Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley is a country guitarist, singer and songwriter born on October 28, 1972, in West Virginia, where his grandfather gave him his first guitar at age 8¹. His first album, Who Needs Pictures, came out in 1999 and went platinum, and in February 2001 he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry¹. His awards include three GRAMMYs, two American Music Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards and 14 Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, and he has written or co-written 20 of his 23 number one singles¹.

For pedal players, Paisley matters mostly for his long relationship with Wampler Pedals. He has his own signature overdrives, the Paisley Drive and the Paisley Deluxe, and he has used a range of other Wampler pedals including the Ego Compressor, the Faux Tape Echo and the Sovereign distortion¹. His tone, built on Telecasters and Dr. Z amps, is one of the most-cited reference points for country overdrive and compressor sounds.

Wampler signature pedals

Paisley Drive

The Paisley Drive is Paisley's original signature overdrive pedal, released by Wampler in January 2011 with sound samples published that month¹⁴. Wampler describes it as Brad's signature overdrive and a Wampler classic, used by him live and in the studio². According to Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals, the brief came from Paisley himself:

Wampler says the pedal is based on Brad's favorite amps and pedals, and that it is not just for country music: the maker says it can bring blues, rock and, when scooped and pushed, metal². MusicRadar's review noted that "the production Paisley Drive is exactly the same as the one Brad himself uses, according to Wampler"⁹. The pedal measures 2.5 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches (63.5mm x 114.3mm x 38.1mm), height excluding knobs and switches².

Paisley Deluxe

The Paisley Deluxe is a dual overdrive pedal that Wampler built by combining Brad's two favorite Wampler tones in one box³. One side is the Paisley Drive circuit; the other is the Underdog, a pedal Paisley had been using privately and asked Wampler to offer again⁶. In a Sweetwater demo with Mitch Gallagher, Paisley told the story in his own words:

He says he uses the Underdog side for the heavier stuff, the Paisley Drive side for his core sound, and both together⁶. He describes the Underdog side as almost a fuzz in its thickness, and says of Wampler's drives generally that "there's not a lot of Fizz in those even when you have gain coming out of them they're pretty tight and they're pretty thick"⁶. MusicPlayers.com's reviewer Bruce Sokolovic noted that Paisley "gravitates to mid-gain tones at best, which happens to be what this pedal does best"¹⁰. Paisley collaborated with Brian Wampler on the pedal, and Wampler calls it like having two Brad Paisley-approved overdrive pedals in one box¹⁰³. Gearnews reported that Paisley nicknamed the Deluxe the "PaisleyDog"¹¹.

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In the Sweetwater video, Paisley and Mitch Gallagher run through both sides of the Paisley Drive Deluxe. Paisley explains that he uses the Underdog side for heavier material, notes its fuzz-like thickness, and praises the pedals for staying tight and fizz-free into his Dr. Z amps, which he describes as kind of Britishy with plenty of high-end⁶.

The Paisley Drive circuit also lives on beyond Paisley's own signature range: Wampler's Dual Fusion, a dual overdrive developed with Tom Quayle, puts one side based on the Paisley Drive alongside a second circuit¹².

How it started with Wampler

The relationship began with a bold move by Brian Wampler. Wampler's own history page describes it plainly:

From that point on, Wampler says, Paisley has used and loved Wampler Pedals². Before the Paisley Drive existed, he spent a few years using Wampler's Ego, Underdog and Faux AnalogEcho pedals, and his tech at the time, Chad, mentioned to Brian that Brad was not completely content with his tone and suggested they work together on the perfect overdrive for him to record and tour with². That collaboration produced the Paisley Drive⁸. In an interview with Guitar.com, Brian Wampler said the signature designs for Brent Mason and Brad Paisley played a significant part in getting the company on its feet¹⁴. Paisley himself takes the signature work seriously: in the Sweetwater demo he said that with his name on the pedal, he wants it to be good and to be proud of it⁶.

The Bakersfield Tele twang

Paisley's sound is built around the Telecaster. In a Premier Guitar interview, his longtime associates Bill Crook, Mike "Dr. Z" Zaite and Robert Keeley described the target:

That is the Bakersfield sound, the twangy country style associated with Don Rich and John Jorgenson. On That Pedal Show in 2017, the presenters discussed his guitars and rig, noting that his main guitar is his old Paisley Tele, that he has a number of Tele guitars including a signature Fender model, and that on tour he uses guitars called Custom made by his friend Bill Crook⁵. They also noted that the Paisley Drive was on his board at the O2 that year⁵.

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In the That Pedal Show video, Dan and Mick talk through Paisley's setup: his old Paisley Tele as his main guitar, the Crook-built guitars he tours with, the Paisley Drive on his board, and his taste for Tube Screamer-style push into an AC30-style amp with the high-end clarity kept intact⁵.

His amp story goes back to 1999, when he bought his first Dr. Z amp, a Mazerati 2x10 combo, from Mike E's Guitars in LaVergne, Tennessee, a shop that specialized in esoteric guitars and amps⁷. He still uses Dr. Z amplifiers and describes them as kind of Britishy with plenty of high-end, which is part of why he values overdrives that stay tight rather than fizzy⁶. MusicRadar also notes that he uses vintage Vox-inspired amps and Celestion Alnico speakers, with pedals in his rack switched remotely⁹.

The rest of the pedalboard

Beyond his signature overdrives, a consistent picture of Paisley's pedals comes from Wampler and from the press:

• Wampler Ego Compressor: named by Wampler among the pedals he has used, alongside the Sovereign and Faux Tape Echo¹. He had also been using the Ego in the years before the Paisley Drive was developed².
• Wampler Sovereign distortion: a distortion pedal Wampler lists among his non-signature pedals¹.
• Wampler Faux Tape Echo: a delay pedal Wampler lists among his pedals¹.
• Boss DD-2: his core delay sound is a slapback echo from a DD-2, always set to a short delay time⁵.
• Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer: MusicRadar calls him a Tube Screamer fan of some magnitude who had nevertheless been wanting something more from his mainstay gain stomper, which is the gap the Paisley Drive filled⁹⁴.

On That Pedal Show, the presenters also noted that he is a massive fan of the Tube Screamer push sound into an AC30, but requires the high-end clarity back, an interesting combination for a Tele player⁵. Robert Keeley, who occasionally builds him something for a special effect on a particular song, described Paisley as one of the most loyal friends and supporters, saying any manufacturer would want him as an endorser⁷. Bill Crook and his colleagues added that Paisley uses the Katana and Compressor simply because he likes the sounds⁷.

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