. At £200 you can cover the essentials (~£298 for the full rig). At £500 the pedalboard includes . At £1,000 (full rig: ~£1,097) all the key pedals are covered.
Johnny Marr uses the TC Electronic Flashback 2 for delay. It sits after the overdrive in the signal chain, either in the amp's effects loop or at the end of the pedalboard.