Set Your Ultimate Pedal Goal for 2025

It’s the start of a new year.

A fresh slate to tackle your pedalboard and tighten your guitar chops.

If you’re anything like me, you probably already have at least one big goal for your pedalboard.

For me?

2025 is the year I finally gig with a stereo rig.

I’ve had one at home for ages, but the complexities and amount of gear needed always pushed me back to simpler mono or wet/dry setups (at the most) for shows.

Not this year.

This year, I’m building a smaller, simpler, easy-to-travel pedalboard for my stereo rig.

Okay, it won’t be something I can take to every gig. But for local shows, where I can drive my gear myself. It’s happening.

So, what about you?

Is it time to master those cascading delays, reorganize your board, or finally pull the trigger on that dream pedal you’ve been eyeing?

Whatever it is, here’s my advice:

Start small, but think big.

Simplify for success

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this:

Complexity can be the biggest tone killer. Especially on stage.

Whether you’re building a stereo rig, experimenting with creative routing, or diving into MIDI control, simplicity is always going to be your best friend.

A tangled mess of cables or a big complicated setup can fall apart during a rushed soundcheck and quick stage changeover. Or, at home, it could just totally derail your practice session.

We all find this out the hard way.

Here’s how to keep things simple and gig-ready:

1. Test at home. Set up your rig exactly as you would for a live show. Get familiar with every cable and connection so there are no surprises.
2. Rehearse it. Practice your full setup. That’s the pedals, routing, and all until you can adjust it instinctively mid-song if needed.
3. Trim the fat. Before adding new gear, focus on what’s already on your board. Simplify your setup for reliability and, in some cases, better tone.

The key here is to make sure your setup works perfectly and that you can troubleshoot or adjust on the fly if something goes wrong.

Trust me, by going simple, you’ll reduce the stress, sound better, and spend less time worrying about gear. Then you can spend more time enjoying the music.

Always celebrate your progress

Don’t forget this year that…

Every step forward, no matter how small, is worth celebrating.

Dialing in your dream tone? Nailed it.

Hooking up your first pedal? Awesome.

Perfecting your pedal order? Boom.

Finally, solving that annoying hum? Nice one!

For me, I’ll be cracking open a celebratory drink the first time my stereo rig hits the stage.

What about you? What’s the big win you’re aiming for in 2025?

That’s all for now.

Let’s make this year great for our tone, our playing, and our pedalboards.

Wishing you a healthy and happy 2025!