BCMA Musician of the Year Nominee 2025
CHUCK'S EQUIPMENT
Chuck uses the finest quality equipment with no expensed spared for the best tone possible! Chuck has designed his set up so that his sound can be adapted on the fly to suit the artists he works with and can even change tone mid-song to perfectly match the performance. His sound can range all the way from the smoothest Nashville pop slides, to an old-school twangy bite, all the way to a heavy distorted rock anthem!
It Starts at The Steel
Chuck uses two GFI ULTRA pedal steels;
one is a D10 (double neck - E9 + C6) and the other is an SD10 (single neck - E9)
Both steels have custom machined phosphor bronze ferules for increased reliability and accuracy.
Chuck uses a modified "Emmons" style setup including a "Mooney" pedal on the 8 pedal of his D10, lowering his 6 and 3 string G#s to G.
Tuning and Intonation
Chuck prides himself on his dedication to tuning accuracy and intonation.
Chuck uses a Petersons Strobo Vue which stays on permanently. This means he can check his tuning at every possible moment. He uses separate sweetened tunings for both C6 + E9 tunings and also separate sweetners for the relative pedals/knee levers.
Chuck uses the highly regarded D'Addario NYXL Strings and changes them regularly for tuning accuracy and tone.
Amp - Old School Tone with New Technology
Chuck uses a custom 1982 Peavey Session 500 Head modified by Keld Amplifiers. He exclusively uses balanced outputs from his amp for the highest sound quality with no interference.
For stage sound Chuck uses a Fender FR-212 Flat Response amp and for silent stages Chuck uses a Shure Wired IEM Pack with ACS IEMs.
This unique setup allows for an old school sound without the sacrifices of old technology.
Effects to Accompany Every Artist - Chuck's Effect Pedals
(In order of signal chain)
Boss GE-7 - Graphic Equaliser
Seven band equaliser for fine adjustments of tone and removal of harsh frequencies.
Wampler Paisley Drive Deluxe - Twin Stackable Overdrive
Drive 1 for a mild drive for country rock bite.
Drive 2 for a heavy sound perfect for rock.
Drive 1 + 2 for wild steel shredding solos you never knew were possible on a pedal steel guitar.
Mooer MCH1 Ensemble King - Chorus
Mild chorus pedal for warmth.
Fender Waylon Jennings Phaser - Phaser
Perfect for interesting steel riffs and warm eye-opening solos.
TC Electronic Hyper Gravity - Compressor
A chorus pedal used for evening out tone and also adding sustain and a sharper attack.
Mooer Noise Killer - Noisegate
Used for removing noise and buzz from high gain overdrive and compression.
Boss DD-200 - Delay
A tap tempo delay pedal perfect for dreamy slides and a massive sound.
Mooer MDD1 - Delay
A simple but effective delay set to a short time for a slap-back delay sound.
Goodrich L120 - Passive Volume
An essential tool for swells and smoothness. Chuck has modified his volume pedal with Allen Bradley 500K potentiometers and custom machined internals for increased reliability.
Dunlop GCB95 - Wah
A classic pedal used in a unique way!
Electroharmonix Switchblade Plus - Channel Selector
A line selector when using physical amps on stage or in the studio.
Peavey Session LTD 400 - Preamp
Precise control for tone and equalisation.
TC Electronic Iron Curtain - Noisegate
A final noisegate in the chain to remove any unwanted noise for the cleanest tone.