Dave Navarro is regarded as one of the most influential guitar players in rock history. His outstanding musical legacy includes six-string duties for Red Hot Chili Peppers, plus Jane’s Addiction spin-off projects Deconstruction and The Panic Channel. He is also a respected solo artist. Along the way, BOSS pedals, notably the DD-3 Digital Delay and CH-1 Super Chorus, have helped the guitarist define his signature sound. Dan Cleary, tech for Navarro and bassist Eric Avery, reveals secrets of the Jane’s Addiction sound.
Right Hand to Alternative Music Legends
Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Jane’s Addiction lit the fuse of the 1990s alternative rock explosion. Now, almost four decades later, the band’s classic lineup (comprising guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins, and singer Perry Farrell) has reunited again for a much-anticipated international tour.
Guitar tech Dan Cleary acts as Navarro’s right hand on and off the road. The pair even hosted a podcast together for the best part of a decade called Dark Matter Radio. (Cleary continues to present Rare Form Radio). He also techs for fellow bassist and BOSS pedal fan Avery. “BOSS is really close to my heart,” Cleary reveals. “I grew up playing bass, and the first pedal I ever got was a BOSS CEB-3 Bass Chorus—the blue one. Eric Avery is the guy who made me want to play bass, and I moved to LA to play in bands, so it’s come full circle.”
"Eric Avery is the guy who made me want to play bass, and I moved to LA to play in bands, so it’s come full circle."
Conjuring Jane’s Addiction
Rising from the ashes of his post-punk outfit, Psi Com, Farrell conjured up Jane’s Addiction with Avery. The bassist’s mesmeric riffs soon became a hallmark of the band. To this day, his basslines are among rock’s most memorable. “Jane’s Addiction is one of those bands where you hum the basslines more than the guitar parts and almost more than any vocal melody,” Cleary highlights.
Avery and Farrell were later joined by dedicated fans Navarro and Perkins. “Dave and Stephen weren’t in the band in the very beginning,” Cleary points out. “Stephen has home videos of him and Dave in the crowd watching Jane’s Addiction play in LA. They’re both in the front row, headbanging and loving it.”
Before long, however, the four would coalesce into what Cleary considers the quintessential Jane’s Addiction lineup. “It’s awesome having everyone together again, and this is the best they’ve sounded in all my years with the band,” he reveals. “Dave Navarro is back, and he’s feeling good!”
"It’s awesome having everyone together again, and this is the best they’ve sounded in all my years with the band."
Pedal Talk
Featured Favorites
Which BOSS pedals are featured on Dave Navarro’s pedalboard?
From the guitar, the signal goes into a wah before hitting a BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner, then a BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay. Dave’s got three DD-3s on his board, and this one is specifically for making crazy noises. It’s for special effects, like when he adjusts the delay time by hand or kicks on the Hold mode. That’s his “noise” pedal.
Right now, we have that going into a spacey delay/reverb that’s new to the pedalboard, followed by an overdrive, then another DD-3. This is the delay Dave uses a lot for solos. That DD-3 goes into a BOSS CH-1 Super Chorus. When he goes for a guitar solo, he’ll often step on the DD-3 and Super Chorus at the same time. That’s his main solo sound. This Super Chorus is set with the Level at about 1 o’clock, the EQ at roughly 2 o’clock, the Rate around noon, and Depth is maxed all the way clockwise.
That’s Dave’s dirty chain, and it goes into an A/B switcher to select his clean sound. The clean chain uses another BOSS CH-1 Super Chorus (with almost the same settings as the dirty channel) and another BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay with a different delay time setting. Those two pedals are always on. So, whenever you hear Dave playing a clean tone in Jane’s Addiction, you are hearing BOSS pedals every single time. That’s 100 percent his sound. He can also use both the dirty and clean pedal chains together.
"Whenever you hear Dave playing a clean tone in Jane’s Addiction, you are hearing BOSS pedals every single time."
Delay Mainstay
Why does Dave Navarro prefer to use the BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay?
You’d be forgiven for thinking all digital delay pedals sound the same, but there’s something about the BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay. It’s a mainstay. It’s not going anywhere. He’s always loved that pedal. Dave likes the simplicity of the DD-3, and you can often get a little more creative with less options.
A lot of people want the delay time to be in sync with the song they’re playing. But one of the keys to Dave’s signature sound is that those delays don’t change. They stay the same no matter what tempo the song is, fast or slow. That’s part of the magic. It’s a big, washy sound. One of the secrets to getting Dave’s signature DD-3 sound is the delay time; he always sets it to the beginning part of Pink Floyd’s “Run Like Hell.” That’s how he can tell if it’s correct or not.
Jane’s Addiction doesn’t play like a metronome; the whole point is it flows. The whole band breathes together. Sometimes they breathe fast, sometimes they breathe slow, even within the same song. So, if the effects are floating too, it adds to the Jane’s Addiction sound. Perry has a vocal effects rig that does a similar thing; it’s never exactly in time.
"Dave likes the simplicity of the DD-3, and you can often get a little more creative with less options. "
Classic Swirl
Which BOSS pedals does Dave Navarro use when performing the classic Jane’s Addiction song “Three Days”?
For songs like “Three Days” and “Then She Did,” he’ll use two Super Choruses and two Digital Delays for a beautiful clean tone. The Super Choruses are set pretty closely, but the DD-3 times are set differently, which makes the sound bigger and even more like a delay soup. Those clean guitar tones are incredible. “Three Days” is one of my favorites because Dave’s playing is so beautiful. He uses a DD-3 throughout virtually the whole song. There’s one part—the heavy chugging part—where he doesn’t use it. But his BOSS delay and chorus sound during that song is so full and ethereal.
“Three Days” starts with the bass. When that clean guitar kicks in and the song starts coming to life, I still get goosebumps after all these years as a fan. Every night. It’s one of those songs. It’s like their “Stairway to Heaven.” In fact, I like it more than “Stairway to Heaven.” It’s the ’90s “Stairway.” And it’s just as good live as it is on record. That’s probably my favorite part of the whole set.
"Dave uses two Super Choruses and two Digital Delays for a beautiful clean tone."
Perfect Timing
Name one of your favorite BOSS pedal moments on a Jane’s Addiction record.
They had a hit single called “Just Because” from the Strays album, and that song starts with guitar featuring the BOSS DD-3. Dave wrote the parts timed specifically with his Digital Delay. The DD-3 makes that song. That’s what kicks it off. The beginning of “Just Because” is a total Navarro-ism.
How do other members of Jane’s Addiction use BOSS or Roland gear?
Eric Avery has a BOSS GE-7 on his pedalboard. We use it to take out all the high end on his bass. At the beginning of “Ted, Just Admit It…” and “Then She Did…” he likes to use a deep bass tone. He calls it his “dub tone” because it sounds like dub bass.
Also, Stephen Perkins uses a Roland SPD pad with his DW Drums for sub drops and samples, like the spoken intro to “Stop”: “Señores y señoras…”
"You can plug a BOSS pedal in, go into your own world, and make magic."
Durability Meets Quality
What do you like most about BOSS gear?
Durability, reliability, and accessibility. And the quality of the sounds, of course. They’ve always been my favorite pedals. They’re simple to operate, too. Even if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing with pedal chains and that sort of thing, you can plug a BOSS pedal in, go into your own world, and make magic. It’s a blank canvas, and you can do amazing things even with just a couple of BOSS pedals.
Dave has used BOSS pedals since the ’80s, and that says a lot. BOSS pedals are very roadworthy and extremely durable. They take a lot of abuse. We’ll use the same pedals for many, many years. Every now and then, we’ll swap them out for new ones just to be sure. Not because anything’s gone wrong, but just to be sure.
"Dave has used BOSS pedals since the '80s, and that says a lot."
They’re completely reliable. The settings never move, even when the pedalboard is getting banged around in trucks. You can set it and forget it. They’re solid. A lot of other pedals’ controls move if you so much as touch them, and the rumbling of trucks will move those around. Every festival is dusty and dirty. There’s rain, mud, and all kinds of guck, but we’ve not had any problems with that kind of thing with BOSS; none of it gets into the pedals.
They’re also hugely accessible; we can get them anywhere, which is very reassuring for the both of us. Dave tours with two duplicate pedalboards, but if something got lost, I know I could walk into virtually any guitar store in the world and build him a new one in a couple of hours.
"You can do amazing things even with just a couple of BOSS pedals."
Desert Island BOSS
What’s your favorite BOSS pedal of all time?
It has to be the DD-3 Digital Delay. I’m also a sucker for a BOSS Bass Chorus, but the DD-3 is the winner. Dave can get by without everything else, but we would need the DD-3 to do a Jane’s Addiction show. It has to be on the board.
Which three pedals would you pick for your desert island BOSS pedalboard and why?
I would have a TU-3 Chromatic Tuner (I’m a guitar tech, after all!) plus a CH-1 Super Chorus and DD-3 Digital Delay. If I’m sitting by myself on a desert island where no one else is listening, I’d probably want to make spacey noise and trip out. So, actually, I’ll swap the Super Chorus for one of the BOSS Harmonist pedals. They do some cool stuff.
Do you have any tips on using effects pedals?
I think people need to find what works for them. Everybody plays differently and likes different things. It’s important for people to have fun and experiment. That’s what effects pedals are for. It’s about finding what settings you can use to express yourself in your unique way. What works for one person may not work for another. It’s about successfully conveying the emotion and feeling in your music. You need to find what works for you. That’s what Dave did.
"'Dave can get by without everything else, but we would need the DD-3 to do a Jane’s Addiction show. It has to be on the board."
Roadworthy Tools
Have you noticed any common mistakes or myths about pedalboards?
Using too much gear is a mistake. Simplicity is underrated. I don’t think it’s good to use effects just for the sake of it. My advice is to know what your sound is, know what you’re trying to do, and do it with as little gear as possible. Firstly, learn how to play well, and then use pedals as tools to enhance what you’re doing. It’s about getting your point across. Everything on Dave’s board needs to be there. There’s nothing there for the sake of it. It’s all essential.
What is your view on the current state of the effects pedal market?
I don’t like the boutique stuff, generally speaking. There’s something about a BOSS pedal. When you hold it, there’s heft to it. It feels solid. It feels like you can jump on it, and it’s going to be fine. A lot of boutique pedals feel fragile, and they often are. Having to chase down a boutique pedal if one goes down can be a nightmare on tour. You might not be able to find a replacement anywhere at all. Boutique pedals are just not as roadworthy as BOSS pedals. There’s a reason the same BOSS pedals are still working perfectly after years and years on the road.
