making a pedal board, questions and stuff

[sixner]

Ok, ive been needing to make a pedal board for a while now... but ive got some questions before i do so... i made up something i think might work... here's a pic...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v719/sixner/pedalboard.jpg

1 piece of wood on the bottom and then a casing type thing that comes over top the whole board and latches down to keep them safe.. i'll probably carpet it or something...

does the picture seem ok for everything?

also, EQ pedals typically go at the end of the chain to avoid excess noise, right?...

To keep the pedals mounted, i was told to use Velcro.. but i dont want to leave a sticky residue on the pedal when i go to sell them for what ever later on down the line... options?

comments, questions, concerns, ect.... welcome :thumb:
-sixner
edit : my oh my is that a small pic!!!... *Thinks* one moment....

[Linkinbassist]

Hurry with a larger picture, i'm building one soon...

[Jamie]

Firstly: Some pure alcohol (none drinking!) will get rid of the sticky residue from your pedals.

We need a bigger picture... :)


I've built my own and had your basic idea when I was building it but had problems so if I see the bigger plan I'll check if it'll work :thumb:

[sixner]

the pic wont show up any larger? ive enlarged it 3 times and it shows up the same on Photobucket....

DAMN YOU PHOTOBUCKET!
-sixner.....

[bassistuvdoom731]

you can remove any residue without much trouble

[Jamie]

try Tinypic? Make sure its JPEG. Photobucket is resizing the pictures because of their file size

[Phalanx]

www.imageshack.us tbh

[Linkinbassist]

nah, photobucket ftw...

[DavetheGrumpy]

nah, photobucket ftw...
:thumb:

[sixner]

...ftw?....tbh?...

wtf? haha...

i'll try that tinypic thingy
-sixner

[backsidetailslide]

imagecave.com

[Foxfire]

nah, photobucket ftw...

ImageShack > Photobucket

Go eat some crumpets.

What, what?

[Jamie]

FTW: For The Win

TBH: To Be Honest

IMO: In My Opinion

IMHO: In My Honest Opinion

IDK: I Don't Know

AFAIK: As Far As I Know

LOL: Laugh(ing) Out Loud

ROFL: Rolling On Floor Laughing

PML: Pissing Myself Laughing


MILF: Mother I'd Like (to) F*ck


:p Sorry.... I enjoyed writing them out....

[sixner]

never seen AFAIK or PML... but thanks

wtf is LOMAYLE.... is that right?....

-sixner

[Thonk]

never seen AFAIK or PML... but thanks

wtf is LOMAYLE.... is that right?....

-sixner
I think it's lomyale..hmm.

I'm curious about making a pedalboard too..

[The_Red_Death]

never seen AFAIK or PML... but thanks

wtf is LOMAYLE.... is that right?....

-sixner

LOMYALE is supernaut's thing. No one's really sure what it means.

[thelowsoundofbass]

just make sure that you can take it apart after you build it, velcro is great and you can always move pedels if there is excess noise from the way that they are arranged

lowsound

[neatobassman]

looks like it should work...What if you get more pedals? another board? lol.

[Potatoe]

use long zip ties, velcro sucks...

[sixner]

looks like it should work...What if you get more pedals? another board? lol.

haha, um.... well... i suppose i'll just uh... glue, tape and nail another board of what ever length to the end, and mod. the top case?...

LOMYALE is supernaut's thing. No one's really sure what it means.

well alright then :thumb:

zip ties?.............wtf?

i'll make sure of pedal order before i lay it down...

-sixner

[Potatoe]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ZIP-TIES-500-ct-21-1-4-inches-Great-Deal_W0QQitemZ7574798820QQcategoryZ73131QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem

zip ties

[PaulSimonon]

Here's my thoughts on how to build a pedal box...

You just make a box, put on sturdy hinges, put on a locking latch, carpet the insides, put in a pedal power thingamajig (preferably separated from the pedally area, but with holes/slits cut into it so you can daisy chain them to the pedals easily), and then cover the outside with something like tolex.

I'd go with 1/2" birch plywood or MDF for the top and bottom and 1/4" of the same for the sides and power source compartment. Only 7 peices of wood, pedals, carpet, and the power source. Nice and simple. Maybe some metal corners?

*shrug*

[enim]

Here's my thoughts on how to build a pedal box...

You just make a box, put on sturdy hinges, put on a locking latch, carpet the insides, put in a pedal power thingamajig (preferably separated from the pedally area, but with holes/slits cut into it so you can daisy chain them to the pedals easily), and then cover the outside with something like tolex.

I'd go with 1/2" birch plywood or MDF for the top and bottom and 1/4" of the same for the sides and power source compartment. Only 7 peices of wood, pedals, carpet, and the power source. Nice and simple. Maybe some metal corners?

*shrug*

I like it. If you did TRUE plywood, with 2x2 pine board in the corners for strength, it would be damn near indestrucatble for your purpose.

Or draw it up and take it to a metal shop, have it done in diamond plate aluminum. Thats a lot more expensive (despite cooler) however.

[PaulSimonon]

What do you mean by "true plywood"?

[sixner]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ZIP-TIES-500-ct-21-1-4-inches-Great-Deal_W0QQitemZ7574798820QQcategoryZ73131QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem

zip ties
i know what zip ties are.... but how the hell do you use them on a pedal?.... :confused:

You just make a box, put on sturdy hinges, put on a locking latch, carpet the insides, put in a pedal power thingamajig (preferably separated from the pedally area, but with holes/slits cut into it so you can daisy chain them to the pedals easily), and then cover the outside with something like tolex.

I'd go with 1/2" birch plywood or MDF for the top and bottom and 1/4" of the same for the sides and power source compartment. Only 7 peices of wood, pedals, carpet, and the power source. Nice and simple. Maybe some metal corners

Tolex is the plasticy type stuff, right? *feels dumb*

and, MDF?...........

Enim - Diamond Plated Steel is sweet looking, i've thought about having it cut to size for a pickgaurd on my Ironbird...... paint it black, with the steel pickgaurd, it'd be sweet eh?....... but expensive.....

-sixner

[PaulSimonon]

MDF=Medium Density Fibreboard. Cheap, hard, flat, durable, and ugly as sin.

Tolex is like the stuff they cover cabs with. I think Ampeg actually uses it on their stuff?

[sixner]

MDF=Medium Density Fibreboard. Cheap, hard, flat, durable, and ugly as sin.

Tolex is like the stuff they cover cabs with. I think Ampeg actually uses it on their stuff?

it'll be covered by beautiful pedal's :thumb:

Ah, my Peavy TKO had it... tough stuff!

i forgot to make room for my Digitech BP200... that'll be a big chunk of the board...... crap

Night MX
-sixner

[Jamie]

i know what zip ties are.... but how the hell do you use them on a pedal?.... :confused:




*confused also*


:lol:

[cliff_bass player]

will be sweet when done (hopefully) good luck i might deisgn 1 just for fun (doesnt have enough pedals)

cliff

[kilian]

Make it like a suitcase like this:
http://www.geocities.com/chrisdevoogd/bak1.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/chrisdevoogd/bak2.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/chrisdevoogd/bak3.JPG

Only make it a bit lower, so it won't be so thick :thumb:
The pedals are on an angle, so you can see/acces them better.

[Jublian]

You need more pedals kilian, and did you make that beautiful thing urself?

[kilian]

Oh no it is not mine, sorry for the misunderstanding! :lol:

It's from a guy from a dutch bassforum (feels like a forumgeek), I only have a Sansamp BDDI and there will be a Korg DT10 and a chorus or something like that soon. So I'll just keep them separate ;)

[Alma]

You need more pedals kilian, and did you make that beautiful thing urself?

I was going to say, its a very nice pedal board. Looks totally professional and purchased.

[LewsTherin]

i know what zip ties are.... but how the hell do you use them on a pedal?.... :confused:





its fairly simple.


what you do is:

-drill two holes, one on either side of the pedal

-run a ziptie through the holes under the bottom of the board, so now you have two ends sticking out on the topside of the board

-close the ziptie around the pedal.


just like a seatbelt in a car.

[l3n]

Hi there, I'm a newbie to the bass forums, sorry for hijacking this thread, as I see no need to create another one for my question here..

What's the difference between building a pedalboard for yourself(or just a collection of single-effect pedals) and getting a multi-effect pedal like say a BassPodXT Live? Could someone kindly highlight the pros and cons of each method of achieving effects? Thanks in advance. :cool:

[LewsTherin]

Hi there, I'm a newbie to the bass forums, sorry for hijacking this thread, as I see no need to create another one for my question here..

What's the difference between building a pedalboard for yourself(or just a collection of single-effect pedals) and getting a multi-effect pedal like say a BassPodXT Live? Could someone kindly highlight the pros and cons of each method of achieving effects? Thanks in advance. :cool:


a pedalboard is just a board for your pedals. you put whatever pedals you have (they can be single, multi, etc) on it, for ease of transportation and setup.

multi-effect pedals are basically mini computers that model many different kinds of effects, as opposed to single-effect pedals which only do one thing (usually).

[l3n]

Thanks, but what i meant was the more intricate pros and cons, such as sound quality, ease of use, cost, etc. What can a a pedalboard of your own single effects do that a multi-effect pedal can't, and vice versa.

[Akira]

Thanks, but what i meant was the more intricate pros and cons, such as sound quality, ease of use, cost, etc. What can a a pedalboard of your own single effects do that a multi-effect pedal can't, and vice versa.
Well for one thing, a pedalboard isn't necessary to use multiple single effects pedals. A pedalboard is used for transporting/protecting your pedals.
Some people are fine with effect units like the POD, but you will probably get better-quality effects in single effect boxes.

[LewsTherin]

Thanks, but what i meant was the more intricate pros and cons, such as sound quality, ease of use, cost, etc. What can a a pedalboard of your own single effects do that a multi-effect pedal can't, and vice versa.

oh, right. soz bout that.


Single Effect Pros:
-typically sound better
-easier to use, no menus etc to go through like on a multi
-easy to set up in order you want
-have as many as you want

Cons:
-expensive (usually about $70-80USD each), esp if youre not sure which effects youre going to want
-having alot of them means either alot of batteries, alot of power adaptors, or buying an expensive power brick


Multi Effect Pros:
-lots of effects in one box
-cheaper, esp if you look at how much $ per effect
-good to toy with if your not sure what effects you want
-less space
-only 1 power adaptor

Cons:
-use digital modeling, doesnt always sound very good esp in cheaper models (this is especially apparent on distortion/od, ime)
-can be difficult to use, switch effects, put effects in order, etc



I personally think a string of single-effects on a pedalboard is the way to go, but everyones different.

[Low_End_Communications]

With single effects you get the option of more routing capablities (what effects go where, what order, etc.) as well as what many people will consider to be better sound quality. You get a little more ease of use, so if you only want a couple of specific sounds, you can dial them in and leave the extra's out.

Multi-effects give you relative ease of use, as well as less clutter. This is why I went for the Bass POD Live. It's really simple to use, and it gives me TONS of options on effects.

It's really up to you and what you want tonewise, and what your wallet has to say.

[tim_commerfordism]

Here's my thoughts on how to build a pedal box...

You just make a box, put on sturdy hinges, put on a locking latch, carpet the insides, put in a pedal power thingamajig (preferably separated from the pedally area, but with holes/slits cut into it so you can daisy chain them to the pedals easily), and then cover the outside with something like tolex.

I'd go with 1/2" birch plywood or MDF for the top and bottom and 1/4" of the same for the sides and power source compartment. Only 7 peices of wood, pedals, carpet, and the power source. Nice and simple. Maybe some metal corners?

*shrug*

This man knows what he's talking about.

Agreed.
Cover it in tolex, that would look nice. Dont use carpet cos it always get fluff and stuff like that stuck in it.

Make sure it is good tolex, mind you. Marshall cabs use tolex and it is really thin and rips easily.

[thelowsoundofbass]

my one friend has a pedel board like the one that killien posted, its really nice. i helped him make it and i am planning on making my self one like it

lowsound

[sixner]

Oh my Killian.. that board struck a nerve! how tempting... i'd have to make it longer though, to put a 2nd elevated row, and probably the right side... well... *goes to draw it out*... (will attempt to post in a second w/ picture)... on the right side, there wouldn't be the angled cut so i can get to the power cord under the 2nd tier.... and on the top of the back board i could mount a small light so i can see all my pedal's on stage

*excited* i now love you kilian
-sixner

here's a pic, it's small but i think you can make it out well enough... imagine there being a front board on there... i notice a few small problems but it's a ROUGH sketch.. i'll do it better in Drafting when i get some free time
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v719/sixner/ad58d365.jpg

[The_Fender_Bender]

Don't worry about the scummy stuff of the glue for velcro. Warm damp cloth will get it off.
I'm thinking of making a pedal board. My mate and his Dad made one for his Bro, looks good.

Good luck

[godzillarator]

I found this site and they make pedal boards
http://www.stompin-ground.com/products/sgpboard.htm

[enim]

What do you mean by "true plywood"?

Plywood that is actually many sheets of wood, glued together. Not the other stuff, which, im not sure if its MDF or not, but, its like, thing chips that are pressed and glued together

[darrell]

Plywood that is actually many sheets of wood, glued together. Not the other stuff, which, im not sure if its MDF or not, but, its like, thing chips that are pressed and glued together

Particle board, I believe.

[kilian]

Oh my Killian.. that board struck a nerve! how tempting... i'd have to make it longer though, to put a 2nd elevated row, and probably the right side... well... *goes to draw it out*... (will attempt to post in a second w/ picture)... on the right side, there wouldn't be the angled cut so i can get to the power cord under the 2nd tier.... and on the top of the back board i could mount a small light so i can see all my pedal's on stage

*excited* i now love you kilian
-sixner

here's a pic, it's small but i think you can make it out well enough... imagine there being a front board on there... i notice a few small problems but it's a ROUGH sketch.. i'll do it better in Drafting when i get some free time
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v719/sixner/ad58d365.jpg
Too tired to cut the parts I want to quote.. anyway; keep me up to date while you make it and you're welcome! :thumb:

I'm not going to make a pedalboard, solely because I want everything in my gigbag when I travel around. I will have three effects in the end.. Sansamp, Chorus and tuner. So that isn't worth it. My gigbag is getting heavey, but hell. I will make one box though to keep the pedals safe while I travel.

[Thonk]

Particle board, I believe.
Correct.

After looking at certain hardware stores..I can't believe how expensive velcro can be.:eek: Maybe i'm looking at the wrong kind?...

[enim]

Correct.

After looking at certain hardware stores..I can't believe how expensive velcro can be.:eek: Maybe i'm looking at the wrong kind?...

Some is very expensive. Look for a Velcro Double Lock brand. SUPER strong, its made to hold things to your windshield

edit: i work in a hardware store, so if you guys have questions about stuff like this, chances are i have the answers.

[sixner]

Some is very expensive. Look for a Velcro Double Lock brand. SUPER strong, its made to hold things to your windshield

edit: i work in a hardware store, so if you guys have questions about stuff like this, chances are i have the answers.

sweet, i'll ask when after i get some demensions out for this whole thing... so i can get prices for how much wood and what not....

how should i go about handles on the side?....

-sixner

[Linkinbassist]

Are there any websites with Pedalboard build instructions?

[PaulSimonon]

Plywood that is actually many sheets of wood, glued together. Not the other stuff, which, im not sure if its MDF or not, but, its like, thing chips that are pressed and glued together
I wasn't talking about chipboard; I was talking about birtch plywood. It's used in many high-end speaker enclosures and such, and is pretty sturdy stuff and is very easy to work with.


Agreed.
Cover it in tolex, that would look nice. Dont use carpet cos it always get fluff and stuff like that stuck in it.
I was saying that you should cover the part where the pedals will sit with carpet. Comfy for barefoot playing :) .

[PaulSimonon]

Are there any websites with Pedalboard build instructions?
It's not that complicated, really. Aron Nelson's http://www.diystompboxes.com page probably has some somewhere on it. Geofx probably does too http://www.geofx.com . I also remember seeing one on http://www.diyguitarist.com .

Aron's site might still be down, and geofx might too. The last one should still be there, but I don't really ever check it.

[sixner]

I was saying that you should cover the part where the pedals will sit with carpet. Comfy for barefoot playing :) .

i dont play in bare feet though... it's uncomfy and i loose my baland and stuff..... i jump around too much on stage......

-sixner

[PaulSimonon]

The carpet will also keep the pedals from sliding around in the midst of your jumping. It's win/win!

[sixner]

The carpet will also keep the pedals from sliding around in the midst of your jumping. It's win/win!

i've got velcro though :thumb:

i actually just got a new pedal tonight... not sure that i can keep it but it seems likely....

Tech 21 sans amp GT2... i love it! gah...

-sixner

[PaulSimonon]

But... but... velcro can break?



....



:upset:


*runs*

[sixner]

But... but... velcro can break?



....



:upset:


*runs*
haha.. *comforts paul...*

*velcro's head to wall* :D
-sixner