multi layer pedal board for guitar~

this is a DJ CD case turned upside down with 2 layers of masonite (pegboard with no holes). I run an acoustic guitar through all of these pedals to create "live loops" so i needed to have an extremely quiet sound with no low hum or buzz. i ran George L's audio cables and tons of 9volt power. i think this may be the most amount of pedals you can get into one space.

Step 1: First is to start from scratch.

i pulled all of the foam lining and 3 cd dividers out of the bootom, turned it all upside down adn this is NOW the bottom. basically it is a plywood and metal frame with a poly outer shell...like any roadcase.

Comments

[RansomReckon]

Thanks man, I've got to do something about my set-up, it's a mess. Guess I can measure out a separate case for the RC-50 and POD HD... If I even come close to building one like yours, I'll send ya a picture and a bottle. Thanks

[joelsprayberry]

Chris, you ever get something built?

[riverreaper]

ive a qwestion ? now i dont play guitar but i do synth an mix an have an oragan i press keys on to get more outa my synth .What my qwestion is can or is it possible to run a mike threw thous foot pedals im in need of somthing i can change my voice patern in i run it all into my computer then on into my sterios as my dule amps , i just goof off at home with this stuff an find that after i get the sounds recorded that i like i use a wavepad to lay down the complet track mixed then from there i have a movie maker i can lay 2to 3 track pieces together or overlaping , i would like to beable to add words to it just not in my cruddy voice thou lol

[joelsprayberry]

Absolutely. You can run vocals through just about anything. Just find an xlr to 1/4 adapter and start stomping. Do a YouTube search for Beardy man. I know he has. Good luck.

[ERCBIENG]

Thats cool! Is it hard to reach the center pedals? It might be better if they were all parrelell

[butterflycookies]

sweet dawg

[Little_Buster]

Hey man, whats that mouse used for on your board? A A/B selector or a Pedal selector?

[joelsprayberry]

it's the external tap for my dd5 have modded the dd5 since then to incorporate the tap on it~

[scubasteve92781]

just for the record...is that a computer mouse in the top left hand corner on top of the pedal power? what's that for? great organization and ideas. that is until you find you want to switch the order, replace george Ls, simplify as you become a better musician/want to seek better tones, etc. but if you are set with this, it works great.

[joelsprayberry]

that's a good eye you have~ yes it is a mouse. we call it the logitech mousitron tapitron discombobulater. it's basically a project box with a line that runs to my DD5 as an external tap for delay. and yes about every 3 minutes i feel like the organization of the board needs to change. but the rigidity of it is quite nice because hopefully nothing can come loose~

[ritchiegiggles]

about the logitech mousitron tapitron discombobulater. can you make an instructables for that??? i have a DD5 but no tapping device

[Jday]

How did you attach the bottom layer to the case it's self? Did you just use glue or did you put bolts through the case? or does it just sit loose in the case?

[joelsprayberry]

hey Jday, good question. i pondered how to do it for a while then i came up with a good solution. i removed the screws that were holding the rubber grommets on. i then ran a bolt up through the grommets up through the top layer and bolted them down.......actually used recessed nuts on top. it is clean~ what does your pedal board look like?

[Jday]

Oh I see the rubber grommets that came with the dj case, got it. Well I run a stereo rig so all my pedals have 2 ins and 2 outs, since my RIC has stereo output. Anyhow I am in the process of upgrading and replacing several pedals. But generally I have 2 line 6 tone core pedals, when I am done I will have 4: delay, chorus, reverb and trem. I will also have 2 whammy wahs controlled by a midi expression pedal and on off switch. I am looking into getting 2 compression units, I have one now. And also 2 distortion pedals, I have one now. For the mono compression and distortion boxes I will be building a pair of bypass boxes using parts from www.smallbearelec.com. I will also be wanting to get either a single line6 fm4, or 2 moog mf-107s controlled by yet another stero bypass box. I am getting ready to convert an oldschool leather suitcase into a pedalboard using several of your ideas, specifically about using one layer for power and another for patch cables. One idea I would also like to include is the thing that trailertrash pedalboards have on the side for plugging in a power cable.

[Jday]

Oh yeah and one more thing I want to get pretty bad is a MegaWah. Which when run in stereo has a mode where one channel has the envelope going up and the other channel has the envelope going down at the same time when the expression pedal is used.

[gnargnar]

got a link to the crazy music you must make to require such a setup? "books on tape" has a set up like yours and his stuff is craaazy with 3 a's

[poulw]

Nice board- very inspirational. Submitter obviously has some opinions regarding tone. He's a nut and god bless him for it... -:)

[Hasersys]

way to many pedals wow but cool

[joelsprayberry]

can u really have too many pedals?

[Hasersys]

not at all nice collection.

[joelsprayberry]

wayn3w, a year ago i would have agreed 100% with you. we did abotu 200 shows this last year and eventually the velcro and carpet shift a little. eventually ou have wires and such that move too much that create a problem. also, there was always a little 'give' when you pushed a pedal quickly...tap delay whatever, when it was velcroed....even with industrial strength/non-homedepot hook and loop material. the foam rubber works great in holding things in place, but it also works great in resetting all of your knobs to a very unfamiliar setting~ a mixing board case sounds primo though! my only scare is that something goes wrong and i can't bend down and auto fix it immediately.

[StratMan]

I had the same problem with my pedalboard & velcro. Worked great for a while, then things started to shift.....Doesn't matter now, I don't do too many live gigs anymore... hehe

[joelsprayberry]

turbo, yes you are correct, i will go and change that today. It is masonite board NOT hardibacker. crap, that would be heavy~

[wayn3w]

(from a former touring musician) I recommend using carpetting (I used runners from Home Depot -- 2$ a foot) for the inside of the case and putting velcro on the bottom of the effects. Velcro is strong enough to withstand someone turning over the case, yet if you need to reconfigure, you can remove and reposition the effects. I bought a case used to hold a mixing board, so it's angled nicely for floor effects. Also, a bunch of foam rubber helps to keeps things in place when traveling.

[turbovolv]

That's not hardibacker. Hardibacker is cement board for backing tiled or thin cement surfaces. The material used here is more like medium density fiberboard (MDF) or Masonite.

[trevize]

just unbelievable. the best diy pedalboard i've seen.