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Hi people,

after being a bass player mostly in recent years, I want to start through as a guitar player again. Usually I don't have any problems choosing and connecting gear. One thing I kind of neglected somehow is pedalboards. I always had a few stompboxes loose on the ground connected together, but I now want the stompboxes on a real board. These will consist of a
Mesa Boogie Flux Five

Dunlop GCB95 Wah
Dunlop Rotovibe
Neo Ventilator II
Boss CS-2 Compressor
Boss TU-3 Tuner
MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
What would be the right size board (Pedaltrain?) and which power supply fits best? Also,some FX I want to use in front of the amp, some in the FX way. Amps are either a Fender Prosonic or a Mesa Mark V:35 (occasionally also the Marshall 6100/6101). Is there a possibility to have two signal chains on one board? The Tuner also has a signal mute function that I want to use (I had this in the past with the Marshall). What are good connector cables?

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4 hours ago, killerteddybear said:

Yes, absolutely. Look up "four cable method". Por ejemplo:

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That’s the traditional three cable method. “Four cable” is used when a processor allows division internally of front end effects and loop effects. Guitar goes to processor input. Effects send on processor goes to amp input. Effect return on processor goes to effects send on amp. Finally, signal output on processor goes to effect loop return on amp. Actually,  no different than three cable, totally programmable by the processor. Even channel switching.  
 

To answer your question, I like the Mono stuff.  I’m using the 24” board.  I have a large Trailer Trash board and gig bag that might be a little bigger than you need. It’s on the block cheap, if it might work for you. Friedman built it for me.

Good luck! There’s tons of great stuff out there. I love the Line 6 processor (Helix effects without the price tag), but still incorporate my Lovepedal effects too. All programmable.

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Pedalboards, that something I still lack investing time on. Thanks for the links.

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On 5/31/2020 at 9:30 PM, The Shark said:

That’s the traditional three cable method. “Four cable” is used when a processor allows division internally of front end effects and loop effects. Guitar goes to processor input. Effects send on processor goes to amp input. Effect return on processor goes to effects send on amp. Finally, signal output on processor goes to effect loop return on amp. Actually,  no different than three cable, totally programmable by the processor. Even channel switching.  
 

To answer your question, I like the Mono stuff.  I’m using the 24” board.  I have a large Trailer Trash board and gig bag that might be a little bigger than you need. It’s on the block cheap, if it might work for you. Friedman built it for me.

Good luck! There’s tons of great stuff out there. I love the Line 6 processor (Helix effects without the price tag), but still incorporate my Lovepedal effects too. All programmable.

I see 10 cables there...not counting power cables. Tried that route, have gone with a multi-effects unit (GT-1000) instead. Not looking back.

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3 minutes ago, jwhitcomb3 said:

I see 10 cables there...not counting power cables. Tried that route, have gone with a multi-effects unit (GT-1000) instead. Not looking back.

Four cable?  

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I used Pedaltrain Jrs for a long time. They favor Voodoo Labs power supplies, though drilling is involved to mount them. 
 

My last two builds were Voodoo Lab boards. The big board has a PedalPower Mondo, the small one with a ISO-5. Of course, the power supplies bolt right in with the supplied brackets. They’ve been great and come with pretty robust soft cases. I recommend them. 
 

You may want to check out the new HoleyBoard modular board. They are very cleverly engineered. 

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If I was going to buy a board, I’d go Holeyboard for sure. Instead I build simple ghetto boards of my own. I buy cheap cutting boards of plastic or bamboo and use the holeyboard method. .I don’t like Velcro so I just drill holes and use zip ties. Works for me easy-peasy up to 7 pedals.
 

The last bamboo cutting board cost me $4 at WalMart and I already have tools. Pack of 100 long zip ties was on sale for $3. For feet I glue and screw wood blocks on the front and put rubber feet on them and the back. Works for me and the cutting boards have a convenient carrying handle built right in.

Even though I went whole hog down the Lovepedal hole...and I love those pedals, I typically will only have a verb, echo, OD and a distortion or fuzz on the board for jams. Occasionally a wah. When recording I use whatever fits the song and don’t really use a board most times...just pedals on the floor once zip settle on what the song calls for.

My church board has a tuner, Double OD, Joyo AC Tone (it is the amp), compressor for the 12 string only, echo, verb, and Trem. If I decide to bring a fuzz for a specific tune, I just put it next to the board at it is first in line. Sometimes I loop in a Keele Dynomyroto for this board, but not currently.

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I'm with you on Velcro.  I use zip ties, as well, though I have had no small amount of success mounting some pedals by dismantling a bicycle chain, using the pedals' back screws into the pedal and then a wood screw into the plywood.  You can barely make out the links sticking out from the Cry Baby, TS-10 and the Supatrem in this archive photo of ghetto board 1 (ten or so years ago).

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRvkVkSEAx0lGFwoqONUrq

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I am also a Holeyboard fan. I have two of them. One for my electric rig and one for my acoustic (solo) rig.

I don't use the cable tie method of securing the pedals. They moved around and it looked like shit. 2" Velcro.

20200605_172230.jpg

20200605_172247 (2).jpg

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I've been using the same DIY pedalboard since 1985, though I've changed the top many times.  It sprouted the second level around 2010.  Voodoo Labs PP2+ hidden under the deck.  Each pedal has two rear-plate screws replaced with longer ones that come up through the deck to hold them down.

vDF9I1u.jpg

I use the traditional 2-cable method; everything is in front of my Marshall 18 Watter clone. 

 

 

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I am using a combination of a pedal board and a road case, made by T-Rex. They make power supplies, too, so the two of them (power supply and pedal board) go together pretty well. Enough space for the usual stuff (could be a bit tight with oversized pedals like the FrostBite from H.B.E).

B30C6BB6-5AFC-423E-868C-14C2C16A4142.jpeg

The thing itself is build like a tank - or two tanks. It will survive anything it seems. The bottom part can be used as a base for the board, so all you have to do is to uncover it, plug it in and iff you go. But be warned, it is heavy as f••k.

5F996479-7AE0-447A-8C40-C1272EB3E674.jpeg

When it comes to the cables:

Upper row: modulation/echoe etc effects, going in the send/return on the back of my Koch

Lower row: Tuner, OD, boost and compressor going in the front. Thats pretty much it. Whole stuff is powered with the T-Rex bix under the board. Case is in the attic, btw.

1284F698-1B63-4484-B7E1-2CF9424BBC2D.jpeg

Oh, ETA: It is all velcro on the top. Zip ties just for the power cables below the board.

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17 hours ago, Rich_S said:

I've been using the same DIY pedalboard since 1985, though I've changed the top many times.  It sprouted the second level around 2010.  Voodoo Labs PP2+ hidden under the deck.  Each pedal has two rear-plate screws replaced with longer ones that come up through the deck to hold them down.

vDF9I1u.jpg

I use the traditional 2-cable method; everything is in front of my Marshall 18 Watter clone. 

 

 

Love the functional, utilitarian look to this.  

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I love wiring pedal boards- building cables, routing systems, power distro, all of it.  I found these boards made by a dude named Sean Paden out of Nashville under the name Roadiemade.

Love the design, the lightweight, and build quality.  I have made several iterations of these, usually playing one or the other, but sometimes both for lots of options.:

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3 hours ago, soli'd said:

I love wiring pedal boards- building cables, routing systems, power distro, all of it.  I found these boards made by a dude named Sean Paden out of Nashville under the name Roadiemade.

Love the design, the lightweight, and build quality.  I have made several iterations of these, usually playing one or the other, but sometimes both for lots of options.:

 

9quQk3P.jpg

 

Those look cool.  I'm not sure why no companies make a small horizontal tuner to put like this one.  They really only need to rotate the screen and text on the unit, maybe relocate the jacks if they want to.  

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29 minutes ago, scottcald said:

Those look cool.  I'm not sure why no companies make a small horizontal tuner to put like this one.  They really only need to rotate the screen and text on the unit, maybe relocate the jacks if they want to.  

Ever since I got used to the C looking like a U it hasn't hung me up too much.  🙃

On this board I ran it from the buffered tuner out of the volume pedal and didn't even wire the output of the tuner.  I turn it off in between tuning just so it isn't going crazy reading every note change, but signal always passes out the board and I just heel-down on the VP if I need to tune quietly.

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  • 1 month later...

I’m thinking to make a simple pedalboard with a piece of oak and a rail to tilt it a bit. For those that like Velcro, do you recommend a specific kind? Pedaltrain is not so expensive and widely used. West Coast Pedal Boards has a deck material that sounds interesting, anyone tried it?

i like the idea of longer screws and capturing the pedals between the board and back cover. But not sure what pedals/placements I want. Suppose I could drill a lot of holes.

I checked out Roadiemade on FB, seems like decent prices for custom boards.

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