Joey's New Board | Golden Age of Gear Ep. 52

In this week’s episode of Golden Age of Gear, Joey walks Derek through a brand-new pedalboard build — not just what’s on it, but why it’s there, what’s likely to change, and how his approach to gear has evolved.

This isn’t a “perfect Instagram board.” It’s a working, modular rig built around inspiration, portability, and real-world use — something that can do fun, creative sounds without getting in the way of actually playing guitar.

We talk about:

Why this pedalboard is intentionally less precious and more flexible
Choosing pedals that inspire you instead of chasing hype
The balance between “want” vs “need” on a board
MIDI control, stereo rigs, and avoiding tap-dancing
Transformer-based boosts and subtle tone shaping
Travel-friendly pedalboard design and airline realities
Why some pedals stay forever — and others are always up for replacement

Joey also breaks down his new Pivotal Pedal Boards setup, loop routing, power choices, cable decisions, and how this board is designed to change over time instead of being locked in forever.

This episode is less about rules and more about permission — permission to experiment, pivot, simplify, and build a rig that actually serves the music instead of slowing you down.

👇 Let us know in the comments:

Are you constantly rebuilding your pedalboard or do you lock it in?

What’s the one pedal you can’t seem to take off your board?

If you enjoy honest gear conversations, real-world rigs, and slightly unhinged pedalboard philosophy, hit subscribe, ring the bell, and come hang with us every week.

Revv Dynamis D40 | Golden Age of Gear Ep. 51

What’s up, friends? We’re back this week with a proper look at the Revv D40 — an amp that’s been part of the Revv lineup for a while now, but one Joey hasn’t really spent meaningful time with since the early prototype days. After hearing how incredible Dann Huff sounded through it earlier this year, it felt like the right time to finally plug in and see what this thing is all about from Joey’s hands-on perspective.

We get into how the D40 grew out of the original Dynamis 740, what changed, what carried forward, and how Shawn Tubbs and Dan worked together to reshape the drive channel into something with more bloom, more feel, and more of that vintage-inspired character players kept asking for. It’s still undeniably a Revv amp — tight low end, punchy response, super clear articulation — just with its own vibe and personality.

And of course, it wouldn’t be Golden Age of Gear without some wandering prairie philosophizing, truck talk, and general guitar-nerd joy along the way.

What’s Inside This Episode

🎛️ Clean Channel Tones — bright switch magic, tons of headroom, reverb in the loop, and why this clean channel loves pedals.
⚡ Drive Channel Breakdown — voicing updates, note bloom, and how Shawn Tubbs helped dial in the feel.
🎸 Real Playing — slide tones, boost stacking, cleanup tests, sustain experiments, and Joey’s take on the “Revv punch” vs. the looser feel of vintage amps.
🔧 Design Notes — dual masters, Two Notes Torpedo reactive load with IRs, pedal-platform behaviour, and where the D40 sits in the Revv family.

If you’ve ever wondered how the D40 actually feels under the fingers — especially compared to the 740 or the Generator — this episode should paint the full picture.

👇 Let us know in the comments:
Are you gigging a D40? Still rocking a 740? What should we run into this amp next?

Thanks for hanging with us — like, subscribe, ring the bell, and we’ll see you next week.

Bob Burt Gr8t Distortion Pedal | Golden Age of Gear Ep. 50

Welcome back, friends! Today we’re diving into a seriously cool piece of boutique distortion history — the Bob Burt Gr9t Distortion, a pedal from one of the OG custom cabinet builders turned pedal-maker. This thing looks wild, sounds wild, and has one of the strangest compression controls we’ve ever used… in all the best (and sometimes weirdest) ways.

In classic Golden Age fashion, we go down the rabbit hole: RAT circuits, boutique builders from the ’90s, Alan Hinds’ tone secrets, compression controversies, used pedal bin glory, and even a little family history involving Derek, Luke, and budget-stretching Canadian Kijiji hauls.

What We Cover in This Episode

🎛️ Bob Burt Gr8t Distortion — Volume, tone, gain, and the bizarre-but-cool compression knob.
⚡ RAT vs. Gr8t — How close it gets, what’s different, and why it sounds the way it does.
🎸 Real-World Use — Slide tones, cleanup behavior, mix placement, and dynamic feel.
🧰 Boutique Pedal Quirks — Odd enclosures, one-off layouts, and why weird old pedals are often gems.

If you dig boutique distortion, RAT circuits, oddball vintage clones, or gear with real builder history behind it — you’re gonna love this one.

👇 Let us know in the comments:
Have you ever played a Bob Burt pedal? What’s your favorite RAT variant? And what weird, obscure pedal should we track down next?

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell to help keep the Golden Age rolling.