Steve Stevens

Steve Stevens is an American guitarist best known as Billy Idol's guitarist and songwriting collaborator¹. His lead guitar work on the theme to Top Gun, "Top Gun Anthem," won him a Grammy in 1987 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance¹. For pedal players, he is interesting on two counts: he has carried a DryBell Vibe Machine on his board since the pedal's first production run, and he has his own signature overdrive and EQ pedal, the J. Rockett Rockaway Archer.

The DryBell Vibe Machine V-3 on his board

Stevens' history with the Vibe Machine goes back further than almost anyone. DryBell notes that he went "from one of the first four V-1 units in 2011, through the V-2, and today with the V-3 in his rig"¹. He also uses DryBell's Unit67 alongside it¹.

His own words on the pedal are direct. In a testimonial he wrote:

DryBell's press page carries his verdict on the pedal under the headline "It's small but mighty!", alongside a rig rundown video with Pete Thorn showing how he used the V-2⁴. The V-3 itself is a compact guitar pedal⁵⁶ with a Custom mode whose trimmers set the guitar's brightness and input impedance⁷.

The Rockaway Archer signature pedal

In 2017, J. Rockett paired with Stevens to create the Rockaway Archer, an overdrive EQ pedal⁸. It was developed for him as an all-in-one solution to his overdrive and EQ needs⁹¹⁰, and he designed it in conjunction with J. Rockett¹¹. Where a standard overdrive gives you one tone knob, Guitar Pedal X notes that "this Steve Stevens signature pedal splits out that tone dial into 6-Band EQ which provides you with an enormous degree of refined tone-shaping"². The pedal remains part of his setup, appearing as his boost in his 2025 rig.

Other pedals in his setup

• Origin Effects Cali76 Stacked Compressor: Stevens says, "The Cali76 Stacked Compressor is an incredible pedal. It's impossible to get a bad sound out of it!"¹²
• Arpanoid: EarthQuaker Devices founder Jamie Stillman reports that Stevens told him he uses an Arpanoid¹³
• Hartman Silicon Crystal Valve and Vintage Germanium Boost: Stevens was featured in Hartman Pedals' first studio video, using their gear in his LA studio in 2013¹⁴

The Rebel Yell sound

For many players, Stevens' recorded tone with Billy Idol is the reference point. Stillman singles out Stevens' solo on "Rebel Yell," where "the guitar sounds like a laser gun," as a sound that shaped how he voices his own pedals¹³.

His current rig

In a 2025 Guitar World interview, Stevens described his current setup: a Friedman-built, floor-only pedalboard running with two Friedman SS-100 V2 signature amps in stereo, his J. Rockett Rockaway Archer boost on the board, and a Boss GM-800 guitar synth.

Questions