We’re gonna need a bigger boat…

[MountainGal]

…which is indicating that if I’m not out of my league yet, I’m knocking on the door

So here is my first pedal board. I wanted to keep it simple and still have a little room to expand if I had the need (or a random case of GAS).

I’m going to anchor the power supply underneath with hook/eye as the hardware rails all seem to cover the vents on the side.

I can see my 6” cables will pose a problem in chaining the two rows together(?). I also am getting intimidated with the the general connections to the power supply. If you took a look behind the desk in my studio, you’d know why.

Not to mention I just read the instructions on installing my strap locks indicating I have to take a ***drill*** to my new guitar, but I digress; one crisis at a time.

As always, any words of wisdom are most appreciated.

 

[Rich_S]

Dang. For someone who just bought her first Tele, you’re going all-in with some primo pedals. Looks like you’ve been shopping at Parkway.

 

[MountainGal]

Dang. For someone who just bought her first Tele, you’re going all-in with some primo pedals. Looks like you’ve been shopping at Parkway.

I had some from when I had a strat, which I never liked. As a rule, I always by pedals used. I got some killer deals on EBay and Reverb. I also prefer to buy pedals made in the US. There are so few electronics you can buy that are made locally, at least with pedals I have that option.

 

[uriah1]

At least you know what you like.
A buddy of mine has a lot of strymons. Takes up about 8ft of floor space.

 

[northernguitar]

I like the cut of yer jib. Nice board!

You good with simple soldering? You might need a custom cable for the send to the second tier.

 

[MountainGal]

I like the cut of yer jib. Nice board!

You good with simple soldering? You might need a custom cable for the send to the second tier.

No, but as part of my wedding vows my husband promised to solder anything during the course of our marriage.

 

[northernguitar]

No, but as part of my wedding vows my husband promised to solder anything during the course of our marriage.

I keep some right angle plugs and an old cable handy for any custom needs. Yer man can easily whip one up, plugs sell at Amazon.

 

[Killing Floor]

You seem nice so let me be straight with you.
Put the power brick on the bottom so you have room for 2 more pedals. Velcro the side rails too. You could get 4 more on there. Use EBS or similar flat angle cables to save space.
Don’t give up.

 

[MountainGal]

You seem nice so let me be straight with you.
Put the power brick on the bottom so you have room for 2 more pedals. Velcro the side rails too. You could get 4 more on there. Use EBS or similar flat angle cables to save space.
Don’t give up.

Thasks! Yes, the power will be under mounted; I just have it there for now. I was wondering about the side rails, but it seems I’m a measure once, cut twice kinda gal.

 

[Killing Floor]

Thasks! Yes, the power will be under mounted; I just have it there for now. I was wondering about the side rails, but it seems I’m a measure once, cut twice kinda gal.

I have been making boards for myself and friends for a while. As you can see, there isn't much to it. But the trick is guessing the correct size for your needs and you are in that spot. I'm a big fan of the flat sided patch cables as from EBS or Rattlesnake or similar, there is no best. But I'm particular about excess cable so I like how many sizes are available. Also remember there's no wrong order for effects but everything reacts to everything else. Experiment with your order. If it sounds good it is good. Have fun.

 

[Hey_you]

Take a look at Evidence Audio's The Monorail Signal Cable. You cut to size. No solder needed. Cost a bit tho.

​

 

[MountainGal]

Take a look at Evidence Audio's The Monorail Signal Cable. You cut to size. No solder needed. Cost a bit tho.

View attachment 988056

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That looks great!

 

[65 Champ Amp]

Why not put heavy duty velcro on the Voo Doo Lab 2 Plus and on the underside of that Pedal Train. That works for me.
I like the simple choices of tuner, comp, drive, delay, and trem. And I share your preference on where stuff is made.

But please! Return the clunky and totally unnecesary strap locks! Don’t deface your Telecaster, and desecrate it by drilling fatter holes!
THE best way to keep your strap on is the Grolsch beer bottle rubber gasket. They are so effective that you can buy them separately now.
I don’t drink, but when one of my boys was working at a campus bar during college, he was able to get them from empties whenever someone consumed that spendy Dutch swill.
Second best are the little black discs. Two discs that rotate, line up the oblong holes to put it on or off the strap button, then twist one disc against the other to make the hole smaller than the button. I think Dunlop makes them~ my local shop ordered them for me.

 

[MountainGal]

Brilliant! I had no idea that strap locks would require surgical intervention. I am definitely going to do that.

Yes, I am doing the Velcro for the power brick.

 

[johmica]

Here's my rig:

I bought a bunch of these flat, angled pedal cables in varying lengths:

I hooked everything up, got all the power connections together, and then went to town on it with a bag of zip ties:

Worked like a charm.

 

[MickM]

Another vote for not drilling for strap locks. If you must have a proper "lock" type there are plenty that don't require drilling. Also, the rubber gaskets/washers are cheap and a lot cooler looking. You can buy some at a hardware store or online.

 

[KokoTele]

FWIW, the mounting brackets that come with the pedal board work fine for the power supply. I used a pedalboard setup like that for years without any heating problems, including all day jams where the pedal board was in full sun. Velcro will work until the adhesive lets go. I'd just go with the brackets.

I use the same approach as johmica for running cables. Ernie Ball sells various packs of those flat cables, or you can buy them individually. Beware, you almost always need longer cables than you think, and you always want to have a few extra.

I have soldered cables to get the exact lengths I wanted and I've used both George L and Planet Waves/D'Addario's no-solder kits. In the end I have settled on buying decent quality pre-made cables. There's not enough value gained by soldering to go invest the time, and the solderless ones are fiddly. Except for some real cheap patch cables, the only ones that have ever gone bad on me are the solderless ones. Now I just use the premade flat patch cables and replace them if they go bad.

As for the straplocks... unless you're doing guitar acrobatics, you don't need them. If your strap slips off sometimes, these $3 rubber washers that Fender sells (or that you can scavenge from Grolsch beer bottles) do the job just fine.

 

[jimmywrangles]

Drilling holes for a strap lock is super easy., You'll be OK.

 

[northernguitar]

I use the Grolsch beer washers too. On most of my guitars, they work well. However, they were popping off the top pin of my Les Paul Special. I needed to add these to make the washer work. Nothing invasive and easily reversed.

Elliptical End Pins | Accessories | D'Addario

The D'Addario Elliptical End Pins are designed to secure any strap into place with a quick and easy installation. Unlike ordinary round end pins, the elliptical shape combines function and style by making it very difficult for the strap to ook is a perfect complement to the aesthetics of any...

www.daddario.com

 

[jays0n]

I just put the Fender washers on mine. Those go on dang solid. The straps are not coming off. They were super cheap too. Come in a pack of 2 for less than $5 shipped I think.