Reason for a pedal board?

[MichaelAndrew3435]

Hey all,

Currently I have 4 pedals, with plans for more in the future. I don't have an actual board to put them on because I always though pedal boards were for people who gig, which I don't do (maybe someday). Anyways, my problem is this hideous mess of pedals and wires. I know it's not really organized, but even if I did organize them on my floor it'd still be an eye sore. Is there any kind of pedal board on the market that will make this mess actually look neater? Hide wires, ect. Thanks.

 

[Bordeaux]

You kind of answered your own question, pedal boards help keep your cables and pedals organized. They also make it easier to transport your setup without breaking it down every time.

Some of them you can run all of the wires under the board, just depends on what you get. I have a Gator pedal board my wife bought me for Christmas a few years ago. It's great and it did come with a power supply with both 9 and 18 volt inputs.

The power supply on mine died about a year ago so now I run a Dunlop Power brick. But still use the pedal board of course. Mine holds about 8 or 9 pedals depending on the foot prints of the pedals.

I rarely gig but do play in a band that gets together every weekend so I need something portable. I used to carry my pedals around in a bag and hook them up when I got to where I was going, that was not a good idea. The pedal board makes it much easier to transport.

One quick solution to your "hideous mess of cables and wires" would be to just get some short "jumper cables" to connect your pedals like these:

DiMarzio Jumper Cable Pedal Coupler | GuitarCenter

Of course those are kind of pricey, you can get them cheaper. Since you really don't carry your gear/setup around, that may be the cheapest solution. Of course getting a pedal board will keep everything nice and neat, plus you'd be able to move the entire setup easily if you needed to. Not to mention pedal boards are freakn COOL!

 

[MichaelAndrew3435]

You kind of answered your own question, pedal boards help keep your cables and pedals organized. They also make it easier to transport your setup without breaking it down every time.

Some of them you can run all of the wires under the board, just depends on what you get. I have a Gator pedal board my wife bought me for Christmas a few years ago. It's great and it did come with a power supply with both 9 and 18 volt inputs.

The power supply on mine died about a year ago so now I run a Dunlop Power brick. But still use the pedal board of course. Mine holds about 8 or 9 pedals depending on the foot prints of the pedals.

I rarely gig but do play in a band that gets together every weekend so I need something portable. I used to carry my pedals around in a bag and hook them up when I got to where I was going, that was not a good idea. The pedal board makes it much easier to transport.

One quick solution to your "hideous mess of cables and wires" would be to just get some short "jumper cables" to connect your pedals like these:

DiMarzio Jumper Cable Pedal Coupler | GuitarCenter

Of course those are kind of pricey, you can get them cheaper. Since you really don't carry your gear/setup around, that may be the cheapest solution. Of course getting a pedal board will keep everything nice and neat, plus you'd be able to move the entire setup easily if you needed to. Not to mention pedal boards are freakn COOL!

I'd pay $20 a piece for those as long as they NEVER go bad or give me issues. Is that why they cost that much?

 

[e44crowe]

You need a pedaltrain. You can mount your ISO-5 underneath and run the wires and cables through some zip ties to keep them neat.

 

[Batman]

Another Pedaltrain fan here. They come in several sizes from 4-5 pedals up to the Pedaltrain Pro which holds close to 20.

They aren't just for gigging; they help protect both your pedals and their cables from damage.

 

[Bristol Posse]

Pedal train 2 here. Got 8 pedals on it and a voodoo labs pedal power mounted underneath, use it for gigs and at home.
Neat and easy for loading in and out at gigs and to keep my music room squared away at home

 

[MATTM]

I've got a PedalTrain 2 and love it. My power supply is a Pedal Power 2+ which mounts nicely under the board. I highly recommend the PT2.

 

[MichaelAndrew3435]

I've got a PedalTrain 2 and love it. My power supply is a Pedal Power 2+ which mounts nicely under the board. I highly recommend the PT2.

That's exactly what I'm looking for. Something to run the cables and power supply underneath. Thanks!

 

[tolm]

I made my own pedal boards for years using off cuts of wood, sticky back Velcro, etc but eventually succumbed and bought a 'proper' one - which is a PedalTrain something-or-other, I think a "2":

Definitely a good purchase: there's a whole load of cables (especially the power ones) which are nicely hidden away and everything gets held in a consistent place. I do gig but even for home use, being able to pick the whole thing up, plug just one power cable in ... so much easier.

 

[hrfdez]

PedalTrain 2 here! Have to keep things organized for mama

 

[Frogfur]

Man I just use a stained 2x10" board and mounted them on that. Why u think they call
Them pedal "boards?"...

 

[tolm]

Man I just use a stained 2x10" board and mounted them on that. Why u think they call
Them pedal "boards?"...

Yeh, I've still got a smaller board (built to fit inside my old Firebirds's case!) along with my pre-PT2 main board, both of which I made myself. I bought a 'proper' 'board so I could get the power supply underneath without making the 'board too high up: something a metal board does much better than the 1/2" thick wood I used to construct my own 'boards out of! And whilst my woodworking skills are only average my metalwork skills are non-existent!

 

[CodeMonk]

Just a tip for those new to pedal boards, I route my power cables underneath the board and the audio on top.
Maybe its an OCD thing but I have had up to 18 pedals (down to 16 ATM) including 5 dirt pedals, and my board is dead quite.

 

[Batman]

Yeah, the PT2 is pretty much the perfect sized board. Here's mine.

 

[ehamady6]

Just moving pedals from one side of the room to another would be made much easier with a board.

 

[hrfdez]

Yeah, the PT2 is pretty much the perfect sized board. Here's mine.

When I get better I am definitively getting those Strymon units, they are awesome! Specially the Big Sky, I am just not that good, YET

Very nice board!

 

[freak]

I've got a PedalTrain 2 and love it. My power supply is a Pedal Power 2+ which mounts nicely under the board. I highly recommend the PT2.

so.....you have the power source underneath it?
i have a pt2, with a one-spot, which seems to be ok.

what would be the advantage of switching to something like what you have, or is it pretty much the same thing? you would still need to daisy chain everything together, right?

 

[Bristol Posse]

so.....you have the power source underneath it?
i have a pt2, with a one-spot, which seems to be ok.

what would be the advantage of switching to something like what you have, or is it pretty much the same thing? you would still need to daisy chain everything together, right?

Something like the voodoo labs pedal power has isolated power outputs and power filtering for each pedal so you don't get noisy pedals from wall warts. It's also usually a more tidy solution

I tried a one spot for a while and it made my OD and Wah pedal hum like [email protected] especially playing out at bars which tend to have sh!tty power to start with. Switched to the voodoo labs (or Dunlop power brick etc etc) and the pedals are silent except for the signal passing through them, hum has gone

 

[Mookakian]

Yeah not much fun carting the things from A to B without a Board, but if your not going to move it...not needed really

 

[will c]

When I get better I am definitively getting those Strymon units, they are awesome! Specially the Big Sky, I am just not that good, YET

Very nice board!

Perhaps acquisition will lead to unbridled inspiration...