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Steve Lacy on the Boss ME-80: “I don’t really care if people shun things like this because they work so well for me”
The singer-songwriter waxes lyrical on his love of the affordable multi-effects powerhouse.
Image: Fender
Singer-songwriter Steve Lacy has shared his admiration for affordable multi-effects pedals, particularly the Boss ME-80.
In a new interview with Guitar World, the Bad Habit singer and multi-instrumentalist says that while vintage pedals often have a place in his rig, the ME-80 is the one pedal he consistently calls upon.
“My primary one, and I don’t really care if people shun things like this because they work so well for me, is a Boss ME-80. I’ve been using that for years.”
“I like to mix the Boss multi-effects with old-school pedals, like this phaser I have from the ’70s,” he continues. “There’s also a distortion pedal that I like, which Eric [the man who puts together Lacy’s pedalboard] built me in his shop. And then I have this Bee Gee fuzz pedal [Roland AF-60 Bee Gee] which is actually kinda broken right now.
“I’m not using it much recently and will probably replace it with a Morley pedal I’ve been trying out. There’s a Boss delay in there, too. That’s pretty much it. I like to keep things simple.”
For most of Lacy’s gear, he sticks with what he knows, especially when it comes to guitars; for years he’s been an avid user of Fender Stratocasters.
“I think the Strat is a good representation of my roots as a guitarist,” he says. “When I think back to the people that I loved and looked up to when I was starting out, they were all rocking the Strats.
“Jimi Hendrix was one of the biggest influences on me back then. I was a young Black kid watching Hendrix rocking the hell out of his Strat and thought ‘Damn!’ I started out on a Squier, too, so it was only right that I’d end up working with Fender to have my own signature.
Recently, Lacy announced his new signature Strat with Fender – the People Pleaser Stratocaster – featuring a Chaos Burst pink, orange and black exterior. The guitar itself dons an alder body, a 9.5” radius maple fingerboard, a modern deep C profile neck, narrow tall frets and Player Plus Noiseless single-coil pickups.
For more information, head to Fender.