silly question about input/output

[aballen]

I'm building my first pedal a Thor pedal... it just sounds amazing, but I wanted to ask.

Most pedals I see have input on the right, output on the left... I keep thinking I want to do the opposite, probably based on reading left to right....I wanted to ask, is there a reason most are input on the right side, or does it simply not matter?

[tiges_ tendres]

I'm building my first pedal a Thor pedal... it just sounds amazing, but I wanted to ask.

Most pedals I see have input on the right, output on the left... I keep thinking I want to do the opposite, probably based on reading left to right....I wanted to ask, is there a reason most are input on the right side, or does it simply not matter?

We usually do this so pedals don't get tangled in your feet.  If you run inputs on the left, and you're are right handed guitarist with pedals in front of you, your cable has to run over your feet.

If you're left handed, on the other hand (pun intended), then I can see how it would be beneficial to run the opposite.

[Mark Hammer]

And here I always thought it was because the pedals were all in Hebrew! 

But yeah, Steve nailed it.  It's a bias in favour of where the cable comes out  of right-handed guitars.  Keep in mind that the bias began long before there was such a thing as a pedal-board or wireless transmitters.  Imagine your "rig" consists of a guitar, a wah-wah, and a 10ft cable going from guitar to wah-wah, and wah-wah to amp.  Were the guitar-to-pedal cable to plug in on the left side, the cable would drape across the feet of a right-handed player, and possibly get snagged under the treadle of the wah.

Now, if pedal history had started out with people having at least 5 or 6 pedals, the location of the jacks might have been on the rear skirt, rather than the sides, but that's another story.

[aballen]

Great explanation guys, thanks, I'll stick with the convention... I'm right handed. 

[deadastronaut]

as a lefty ive always had that problem...

always kicking the lead behind me etc....it is a pain.....i blame my parents..