Your Suhr ML Pickups — What They Need
The ML Standards are Alnico V, calibrated per position: Neck 6.5KΩ Mid 6.5KΩ RWRP Bridge 7.2KΩ. Suhr describes them as "big and full with detailed high-end sparkle and big tight lows" — designed from Landau's best vintage specimens. They're slightly hotter than typical vintage-spec single coils but still firmly in single-coil territory. What this means for your rig: they already have the focused midrange and tight lows built in, so you don't need to push mids on the amp as hard as you would with weaker pickups. The bridge is only 7.2K — hot enough to drive pedals properly without needing a boost, but not so hot it'll overwhelm the Badger's clean headroom. The matched output across positions means your volume won't jump between pickup switches — this is deliberate; Landau's wiring bypasses tone controls in positions 2 and 4.
Signal Chain — Definitive Order
Suhr Strat S
→
Fuzz Factory
→
Maxon SD-9
→
Xotic AC+
→
Badger 30
→
FX Send
→
Mobius
→
Timeline
→
FX Return
→
Speaker
Why this order is non-negotiable: Fuzz Factory first — it must see the guitar's impedance directly or it sounds thin and gated wrong. It's germanium-circuit-based and impedance-sensitive. SD-9 second — your main gain stage, works best after fuzz and before boost. AC+ third — always-on boost/EQ/volume controller, shaping everything before it hits the clean amp. Neural DSP is parked for this rig — you have the real pedals. If you want it, it goes between the SD-9 and AC+ as an alternative drive, but honestly the SD-9 → AC+ stack is doing Landau's actual chain already.
Amp — Suhr Badger 30 (Your Foundation)
Badger 30 — Clean Platform
The canvas. Never the paint.
Power10
Drive8
Gain2.5
Bass4.5
Middle5.5
Treble5.5
MOSFET BoostOff
The ML pickup optimisation: Because the MLs already have focused mids and tight lows, the Badger EQ stays nearly flat (all around 5). Bass pulled to 4.5 — the MLs' "big tight lows" plus your pedal gain will push low-end if you don't. Middle at 5.5 — a touch above flat because the Badger's passive-cut EQ at 5 is essentially "full" and single coils benefit from a hair of mid presence through the EL34s. Treble at 5.5 — the MLs have "smooth top-end sparkle" so you don't need to push brightness hard. Gain at 2.5: maximum clean headroom. Suhr manual: Power 10, Drive 8, Gain 2–3 = "Max Clean Headroom." Keep Drive within 2 of Power. The MOSFET Boost stays off — your AC+ handles boost duty more flexibly.
Badger 30 — Henderson Mode
When you want the amp to do the work
Power7
Drive7
Gain5–6
Bass3
Middle7
Treble5
MOSFET BoostOn (for lead)
Switch to this when you want amp drive. Power scaled down to 7 for earlier breakup. Mids pushed hard — Henderson's vocal, nasal character. Bass at 3 per Henderson's documented preference. With MLs you can pull bass lower than with weaker pickups because the MLs already bring enough bottom. Boost on for lead sections. Pedals off or SD-9 at low gain for extra push.
Gain Pedals — Before the Amp
Fuzz Factory
Position 1 • Germanium Fuzz • Hendrix / Psychedelic
Gate10 o'clock
Comp12:00
Drive1 o'clock
Stab3 o'clock
Volume12–1 o'clock
Your Berkos / Fuzz Face equivalent. Landau uses a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face (modded by Vertex) and a Berkos Germanium Experience. The Fuzz Factory covers this and more. Stab at 3 o'clock = conventional thick fuzz. Pull Stab below noon for velcro/gated textures. Gate at 10 o'clock cleans up between notes without killing sustain. Critical: this MUST be first in chain. The MLs' 6.5–7.2K impedance is perfect for driving germanium fuzz — hotter humbuckers can overwhelm it, but these single coils hit the sweet spot. Guitar volume is your gain control — Fuzz Factory cleans up beautifully at guitar vol 5–6.
Maxon SD-9
Position 2 • Primary Drive • The Landau/Henderson Sound
Distortion12–1 o'clock
Tone8 o'clock (almost off)
Level5 o'clock (dimed)
The Landau/Henderson setting — confirmed by the SD-9's own designer. Tone at 8 o'clock removes the harsh high-frequency content, turning it into a smooth, fat, almost fuzz-like distortion. Level dimed compensates for the SD-9's limited output — this is essential for the thick, full-bodied character. The SD-9 designer Susumu Tamura confirmed these "extreme" settings from Henderson's pedalboard photos. With your ML pickups: the MLs' focused midrange + the SD-9's inherent mid-scoop at low tone settings = a balanced, full-range drive that doesn't get nasal or honky. The 7.2K bridge drives the SD-9 hard enough for chunky rhythm; the 6.5K neck gives smooth legato leads. Guitar vol 7–8 for crunch, roll to 5 for clean-ish.
Xotic AC+
Position 3 • Always-On Boost / EQ / Volume • The Jan Ray Replacement
Channel A — Always On
Gain A9 o'clock (min)
Volume A1 o'clock
Tone A11 o'clock (warm)
Boost SwitchOff (save for solo lift)
Channel B — Solo Boost
Gain B10 o'clock
Volume B2 o'clock (+6dB)
Bass10 o'clock (cut)
Mid1 o'clock (push)
Treble12:00
Comp (Hard/Soft)Soft (more headroom)
Flow SwitchA → B
This is the most important pedal on your board. Channel A replaces Landau's always-on Jan Ray — transparent body and warmth, buffers everything before it, provides the foundation tone colouring. Channel B is your solo boost — step on it for +6dB volume lift with mid push and bass cut (keeps leads from getting muddy). A→B flow means Channel A feeds into B when both are on, giving you three states: A only (rhythm), A+B (solo boost), or B only (alternative crunch). With MLs: the AC+'s Tone A at 11 o'clock gently tames the MLs' "detailed high-end sparkle" into warmth without killing it. Bass cut on Channel B is critical — the MLs + SD-9 + AC+ gain stacking will multiply low end fast.
FX Loop — Modulation & Delay
Strymon Mobius
FX Loop Position 1 • Chorus / Vibe / Phaser
Preset A — Session Chorus
TypeChorus (dBucket mode)
Speed10 o'clock
Depth1 o'clock
Level12:00
Mix35–40%
Tone11 o'clock
Preset B — Lead Vibe
TypeVibe (Chorus mode)
Speed10 o'clock
Depth1–2 o'clock
Level12:00
WaveshapeLow (smooth sine)
Headroom2 o'clock (clean)
Save these as Preset A and B on the Mobius. A = session shimmer (Arion SCH-1 / Landau's wide clean). B = Univibe for leads and psychedelic moments (Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe territory). The dBucket chorus mode specifically emulates the warm BBD clock sound of Landau's modded Arion. For Henderson tones: use the same Chorus preset but pull mix back to 25% and use Vintage Chorus instead of dBucket. For the Hendrix fuzz tones: use Vibe Preset B with the Fuzz Factory — the Mobius manual notes you can pull Headroom back for "gritty" vibe character.
Strymon Timeline
FX Loop Position 2 • Delay • Spatial Depth
Preset A — Clean Digital
TypeDigital
Time375ms
Repeats10 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~20%)
Filter12:00
GritMin
Preset B — Warm Tape
TypedTape
Time400ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix9 o'clock (~15%)
Filter (Tape Age)11 o'clock
Grit9 o'clock
Mod Depth9 o'clock
Two presets, two philosophies. Preset A = Landau's Lexicon clarity. Crystal digital, neutral filter, no grit. For session cleans and fusion. Preset B = Henderson's warm, dark tape echo. Aged tape, slight grit, barely-there mix. For the amp-driven tones. Both use low mix — delay is spatial depth, not an effect. Landau actually runs his Timeline at 100% wet into a separate amp; in your single-amp chain, 15–20% mix achieves the same perceived depth. Params to save: set SPLOVR (spillover) to ON in globals so trails persist when switching presets. Set BYPASS to BUFBYP for consistent tone when delay is off.
How to Switch Between Tones
Session Clean
Fuzz: Off. SD-9: Off. AC+: Ch A on (always on). Badger: Clean platform. Mobius: Preset A (chorus). Timeline: Preset A (digital). Guitar: Pos 4, vol 7, tone 8.
Warm Clean (No Effects)
Fuzz: Off. SD-9: Off. AC+: Ch A on. Badger: Clean platform. Mobius: Bypass. Timeline: Preset B (tape, low). Guitar: Neck, vol 7, tone 7.
Crunch Rhythm
Fuzz: Off. SD-9: On. AC+: Ch A on. Badger: Clean platform. Mobius: Bypass. Timeline: Preset B. Guitar: Bridge or pos 2, vol 7–8.
Solo Lead
Fuzz: Off. SD-9: On. AC+: Ch A+B (solo boost). Badger: Clean platform. Mobius: Preset B (vibe). Timeline: Preset B. Guitar: Neck, vol 10, tone 7.
Henderson Amp Drive
Fuzz: Off. SD-9: Off. AC+: Off (or Ch A low boost). Badger: Henderson mode (gain 5–6, boost on). Mobius: Bypass. Timeline: Preset B. Guitar: Neck, vol rides 7–10.
Hendrix Psychedelic
Fuzz: On. SD-9: Off. AC+: Ch A on (recovery boost). Badger: Clean platform. Mobius: Preset B (vibe, depth up). Timeline: Preset A (digital, mix up to 25%). Guitar: Neck, vol 6–10 (ride it).
Guitar Settings by Context
The ML pickup advantage: calibrated output across all positions means you don't get volume jumps when switching. This is Landau's deliberate design choice.
Neck (6.5K): Your lead and clean tone position. Smooth, fat, vocal. Tone at 7–8 — don't go below 6 or you lose the MLs' sparkle that Suhr worked so hard to put in. Vol 7 for sweetness, 10 for full power leads.
Pos 4 / Neck+Mid: The session clean position. Hollow, glassy, three-dimensional. This is where the chorus sounds best. Tone at 8–10. This is Landau's go-to for clean arpeggios and chord work.
Middle (6.5K RWRP): The quack position when combined with bridge or neck. Rarely used alone, but in position 2 (bridge+mid) it gives a tight, funky snap that cuts through with the SD-9.
Bridge (7.2K): Hotter than neck — designed this way for lead bite and rhythm chunk. With SD-9: thick, punchy crunch. Henderson documented turning his bridge tone down to 3–5 — try this with the SD-9 for that dark, heavy fusion lead from the bridge. With the amp clean, keep tone at 6–7 for cut.
Vol 7–8 as default. Both Landau and Henderson ride the volume knob constantly. At 7–8 you have room to push to 10 for accents and pull to 5 for cleanup. This is not optional — it's the technique that makes the settings above work.