First pedal board?

RustySpanner

Hiya!

As above, would like a pedal board as things are getting a bit unwieldy when packing up for jams. 

Needs to accommodate:

Dunlop Mini Wah.
Full sized Big Muff.
Orange 2 channel foot switch.
5 Boss sized pedals, which will probably grow to 6 or 7 at some point!

I have a brick sized power supply (Powerbank DC9), only 5 outputs so currently using a daisy chain. 

So, do I just stump up the cash for the relevant Pedaltrain, or can you recommend a possibly cheaper alternative?

Should I be looking at upgrading the power supply first and eliminating the daisy chain?

I'd prefer wood for aesthetic reasons, but appreciate the advantages of a welded metal structure. 

And if anyone could point me in the direction of a helpful guide to cabling and set up, that would be lovely. 

Thanks in advance and best wishes for the new year to all.

Pete. 

Shark_Eyes

Have a look at the Harley Benton pedalboards on thomann, they're essentially pedaltrain clones

sweepy

Always go a little larger with the pedalboard than you would think originally as even the smallest board suffers the “just one more pedal” syndrome

BeardyAndy

I've a Pedaltrain Nano+ but will be ordering an HB Spaceship soon, they look pretty good to me.

ewal

I made my own. It's pretty simple.

jeztone2

I’d get some wallpaper and place everything how you think you’ll need it in performance. Then measure around that area. If you do that first, it
might save some cash later on. 

the_butler

ewal said:

I made my own. It's pretty simple.

Yes, this is the cheapest & IMO best way.
Measure the size you want & B&Q will cut it for you, velcro tape the pedals on.
If the board becomes too small or too large for your liking just get a new one without having £'s invested in it

skullfunkerry

Personally I'd leave the Orange footswitch off the board. It gives you a bit more flexibility that way, for instance if you want to use your amp but not your pedals you don't need the board.

Another vote here for the Harley Benton Spaceship range: I have one (haven't actually set it up yet), and it's very well made 

Winny_Pooh

the_butler said:

ewal said:

I made my own. It's pretty simple.

Yes, this is the cheapest & IMO best way.
Measure the size you want & B&Q will cut it for you, velcro tape the pedals on.
If the board becomes too small or too large for your liking just get a new one without having £'s invested in it

You'll not find a bag to fit unless you buy a suitable bag first and then make a board to fit that. 

roberty

sweepy said:

Always go a little larger with the pedalboard than you would think originally as even the smallest board suffers the “just one more pedal” syndrome

Can you please tell me this 8 months ago? It will come in useful

Re: OP I got a cheap gorilla brand pedal train copy and it weighs a bloody ton. Pedal train is just way lighter. Also if you're using a soft case the knobs get moved around so I would recommend a hard case unless you're a public transport warrior

sweepy

roberty said:

sweepy said:

Always go a little larger with the pedalboard than you would think originally as even the smallest board suffers the “just one more pedal” syndrome

Can you please tell me this 8 months ago? It will come in useful

Re: OP I got a cheap gorilla brand pedal train copy and it weighs a bloody ton. Pedal train is just way lighter. Also if you're using a soft case the knobs get moved around so I would recommend a hard case unless you're a public transport warrior

Been there with far too many pedalboards, I confess to being a Gear Slut,,,,,:) though having Thorpy 10 mins down the road is bad enough

roberty

sweepy said:

roberty said:

sweepy said:

Always go a little larger with the pedalboard than you would think originally as even the smallest board suffers the “just one more pedal” syndrome

Can you please tell me this 8 months ago? It will come in useful

Re: OP I got a cheap gorilla brand pedal train copy and it weighs a bloody ton. Pedal train is just way lighter. Also if you're using a soft case the knobs get moved around so I would recommend a hard case unless you're a public transport warrior

Been there with far too many pedalboards, I confess to being a Gear Slut,,,,,:) though having Thorpy 10 mins down the road is bad enough

If only I could squeeze the Gonkulator in. Such a cool sounding lead boost

EricTheWeary

Winny_Pooh said:

the_butler said:

ewal said:

I made my own. It's pretty simple.

Yes, this is the cheapest & IMO best way.
Measure the size you want & B&Q will cut it for you, velcro tape the pedals on.
If the board becomes too small or too large for your liking just get a new one without having £'s invested in it

You'll not find a bag to fit unless you buy a suitable bag first and then make a board to fit that. 

This. You are also talking about a largish board so you have to be careful it doesn’t become ridiculously heavy. 

Lots of people use non isolated supplies/ daisy chains especially for a handful of analogue/ low power digital ( say overdrives and a tuner). The noise problems will let you know if it isn’t working. The Powerbank output is 450ma which is pretty low if you want to start shoving digital effects on there ( for example you’d need 235ma for a Digitech Freqout ). The Powerbank also isn’t an isolated supply so internally it’s essentially just a daisy chain anyway so the next upgrade would be to an isolated power supply ( making sure the individual outputs can handle your most power thirsty pedal) if you were getting noise issues/ needed more power. 

viz

I like the flight case type - you can put the board directly on the floor, or mounted on the upside-down box like this (the feet of my board sit snugly inside the box so it doesn’t slide about) so you can get a leg up for easier playing. I rest mine on the Digitech Whammy or the Morley Wah when I’m not using the pedal. 

Admittedly it’s rather heavy, but the space is handy for cabling etc. 

https://i.imgur.com/ij9PJrw.jpg

RustySpanner

Thanks for the replies. 

No hum issues with the supply, fingers crossed. 

Pedals are currently:
Dunlop Mini Wah.
SD1.
Big Muff.
CE5.
DD7.
Behringer Tremolo.
RC3. 

Plus the amp foot switch. 


I can see myself adding a tuner, possibly another overdrive or distortion and will need room for a reverb if I change amps,  but that's definitely it for the time being. 

I think I'll sort the placement, power supply  and cabling out first, get the positioning right then choose or make a pedalboard to suit. 

Many thanks for all your help. 

Pete.