Decent pedalboard dimensions.

H4T · July 18, 2005, 06:40:01 PM

I've been thinking of building a simple, yet sturdy pedalboard for my pedals. I have about 8 pedals planned, and being a nut about these DIY projects I'm sure I'll end up with more. So I guess the idea is to have two rows of pedals, I drew up semi-accurate boxes in Photoshop and tried to make a pedalboard to fit it all...

I'm thinking about a 30" x 20" board, just wanted to know from experienced builders / players if thats a good size.

While I've got your attention, I'd like to ask about volume drops through pedals. For pedals that do not have an output volume control, can I add on the circuit for a booster right before the output, or will that completely affect the pedal's tone? For example, if I've got a tremolo pedal with no volume control and I experience a drop through it, can I simply add something like the NPN Booster pedal before it's output? Or would it be better to simply have all the pedals going, and one extra booster pedal at the end of the chain?

aaronkessman · July 18, 2005, 10:17:04 PM

first off, my board is built in a suitcase and it's something like 24"x16" or so. holds 7 pedals (including a wah and big EH memory man) as well as a 2-pedal size Spyder. i cant remember who, but someone on the forum used a guitar/bass case as a board succesfuly.

anyway, about volume drops, you can do just that. tremolo pedals seem to be the worst offenders since the percieved output is always lower than what it really is, which is why i like trems that has some sort of internal amp, like the EA and tremulus lune. But yeah, just stick a simple gainn stage right after it. As for whether you need one in each box or at the end of the chain, kinda depends on how you use your pedals, what configuration, etc. I cant believe how each pedal would drop the same amount of volume, and even if they did, what if you had two pedals on at once?

fortunately, boosts are easy to build and can feed off your existing battery. basically a pot, tranny, and a knob

Aaron

H4T · July 19, 2005, 01:26:09 AM

Hm, I see. How much space is there between the pedals in your pedalboard? Enough I'm sure for cables to fit, but are things very snug?

As for the volume boost question, should I do some research into electronics and figure it out for myself, or can you recommend a good, low-distortion volume boost stage that I could easily implement into any pedal?

aaronkessman · July 19, 2005, 07:40:25 AM

not terribly snug, no.

i've never built a boost though, so cant recommend one :wink:

H4T · July 19, 2005, 12:20:40 PM

Neat, thanks for the help.

I'll go do some research to find a good volume gain stage, theres bound to be something in this huge mound of info lol.

Paul Marossy · July 19, 2005, 12:22:49 PM

My DIY pedalboard is 28"x16", a good size for me.

aaronkessman · July 19, 2005, 12:56:40 PM

the real issue is length. 16" "tall" is plenty of room for two rows of pedals.

Paul Marossy · July 19, 2005, 12:57:51 PM

Mine is 4" high, one level.

audioguy · July 19, 2005, 01:25:27 PM

Heres one I built a week ago. I have yet to populate it... The jacks arrived last night, so I'll start making my cables this weekend.

Basic design- 24 inches wide, 18 inches deep, 6 inch back plate with 1/4 inch back lip. A Dado Joint joins the 2 pieces together, and 3 braces underneath for top support.
I went with tolex because I had never seen it done before, and I thought it might look pretty cool. I think it'll be OK with some super duper velcro, but we'll see.

petemoore · July 19, 2005, 02:38:27 PM

Hardwiring some of them has advantages and disadvantages.
I've got plenty "O effect "O, sO....I decided to hard wire as many AP into a Box that now has BMP, WAH, and Boost on one side of the Splittler Blend Treadle, the other side of the parallel effect pan has jacks and a switch to tie the jacks together so I can ' not ' use them and use the Booster that is on that side.
Saves room, PS's, Jacks, unplug access room [the left side loop jacks come out the top], and works great, low, stays on the floor real good but is lighter than if that many circuits were individually housed.
Was harder to do than a single circuit effect box
Has high PS current Draw [better battery life and headroom at 18V supply though]

Fp-www.Tonepad.com · July 19, 2005, 03:56:30 PM

14" will fit two rows of pedals nicely.

28" wide should give you room for lots of pedals!

I recommend the elevated back row (at least 1").

Pedalboards are really useful for LIVE situations, just make sure there'll be room in the stage you'll be playing... So far I haven't had a chance to play at a stadium, so stage space has been tight :roll:

Fp

pi22seven · July 19, 2005, 08:46:43 PM

That's a nice build audioguy. The Tolex is a cool touch.

The only rules I have for pedalboards is that it should hold everything I need without out-boarding and the boxes need to be close enough that I don't have to stretch to far to get to anything.

Oh, and I need to be able to carry it by myself.

audioguy · July 19, 2005, 09:21:29 PM

Thanks!
I've got an amp handle I'll be installing on the back part for easy carrying, but I think Im going to go Thrift Store Shopping to see if I can just find a cool beater of a suitcase to haul it all around in.

Paul Perry (Frostwave) · July 20, 2005, 07:58:27 AM

If you build in some kind of suitcase or similar, you can build in a box & suspend the box in the suitcase & fill the outer space with foam from a can. And do the same with the top part.
If I was makigna pedal board, I'd think about having a patchbay built in!
But, it's easy to get carried away.. and sometimes, no pedalboard is big enough: http://www.zu33.com/moog/images/gallery/clouser_studio2.jpg
(Charlie Clouser's 'effects board'.)

Paul Marossy · July 20, 2005, 10:12:30 AM

I built mine out of an old bass guitar case.
http://www.diyguitarist.com/DIYStompboxes/NewPedalBoard.htm

H4T · July 20, 2005, 02:24:31 PM

I really like yours Paul, looks very professional! Personally I don't have any hard-shell cases of any kind laying around, suitcase or otherwise. The case is going to be modelled after yours actually, because I like the idea of a fairly slim, sleek case with detachable hinges and a handle.

I was thinking of building my own case out of plywood, and having the pedalboard be a part of it. The problem with my setup is that I have some slightly unusual enclosures; some are old military A/B switchboxes for printers that measure 4x6", and the Spyder power supply I'm building is going to be made in an old PC power supply chassis. I think I will either go out and look for a large-ish suitcase today, or go with something like 30" x 15" or so...no rush, since I only have 2 pedals under my belt at the moment, lol.

Paul Marossy · July 20, 2005, 02:28:16 PM

Quote from: H4TI really like yours Paul, looks very professional! Personally I don't have any hard-shell cases of any kind laying around, suitcase or otherwise. The case is going to be modelled after yours actually, because I like the idea of a fairly slim, sleek case with detachable hinges and a handle.

I was thinking of building my own case out of plywood, and having the pedalboard be a part of it. The problem with my setup is that I have some slightly unusual enclosures; some are old military A/B switchboxes for printers that measure 4x6", and the Spyder power supply I'm building is going to be made in an old PC power supply chassis. I think I will either go out and look for a large-ish suitcase today, or go with something like 30" x 15" or so...no rush, since I only have 2 pedals under my belt at the moment, lol.

Glad you like it. I have been using it for over three years now. When it started out, it was a very flimsy wood bass guitar case, but now it's a pretty sturdy pedal board.

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Decent pedalboard dimensions.