It says something about a movie, when in its first weekend I'm compelled to watch it 3 separate times. After watching Reverb.com's The Pedal Movie, I couldn't help but want to share it with other people. Reverb has always had stellar production in their videos, but The Pedal Movie takes that polish to a whole new level.
The movie great for pedal geeks and guitarists, but it’s also accessible to anyone who enjoys music, and wants to take a peek behind the scenes of effects pedal history. I found it amazing that pedals were made as the result of an in-studio accident. I was also blown away at how the early builders seemed to have a wild desire and drive to capture sounds for the musicians who were asking for them.
I loved how the movie focused on how friendly the pedal builder community is. It seems that everyone has some healthy oneupmanship in regards to iterating on pedal designs, but the community also is close with one another, and willing to help each other out.
(Image Credit: Reverb.com)
I’ve loved pedals for over 20 years at this point, but it was still exciting to see the origins of pedals from simple fuzz and overdrive boxes, to pedals that defy categorization. Reverb was able to get a number of guitar stars to talk about classic and new effects - every one from Steve Vai to Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis, Paul Gilbert, Dweezil Zappa, Wilco’s Nels Cline, and many more.
And while it was interesting to see all these guitarists reflect on their favorite pedals, I was even more fascinated with hearing the stories of the pedal builders themselves. One thing that rang true with each maker was that there was always a healthy admiration for one another, especially those who came before them.
The early pedal builders seemed like mad geniuses, and as components got better, their early designs and books helped pave the way for the newer generation of boutique pedal makers. I couldn’t help but be inspired to want to pick up a soldering iron again, and try my hand at building some simple circuits. I feel this movie will do the same for many who watch it.
(Image Credit: Reverb.com)
Whether you want to know how Frampton got his signature talk box sound, why Jimi changed everything, how Marcus Miller nailed his theory of how companies combined pedals with colors, and so many more stories, you have to check this movie out.
I came to learn the history of the pedals themselves, but left inspired by the people who made them.
You can watch Reverb’s final trailer for the movie below.