Advice on Building a Pedal Board

[Bradmeister]

Hi, Everyone,

 

I'm considering building my own pedal board. I currently have an SKB that is good sized and works fairly well. The power supply is decent, but the loops, etc., are not usable. Anyway, I would like to have one that has an angled surface and can hide the cables, and maybe even a power supply. There are some nice ones out there, but they are around $300.

 

Has anyone here ever made their own pedal board? I want something that looks fairly professional and isn't very heavy. No suitcases, etc. I've searched the web, but most DYI stuff I've seen is flat on the floor. I'm wary of using all wood because I'm worried about it being heavy.

 

I thought metal might be nice, but not sure who to contact locally to get the frame made. I could add a wood or hard plastic base for the pedals myself.

 

Anyone have ideas, or should I just drop the $300 at some future date (because I might need too much specialized help....)?

 

Thanks,

 

Brad

[ALIEN8]

Hopefully you get this before it gets deleted, so in that fashion, I have specific pedal boards for each of my guitars, Les Paul and SG.

 

I have build my simple pedal board for my SG using my own supplies (wood and screws), and it was nice - though not road worthy.

 

For my Les Paul I have two purchased aluminum frames that use Velcro to attach the pedals, one from Pedaltrain, and one from T-rex. Both are nice - the T-rex is not as sturdy, but the case is better, while the Pedaltrain is strong, and you can hide a power supply like the voodoo labs under it - it even comes with mounting hardware. Both do well in the cable hiding / securing department, but that really just comes down to good planning.

 

In the end both the large boards, and small home made one ended up heavy - that's the nature of the beast.

 

If you're just a hobbyist who plays a few shows I'd say go with either of the purchased versions above with a soft case as it really brings the price down ($150 area), you just have to be careful for transportation - ie crushing pedals.

 

If you're a traveling musician, spend the money on a pedal train with a hard case - or better yet get them to sponsor you. At least it has wheels, so you don't have to carry all of it's weight, and then you can put your pedals on the floor of the trailer, or throw em into the back of the van.

[Les Paul Fanatic]

Brad,

If you're thinking of getting a metal one made, find a machine shop, draw up prints as to what you're looking for, take it to them and see what they can quote you on it. Now me if I wanted a pedal board made I've got a whole machine shop at my beck and call from 7:00-2:30. I just have to get the material to make it along with my designs and off I go. Hope this helps.

[Bradmeister]

Alien,

 

Thanks for the advice. I've seen the Pedal Train stuff. They look really simple, but for that price, it's probably okay. That kind of board makes me want to make my own. :-) Soft case is fine, since I play 2-4 shows a month, and the SKB I have is similar and has been working okay. I may give Pedal Train another look. I really like the look of the Trailer Trash boards, but don't want to spend the $300 just yet. The new SKB board looks cool, with lots of power options, etc., but again $300. I'm hoping I can do better on my own and be satisfied. (Maybe not.)

 

LP Fanatic,

 

Thanks for the advice on the machine shop. I just may do that and see what gets quoted. I've found a picture on the web of someone's board that is very similar to a Trailer Trash board. He worked at a machine shop of some sort and got the thing made and powder coated. Looks like an excellent start.

 

 

Thanks again guys.

 

-Brad

[bondo]

I made my own out of plywood and carpet that velcro sticks to. I tried to add more detail than other wood boards I've seen so it looks real good...in my opinion anyway.

If your looking for somthing a little more professional i.e. Trailor Trash, check out pumaboards http://www.pumaboards.com/

I'll try to post a pic of mine.

[Les Paul Fanatic]

Brad,

If you want, pm the specs to me and I'll take a look at it cause the one I'm wanting to do has a hydraulically operated board, so that way when I'm playing, my pedals will be at an angle, and when I'm done open the valves and lower it back down, then put the top back on and go about my day, it's an option.

[ALIEN8]

Alien,

 

Thanks for the advice. I've seen the Pedal Train stuff. They look really simple, but for that price, it's probably okay. That kind of board makes me want to make my own. :-) Soft case is fine, since I play 2-4 shows a month, and the SKB I have is similar and has been working okay. I may give Pedal Train another look. I really like the look of the Trailer Trash boards, but don't want to spend the $300 just yet. The new SKB board looks cool, with lots of power options, etc., but again $300. I'm hoping I can do better on my own and be satisfied. (Maybe not.)

 

For $300 you really can't bean those boards for your use - they are strong, have power and are angled. You could also look into the Furman version that's in that range too.

 

If you build your own, you still need a power supply of some type ($150+).

 

I work in a shop too, and quoted the aluminum, welding and powder coating, and it was so close to the Pedal train board that it wasn't worth the hassle - and it came with a bag.

 

Trailer trash are nice, but they look like fashion over function to me. Pedal train is well known, and beaten. There aren't any fancy loops or anything that you don't need, your pedals already have jacks on them.

 

The key to a good sounding board is the following:

 

- Good power supply to eliminate electronic noise from "leakage" and things being close to each other.

- Decent wire and jacks with short runs.

- sturdy structure, pedals stick on and are safe for transport.

- Cables are secured as well to prevent loose connections and shorts from abuse.

 

If you plan on using your pedals as a trampoline, trailer trash MIGHT get you there, but for the people who respect their gear and are realistic about smashing them around etc stick to the pedal train, and spend the money you save on an extra pedal, or better ones

[Bradmeister]

I have a first generation SKB board and i love the thing. Whats wrong with your effects loop on yours?

 

Well, it's just plain noisy. I tried to hook the input/output of my pedals through the pedalboard, but it annoyed me. Maybe I got a bum unit? I just assumed it was cheap. I just run the cables directly from the amp/guitar to the effects. (Been this way since the first day I tried it.)

 

The power supply works great, though. I have the PS25 with the soft case. I've been pretty happy with it overall. It was a birthday present from the CEO of my startup (got a GC gift certificate). Coolest thing I ever got from work. (Aside from bonuses, of course!)

 

I want a replacement mostly to clean everything up and to get some angle on the surface. So, I don't want to go too crazy. Of course, the wife might not complain about costs if I actually built the thing. :-D

 

-Brad

[Bradmeister]

Hey Guitarest,

 

Thanks for your concern. I'm just fine. I live just outside of Austin. Lots of gloom and doom predicted a few days before the storm, but it never hit us. (We have a weatherman here who just *glows* when a disaster is coming. :-) ) I was actually hoping for some rain out of it. It was actually a really nice weekend for us.

 

However, lotsa folks in East/Southeast Texas going through some tough times. Our drummer's Dad lives in Beaumont. He's coming to stay in Austin for a couple of weeks until he gets power back on line. Lots of flooding out there, and some damage to his house. Most really serious stuff closer to the coast, though.

 

-Brad

[Les Paul Fanatic]

This southern guy's sayin a prayer for you guys down in Texas. God Bless Texas. No reference intended.

[Hall]

Brad,

 

I have an SKB-PS-55 (stagefive electronics) and so on. It has the hard medical case and great features you can look into further if you get interested. Will accommodate about any configuration, per jacks varieties, power selects, polarities, etc. Loop is silent. Preamp is great and is optional for use. I don't even need it.

 

One negative aspect: I only use three pedals and an old Cry. They take up the top row and one bottom space as is. I think if someone is using more than 6 regular size boxes ( to each his own on #s!), or anything large and/or odd ball shape, then space is a limiting factor. If one wants to have his entire rig enclosed and transportable with a snap, it's great. I got it for $300 as I was purchasing an instrument.

 

Steve

[bobv]

Take a look at the gear page forum - there's a thread usually kept near the top with photos of everybody's rig and it's great for ideas.

 

I prefer to save some dosh by making a premade board and I use a piece of plywood painted black with rubber feet underneath, and velcro (if i had it to do again I'd use 3M dual-lock, the stuff they give you to hold the EZ-Pass onto the car windshield). You can make them to fit into recycled tool boxes (one is a metal case from a jigsaw, the other is a bigger plastic box from a cordless drill with the liner cut out) or even a beat-up laptop briefcase. Take the money you save and sink it into one of those rediculously expensive power supplies with isolated-grounds, like the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 (worth every penny).

 

Also, I found it enormously helpful to arrange the pedals logically and by size, but not necessarily in the order that they will find themselves in the chain (I have one distortion unit in front of the wah, and one after it as far as the connnections go, but the boxes sit next to each other on the board so all the dirt pedals are together). That means your last pedal might be in the middle of the box and a regular guitar cord straight plug might not fit in there. Make a short jumper with a female in-line jack at one end and an L-plug on the other so you can come out of the center of your board and plug in a regular guitar cord going to the amp.

 

Oh, yeah, and theoretically it's good advice to try to minimize what you have on the board. Heh, heh.

[Hall]

bobv:

 

I operated homemade since pedals began and until 3 months ago just for all the reasons you prefer. I have two boxes full in disuse I should really examine. What a look back in time! As I have toned down and back, I thought I'd go this way for the ease involved. I sure hope my statement as to the placement room factor showed up clearly because that aspect is critical as you pointed out.

 

Steve

[Bradmeister]

Steve,

 

Thanks for the notes on the PS-55. I've been looking at that one. Probably top on my list if I decide to buy one.

 

-Brad