Well, for the first time in ten years I’m finding myself using a decent number of effects pedals again, so I thought I’d pose this question to you all: what’s your favorite pedal board?
I’ll be in the market for something soon––smallish, for maybe four or five pedals tops––and I like the idea of a board with a lid you can just snap on so you can take the whole thing with you at a moment’s notice.
Not sure if I want an integrated power supply, but I’d be interested to hear any thoughts you all might have.
Pros, cons, brand recommendations, things to watch out for… any and all suggestions are welcome.
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March 5th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I have this Core Equipment case and board, the large version. Actually, it belongs to my band’s bass player, he’s let me use it for who knows how long and I think I basically need to pay him for it or something.
Too bulky though. It could be thiner and less bulky. Once you close it up, it’s almost the size of a small amp. No internal power source, although it has a gap/hole on the left side where you could stick a power strip or some other kind of power source.
I’ve thought about changing, but just haven’t gotten to it. If you’re giggin, you gotta think board plus case, and I’ve never liked what the reasonably-price market offers as compromises for each in combination. Basically, I don’t want much of a board on stage, just enough to raise the pedals up a bit at an angle. But, I do want to pick up the pedals at once and take them back home in an easy and safe manner. Curious what other folks use. Schweeet.
IG
March 5th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Amperor/VOLTZ has some interesting stuff with good DC noise isolation.
http://stratoblogster.blogspot.com/2007/04/voltz-pedal-board-dc-power-supply.html
March 5th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Thanks :) Last time I did a reader’s poll I had like 50 comments… today: 1.
You should win a prize or something!
March 5th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
i’d love to comment but i never keep pedals long enough to put em on a board….guess i should do more ‘in store’ playing but when yer doing shoegazey-type stuff or Sonic Youth-type playing the people behind the boutique pedal counter aren’t very friendly when they see you knob twiddling between feedback swells.
My advice is to go with an integrated power supply that offers great filtering. Don’t skimp there and don’t spend an insane amount of money on cabling by falling into that whole ‘tone mojo’ trap. ‘Cause unless you have a million pedals to connect, the length of cable involved doesnt justify the 200+ bucks some guys want you to spend on cable. That’s my 2 cents.
I find this site a treasure trove of info especially if you are a DIYer Here’s a pedal board project. http://www.beavisaudio.com/Projects/boardpimp1/
March 5th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I don’t own a pedal board. I have my share of pedals but have always used them sporadically at best…and my Vox Valvetronix amp has virtually eliminated the need for pedals — except for a good wah.
March 6th, 2008 at 6:45 am
I use nyc Pdalboards, they have a lot of different sizes to choose from and has a lid.
http://www.nycpedalboards.com/
I also like Pumaboards for something a little flashier.
http://www.pumaboards.com/
March 6th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Use one shelf from this: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100010588&N=10000003+90401+502362+2124
Use zip-ties to attach your pedals. With that shelf you can route the interconnect and power cables underneath. For power, Godlyke Power-All, VS OneSpot, or Voodoo Lab’s Pedal Power 2 if you have a lot of modern digital pedals. My current pedal board was $15, I use this one upside-down with zip-ties, all cabling underneath:
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=943568&Ntt=943568&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=112821&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber
March 6th, 2008 at 11:47 am
My approach to pedal boards is somewhat unusual but it really works for me.
It might be that I’m just inherently clumsy, maybe I dance a bit too much on stage or perhaps my feet are just too big, but I find that having all my pedals arranged on 2 tiers of a single board means that I often make mistakes during a gig (turning 2 pedals on by accident, hitting the wrong button, missing the buttons entirely).
My solution is to use 2 small boards - one on either side of my mic stand. My guitar runs into an ABY box which then sends the signal to either or both boards and then on to one or other of the two channels on my Sound City Concord amp.
Essentially this means I can switch between two effects chains quickly and easily, also it dramatically cuts down on the amount of pedals my signal goes through at any one time. Most importantly though, it means that I have 2 simple boards with 3-5 pedals on each, cutting down on the mistakes that me and my big clumsy feet are prone to.
Since I started using this set up I’ve stopped using my old fancy 2 tier pedal board in favour of 2 planks of wood - left over from when we took the floor up in our studio - and some Velcro strips. Sure, the cabling is a bit messy and it doesn’t have the pro factor that a commercial pedal board has, but it gives me a whole lot less to think about during a show and probably cost less than £5 to build. With the money you save you can go and buy that extra boutique stomp box you want.
Also I would think very carefully about using cable ties to secure the pedals. I don’t think that a guitar signal chain should ever be fixed - it discourages you to experiment with the order of your effects pedals and causes all manor of hooha if you want to swap things round or add a new pedal. Good Velcro is equally secure and much more convenient.
Finally I’d like to echo what DBell says about power supplies & cables- get the best power supplies that you can lay your hands on and don’t worry too much about your patch leads.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
My first pedalboard was just an MDF shelf I glued carpet onto. Used velcro for the pedals. Get better carpet than I did, one that the velcro will stick to better. Experiment at the hardware store.
You can still experiment with the order of your pedals if the pedals are in a fixed position - just patch them in whatever order you like. But you are right, you are then not running them in the order that they are laid out, can get confusing. I bought the cable ties at the dollar store so it’s no bother to just cut one if I need to move a pedal and use another cable tie.
Myself, I just can’t see spending booteek overdrive prices for a pedalboard.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
“OneChickenTim”… that’s the best alias I’ve seen in ages :)
March 7th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I made a true DIY board in the 90s and it still services me just fine.
Base: 1/2” plywood scrap from Home Depot. Look in the cut bins. Cost me $1. Spray-canned it seafoam green for good contrast on stage. Feet, tilt risers: 2-rubber door stops. Gives just the right angle. Velcro holders: velcro comes with adhesive on the back in 2-3 foot strips, cut it to length. Lay it horizontal on the board and vertically on the pedals. With the spacing right, you can move the pedal up or down on the board and always have 4 points of velcro contact. Power: just one of those beige surge protectors with 6 outlets, maybe a couple of wall-wart-removers. Next time I’m using an Acoustic Research 8-outlet coz it does power conditioning and surge + ethernet for future applications. Cable routing: got these snap open/snap closed plastic rings, come in all sizes. Keeps AC cord away and neatly routes instrument cable to guitar + pedals + multi-processor (I like a lot of effect choices). Handles: I screwed on 2 big door pulls so I can just pick it up with one hand from either end. Velcro really does keep those pedals secure. Case: I went to WalMart (yes, now I know better…) and found a RubberMaid-like storage box with a secure snap on lid and sized the pedal board to the box instead of the other way around. Holds 7 pedals (one is a BigMuff Russian) + BOSS PSM pedal power distributor + carrying handles, a power strip & cable retainers. $36 with the spray can of paint and plasticbox . Lasts…well, it doesn’t have a mark on it since 1994 coz it has it’s own case. Dan
March 7th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I got a Boss GT-8 pedal board/effects processor that does quite well IMHO.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:36 am
I use the mid priced Zoom G2. OK for me for some effects like it’s super chorus and some of the Amp Modelings are pretty cool. Of course I think you can never go wrong with the old-school pedals from Boss.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:40 am
..oops sorry. I thought you meant “Pedal Box” :)
March 15th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I’m quite happy with an SKB Stomp Six and a Visual Sound one spot. It’s compact, durable and reliable. You can fit more than six effects if they’re small and just daisy chain power to the extras.
March 17th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Why not just get the new Line6 M13 and be done with pedals? ;o) http://line6.com/stompboxmodelers/
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:56 am
I’m very pleased with my NYC pedalboard. I would suggest getting a second level riser as an add on to your board. These risers are neat because they hold pedals (obviously) but they also do a good job of hiding power supplies and most of the wiring if you’re a neat freak like me.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I’m surprised no one else has mentioned PedalTrain. I’m a HUGE fan of their boards. The design is very practical… a lightweight aluminum frame, angled up slightly, consisting of slats with gaps in between. It’s lighter and arguably stronger than any wood board of the same size. Moreover, cables can be run through the slats, underneath the pedals, making it slightly neater, and power strips and supplies can be mounted underneath as well. If you change your pedals around a lot, it’s a dream! The flight cases (highly recommended over the gig bags) are heavy, but sturdier than anything else I’ve seen… I’d fly with one without hesitation.
Terrific boards. Lifetime quality and flexibility.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:38 am
I just bought a Line6 M13, which is a multi-stompbox modeler. Good compact size, excellent tweakablility, no spaghetti with cables everywhere. Purists might not like the digital tones, but hey, weren’t the early aznalog reverbs, distortions and such merely trying to emulate something else? You know, like a real cave, a tile bathroom, a fan in front of a speaker, or broken speaker?