Pedalboard choices?

[bleujazz3]

This is for all you guys who use pedals and their respective boards.

I just purchased a Pedaltrain board (the Pro-2 SC) that I am hoping will solve my pedal needs. I apologize I cannot post a pic of my board, as it's still in a state of flux. I can tell you that I have an EB Volume, Strobo-Stomp, Boss DD-20, Voodoo Lab 4-way amp switcher, Fender Blues Deluxe RI footswitch and Fuchs ODS-50 footswitch on the board. I've deliberately left the Fuchs un-velcro-ed because I believe the Fuchs footswitch should be left alone (worth more in it's original state). I soon hope to have a Teese RMC Wizard wah (within a month), and a Zendrive (much further down the road) to add to my board.

What do you guys use for boards? Homebuilts? SPBs? Custom-built boards? Feel free to post pics if you want, but descriptions work just the same. I'd be interested to hear what works for you, and what you've tried doing that doesn't.

[aleclee]

I use a RockOn board for my "big" board and a Pedaltrain Jr for my "mini" board.

I used to have an 18"x36" plywood board w/ road case but found it to be overkill in terms of size and weight. I find a gig bag for the board to be more practical than a hard case.

YMMV

[Big Mike]

Here's my board. Bit more than I need, but it's really well made. I could've went smaller as I hardly touch the top row at a gig.

http://homepage.mac.com/big_mike/.Pictures/boardtop2%2320.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/big_mike/.Pictures/board-front20.jpg

Board made by pumaboards.com

I've been really pleased with it. And it matches my amp perfectly.

[bleujazz3]

Here's my board. Bit more than I need, but it's really well made. I could've went smaller as I hardly touch the top row at a gig.

http://homepage.mac.com/big_mike/.Pictures/boardtop2%2320.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/big_mike/.Pictures/board-front20.jpg

Board made by pumaboards.com

I've been really pleased with it. And it matches my amp perfectly.

Mike, what's the little black box in the lower right corner? And BTW, very cool amp and board accessorizing. :p

[redmax61]

I love your pedalboard, Mike. Kevin does some AWESOME work!

I built my own pedal board modeled after my Mesa Dual Rectifier. Here's one of the construction pics. I'll click off a new one and post again.

http://members.cox.net/90yearoldpunker/Pedalboard9.JPG

[Big Mike]

Thanks Bob.


It's the 'pedalboard junction' box. member cvansickle makes them.

It's essentiall an A/B box with all the pedals on one loop. So I can in and out of the board on one side, but mute to the tuner. I've always felt like the pedal tuners sucked tone.

Plus, everything (save the Klon I guess) is true bypass, a feature I like. I have a PedalPower 2 inderneath, and drilled and custom cut cable for each hookup.

I'm VERY pleased. Kevin being able to pull off the stripes just puts it over the top in the grooviest way.

[bleujazz3]

Thanks Bob.


It's the 'pedalboard junction' box. member cvansickle makes them.

It's essentiall an A/B box with all the pedals on one loop. So I can in and out of the board on one side, but mute to the tuner. I've always felt like the pedal tuners sucked tone.

Plus, everything (save the Klon I guess) is true bypass, a feature I like. I have a PedalPower 2 inderneath, and drilled and custom cut cable for each hookup.

I'm VERY pleased. Kevin being able to pull off the stripes just puts it over the top in the grooviest way.

Hey Mike,

If you're concerned with true-bypass, the Strobo-Stomp does just that.

It's on at all time, so you can play and tune, and switch to mute as well. I have mine running off my EB volume so I can go straight to mute, or just lower the EB and still run the Strobo-Stomp.

Tone always sounds good no matter what. I'm surprised that the tone is still good after going through the DD-20, but yeah, there's not much difference to my ears. Then, again, they are my ears. :o

[Big Mike]

Heh heh yeah, but the Strobostomp drives me NUTS trying to tune on the fly!

Boss is good enough for me. I dont mind them not being true bypass, I just don't like the tone of it going through the Boss.

[bleujazz3]

Heh heh yeah, but the Strobostomp drives me NUTS trying to tune on the fly!

Boss is good enough for me. I dont mind them not being true bypass, I just don't like the tone of it going through the Boss.
I know what you mean by driving you nuts! Takes me about 2 to 3 minutes to tune up, and that's just NOT good while playing. I try to sneak in a tune-up while the sax or keyboard player is soloing; thank God they don't know when to quit! LOL! I'm probably not being modest when I say this, but I have the shortest solos you can imagine, while others are playing for 2, 3, 3 1/2 minutes, I'll play 24 to 36 bars, tops.

I think it stems from the fact that the other guys are seasoned pros. I'm kind of the practice-4-to-5-hours-a-week guy, then who performs at open-mics. The Strobo-Stomp is great and gets really accurate tuning, but it's almost TOO accurate, so much that it requires a fine touch.

If you notice I spend a lot of time writing, I also tend to talk the same way while I'm getting ready to play (while tuning). Having a Strobo-Stomp requires me to engage the crowd while tuning. Sort of distracts the crowd, breaks the ice, eases me into a more comfortable mode (relaxes the fingers), and I can play better as a result.

It's one reason I keep coming back to BaM, it helps me relax, and sparks my creative urge. When I run out of things to say, so does my musical inspiration. Oh, BTW, thanks for these past few years on BaM. You guys are a nearly endless supply of inspiration. For that, thank you. :)

[waxnsteel]

Hey Mike,

If you're concerned with true-bypass, the Strobo-Stomp does just that.

It's on at all time, so you can play and tune, and switch to mute as well. I have mine running off my EB volume so I can go straight to mute, or just lower the EB and still run the Strobo-Stomp.

Tone always sounds good no matter what. I'm surprised that the tone is still good after going through the DD-20, but yeah, there's not much difference to my ears. Then, again, they are my ears. :oYikes. If the strobo is "always on," you're not using it in TB mode. Buffer's engaged. In TB mode, the screen goes dark while audio passes. I had mine in the tuner out, and decided I wanted to hear whether the EB volume affected my tone. I yanked the EB volume, and went straignt in, and liked it better with EB volume out of the path. Just for kicks, I put it back in the path and yanked the strobo from the tuner out, and figured out that was also affecting the tone. It was worse for me with the tuner in the tuner out. I just went with the Strobo in TB, and yanked the volume pedal. I wasn't using it much as an effect anyway. Good excuse to figure out how to use it as an expression pedal.

I'm not trying to tell you you're wrong for liking it, but to say that it doesn't affect tone is, well, you haven't compared it if you say that. (I know you didn't say that, but many do.)

[bleujazz3]

Yikes. If the strobo is "always on," you're not using it in TB mode. Buffer's engaged. In TB mode, the screen goes dark while audio passes. I had mine in the tuner out, and decided I wanted to hear whether the EB volume affected my tone. I yanked the EB volume, and went straignt in, and liked it better with EB volume out of the path. Just for kicks, I put it back in the path and yanked the strobo from the tuner out, and figured out that was also affecting the tone. It was worse for me with the tuner in the tuner out. I just went with the Strobo in TB, and yanked the volume pedal. I wasn't using it much as an effect anyway. Good excuse to figure out how to use it as an expression pedal.

I'm not trying to tell you you're wrong for liking it, but to say that it doesn't affect tone is, well, you haven't compared it if you say that. (I know you didn't say that, but many do.)
No, I haven't compared it, and you're right saying I don't know if it affects tone. Fortunately, my amps still sound good. (Fender Blues Deluxe RI and Fuchs ODS-50) I'm not sure what difference the TB mode and buffer modes are, but when I have the Strobo plugged into the tuner out of the EB Volume, running at all times, it doesn't sound bad. I'm guessing it would take a lot more difference to convince me that the tone is really being pulled down the way I have it set up now.

I do need the EB Volume, and unfortunately this is the best way I can deal with it, short of running the Strobo in series with the EB (out of the EB into the signal path of the other pedals) To me, doing that would pull more tone out of the signal path rather than running it in parallel. Which begs the question, what signal path best suits the Strobo? I'll post a separate question re: that. I'd be interested in other's opinions, too.

[waxnsteel]

There really can't be a best. It's what you like, right. You may like it best as is. Not a crime. If you run the pedal in true bypass (inside the battery cpt, there's a switch), and put the pedal in-line, when you're not tuning, it's just extra wire. Doesn't affect signal. You may not notice any effects on your tone if it's in the tuner out while in TB. Just a theory, haven't tested it, but I still thik it's "stealing" signal from the path. The EB pedal affects tone. You may not notice it much if your delay pedal has a buffer, but as the only pedal in the path vs straight in, you will notice a difference in tone.

[bleujazz3]

There really can't be a best. It's what you like, right. You may like it best as is. Not a crime. If you run the pedal in true bypass (inside the battery cpt, there's a switch), and put the pedal in-line, when you're not tuning, it's just extra wire. Doesn't affect signal. You may not notice any effects on your tone if it's in the tuner out while in TB. Just a theory, haven't tested it, but I still thik it's "stealing" signal from the path. The EB pedal affects tone. You may not notice it much if your delay pedal has a buffer, but as the only pedal in the path vs straight in, you will notice a difference in tone.
My tone does sound brighter, not thinner. I can compensate for that by putting a dbx graphic eq in the effects loop of the Fuchs. The Fender through the pedalboard sounds great. As for the EB, I'm not sure how the EB steals tone, as it's a passive circuit. I'd be more concerned about the DD-20, but to date, I haven't had much problem at all other than the circuit being brighter.

If I need to fatten things up, I tweak the dbx. Being that the dbx is post-gain (post-pre-amp) the eq is added to an already "gained" circuit, and is not influenced by the gain stage of the amp. Makes for a cleaner, more articulate signal, and adds more bottom end when needed that doesn't sound "flubby", something that can occur with 6L6 tubes. That helps my tone, and still makes for really articulate notes and chords.

Thanks for your input, I'll see if the TB setting on the Strobo changes things around. :)

[redmax61]

http://members.cox.net/redmax61/PB7.JPG

My most recent pic. This is the completed project.

[Dan Desy]

This is all I need...

http://www.portlandmusiccompany.com/gt8_pics/gt8.jpg


Really.

But I did build (with Doug Lewis' precious help) a cool board/case for it, my Road King controller, acoustic DI and wireless receiver. I need to get a picture of it.

[Stormin]

I did build (with Doug Lewis' precious help) a cool board/case for it, my Road King controller, acoustic DI and wireless receiver. I need to get a picture of it.
I'd like to see that picture Dan, 'specially since I'm learning that you and I have VERY similar primary and backup gig rigs.

Stormin!

[Dan Desy]

I'd like to see that picture Dan, 'specially since I'm learning that you and I have VERY similar primary and backup gig rigs.

Stormin!
Well, now that I have an official request, I'll try to get a few tonight.

[Dan Desy]

I'd like to see that picture Dan, 'specially since I'm learning that you and I have VERY similar primary and backup gig rigs.

Stormin!
Click here to see my pedalboard! (http://forums.birdsandmoons.com/forum/showthread.php?p=397804#post397804)

[Paul L]

I use a Boss GT-8 like Dan, but I recently assembled a pedalboard for the growing collection of ancillary pedals (including the Zoom A2.1u acoustic processor that I bought to run my T5 through the P.A.). This is a PedalPad MPS-9 pedalboard, which includes its own power supply (there is a powerstrip below the top row of pedals which handles the wall-warts for the Zoom and the talkbox).

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/plarkin/rig2.jpg

The Boss LS-2 on the far right is configured to select one of three inputs (standard electric, Taylor T5 or my lap steel). That way, I almost never have to worry about swapping cables around mid-set. Common output to the TU-2 tuner, then a second LS-2 selects one of two outputs--acoustic to the Zoom A2.1u (which has an XLR out to the P.A.) or electric to the talkbox. Then the signal travels from there to the Crybaby and then off the board to my GT-8, eventually making its way to my '59 Bassman LTD. I used George L cables throughout.

I really like the PedalPad boards. They're solid, flexible and provide great protection for your pedals. A bit bulky perhaps, but you'll never have to worry about your board getting crushed when it's loaded in the truck with the rest of the gear. The GT-8 still resides on the floor by itself, but at least this way I only have two pieces to worry about connecting together, and my setup time is down to less than five minutes.