Right-hand Side Input?

[davent]

Hello All,

Just a need to satisfy my curiousity. I had no luck narrowing down a search so here goes.
When I first started building pedals and never having handled a commercial pedal, I always built mine so that when in use, the input jack's on the left side of the enclosure and the output's on the right. Didn't occur to me that there was any other way to do it, in the west we read left to right, I think most schematics show signal flow left to right so I followed that to set up signal flow through the enclosure.

How is it that the norm  for signal flow through a pedal came to be counter to how we normally view the signal flow, instead we have input on the right, output on the left? Is it simply that  the circuit was built as shown in the schematic, signal left to right then once installed in an enclosure and flipped back over to access the controls we have reversed the signal flow ...or is there some sinister plan at work here?

Help me get to sleep tonight.

Take care
dave

[slacker]

This is probably complete nonsense, but I think it's because most people are right handed and so the lead comes out of the guitar on your right hand side. Assuming the pedal is in front of you, if you then had the input on the left had side of the effect, the lead would have cross in front of your feet to get to the input so you'd be potentinally standing on the lead to get to the stomp switch or tripping over it.

It's really probably just because the first effects were built like that for whatever reason so then everyone else followed suit.

[drewl]

I was thinking right handed all the way with this.
Aren't some old Colorsound Wahs backwards?
or is it just the power switching jack was on the output instead of input.... I rebuilt a few a couple years ago and this sticks in my head.

[forsakenrider]

now are you saying this looking from the front of the pedal with the inputs on the back or looking strait at the back? Ive only build one pedal and it just made most sense for my input on the pedal, looking strait at it, to be on the right and the output on the left...

BUT... here is my but. I thought i was backwards when I took it too my amp BECAUSE my original ProCo RAT the input is on the left and the output on the right.

lets do a tally of production pedals and see if theres a "trend"

Original RAT, Left to right.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

I build my (Frostwave) pedals with the input on the left.
Except for one where there was a bit of a balls-up in the laying out of the PCB.. that one is the other way around 

Still, my stuff is primarily designed for tabletop tweakers & studio use...
And don't forget, in the REALLY early days, the musician stood BEHIND the amp! Strange but true.

[zeppelinchld]

edited

sorry i didnt notice that i said the same thing as the second post.... but i agree w/ slacker

[newfish]

It's probably nothing more sinister than a conspiracy...

[jayp5150]

In regards to following the signal path, I tend to mount my boards on the top of the enclosure (upside down), so the input is by the right side of the box anyhow 

I agree with the right-handed thing, too, though.

[R.G.]

Nobody has "PCB Layout for Musical Effects", eh?   

It's explained in there, and the winner for best guess is slacker. Lead comes out of the right side of the player, and the least obstructive path to the pedal is on the right side of the pedal.

Second place is Jayp5150, with the upside down board mounting happening to do what we wanted it to anyway.

[davent]

Nobody has "PCB Layout for Musical Effects", eh?   

It's explained in there, and the winner for best guess is slacker. Lead comes out of the right side of the player, and the least obstructive path to the pedal is on the right side of the pedal.

Second place is Jayp5150, with the upside down board mounting happening to do what we wanted it to anyway.

Awright, another book for my library! 

So somewhere along the line in pedal history there was a conscious ergonomic design decision made, never would have thought that. I had my money on slackers second guess, inertia, just copy what has come down the line before.   Live and learn!

Thanks all,
dave

[Mark Hammer]

Once the first couple of manufacturers decided to kowtow to the righties in the population, all the subsequent manufacturers who were hoing their pedals would snuggle between the ones you already owned had to follow suit.  At least this particular precedent is practical; it reduces the likelihood the cord will be tripped on by exiting the guitar on the same side it enters the pedal.  Have their been fewer accidents amongst righties by doing this?  I doubt anyone has ever checked.  So if it isn't all THAT practical, at least it is benign or neutral.

Now if you want a REALLY stupid precedent that has refused to die for over 50 years, consider the use of the same tone capacitor value for the neck pickup AND the bridge pickup, as has been an unswerving tradition since we first had separate tone controls.  Now ask yourself when the last time was that you wanted to use the bridge pickup to get a really nice muted bassy sound.  I thought so.

[Ben N]

... all the subsequent manufacturers who were hoing their pedals ...

Does Eliot Spitzer play guitar?   

[The French connection]

But hey, my green Russian Big muff had the input on the left and it's been really hard to fit it in my pedalboard...so i've switched the jack! Recently, i've switch it in the wardrobe...It take too much place...even in my closet. But on stage when you have a ''heavily wire loaded'' pedalboard, i wish all pedal have their input on the left so it will leave the center stage free of wire going to the amp...Dunno if i'm clear...i think my nose is gonna start bleeding...

Dan

[sengo]

As a left handed player I'll say it's kind of uncomfortable having the inputs on the right. When using my wah pedal I always get the patch cord caught underneath the rocker  . When I really get a setup I plan to use a lot I'm probably going to put all the inputs on the left side of my pedals.

Nick

[Joe Viau]

RG:

I have your book, and might I say that the accompanying illustration is inspiring. 

Great book, BTW.

[Mark Hammer]

... all the subsequent manufacturers who were hoing their pedals ...

Does Eliot Spitzer play guitar?   

I am on such a strong anti-biotic today, that I honestly can`t even tell you what word I was trying to spell there.  Totally tse-mished, baby, totally.

[iaresee]

But hey, my green Russian Big muff had the input on the left and it's been really hard to fit it in my pedalboard...so i've switched the jack! Recently, i've switch it in the wardrobe...It take too much place...even in my closet. But on stage when you have a ''heavily wire loaded'' pedalboard, i wish all pedal have their input on the left so it will leave the center stage free of wire going to the amp...Dunno if i'm clear...i think my nose is gonna start bleeding...

Dan

I'd never considered this until I read your post: but I'm always most comfortable on the right side of the stage (if you're looking out to the audience) and I run my snake and input to the right side of board keeping the deadly "singer likes to wander here" area free of my cables.

And now I know why: 'cause of that darn input jack and all those I/O cables.

I was going to make an I/O box for my board so I could, on the fly move the I/O connections to the other side of my board, just pull the box off and velcro it on to the other side, underneath.

[drewl]

But hey, my green Russian Big muff had the input on the left
Dan

I had a guy who thought his muff was "broken" because of the backwards jacks

[bumblebee]

sovtek and some EH pedals have the inputs way over on the left, its so damn stupid considering most players are rightys. ive had to make extra length patch cables just for these pedals just to be able to use them.

for me if i was a lefty id build with the inputs on the left  thats the only reason id do it.

[The French connection]

I'd never considered this until I read your post: but I'm always most comfortable on the right side of the stage (if you're looking out to the audience) and I run my snake and input to the right side of board keeping the deadly "singer likes to wander here" area free of my cables.

And now I know why: 'cause of that darn input jack and all those I/O cables.

I was going to make an I/O box for my board so I could, on the fly move the I/O connections to the other side of my board, just pull the box off and velcro it on to the other side, underneath.

Hey no freak singer in my band but a poet guy on weird machine and another righthand guitarist, bassist and drummer, so i got the left side...The I/O box: Good idea!