Eric Gales

Eric Gales, also known as Raw Dawg, is an American blues-rock guitarist, originally hailed as a child prodigy¹. As of 2019 he had recorded eighteen albums for major record labels, along with session and tribute work, and he has contributed vocals on records by the Memphis rap groups Prophet Posse and Three 6 Mafia under the name Lil E¹. He plays a right-handed Strat left-handed with the string order reversed, and the low string is a bass E string².

His approach to effects is deliberately restrained. As he told Guitar World in 2024:

That single sentence is the clearest guide to everything on his board: each pedal is there to season the sound of the guitar and amp, not to replace it.

The signal chain

Gales walked Guitar World through his chain in 2024, from wireless to delay³. The order, as he described it:

The DryBell Vibe Machine also sits in his setup, in use since 2020¹.

The wah

Gales' board carries a Buddy Guy Cry Baby BG95 wah³, but it is not his only one. He owns several wahs he has had customized, including a 14-karat gold model, and he swaps them out from time to time³. The wah sits right after his wireless, at the front of the chain³.

His wireless choice also handles tuning: he runs the Shure GLXD16+ floor-mounted digital wireless, and the tuner is built into it³.

The DigiTech Whammy

From the wah, his signal goes into a DigiTech Whammy, and from there into a Mini Tube Screamer³. The Whammy is a pitch-shifting pedal that lets guitar and bass players raise and lower their tuning by up to two octaves, creating pitch shifts from subtle to extreme⁵. Guitar.com's reviewer has called it "one of the most innovative and important effects pedals of the last four decades"⁶.

Overdrive: the Raw Dawg and its companions

The centerpiece of Gales' gain staging is his signature pedal, the MXR Raw Dawg overdrive. MXR partnered with Gales to release the pedal, which bears the same name as his signature DV Mark amplifier range⁴⁷. The name comes straight from the player himself: Raw Dawg is Gales' nickname, so naming the signature pedal after it was, as gearnews put it, only logical².

The pedal is a mini-format unit with Output, Tone, and Drive controls, housed in a box decorated with an image of Gales' beloved pitbull, Little Bud⁸. Dunlop connected Gales with Jeorge Tripps, of Way Huge pedals, to design it, and in a few months Gales had exactly what he wanted⁸. The overdrive circuit was tweaked to Gales' preferences, with a more balanced mid range and more gain to suit his playing style⁹. Dunlop's own description frames the pedal in kitchen terms: Gales "serves up some of the tastiest licks in the business, and he needs to have just the right seasoning on hand when it's time to turn up the heat"¹⁰.

Gales demonstrated the Raw Dawg in a Sweetwater Raw Riffs episode, playing a PRS McCarty 594 through quick-fire covers of Purple Haze, Just Got Paid, Bridge of Sighs and Red House, taking on material associated with Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons and Robin Trower¹¹.

Alongside the Raw Dawg, his board carries a Mini Tube Screamer³ and, since a couple of months before the July 2024 interview, a PRS Horsemeat Transparent Overdrive³. Earlier in his career he had another signature overdrive: the E.W.S. Brute Drive distortion, the Eric Gales model, which Pedal of the Day reviewed in 2015 and found impressive¹²¹³.

The DryBell Vibe Machine

DryBell reports that Gales has been using the Vibe Machine since 2020, crafting his signature sound with it and drawing inspiration from legendary guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower¹. The company features him on its artist page alongside its description of him as an American blues-rock guitarist originally hailed as a child prodigy¹.

Delay

Two delay units close out the chain: a Tech 21 Boost DLA and a Koogo Digital Delay Echo³. The Koogo was only added to the pedalboard about a week before Gales' April 2024 interview, and it is set for reverse delay³.

His delay taste runs to quarter-note timing, and he credits that to a heavy influence from Eric Johnson throughout the years³.

Videos and signature work

Gales has a long history appearing in Dunlop's demo content. When the Raw Dawg was announced in 2021, gearnews directed readers to his playing in the Dunlop Sessions video⁹. Earlier, he featured in the Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini demo video in 2014¹⁴, and in 2012 he appeared in the intro and demo video for the Jimi Hendrix 70th Anniversary Tribute Series pedals¹⁵. He is also quoted on BOSS's pitch shifter article, where he is identified as a Grammy-nominated artist¹⁶.

Beyond the pedalboard, gearnews reports that Gales played with Carlos Santana at Woodstock and on a Jimi Hendrix tribute tour, and that the Hendrix style is audible in his playing².

FAQ

What wah does Eric Gales use?

His board carries a Buddy Guy Cry Baby BG95 wah, and he also owns other wahs he has had blinged out, including a 14-karat gold one, which he swaps in from time to time³. The wah sits early in his chain, right after his Shure GLXD16+ wireless system, which has his tuner built into it³.

Does Eric Gales use a DigiTech Whammy?

Yes. In his 2024 Guitar World rig rundown he describes his signal going from the wah into a DigiTech Whammy, and from there into a Mini Tube Screamer³. The Whammy is a pitch-shifting pedal that lets players raise and lower their tuning by up to two octaves⁵.

What overdrive does Eric Gales use?

His signature pedal is the MXR Raw Dawg overdrive, developed with MXR and named after his nickname⁴². On his board he also uses a Mini Tube Screamer, a PRS Horsemeat Transparent Overdrive he started using in 2024, and earlier in his career an E.W.S. Brute Drive signature model³¹².

When did Eric Gales start using the DryBell Vibe Machine?

DryBell reports that Gales has been using the Vibe Machine since 2020, using it to craft his signature sound with inspiration drawn from guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower¹.

What delay is on Eric Gales' pedalboard?

His chain includes a Tech 21 Boost DLA and a Koogo Digital Delay Echo, the latter added around April 2024 and set for reverse delay for ambient material³. He favors quarter-note delay, which he attributes to Eric Johnson's influence on his playing³.

Is Eric Gales in a Dunlop Sessions video?

Yes. When the MXR Raw Dawg was announced in 2021, gearnews pointed readers to his playing in a Dunlop Sessions video⁹. He also appeared in Dunlop demo videos for the Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini in 2014 and the Jimi Hendrix 70th Anniversary Tribute Series pedals in 2012¹⁴¹⁵.

Questions