Pedal Boards: What do I need to know?

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maddnotez

maddnotez

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Ok, so here it yet another hello I am a noob so please help me thread.

I have been looking and searching and have seen some cool boards but I have a few questions.

I want a case for my pedal board. Is it possible and is it safe on the pedals (I want to keep them mint) to have your board fully assembled with pedals on the board in the case while not in use? I do not want to have to set up my board every time I play.

I have read about Snakes and patch boxes. Are these neccessary? I am probably going to have a small board with a Wah, a power supply and maybe 6 regular pedals. (I might leave room for more but I can't see myself needing more than that.

Lastly what are some good boards? I have read about Pedaltrain, Savage Woodworks and Monkey Dream. I definitely do not want a plastic Boss case/board.

Anything else that a pedal noob should consider before purchasing?
 
First thing you need to decide is how big a board you need. A wah and 6+ pedals probably aren't going to fit on a Pedaltrain Jr. Lay the pedals out in the configuration you'd like to use them and measure how much space you need, leaving room for cables and future pedals if need be. That will get you the size of board you need.

Mounting them on the board and keeping them in a case is fine and is the whole purpose of a board ( easy of set up and tear down). No issues there.

Pedaltrain would probably be the most common ones to find. They work fine, are light, come with a case or bag at least, and have a layout that allows a Pedal Power power supply to be installed easily. Very utilitarian boards. However other board manufacturers like Trailer Trash, Savage, allow you to intergrate in/outs and power connections into the board itself. Not to mention the Savage boards are a work of art and much nicer to look at than a bunch of aluminum slats.

Patch bays and snakes are not necessary but help cut down on set up and breakdown time, that's all. They also make things look neater.
 
Hey thanks.

I guess I need to do first things first and determine the size haha.

I checked out pedalboard planner. It appears the 14.5 x 22 board looks the best but man they screwed up. The color of that board being white makes it really hard to determine where it starts and stops.
 
Hey Maddnotez



I got a pedaltrain and I'm pretty happy with it. Light yet strong. The case it came with is kind of cheap but works. I don't gig so it has not been through those kind of paces but you can pick up the whole board and stick it in there. I think the case is made out of cardboard. Like boost said...measuring is the key. Below is a pic of mine (that you probably remember) that might give you an idea on what you can fit. I put velcro on about half of it.






 
I used the Pedal board planner to lay mine out, made everything fit pretty good, this is a PT-3 board

 
rubyAudio":1ltlpj79 said:
Blackbird Pedalboards are supposed to be nice, but I've never actually seen one in person.
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Just started working with them. I got one of their standard 12x24 boards. I haven't yet taken it out on the road but it seems sturdy enough, definitely high quality. The design is nice and the case is an ATA flight case, plenty of protection.

B9E52549-56D3-475A-B54E-51FD4DA63588_zps2lnaqjv5.jpg


513F70F8-E8C8-47C9-9333-D5BC2FEA0F64_zpsqwzrubqx.jpg


The locking jacks are a huge plus..
3EDFB24A-CEE5-431D-AA85-72C11A5380C1_zpslngogqhr.jpg
 
311splawndude":2d85spmc said:
Hey Maddnotez



I got a pedaltrain and I'm pretty happy with it. Light yet strong. The case it came with is kind of cheap but works. I don't gig so it has not been through those kind of paces but you can pick up the whole board and stick it in there. I think the case is made out of cardboard. Like boost said...measuring is the key. Below is a pic of mine (that you probably remember) that might give you an idea on what you can fit. I put velcro on about half of it.






Click to expand...


Yes I do remember yours. That should get the job done.

I really liked those Monkey Boards with the clear board and LED's but this is my first and doesn't need to be flashy.

I saw some PT's new at Guitar Center for a decent price. I will probably go that route if I can't find a good deal used.

Jay Strange":2d85spmc said:
Just have Dave Friedman build you one.
Click to expand...

Kind of the same info I listed above. I am sure that would probably be one of the better boards I could get but this is my first one, It will be very simple and fairly small and I would like to spend as little as possible on a board.
 
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