Guitar tech Gavin Maxwell has spent over two decades on the road assisting an eclectic mix of artists—from “electronicore” trailblazers Enter Shikari to Grammy-winning composer Hans Zimmer. Now, he lends his expertise to Mogwai and IDLES, two of the UK’s most sonically distinctive bands. Step behind the curtain as Maxwell reveals secrets to Mogwai’s signature sounds and the standout guitar tones of IDLES. Along with pro pedalboard tips, get ready for stories of exploding vans, pedalboards vs. toddlers, and his ultimate Desert Island BOSS picks.
Explosive Start
How did you get into guitar tech work?
I started touring when I was around 16 or 17 years old, crammed into a van with my pals in Flood of Red. We were away for months at a time, sleeping in car parks in a van or on random peoples’ floors. It was all a laugh back then, which I’ve tried to continue ever since for the past 20 years.
From there, I met Enter Shikari, where I basically jumped from one van into another—which they blew up with high explosives in one of their videos a few years later! After that, I worked with the Danish band Alphabeat, which led me to Late of the Pier and then Wild Beasts. Next, I worked with The Vaccines for around eight years before doing the first iteration of the Hans Zimmer Live arena tour.
For the last ten years, I’ve worked with Mogwai and, most recently, IDLES. Both bands keep me very busy indeed.
"For the last ten years, I’ve worked with Mogwai and, most recently, IDLES."
Signature Sounds
Which BOSS pedals feature on Mogwai and IDLES pedalboards?
Naturally, every pedalboard needs a tuner at the start, and that will usually be either a TU-3 or TU-3W Chromatic Tuner. With Mogwai, Stuart Braithwaite has had the DD-20 Giga Delay on his board as his main delay for as long as I can remember, along with an old TR-2 Tremolo.
On every Mogwai pedalboard, I have an LS-2 Line Selector at the end of the chain. This is primarily for a main/spare amp feed. But it’s also very handy as a master mute to end the extremely loud feedback after the band has walked off stage at the end of the show.
"Barry also has two of the old DD-3 Digital Delays. One is the signature Mogwai sound... The other is used for your classic slapback delay."
Mogwai’s Barry Burns uses quite a lot of BOSS pedals on his board. He’s recently snuck on an MT-2W Metal Zone in his drive section, which eventually hits an EQ-200 Graphic Equalizer for various EQ curves throughout the show.
A good example of this is during the song “We’re No Here.” Towards the end, we add 15dB of 1.6kHz—an incredible way to poke through a mix (and watch the front row wedge their fingers in their ears!).
Barry also has two of the old DD-3 Digital Delays. One is the signature Mogwai sound: full-wet, high-feedback, delay time around 300ms. The other is used for your classic slapback delay in the song “Old Poisons.” Of course, the signal chain ends with an LS-2.
With IDLES, Lee Kiernan has a DM-2W Delay on his board. He also has a PS-6 Harmonist, which can be heard during their song “When the Lights Come On,” when he uses the S-Bend mode to pitch his guitar up in the chorus.
Studio Favorites
How do Mogwai and IDLES use BOSS pedals in the studio?
Mogwai have an absolutely huge collection of pedals at the Castle of Doom Studios in Glasgow. There are three or four drawers crammed with BOSS pedals. The studio pedalboards for the band’s soundtrack work are frequently full of BOSS pedals like the SL-20 Slicer, VB-2W Vibrato, BF-3 Flanger, SY-300 Guitar Synthesizer… The list goes on and on.
With IDLES in the studio, we often find ourselves going back to a Blues Driver into a Fender Twin. You can’t go wrong with that.
"Mogwai have an absolutely huge collection of pedals at the Castle of Doom Studios in Glasgow. There are three or four drawers crammed with BOSS pedals."
New Additions
What do these players like about their BOSS pedals?
I think everyone agrees that the durability is like no other, the speed at which you can dial in a sound is great, and they sound mega.
What are some of the most recent rig additions?
With IDLES, Mark Bowen has recently swapped his Vox AC30 for a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus, which is used on stage for the songs “Dancer,” “Roy,” and “Jungle” from the latest album, Tangk. We needed an amp that was super clean and could handle everything we fire at it effects-wise.
"We also recently added the BOSS NS-1X Noise Suppressor and use the Reduction mode to eliminate unwanted noise."
Bowen plays a Fender Baritone Strat on many of the new songs, or we pitch down his standard-tuning guitars for certain sections of songs, and the JC-120 is absolutely perfect for what we’re trying to achieve.
We also recently added the BOSS NS-1X Noise Suppressor and use the Reduction mode to eliminate unwanted noise. We pitch down a lot and have a 1×15 cabinet on stage, and the noise would rumble away between songs. But not anymore!
Top Tech Tips
What do you like most about BOSS pedals?
The durability of BOSS pedals is like no other, plus you can buy them in nearly every music store around the globe. Also, it’s super easy to dial in sounds with BOSS pedals, which speeds up creativity and allows for easy experimentation.
Which BOSS pedals feature on your own board?
I don’t actually have a pedalboard at the minute. I’ve two young kids running around the house, so nothing is safe. I currently have all my pedals on shelves up out of the way. But up there, safe for the time being, are a DS-1W Distortion, JB-2 Angry Driver, SD-1W Super Overdrive, BD-2W Blues Driver, GE-7 Equalizer, DD-500 Digital Delay, RV-5 Digital Reverb, TR-2 Tremolo, and DC-2W Dimension C.
"It’s super easy to dial in sounds with BOSS pedals, which speeds up creativity and allows for easy experimentation."
What’s your favorite BOSS pedal of all time?
As a guitar player, it’s a toss-up between the original 1980s DC-2 Dimension C and the DD-20 Giga Delay. Also, the TE-2 Tera Echo is super fun to use. However, as a guitar tech, it’s the TU-3 Chromatic Tuner or LS-2 Line Selector all day long.
Would you like to see any BOSS classics return?
I’d love to see the FB-2 Feedbacker/Booster make a return or the RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay. Both those pedals are amazing.
What’s your favorite BOSS pedal moment of all time on record?
Any time a DS-1 Distortion is used on a Nirvana record.
Which three pedals would you pick for your Desert Island BOSS pedalboard and why?
It depends. If I were alone on the island, I would have no use for a tuner, but if some poor soul was there with me, I’d need one. So let’s say either a TU-3 Chromatic Tuner into a JB-2 Angry Driver, then DD-20 Giga Delay, or a JB-2 Angry Driver into a DD-20 Giga Delay, then TR-2 Tremolo.
Do you have any suggestions about experimenting with pedals?
Stacking delays is always fun. And if you get into the world of parallel splitting effects, the possibilities are endless.
"Having everything powered correctly is essential."
Give us some tips on pedalboard assembly.
Having everything powered correctly is essential. When connecting pedals, thinner diameter cable is easier to use than standard 5 or 6mm instrument cable. Also, make sure everything is correctly tied down; it’s much neater and saves space.
Oh, and bear in mind that 3M Dual Lock is not the same as Velcro; you only need to use small amounts of 3M Dual Lock. Otherwise, you’ll be there for hours trying to prise your pedals off your board.
What’s your view on the current state of the effects pedal market?
It seems to be getting stronger and stronger each year, and long may it continue.
