My pedalboard serves to mystify and confuse most that observe it. Many people have asked why I have so many pedals. And I answer them: Why not? The way I see it is that pedals are tools to open doors to different sonic possibilities. For example, I have five fuzz/distortion pedals, and each one has a distinct sound. I use each one as it is needed to create unique effects for every song I write. The same is true for the rest of my pedals.
A huge issue for a lot of people is controlling all of the pedals in a lineup. Many find that they can't keep track of all of the switching needed for a song or a set. I've never found this to be a problem, as I've always found pedal switching to be a mostly intuitive art. During a song, I think of what sound is needed, and turn a pedal on or off based on that, not memorization of switching order. It's just a happy coincidence that the switches usually end up the same for a particular song.
Effects pedals are miraculous in a way. A clean electronic signal goes in one end, and a magically transformed sound wave come out of the other. So I look at my pedalboard very reverently, as if it's a holy object.
-SAM