Zero to ’80s in Five Pedals

A HANDFUL OF MODERN EFFECT PEDALS THAT RECREATE GRITTY EIGHTIES SOUNDS

THE EIGHTIES WILL always represent the pinnacle of rock ’n’ roll decadence. Considering the bank-breaking record advances and the extravagant arena tours, a guitarist’s gear in the Eighties had to be just as over-the-top as his or her look, whether that involved Spandex or nail-spiked armbands (or both, with a side order of cowboy boots and completely out-of-place ersatz military hats. We’re lookin’ at you, Poison!).

Yeah, it was a great time to be a great guitarist — but let us not forget that the Eighties wasn’t all about hair metal. You had your tube-screamin’ Stevie Ray Vaughan, your heavy Bay Area metal, the studio-born brilliance of Toto’s Steve Lukather, Frank Zappa’s unique tones and, of course, the phaser-, chorus- and/or reverb-drenched worlds of guys like James Honeyman-Scott, Johnny Marr and Andy Summers. This list — at least this month — is geared more toward those sounds. But hey, if you can’t get enough hair metal (and, really, who can?), head on over to our exclusive excerpt from Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ’80s Hard Rock Explosion on page 66. Enjoy!

Yeah, it was a great time to be a great guitarist — but let us not forget that the Eighties wasn’t all about hair metal!