Build a Pedal Board in 24 Simple Steps (my first attempt at a Pedalboard build)

[NemoDat]

The Result: (construction steps / comments to follow below...I was worried the first few pictures would scare you away!)

Step 1: Get some wood... Go to Step 2

Step 2: Put on your safety goggles and cut some of the wood you got in Step 1... Go to Step 3

Step 3: Take off your safety glasses, count your fingers... 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and 11.... all good, put safety glasses on and cut some more wood... Go to Step 4

Step 4: Get some more wood and build a jig to cut an angle in some wood you already cut in Step 2... Go to Step 5

Step 5: Put on your safety glasses again and flip the switch on the table saw, then remember you unplugged the table saw to be safe when you are adjusting things on it... then plug the table saw back in and flip the switch on the table saw and cut some angles in some wood... Go to Step 6

Step 6: Tag Step 5... Go to Step 7...

Step 7: Dry fit the frame... Go to Step 8

Step 8: Cut some angles in the front and back edge of the board top so the meet up nice with the back and front and dry fit the board top... Go to Step 9

Step 9: Go get Leo's Royal Canadian Air Force duffle bag and wreck the straps on it by carrying 80 lbs of texts and statutes to the second portion of the bar exam, drag it home and let a Canadian passenger air travel provider that will remain un-named destroy it further through multiple flights, then leave it crumpled in a ball for 8 years, cut two strips out of it and bleach the strips in Clorox for "racing stripes" ... Go to Step 10

Step 10: Get your Aunt to sew the strips together... Go to Step 11

Step 11: Spend half an hour looking for your safety goggles and find them on the top of your head. Be glad no-one saw this and drill and router holes in the board top in strategic places, so you can run the cables under the top and won't have to build a new top when you switch out or add a pedal... Go to Step 12

Step 12: Dry fit top then stand on the middle of the pedal board with BOTH feet and see if it smashes apart... Go to Step 13 (or if it smashes apart repeat Steps 1 through 12)

Step 13: Mention you forgot to mention taking the router to the frame top and vertical sides... Go to Step 14

Step 14: Mention you forgot to mention drilling 15/16 inch holes for the neutriks and powercon... Go to Step 15

Step 15: Mention you forgot to mention sanding the frame and top flats and edges... Go to Step 16

Step 16: Get your safety goggles AND organic respirator and go somewhere well ventilated to spray the underside and inside with Black Rust-oleum (satin finish)... Go to Step 17

Step 17: Coat the frame with Latex Contact Cement (no VOCs)... Go to Step 18

Step 18: Coat the canvas with Latex Contact Cement (no VOCs)... Go to Step 19

Step 19: Put the canvas on the frame... Go to Step 20

Step 20: Put the fuzzy stuff on the pedalboard top on the frame (use that same VOC free latex contact cement you used in Steps 17 and 18... Go to Step 21

Step 21: Put the neutriks and powercon in the holes you mentioned you forgot to mention you drilled in Step 14... Go to Step 22

Step 22: Put the handles on the pedalboard top ... Go to Step 23

Step 23: Put the feet on the BOTTOM of the frame... Go to Step 24

Step 24: give the pedal board with your pedals stuck on with velcro with neutrik ends and mogami cable and Voodoo Lab power to your friend to do the hard part!

...and share the result on DIYstompboxes:

[Quackzed]

sweet pedalboard!!! 
but you forgot step 25...ROCK!!!

[NemoDat]

Thanks Quackzed! Duly noted, here is me during the final and best step!

[davent]

Super job, looks great! Thanks for putting up your tutorial. Your build reminds me of Pumaboards.

dave

[Quackzed]

 
there you go!
but now I'm jelous of your pedalboard AND that goldtop gibson!!!
gasp!!! is that a black gibson custom hiding in the background?!?!
you bastard!!! 

[NemoDat]

Thanks Dave! Pumaboards is where I got the idea for the racing stripe most certainly! Another great board builder is Salvage Pedalboards! some fantastic stuff coming out of their shop! I think you can find them and some great pics of their builds on facebook! I really like how they incorporate the matching case! My next attempt will be something along those lines I think, I've also been thinking about building a few out of some old grey prairie barnwood! I want to steer clear of the tolex thing, and try to do something a bit different!

[NemoDat]

I'm a sucker for Les Pauls, I ended up selling the black Les Paul Custom Classic (below) to a close friend, The Custom Shop '56 GT is great sounding, I love those soaps! My main project right now is a '78 Deluxe I'm making into a commemorative guitar for a late friend. The pic below is a photochop of what it will look like when done. The other two are a '74 Custom I'm replacing the heads and knobs and pups on and a dead stock '78 Artisan... I'm a Norlin lover!


....may need to use goof rings though, to cover the routes in the top if my luthier can't replace the maple and make it look seamless.

[Quackzed]

 
very nice!!!

[midwayfair]

This thread is full of win.

[NemoDat]

speaking of win, I just picked these up at a seizure sale of an old music store that fell behind on city taxes! The 4 Morleys (fuzz wah, flanger, pro phaser and volume phaser) are BRAND SPANKING NEW AND UNPLAYED    and still in the plastic bag that they were shipped in inside the Morley shipping box and still have the instructions and stuff still factory taped in the envelope on the bottoms!!!! Couldn't find the Morley shipping boxes though. They were probably chucked 40 years ago! As far as the Coloursounds go they appear to me to be new as well, with general 40ish years of display cabinet bumps and such wear. The EHX stuff is used and early 70s as well. sorry i don't know how to make the pictures smaller.... its annoying having to scroll over

[midwayfair]

^ holy !%!@!#$%

Thanks for the eye candy! To make pictures smaller, type this at the end of the URL: ?w=300 (or however wide you want it to be. ~800 is full column width)

[Ben N]

Wow, wow, wow--I don't know if I'm more wowed by the board, the LPs or the pedal hoard. (BTW, goldtops with P90s=heaven.)

[tdubs]

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I love this pedalboard, your tutorial (and commentary), and the guitars! So much awesome here!

[NemoDat]

Thanks a million guys! The pedalboard's been across the country and is still going strong! Best thing about the design I think is that the top board rests exactly over the feet so it's darn near as strong as the floorboards of a house between the joists! If I were to do it again I'd use Baltic birch .... The regular plywood tears out a but with the router, not that it mattered as I covered it in the canvas, but it's one less step I would have had to do! The board without pedals was about 6 pounds...with pedals though it gets heavy... I had studio slips make me a custom bag.... They're great!!!!