Building a pedal board

cheyguy426 · 06-19-2009, 03:44 PM

Can it be as easy a piece of plywood and some velcro? If you have a homemade one would you mind posting pictures? thanks a lot guys, I appreciate it. I am looking for some direction haha.

Almost Enough · 06-19-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheyguy426

Can it be as easy a piece of plywood and some velcro? If you have a homemade one would you mind posting pictures? thanks a lot guys, I appreciate it. I am looking for some direction haha.

It can be that easy. I happen to prefer putting down automotive carpet which can be had cheap ($7) at WalMart or similar. I use staples and glue to keep it down. For a long time I was using a suitcase with a fitted piece of carpeted plywood that had removable hinges. It worked great for light church gigging, but would probably never withstand road usage.

I think you can find pics of mine if you look back on some of the Post Your Rig posts I made.

cheyguy426 · 06-19-2009, 04:16 PM

Yeah, I was just looking at pedalboard that were $100, and I was wondering where they were getting that price tag? For a bag to put it in? haha. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. The automotive carpet is a good idea, probably makes it look more professional too.

Almost Enough · 06-19-2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheyguy426

Yeah, I was just looking at pedalboard that were $100, and I was wondering where they were getting that price tag? For a bag to put it in? haha. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. The automotive carpet is a good idea, probably makes it look more professional too.

I will admit, though, that once finances allow I will be getting a PedalPro or similar. The extra money goes into better velcro loops, a metal frame, better organization, and a bag to carry it in. The DIY ones are cool, but unless you want to spend a lot of time thinking it out and executing something very user-friendly, it might be worth it to save. If you're just a bedroom warrior, though, the plywood is ideal.

cheyguy426 · 06-19-2009, 05:16 PM

Nah this thing will be getting pretty gigged up. However I have more pressing uses for finances at the moment. Like a better delay pedal. I honestly can't tell you why I started the chorus recommendation thread so soon because that is 4 or 5 on the priority list.

I should be able to make a pretty handy board though.

**bread man** · 06-19-2009, 08:33 PM

"theaxe" 's BUILD YOUR OWN PEDAL BOARD INFO

That tutorial will help you make a simple one that works well.

1/2-Fast Player · 06-19-2009, 09:01 PM

An alternative to plywood, depending on the size you need, is to buy a large cookie sheet. Use glue to attach automotive carpet and you're set. Lighter than plywood, no splinters, durable.

Don't get teflon, though, or you might have trouble getting the carpet stuck down.

cheyguy426 · 06-20-2009, 08:11 AM

Good suggestions, and great link bread man! I will hopefully get around to that sometime this week...
Thanks again.

bravesfan007 · 06-20-2009, 09:13 AM

I've got a piece of painted plywood with velcro and handles on it. It all fits in a suitcase and although it's not extremely durable, it's much easier than carrying my pedals individually and then placing them for gigs and picking them back up. I'll try and take a picture sometime later and post a pic. It's really not that hard to build a simple one. The most expensive part of the whole thing was the paint and velcro. The plywood was scrap that we already had and the suitcase was like $3.99 from the local thrift store. I got a large one, a smaller one, and a bag for the $3.99.

Ax · 06-20-2009, 09:35 AM

A pedal train is generally more economical. It's durable and it's a one time expenditure. Not to mention that with it, there's 0 cable clutter so you can fit more pedals into a smaller space and it's not all messy.

gozo · 10-29-2009, 09:21 PM

Here's my board I made several years ago and still going strong. I wanted something that would be well protected during transport. Both shelves are at about a 10 degree angle and covered with indoor-outdoor carpet. (The large-hook velcro sticks great to this stuff) I made the shelves, top and bottom with 3/8" burch plywood and used 3/4 oak for the sides. There's a power strip and Pedal Power II under the shelf. Some latches, rubber feet, and metal corners from the hardware store and a Fender amp handle finish it off. I don't use the wah much anymore but I made a flat shelf on the side for it.

The current state having swapped out a Kingsley Jester for the Womanizer and Sunface for the wah.

An old pic showing the lid.

gozo

metropolis4 · 10-30-2009, 09:27 AM

I built my pedal board out of a wood shelf from home depot and two strips of velcro. It cost me $5 and it's been used at hundreds of gigs the last three years. I love it and I don't think I'll ever buy anything else. I used to use a pedal train that I sold and I really don't miss anything...