Nuno Bettencourt reveals the most important pedal in his guitar rig: “I tried playing without one and f**kin’ hated it!”

Extreme electric guitar star Nuno Bettencourt has revealed the effects pedal that is essential to his red-hot high-gain sound – and it might not be the kind of stompbox you’d expect.

In the latest issue of Guitar World magazine, 60 guitar stars name the pedals they can’t live without, and Bettencourt took the opportunity to wax lyrical about a unit that has long served as the secret weapon behind his sound.

“I generally prefer going straight into my amp, except for this [Pro Co] Rat pedal that I’ve had for ages,” he explains.

“It’s supposed to be a distortion, but I turn the distortion all the way off. It’s there purely to tighten up my bottom-end, especially for single-note riffs like Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?) from Extreme II: Pornograffitti.