← ninjaTONE Lab / Tone Lab 02

Michael Landau Tone Lab

Suhr Badger 30 • Maxon SD-9 • Xotic AC+ • Fuzz Factory • Strymon Mobius • Strymon Timeline
Landau is the polar opposite of Henderson. Henderson drives the amp. Landau keeps the amp surgically clean and does everything with pedals. His DeVille runs clean channel only, volume between 3 and 5 — pure headroom. All gain comes from stompboxes: the Maxon SD-9 (tone knob almost off, level dimed), a clean boost (Jan Ray / Xotic), and fuzz (Fuzz Face / Fuzz Factory). He runs wet/dry with delay and reverb in a separate amp. Guitar volume lives at 7–8: "There's something about having it live in that 7–8 range where it's got a sweetness to it." You have his actual pedal lineup. The SD-9 is his #1 — both he and Henderson used it for years. The Xotic AC+ replaces his Jan Ray / Shanks boost. The Fuzz Factory covers his Fuzz Face / Berkos territory. This is basically Landau's rig.
Signal Chain — Landau Style (All Gain Before Amp)
Suhr Strat S → Fuzz Factory → Maxon SD-9 → Xotic AC+ → Badger 30 Input → FX Send → Mobius → Timeline → FX Return Order matters. Landau's documented chain: Fuzz → Distortion (SD-9) → Boost (Jan Ray / your AC+) → Chorus → Vibe → Delay. Fuzz first (needs to see guitar impedance directly). SD-9 next for main drive. AC+ last in the gain chain as always-on boost / volume control. Modulation and delay in the Badger's tube-buffered FX loop.
Preset 01
The Session Shimmer
Landau's legendary 80s/90s session clean — wide, three-dimensional, chorused Strat. Richard Marx "Angelia," James Taylor sideman tone. Huge headroom, lush chorus, pristine delay. The sound that launched a thousand imitators with Tri-Stereo chorus rigs.
Session Clean
Suhr Badger 30 — Max Clean
10
Power
8
Drive
2
Gain
5
Bass
5
Middle
6
Treble
Off
Boost
Guitar: Pos 4 (neck+mid) or neck. Volume 7. Tone 8. Pedals: SD-9 off, Fuzz Factory off. Xotic AC+ on — set as clean boost only (gain off, volume at unity or +3dB). This adds body and buffers the signal like Landau's always-on Jan Ray. Badger manual "Max Clean Headroom" base: Power 10, Drive 8, Gain 2–3.
Strymon Mobius — Chorus (dBucket)
TypeChorus
Mode (param)dBucket
Speed10 o'clock (~0.5Hz)
Depth1 o'clock
Level12:00 (unity)
Mix (param)40%
Tone (param)11 o'clock (warm)
Landau's session sound used the Arion SCH-1 (modded by Vertex). The Mobius dBucket mode nails that warm, slightly lo-fi BBD chorus. More mix than Henderson — Landau wants the chorus heard. The Mobius manual describes dBucket as "variable-clock warmth" — exactly the Arion character.
Strymon Timeline — Digital
TypeDigital
Time375ms
Repeats10 o'clock
Mix10 o'clock (~20%)
Filter12:00 (neutral)
GritMin
Mod Depth9 o'clock (hint)
Landau actually has a Timeline on his board — it goes to his wet amp at 100% wet. In your single-amp chain, keep mix at ~20% for the same perceived depth. Crystal clear — Landau was a Lexicon/Eventide guy in the rack era.
Preset 02
The Sweet Spot
Landau's "playing out" tone. Clean amp, AC+ providing warmth and body as always-on boost, guitar volume at 7–8 doing the dynamics. No chorus, no distortion — just the amp breathing with touch sensitivity. The James Taylor gig tone.
Warm Clean
Suhr Badger 30
10
Power
7
Drive
3
Gain
6
Bass
5
Middle
5
Treble
Off
Boost
Xotic AC+ — Always-On Boost
ChannelBoost side (low gain)
GainMin (9 o'clock)
Volume1 o'clock (+3–6dB)
Treble11 o'clock
Bass12:00
Internal DIPStock (mid hump off)
Role: Landau's Jan Ray is always on — it buffers, adds body, and lets him control volume with expression. Your AC+ does the same job. Minimal gain, just enough volume push to give the amp something to chew on. Treble slightly warm. SD-9 and Fuzz Factory: OFF.
Strymon Timeline — dTape
TypedTape
Time350ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix9 o'clock (~15%)
Filter (Tape Age)10 o'clock
GritMin
Mobius: bypassed. This tone is pure amp + boost + fingers. Just a whisper of warm tape delay for spatial depth. Guitar vol 7–8, tone 8.
Preset 03
Burning Water
The Maxon SD-9 crunch — Burning Water, Raging Honkies, the live Baked Potato tone. SD-9 with tone knob rolled way down, level dimed, into the clean Badger. Heavy, fuzzy overdrive that cleans up with guitar volume. This is the "Landau setting" that forum players have documented for 20+ years.
SD-9 Crunch
Suhr Badger 30 — Still Clean
10
Power
8
Drive
2.5
Gain
4
Bass
6
Middle
5
Treble
Off
Boost
Amp stays clean. Bass pulled to 4 because the SD-9 pushes low mids hard. Mids bumped to 6 to help the drive cut through. Badger manual principle still applies: dial back bass when gain increases — even when it's pedal gain.
Maxon SD-9 — The Landau Setting
Distortion12–1 o'clock
Tone8 o'clock (almost off)
LevelDimed (5 o'clock)
This is the documented Landau/Henderson setting. The SD-9 designer himself noted that Henderson's board photos showed "the tone knob at around 8 o'clock and the level knob at almost full position" and called the settings "too extreme." But that's the sound. Tone almost off = smooth, dark, fat distortion. Level dimed = the SD-9 has limited output, so you need it cranked for the thick, full-bodied character. Distortion to taste — 12–1 o'clock for Landau-style crunch, higher for more saturation. AC+: off or very low gain boost behind it for solo lift.
Strymon Timeline — dTape
TypedTape
Time400ms
Repeats9 o'clock
Mix9 o'clock (~15%)
Filter11 o'clock
Grit9 o'clock
Mobius: bypassed. Raw SD-9 crunch, no modulation. Guitar vol 8, tone 7–8. Roll back to 5–6 for rhythm, push to 10 for lead accents.
Preset 04
Singing Lead
The Landau solo tone — SD-9 stacked with AC+ boost, Vibe underneath. Sustain for days, notes that sing and bloom. "Elevator" solos, "Can't Buy My Way Home." The drive stack does everything. Amp is still clean. This is where Landau lives when he's letting rip.
Stacked Lead
Suhr Badger 30 — Clean Platform
10
Power
8
Drive
2.5
Gain
3
Bass
6
Middle
5
Treble
Off
Boost
Bass pulled to 3 — two drive pedals stacking means the low end multiplies fast. Mids at 6 for vocal lead presence.
SD-9 + AC+ Stack
Maxon SD-9ON
Distortion1–2 o'clock
Tone8–9 o'clock
LevelDimed
Xotic AC+ON (stacked)
Gain10 o'clock (light)
Volume2 o'clock (+6dB)
Treble11 o'clock
Bass10 o'clock (cut)
The stack: SD-9 provides the saturation and harmonic content. AC+ behind it adds volume lift and a touch more gain — Landau's Jan Ray boost did this exact job. AC+ bass cut keeps things from getting muddy. The SD-9 into a boost is how Landau gets those endless sustain lead tones where high notes have the same weight as low notes — what he and Henderson call "note gravity."
Strymon Mobius — Vibe
TypeVibe
ModeChorus
Speed10 o'clock (slow throb)
Depth1 o'clock
Level12:00
WaveshapeLow (smooth)
Headroom2 o'clock
Landau uses a Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe and Shin-ei Vibe-Bro. The Mobius Vibe in Chorus mode nails that watery, phasey Univibe character. Slow throb underneath the lead adds liquid movement without getting in the way. Timeline: same as Preset 3 — dTape, low mix, stays out of the way.
Preset 05
Hendrix Supernova
Landau's Hendrix worship mode — Fuzz Factory into the clean amp, Vibe swirling underneath, feedback and chaos on tap. "It basically goes back to the music that I grew up on. Cream and Hendrix and The Beatles." The Berkos Fuzz Face territory. When Landau goes full psychedelic.
Fuzz / Psychedelic
Suhr Badger 30 — Clean (More Bass)
10
Power
8
Drive
2
Gain
5
Bass
4
Middle
6
Treble
Off
Boost
Bass back to 5 — fuzz has its own low-end character and the Fuzz Factory is already fat. Mids scooped slightly to 4 — lets the fuzz breathe and get that wide, open Hendrix thing. Treble up to 6 for cut through the fuzz.
Fuzz Factory — Hendrix Territory
Gate10 o'clock (light gate)
Comp12:00
Drive1–2 o'clock
Stab3 o'clock (stable)
Volume1 o'clock
Fuzz Factory taming guide: Stab high = more conventional fuzz tone. Pull it back for velcro/gated madness. For Landau Hendrix territory, keep Stab above 2 o'clock. Gate slightly on to clean up between notes. Drive controls saturation — 1–2 o'clock for thick Fuzz Face territory without oscillation chaos. SD-9: off. AC+: on as clean boost behind the fuzz — Landau ran his Jan Ray after the fuzz to recover volume and add body.
Strymon Mobius — Vibe (Univibe)
TypeVibe
ModeChorus
Speed11 o'clock (medium throb)
Depth2 o'clock
Level12:00
WaveshapeMedium
Low EndHigh (fat)
Headroom11 o'clock (gritty)
Mobius manual: "Headroom adjusts distortion within the phaser circuitry. Dial back to add grit." Pulling headroom back adds that dirty, saturated vibe character that Hendrix got from overdriving a real Univibe. More depth, more speed than the lead preset — this is psychedelic, not subtle. Timeline: Digital, 450ms, repeats at 10 o'clock, mix at 12 o'clock (~25%) — more delay here for the spacey vibe.

Sources: Suhr Badger 30 manual (sample settings, Power/Drive scaling rules, EQ behaviour). Strymon TimeLine manual Rev H (delay machine specs, Filter/Grit behaviour). Strymon Mobius manual Rev F (Chorus dBucket mode, Vibe Chorus/Vibrato modes, Headroom parameter, Waveshape control). Michael Landau gear documentation from vertexeffects.com pedalboard builds, equipboard.com, Fractal Audio forum (Landau's own SD-9 settings), MusicRadar and Guitar.com interviews, Premier Guitar DeVille ML review, That Pedal Show SD-9 designer interview (Susumu Tamura confirming the "extreme" Landau/Henderson settings).

Landau vs Henderson — The Key Difference On Your Rig: Same Badger amp, completely different approach. Henderson: amp gain up, minimal pedals, FX loop for time-based only. Landau: amp gain at minimum, all drive from pedals before the input, FX loop for modulation and delay. Your rig can do both — that's the beauty of the Badger's single-channel design with Power Scaling.

The SD-9 "Extreme Settings" Explained: The SD-9's designer Susumu Tamura documented that both Henderson and Landau ran "the tone knob at around 8 o'clock and the level at almost full position" — settings he considered extreme enough to warrant redesigning the pedal. The reason it works: with tone almost off, the SD-9 loses its harsh high-frequency content and becomes a smooth, fat, almost fuzz-like distortion. Level dimed compensates for the pedal's naturally limited output, pushing more signal into the clean amp for a bigger, more authoritative sound.

Your Neural DSP: Park it as a backup drive option. With the actual SD-9 on your board, you don't need it for the Landau chain. If you want to use it, it could sit between the SD-9 and AC+ as an additional gain stage for extreme lead tones — but honestly, SD-9 → AC+ is already doing Landau's actual signal chain.

← Back to ninjaTONE Lab