Multi Layer Pedal Board for Guitar~

by joelsprayberry

76K5925

Intro: 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.

STEP 2: Second Level Cut

cut to fit board for second level

STEP 3: Spaced Them

i have 18 pedals or so that i had to startegically place

STEP 4: Traced and Cut

next i cut traced each pedal with the correct spacing for the 1/4 right angle cords to fit into each pedal, as well as the 9volt power cables.

STEP 5: Drilled Holes

i aligned each board together adn drilled holes for the audio, the elctric and teh straps to hold them in.

STEP 6: Spacers

next i added spacers made of 1/4 pine shims by glueing them at strategically random places.

STEP 7: New Layer

then i added another layer so as to have the audio and electric separate from each other.

STEP 8: Pintar, Pintar!

so i paint it all black

STEP 9: Audio

now the tallest layer is upside down, i have ran all the audio throught the 1/8 inch holes and taped them down. notice i labeled the input and output of each pedal on the board..

STEP 10: Top View

now tat the length of each cable is custom i don't have to worry about too much sound diminish from yards of cable.
the difficultty with Pedals is that actual order they need to be in vs the most efficient place for them to be~

STEP 11: Bottom Layer - Electric

now i run the electric on the very bottom layer, and zip-tie in the first layer of pedals.

STEP 12: Final

the bottom layer straps to the top layer holding it secure. the audio and electric run perpendicular adn completely separate. all of this then fits snugly into the case and the rubber grommets on the bottom have bolts that go through them that go through the bottom layer to the top layer holding it all very secure together. i am happy.

STEP 13: New Design

same process many times over.  i eventually hardwired all pedals to a 9v strip.  each pedal has  hole drilled in the bottom and wiring routed down through the pedal and the top layer of board.  it also gave me more real estate on the top where i could moved the pedals closer together.  this new layout fits perfectly in an acoustic guitar case that i have removed the guts from.  i should upload it soon...hmmm
enjoy~

27 Comments

ART GUITAR BOX 9 years ago

i like this pedal board so much and I want to say I make good pedals too...It will be so nice to have this pedal board with my pedals. If you want to have a look on my pedals, U r welcome to www.artguitarbox.com

RansomReckon 13 years ago

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

riverreaper 13 years ago

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 13 years ago

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 14 years ago

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

Little_Buster 15 years ago

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

joelsprayberry 15 years ago

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

scubasteve92781 16 years ago

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 16 years ago

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 15 years ago

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

Jday 16 years ago

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 16 years ago

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 16 years ago

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 16 years ago

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 17 years ago

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 17 years ago

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

Hasersys 17 years ago

way to many pedals wow but cool
More Comments