Steve Lukather

Steve Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known for his work with the rock band Toto¹. He is also one of the most recorded session guitarists of his era, with credits as a composer, arranger and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums, alongside several solo releases¹. He plays an Ernie Ball Music Man signature guitar, the Luke III, and tours with Toto and Ringo Starr²³.

His pedalboard centers on a small set of pedals he has endorsed in his own words: Rodenberg overdrives, the Foxgear/Gurus Echosex delay, and a JAM Pedals wah.

The Toto session sound

Lukather's reputation rests on two careers at once: the band sound of Toto and a session schedule that put him on more than 1,500 albums¹. His live rig reflects that session-player background, covering modulation, delay, reverb, filtering and gain in one board.

The Dogz of Oz tour board, shown by his tech Jon Gosnell in Hamburg in 2022, carried a wide spread of effects³:

That board follows a pattern set years earlier: in 2011, while touring Europe, he ran the Strymon blueSky Reverberator and Lex Rotary on his touring pedalboard, and for the guitar tracking on his album of that period he used the Strymon Ola chorus and vibrato, the Brigadier delay and the blueSky reverberator¹.

His connection to delay goes back further still. The Roland SDE-3000 digital delay, which Guitar World calls a legendary effect, was found in the Bob Bradshaw racks built for studio guitarists including Lukather⁸. TC Electronic has also named him among the guitarists using the 2290 P delay pedal⁹.

On the wah side, he plays the JAM Pedals Wahcko, and his endorsement is specific about what he hears in it:

The JAM Pedals WaterFall is another constant, which he describes as always on his pedalboard¹⁰.

SL-OD and SL-OD Deluxe overdrives

The core of Lukather's gain sound is a family of overdrive pedals from Rodenberg Amplification: the SL-OD, the SL-OD Deluxe, the SL-OD DLX Drive and the SL-OD Deluxe Redline, all overdrive pedals built as Steve Lukather signature models^11121314. The SL-OD DLX Drive was developed in collaboration between Lukather and Uli Rodenberg¹⁵.

Rodenberg describes him as using these pedals continuously since 2017, live and in the studio, and calls them his "Main Overdrive"⁴¹⁶. In his own words:

He runs the SL-OD in front of his overdriven and distorted amplifiers, which he has played for years, to push the sound into a faster, smoother overdrive without changing the basic tone¹⁷. He runs the pedal at 9V⁴. His first reaction to Rodenberg's work, on receiving an early unit, was equally direct:

The range also includes the LUKE Overdrive MK II, an official Steve Lukather overdrive pedal with two overdrive channels in one housing, LOW GAIN and HIGH GAIN, based on the SL-OD Deluxe sound, with sound design by Lukather and Uli Rodenberg⁴¹⁸.

Signature pedals and the Echosex

Lukather's longest-running signature relationship is with the Echosex delay line. Since 2014 he has used the Foxgear Echosex on all of his songs in the studio and live, with Toto and Ringo Starr, touring worldwide¹⁹. The Gurus Echosex 2° T7E was, in Gurus Amps' words, used by Lukather for all of his soloing parts²⁰, and in 2023 Foxgear released the Gurus Echosex 3º Steve Lukather Signature pedal, a signature version of the Echosex 2 named after him for the line's 10th anniversary⁵. Lukather calls the Echosex 3º the most important and most used piece of gear he has⁵.

MusicRadar's review of the Echosex 3º Steve Lukather Delay notes that it carries Lukather's own settings marked in neon green, and describes it as versatile: short slapbacks for rhythmic shuffles and longer delays for soaring leads are both covered well². Lukather had been praising Gurus and Foxgear pedals as far back as a 2021 interview around the release of his solo album of that title².

His first signature pedal came earlier, in 2015, when ToneConcepts launched The Luke, a preamp/boost pedal that made him the first artist in ToneConcepts' Icon series²¹. The Luke grew out of his use of the ToneConcepts Distillery, an award-winning pedal he tested early, which became an essential component of his sound and earned a permanent place on his pedalboard²²²¹. As he put it:

He calls The Luke his secret weapon onstage and in the studio²¹²².

The tech behind the board

Lukather's rig is maintained by guitar tech Jon Gosnell, who also demos it. When Toto's crew were prepping gear for the European leg of the Dogz of Oz tour in 2022, Gosnell walked Alex Skolnick of Testament around the board and amps, with Skolnick later seen playing the Luke III³. In a TC Electronic video from 2023, Gosnell demoed the pedalboard, highlighting the TC Electronic SCF Gold, which Lukather uses in mono rather than stereo, alongside the TC Flashback, DigiTech HardWire and his signature Gurus Echosex 3º units⁷. The same video shows him repairing the board in the middle of a song during a 2022 performance in Luxembourg⁷.

FAQ

Does Steve Lukather have a signature pedal?

Yes, several. Rodenberg Amplification builds the SL-OD, SL-OD Deluxe and SL-OD DLX Drive overdrives as Steve Lukather signature pedals, plus the two-channel LUKE Overdrive MK II. Foxgear released the Gurus Echosex 3º Steve Lukather Signature delay in 2023, and in 2015 ToneConcepts launched The Luke, a preamp/boost pedal and his first-ever custom pedal¹¹⁵²¹.

What overdrive does Steve Lukather use?

Rodenberg Amplification pedals. He has used the SL-OD, SL-OD Deluxe and SL-OD DLX Drive continuously since 2017, live and in the studio, and calls them his main overdrive. He runs the SL-OD in front of his overdriven amplifiers to push the sound into a smoother overdrive without changing the basic tone⁴¹⁷.

What delay and reverb did Steve Lukather use on his latest album?

For the guitar tracking on his latest solo album he used the Strymon Ola chorus and vibrato, the Brigadier delay and the blueSky reverberator¹. His signature Gurus Echosex 3º delay, which he calls the most important piece of gear he has, covers everything from short slapbacks to longer delays for leads⁵².

How many albums has Steve Lukather played on?

He has worked as a composer, arranger and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums, alongside his solo releases and his work with Toto and Ringo Starr¹².

Who is Steve Lukather's guitar tech?

Jon Gosnell. He maintains and demos Lukather's rig, walked Alex Skolnick around the Dogz of Oz tour pedalboard in 2022, and appears in a TC Electronic video demoing the pedalboard and repairing it mid-song during a 2022 performance in Luxembourg³⁷.

Questions