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Gear Avail

Instrumental rock

Joe Satriani

Solo, 1987 onward

Proof that a cheap orange distortion pedal is a legitimate main gain source. The DS-1 has been on the board for decades, and the smoothness people credit to expensive gear is mostly the compressor and the playing.

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$40 for the 1 of 4 in stock right now

The chain

Shown in conventional signal order rather than the order the sources list them, so it reads the way it would be wired: guitar on the left, amp on the right.

  1. 1
    Wah / filterNo photo available

    Dunlop Cry Baby

    Wah / filter

    Often parked rather than swept, as a fixed midrange filter.

    Not stocked by any store we track

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  2. 2

    Boss DS-1 Distortion

    Drive / fuzz

    The primary gain for decades, responsive enough to hold up under fast legato.

    $40

    eBay +1 more

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  3. 3
    ModulationNo photo available

    Boss CH-1 Super Chorus

    Modulation

    Widening the lead tone so a single-tracked line sounds arranged.

    Not stocked by any store we track

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  4. 4
    DelayNo photo available

    Boss DD-2 Digital Delay

    Delay

    Timed repeats behind the melodies, which are usually the second voice in the arrangement.

    Not stocked by any store we track

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Documented on

  • Surfing with the Alien

    album · 1987

    • Surfing with the Alien
    • Always with Me, Always with You
    • Satch Boogie

  • Flying in a Blue Dream

    album · 1989

    • Flying in a Blue Dream
    • The Forgotten Part Two

Editorial gear history, assembled from interviews, rig rundowns, live photography and liner notes. Joe Satriani is not affiliated with Gear Avail and nothing here is an endorsement. Rigs change between tours and between takes, so this one is scoped to 1987 onward rather than presented as a career-long setup. In most cases what is documented is that a pedal was on the board during those sessions or that tour, not that it is audible on a specific bar of a specific take.