John Frusciante’s Unlimited Love/Dream Canteen Pedalboard (2023 Update)

Ever since the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced John Frusciante’s return to the band, gearheads everywhere have been eager to know what kind of equipment he’ll be using. Fortunately, we finally have some answers.

On April 1, 2022, RHCP performed at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles alongside the band Irontom. During a soundcheck, Irontom’s bassist, Michael Goldman, was caught on video testing out a smaller pedalboard. The video, shared on the band’s Instagram page, also revealed a larger pedalboard set up for John Frusciante, who was scheduled to perform later that evening.

A little fun trivia detail – Irontom’s guitarist, Zach Irons, actually owns one of Frusciante’s guitars – the 1961 Fender Stratocaster finished in white. He was even using it at the gig, as seen in the photos shared on the band’s Instagram page.

John’s “Unlimited Love” Pedalboard (Early 2022)

In a zoomed-in shot from the Instagram footage, we get a detailed look at John Frusciante’s 2022 pedalboard, with each pedal labeled. While two pedals on the far left aren’t visible in this frame, they are briefly seen in the video.

1. Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
2. Boss DD-500
3. Digitech PDS1002
4. MXR Carbon Copy
5. MXR Echoplex
6. MXR Flanger
7. MXR Phase 90
8. MXR Dyna Comp
9. EHX Big Muff Pi
10. MXR Micro Amp
11. Boss XT-2
12. Boss DS-2
13. Boss SD-1
14. MXR M236 Super Badass Variac Fuzz
15. Ibanez Wh10
16. MXR Reverb
17. MXR Reverb
18. ???
19. Moog Low-Pass Filter MF-101

Key Observations

There are a few interesting things to note here—first, it’s clear John has developed a strong preference for MXR pedals. While he’s long been a fan of the MXR Phase 90 and MXR Micro Amp, many of the other MXR pedals on this board are new additions.

Notably, John has swapped out the EHX Holy Grail for two MXR M300 Reverbs, likely so he can quickly switch between different settings. The compact size of the MXR pedals may have also played a role in this change, helping make the pedalboard more streamlined.

He’s also ditched his Line 6 DL-4 delay and FM-4 filter pedals, opting instead for the MXR M299 Carbon Copy and the MXR Echoplex for delay.

Another significant addition is the MXR DynaComp, marking the first time we’ve seen a compression pedal on John’s board. This setup also shows a dramatic reduction in Moog pedals—during the Stadium Arcadium era, he had nine Moog pedals, compared to just one here.

Lastly, it’s worth pointing out the inclusion of the relatively modern Boss XT-2, an intriguing choice for John’s evolving sound.

John Frusciante’s Apollo Theater Pedalboard (Late 2022)

By late 2022, John Frusciante’s pedalboard saw a few notable changes. The image below is from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ concert at the Apollo Theater in New York, performed on September 13, 2022.

One significant addition to John’s setup is the return of the Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler, a pedal he used extensively in the past. Interestingly, the pedal is labeled with tape that reads “Television,” indicating that John likely uses it for the song Throw Away Your Television.

Another new addition is the Micro-Tron IV Mu-Tron envelope filter pedal. What’s intriguing is that John removed the far-right footswitch, which activates the “Up and Down” effect on the Mu-Tron. This pedal was only spotted briefly in his rig, as he has since removed it, suggesting that John was likely just experimenting with it at the time.

1. Boss DD-500
2. Digitech PDS1002
3. Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
4. MXR Carbon Copy
5. MXR Echoplex
6. MXR Flanger
7. MXR Phase 90
8. MXR Dyna Comp
9. Moog CP-251 Control Processor
10. Boss TU-3 Tuner (one of our candidates for the best guitar tuner)
11. Big Muff Pi
12. MXR Micro Amp
13. Boss DS-2
14. Boss DS-2
15. Boss SD-1
16. MXR M236 Super Badass Variac Fuzz
17. Ibanez Wh10
18. MXR Reverb
19. MXR Reverb
20. Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler
21. Moog Low-Pass Filter MF-101
22. Micro-Tron IV Mu-Tron envelope filter

If you want to see how each individual pedal is set up, and to what setting, click on the image above and that’ll open up a high-res version of the image.