How Big can a Pedal Board be before it's TOO big

Generic Dreadhead

So I use a lot of effects.
About 3 Different types of Distortion (using about 2 pedals each), a couple of switchers and pre dirt effects (Phaser, Octave and Wah) along with a Volume Pedal, Compressor and Noise Supressor and 2 EQs... And thats all in the Pre-Amp part of the Rig... I have a looper with 10 pedals in the loop and a Boss RC-20XL too.

So in an effort to build a pedalboard big enough to accommodate everything I took out the measuring tape last night.
So matter what way I tried to reorganise everything it worked out at over 4 Foot Wide... (about 52"x22" to be exact).

Is this just ridiculous and too big altogether?
I don't want the board to turn out to be a complete farce.
Although I do like using different sounds.

slavetothegrind

hope you only play big venues:p

it's only rock and roll, you get as big as you want ( can get away with)
and blow their socks off!!!!!

Ravelleman

Cripes.

Maybe we should move this to the Science / Physics and Chemistry board!

How many cables do you use? Is there any signal loss?

Squidgy Black

I use a pedaltrain 2, I've a boost, an overdrive, a distortion, a fuzz, reverb, a DL4 for delays, a tuner, an ABY box and a volume pedal. I can't imagine wanting to go any bigger than that, if I have to make room I'd just knock off the switcher and the volume pedal. There's always pedals that you don't NEED to have on your board.

Generic Dreadhead

Funnily enough thats a WHOLE other problem.
Thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056923726
I anticipate I will be using around 52 cables
And I'm going to try and build them myself.
As most of the actual stompboxes are run off true-bypass loopers/switchers I dont anticipate and signal loss.

With all loopers etc off. The signal mearly goes
Compressor > Wah > Volume Pedal > EQ > Noise Suppressor > Amp.
All dirt and pre-dirt pedals are on true bypass switchers or loopers to isolate them.

martinedwards

For the STUDIO that's wothwhile.

but sorry, at a gig?

99.9% of the people there wont be able to tell one distortion from another.

so Van Morrison's sound guy told me on Saturday night.....

-=al=-

Got any pics!? I'm sure it's interesting to look at all of them

As for gigs the above is probably right... I just stick to the basics when I'm playing live... the average Joe has no idea what's going on 90% of the time

Grolschevik

Short answer? When it's heavier than your amp...

unclebill98

Grolschevik wrote: »

Short answer? When it's heavier than your amp...

Or the entire backline....

68 lost souls

I reckon you could get it smaller than that with a bit of tidying up. I have two pedal boards, one is the largest Diago Hardcase which I think is about 40" by 2" and the other is an old keyboard case converted over. The keyboard case is too big but I use that for wah, volume and expression pedals and then the other one for effects. The new one Im building is about 30" by 20" and will have casters at the end so I can flip it on end and roll it because if it is anything like my diago it will be heavy as hell. The diago ways 10kg without anything in it.

Ostrom

I've gone the other way recently (scaled back), although probably large by some fundamentalists' standards.

Comp, wah, delay, amp channel footswitch, looper.

For sheer logistics you could probably spread them across two smaller boards?

noby

This thread won't be complete without pictures!

Generic Dreadhead

noby wrote: »

This thread won't be complete without pictures!

I'm going to upload some once the build is done.

I reckon I will indeed end up using boards a small size and a mid-large size

One for all Pre-Dirt (Comp, Octave, Phaser, Wah, Volume, Mid Boost EQ)
That gets at least 6 of the pedals, including 2 of the bigger ones off the main board)

And another for Dirt and the Effects Loop (Noise Suppresor > Dirt Channel Switcher - switches between lead, rhythm and Overdrive > Scooped Mids EQ) > Amp Input and all of the stuff in the effects loop (which is another 11 pedals)

So maybe 32"x22" for the main board and 18"x22" for the PreDirt board.
That way at least I can put them at 9 degrees to each other

Sorry, I'm pretty much just thinking aloud (through typing) now at this stage

Gaspode

Does your guitar even sound like a guitar anymore with all that silicon in the way?

Generic Dreadhead

Gaspode wrote: »

Does your guitar even sound like a guitar anymore with all that silicon in the way?

As I've said above.... almost everything is on custom build loopers or switchers with true bypass so it goes through only the pedals I want engaged.... But as a short answer yes, yes it does... Now if it sounded like a Trombone or something like that I'd be concerned. (it's not like I have 9 effects on at once)

demanufactured

One bit of advice....
Do you play on a band...if so leave out the scooped mid eq

Band mates will hate you for it and it sounds terrible at volume.
What amp are you using.?

il gatto

I recently put one together. It's a 1 meter flight case type. I don't gig. I just wanted somewhere to keep them all and was easy to set up. I couldn't be bothered wiring up pedals every time I played and ended up never using them, or maybe using one.
I have everything in one row as I don't like stepping over. As it is I have a Crybaby, Pitch Black, Marshall Drivemaster, Sovtek Big Muff, ProCo Rat, Joyo Digi Delay and Joyo Ac Tone. That's filled one row. If I want to add on, the tuner and maybe a noisegate can go on the front to fit a compressor or phaser in.
I'm going to pick up a Bad Monkey just to have something handy for when I can't be bothered.
Some people think my board is massive, but at the end of the day, it's slightly shorter than a guitar case but slightly thicker. I'd say go for it, but have a smaller, more concise option for when there is less space or you just want something handy.

Generic Dreadhead

demanufactured wrote: »

One bit of advice....
Do you play on a band...if so leave out the scooped mid eq

Band mates will hate you for it and it sounds terrible at volume.
What amp are you using.?

I only use Scooped Mids (post-dirt) and the Mid Boost (pre-dirt) on my distorted sound, not on my clean sound

A Line6 SpiderValve MK1 Head with and Orange PCP212 Cab

Mr. CooL ICE

noby wrote: »

This thread won't be complete without pictures!

This

C'mon Cormac..., get to work!

Brave Badger

I dumped the individual pedals for a Line 6 HD400 about a year ago. Best decision I have made musically in years. 4 cable method into my tube amp and saving my back!!!