Greg Koch

Greg Koch is a guitarist known for blues-infused, stylistically diverse compositions and electrifying guitar performances, with a career spanning more than 20 records blending blues, rock and jazz¹. Tone City describes his playing style as built on "quick chick'n picked hybrid licks and walking basslines"². He is also a gear collaborator: he has signature pedals with both JAM Pedals and Tone City, and a Reverend signature guitar putting his spin on the Stratocaster template³.

His longest gear relationship is with JAM Pedals. Koch first met founder Jannis Anastasakis in 2009, and says that had he known the relationship would lead to "this glorious, multi-effective doom and destruction," he would have danced on the spot³. After many years using various devices in the JAM Pedals arsenal, the two sides decided, in Koch's words, "Lets make a couple of pedals together - one that's lean and mean that has the bare essentials, and one that just has everything"³.

The sound he is known for

Koch's style combines fast chicken picking with hybrid picking technique and walking basslines, the qualities Tone City highlights when describing what makes his playing unique². His recorded output runs across blues, rock and jazz, more than 20 records over a prolific career¹.

His approach to delay shows how he splits duties on the board. MusicRadar reports that he uses his Delay Llama MkII as an always-on slapback echo, with more exotic delay operations delegated to the more fully featured Delay Llama XTREME⁴. Both units appear in his signature multi-effects units, where the Delay Llama XTREME and Harmonious Monk come preloaded with his custom presets, and the XTREME's tap tempo can be synced to the Harmonious Monk so a single tap controls both⁵.

Leslie-style sounds from the WaterFall chorus

Koch's chorus pedal is the JAM Pedals WaterFall, a chorus/vibrato pedal⁶. His relationship with chorus is specific: he says he has only ever used the effect to replicate a Leslie speaker, and the WaterFall became his tool for that job and more⁷.

The WaterFall also sits late in the signal chain of his Koch Ness Monster Supreme, after the Boomster and before the Harmonious Monk⁵. On That Pedal Show, JAM Pedals' Jannis Anastasakis and Ilias Pantoleon told the story of another noted player, Nels Cline, who initially said he hated chorus pedals but came around after trying the WaterFall, and also loved its vibrato setting⁹.

For players chasing the same rotating-speaker flavor, the WaterFall's chorus/vibrato format covers both halves of that sound: the chorus side for the blended, swirling Leslie impression Koch describes, and the vibrato side for the pitch-wobble on its own⁶⁹.

Signature pedals with JAM: Gristle King and the Koch Ness Monsters

Koch's signature work with JAM Pedals centers on the Gristle King and two multi-effects units that carry his name.

The Gristle King

The Gristle King is Koch's signature boost/drive pedal with JAM Pedals, originally designed by Tim Jauernig⁴. It is one of the circuits JAM Pedals built into the Koch Ness Monster Supreme, placed in the signal chain between the Retrovibe and the Eureka⁵.

The Koch Ness Monster

The Koch Ness Monster is Koch's compact all-analog multi-effect, described by JAM Pedals as combining the Lucydreamer overdrive and the Eureka!, among other circuits¹⁰. Guitar World called it "an absurd new signature pedal that crams four of the Greek firm's greatest stompboxes into one multi-effects monster," built by Jam Pedals and Greg Koch combining their technical wizardry³. Koch calls the streamlined edition a "pared-down, throw-and-go, orange-clad warrior"³.

The Koch Ness Monster Supreme

The Koch Ness Monster Supreme is the everything version, a signature multi-effects unit designed after Koch's wildest pedal dreams and developed in close collaboration with him⁵. MusicRadar reported it as a $2,190 unit featuring an onboard Wahcko wah, released alongside the standard Koch Ness Monster in October 2024 to celebrate 15 years of partnership between Koch and JAM Pedals⁴. The Supreme comes with a tailored gig bag and optional plexiglass guides with labeled controls³.

Koch describes what the unit means for his playing:

The Supreme's internal signal chain, as listed by JAM Pedals⁵:

1. Wahcko
2. Retrovibe
3. Gristle King
4. Eureka
5. Lucydreamer
6. Send/Return loop for placing other pedals in the chain
7. Boomster
8. Waterfall
9. Harmonious Monk
10. Delay Llama mk.2
11. Delay Llama XTREME

The Delay Llama mk.2 is in the chain because Koch uses it as an always-on slapback⁵⁴, and the Delay Llama XTREME and Harmonious Monk ship with his custom presets⁵. Like the standard model, every limited artwork Supreme is a one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece, unique in detail¹¹.

The Tone City Lil Heat

Before the Koch Ness Monsters, Koch collaborated with Tone City on the Lil Heat, a mini overdrive pedal. GuitarPlayer described the pairing as Tone City teaming up with "blues guitar extraordinaire (and occasional GP columnist) Greg Koch" to create the pedal¹², and MusicRadar reported the release in September 2020¹³. Tone City's product page calls the Lil Heat a collaboratively designed overdrive pedal with Greg Koch². Koch demos the pedal and explains it in a video, with, as MusicRadar put it, "some of his trademark superlative playing to demo its capabilities"¹³.

FAQ

What chorus pedal does Greg Koch use?

He uses the JAM Pedals WaterFall, a chorus/vibrato pedal⁶. Koch says he has only used chorus effects in the past to replicate a Leslie, and calls the WaterFall a textural dynamo he uses to create soundscapes that warble and flow at the same time⁸. It also appears in the signal chain of his Koch Ness Monster Supreme⁵.

What is the JAM Gristle King overdrive?

The Gristle King is Koch's signature boost/drive pedal with JAM Pedals, originally designed by Tim Jauernig⁴. It sits in the middle of the Koch Ness Monster Supreme's signal chain, after the Retrovibe and before the Eureka⁵.

What is the Koch Ness Monster Supreme?

It is Koch's signature multi-effects unit with JAM Pedals, designed after his wildest pedal dreams and developed in close collaboration with him⁵. MusicRadar reported it as a $2,190 unit with an onboard Wahcko wah, marking 15 years of partnership⁴, and it comes with a tailored gig bag and optional plexiglass guides with labeled controls³.

Does Greg Koch have a signature overdrive?

Yes, two. He has the Gristle King boost/drive with JAM Pedals, originally designed by Tim Jauernig⁴, and he collaborated with Tone City on the Lil Heat mini overdrive, released in September 2020¹³¹².

How does Greg Koch get a Leslie sound?

Through chorus. Koch says he has only used chorus effects in the past to replicate a Leslie, and his pedal for it is the JAM Pedals WaterFall, which he describes as a textural dynamo creating soundscapes that warble and flow at the same time⁷⁸.

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