Birth of a Cornish Pedalboard

[Dave_B]

Pete Cornish would do more than just rehouse them and connect them all together. He would add his own buffers, switching,  a high-quality power supply etc. Then the custom designed wooden board... All in all its several hours of design work and many more for the actual build.
...
EDIT: As an exercise, try to count the hours you spent working on your last stompbox. Include everything. Browsing for schematics on the web, to making a parts list, to going to the post office to collect any parts you ordered, drilling the enclosure, designing the paint-job, painting, etc... Now let's pay $100 an hour for this. Before you've even started soldering, the cost is probably a lot more than most Boutique pedals...

I don't think most of that applies to Pete's situation, but I get it.  Obviously we're of a different opinion on this and that's fine.  If people want to pay that, more power to them.  I just think that, with all his router templates and power tools, you may be overestimating the number of man hours it would take to do this particular task.  If any of us were doing it full time and had an organized approach, we'd be a lot more efficient than if we are knocking off a box here and there. 

[Roobin]

With all the mentions about price, etc, there is no denying it: those pedals are expensive. However, can you put a price on such dedication, hard work and experience? Remember it is just Pete and his wife who make everything, plus they must have spent ages designing pedalboards, making them, revising, remaking them...

Also, reading the reviews on harmony central, it seems his pedals have a unique sound, thats not distinguishable as, "Oh yes, that's a Big Muff". Again, a lot of time spent planning and evaluating his ideas. And if the noise levels are anything to go by,it really does show craftsmanship to be able to make such fx and not have annoying noise, just plain sound.

[Dave_B]

Again, a lot of time spent planning and evaluating his ideas.

And that certainly has a lot of value.  FWIW, I was speaking specifically about the '7 Boss pedals and a wah' quote.

[hhelland]

Look here: http://petecornish.co.uk/wood24.html That toroid power transformer looks to be at least 500VA.  And two fans as well. Serious power supply, don't you think?

[d95err]

I am seriously tempted to build a pedalboard using his techniques and parts. Then work out what it cost me. And then add about £50 an hour and scare myself. I have 5 of the cheap £15 Behringer pedals, was going to put them in Hammonds but now Im tempted ...

I'm getting really tempted too... Since I don't know Pete Cornish secret shielding trick, I might have to put it into a metal enclosure though. Perhaps one of those slanted Hammond enclosures.

The most difficult part would be to choose effects. Too many options... 

Oh well, I've got an amp and several other projects to finish first...

[Dave_B]

Since I don't know Pete Cornish secret shielding trick, I might have to put it into a metal enclosure though. Perhaps one of those slanted Hammond enclosures.

Someone somewhere mentioned shielding paint.  It's possible he's using some form of that.  He talked in an interview about shielding the boxes but was pretty mysterious about it. 
Stew Mac
AMZ

The most difficult part would be to choose effects. Too many options... 

That's what keeps be from considering it, too.  Just when I think I've got the perfect distortion, I breadboard another Joe Davisson circuit.

[spudulike]

You mean like this one ?


Ok, so we got 7 Boss pedals, and a wah. Then we have 10 buffers, 3 line drivers, a conditioned power supply, an isolated tuner output, a custom switching system ... oh, and the easypeasy custom woodwork screened enclosure that someone has to build, designed to suit the pedals and the customer's layout specs.

To build it, we need a skilled woodworker and electronics tech, assembly tech, quality assurance tech, test tech, etc. Even if these roles are fulfilled by one or two people it wont come cheap.  Because of the nature of the board only certain parts can come from templates, and thats usually just the control cavities.

Lastly I'd refer you to the lounge thread about the $24 footswitch - check the stompswitches Pete uses and tell me how much they cost each ?

I'll say again, that he sells reliability. In front of 30,000 people at your next stadium gig, the PC logo means when you hit the stomp it WILL work.

The solid state effects board systems use our specially designed preamps, buffers, and line drivers which replicate the characteristics of tube amp inputs thus eliminating the tone and volume losses associated with multiple pedal set ups by completely isolating each pedal from it's neighbor.They are built to handle the rigors of the touring world, and will respond day in and day out. Housed in a solid wooden frame, where all effects are contained, the sound quality  and lack of noise are hailed by the world's most influential touring bands and have become the standard by which all other effects    systems are measured.

[no one ever]

ooh, i like the wah.

[Dave_B]

[spudulike]

 

[no one ever]

hahaha...  funniest thing i've seen on this forum.

[Dave_B]

ooh, i like the wah.

Same here.  Is/Was that a stock model?

[d95err]

Has anyone figured out what the configuration of Dave's board is?

There are 11 switches and 8 effects, so what are the 3 extra switches for? One switch is labeled A/B and one is probably a mute button. The third could be to activate one of the Send/Return effect loops.

I'm thinking maybe it's two separate signal paths. The A/B switch could select if the top or bottom row effects are in use. The last

Looks like 2 delays, 2 tube overdrives (or whatever the 4 knob tube things are). The two red-goop effects I have no idea what it could be. Then obviously a graphical EQ, and one more thing to the far left.

It seems like there is no input/output level adjustment knobs like on most of the boards seen on other places on the website. Suppose Dave figures doesn't need them. Since the delays are to the right it seems that the signal path goes from left to right, unless the signal path is not reflected in the postition of the effects and switches on the board.

[mudmen]

I think that this board includes...

Demeter Compulator
2 Tube Drivers
G-2
P-2
2 DDL's (one is T.E.S. for sure)
modified GE-7

[MartyMart]

I have one "PC" product .... a large 8 way power board with filter/conditioning box.
The UK plugs are all in metal housings, its build like a Tank and before "retiring" to the
studio, it was toured with for about 6 years.
( somehow it ended up in my flightcase !! )
It still works, is totally noiseless and I wouldn't be without it !!
I've seen a few systems up-close and the workmanship is very impressive.
Do all of that buffering/wiring/switching/woodworking and re-housing and add up the cost .. !!

HE ROCKS 

MM.

[Xavier]

Well I don't think he intends to sell these one off pedalboards to bedroom players. A Bentley has 4 wheels and a single engine, just like any other car. Of course a 5000 sterling price quote for rehousing 7 Boss pedals, wah and volume may seem steep, but for some reason I don't think it's a rip off.

These pedalboards are meant to last FOREVER, and as someone else says, you are paying for reliability. If your name is Paul McCartney and you must tour 100 stadiums around the world (not small ,not medium capacity venues), your gear must be absolutely dependable, no question. I have my own self-made pedalboard, which is OK for my weekend gigs in clubs, but it wouldn't take road abuse.

And, everything is relative. I think Gilmour and all these big names are MORE THAN HAPPY to pay what Pete Cornish asks. I think that they don't give a damn about what's the number in the invoice.

Come on guys, how much is a NEW Gibson Custom Shop? and to me, THAT is a rip-off. I feel ripped off when I pay an amount of money for something that isn't worth it.

[Mark Hammer]

I haven't read each and every posting in this thread, so forgive me if it has been discussed, but I think the point everyone is missing is that such a pedalboard is not simply an object.  It comes with extensive consultation.  I have very confidence in the world that Dave Gilmour doesn't just say "Stick this pedal, that one, the other, and a power supply in a box!!".  Rather, he sits down with Cornish, and Pete asks him "Okay, so tell me a bit about what you need this to do for you.  What sorts of changes in tone do you need to be able to make on the fly?  What sorts of safeguards do you need to have built in?  What are some things you always need it to do, and what do you never need it to do?  What feels comfortable to you?".  Dave, being a musician, provides some ideas, and while they will hopefully be a bit better than Nigel Tufnel scribbling 18" on a napkin, I expect the first go around will not be considerably detailed. Pete will come back to Dave with a preliminary design, or perhaps several alternative proposed designs that have assorted pros and cons, and they'll select a best course of action.

What he gets for $9k is not a pedalboard, but a solution to a strategic problem.  Most professional consultants for key strategic issues of any type would likely charge anywhere between $400 and $1000/hr for their time.  For his $9k, Gilmour gets the professional guidance of someone who has likely served people who had to do tours on this size stage and that one, in tropical climates and cold ones, with roadies they knew and with whoever the promoter could scrape together at the last minute, with fixed songlist and with an intent to improvise as much as possible, with only your amp and with what they rented for you, and so on. In other words, the advice of someone with great perspective, and an eye towards warding off problems that others might not anticipate.

This is a very different service than logging onto a website and ordering a pedalboard.  That's why it costs more.  Not because of the parts that are in the box, but because of what Gilmour needs the box to do.

[mudmen]

Exactly

[Paul Marossy]

This is a very different service than logging onto a website and ordering a pedalboard.  That's why it costs more.  Not because of the parts that are in the box, but because of what Gilmour needs the box to do.

Yep, that's the bottom line. And Pete Cornish can do it. 

[d95err]

What he gets for $9k is not a pedalboard, but a solution to a strategic problem.  Most professional consultants for key strategic issues of any type would likely charge anywhere between $400 and $1000/hr for their time.  For his $9k, Gilmour gets the professional guidance of someone who has likely served people who had to do tours on this size stage and that one, in tropical climates and cold ones, with roadies they knew and with whoever the promoter could scrape together at the last minute, with fixed songlist and with an intent to improvise as much as possible, with only your amp and with what they rented for you, and so on. In other words, the advice of someone with great perspective, and an eye towards warding off problems that others might not anticipate.

I agree. Though, the Gilmour board is most likely a lot more than $9k. At least a 5 figure sum I'm sure. (The $9k discussed was for another poster who got a quote from PC for rehousing some pedals).