Need help with Dimensions for a Pedal board

[AK47]

I am going to get a big pedalboard made because I keep buying pedals and it keeps getting bigger.

I have looked at a bunch of pedal boards and I decided that this is for my home studio so its going to be BIG! I dont care about mobility.

The best setup I found after looking on the net at countless artists pedal boards was Justin Channcellor's of tool.

I got a pedal board guy that has the picture of what I want but he needs the dimensions. I figure I would run it by the JCF and see if they can help.

I wish I had a Foxx fuzz wah as that would help determining dimensions. I got the rough dimensions but was wondering if anyone with experience with pedal boards can help me guestimate...better.

Here is the pic.

[Cygnus X1]

I don't have a pic, but I saw a great one that ran three rows with all the power cables run underneath.
A lot of flexibility built in, homebrewed.

He ran strips along the rows to keep the pedals tight without having to rely on gobs of velcro as well.
If I were to do it, that is the way I would go.

I don't do effects much any more.

[roodyrocker]

I had a bigger pedal board which I have since downsized from but I made it from parts from Home Depot and Lowes. Got a large shelf and cut it to the length I need then sprayed it with automotive adhesive spray to hold down the carpeting material. The edges got finished off in aluminum channel and I added metal drawer handles to the the sides. I attached the pedals using using velcro or in some cases bicycle chain links screwed down to the board. Added a Pedal Power to the board and there ya go a powered board for relatively cheap. I'll see if I can dig up a picture of it for you.
You won't know what length or width board to go with till you lay out all the pedals in front of you and measure. Make sure you leave enough space to not step on more than one pedal unintentionally too. I have since downsized the board so my current one is just one of those Furman boards in a bag.

[AK47]

I had a bigger pedal board which I have since downsized from but I made it from parts from Home Depot and Lowes. Got a large shelf and cut it to the length I need then sprayed it with automotive adhesive spray to hold down the carpeting material. The edges got finished off in aluminum channel and I added metal drawer handles to the the sides. I attached the pedals using using velcro or in some cases bicycle chain links screwed down to the board. Added a Pedal Power to the board and there ya go a powered board for relatively cheap. I'll see if I can dig up a picture of it for you.
You won't know what length or width board to go with till you lay out all the pedals in front of you and measure. Make sure you leave enough space to not step on more than one pedal unintentionally too. I have since downsized the board so my current one is just one of those Furman boards in a bag.

I got a guy that will make the board pretty much like you described. I never cared for the prefabbed stuff and like the way Justin's board is layed out since I have alot of the same pedals. I am just trying to figure out the dimensions of his board so then I can see if I should make mine a little bigger or smaller.

[Newc]

Judging from the pic, and knowing that Boss pedals are roughly 3.5" to 4" across, the other pedals appear to be anywhere from 2 to 2.5x as wide, then the smaller pedal at the left that would be maybe half as wide as a Boss.

Add in the short pedal connectors between them (1 3/4" exposed), plus the ones that use cables instead of the "plugs-only" connectors (can't recall their real names).

So I'm guessing 32" to 36" for the center section, maybe a few more.

The sides appear to be 12" wide (assuming my EB volume pedal and CryBaby are as big as those two pedals on the left wing, allowing for cables).

If you're going for the angles, 45 degrees should be close enough.

Don't know if you'd want it angled so the pedals tilt towards you (so you can see the knobs better), but 15 degrees should be enough so you can see the knobs and work a volume/wah without too much trouble.

Depth (front to back) looks like 18", assuming a Boss pedal is 6" long, with a 3" gap from the font edge of the board, 2" between the pedals, and maybe an inch from the rear edge.

So 36" wide center section, 12" wide wings at a 45 degree angle, and 18" deep. Height is up to you, depending on how you want cables and power lines routed.

Personally I'd make it box-type thing with internally-routed power cables that pop up at each pedal's power jack. Or if the guy can route channels in a 3/4" plywood base and cover it with carpet, you can just pop the plugs through the carpet.

That, however, would make routing new power cables difficult. With a box you pop the lid and run the line, but with mounted carpet, you gotta pull it up every time you add something new.


As for expandability, make the wings modular (jigsaw puzzle) so you can extend the wings or the center section, depending on your floor space (say you wanted it under your computer desk, you'd be limited to the width under there, but in front of your amp or in an open floor, you can either make a U, a O or a C shaped board).

However, if you're going for that many pedals, you might want to look at a rack unit. Granted you're stuck then with one companie's interpretation of each effect, but they're all in one box.

[AK47]

Thanks for the reply Newc. That was the type of answer I was looking for.

I already am in the process of assembling two monster racks one for bass and one for guitar.

This pedal board will be for the mostly for the bass side since there are no good rack mount bass effects.

For my guitar I only have a few pedals since most of the effects I need will be in my guitar rack. I am still thinking about how to organize and wire the pedal board I undersand some of the pedals are bass only but most are universal...

[roodyrocker]

Not to throw a wrench in your pedalboard plans but like Newc mentioned, with that many pedals a rack effects unit might be a better solution. Or, if you really like the particular pedals you have maybe rack the pedals and use something like a GCX Switcher and Ground Control Pro? It cleans up the floor infront of you considerably and lets you switch in/out various combinations of pedals. I did that with some of my old pedals when I dismantled the big board

[AK47]

Not to throw a wrench in your pedalboard plans but like Newc mentioned, with that many pedals a rack effects unit might be a better solution. Or, if you really like the particular pedals you have maybe rack the pedals and use something like a GCX Switcher and Ground Control Pro? It cleans up the floor infront of you considerably and lets you switch in/out various combinations of pedals. I did that with some of my old pedals when I dismantled the big board

Already got a GCX audio switcher and a Ground control pro. I just ordered a TC electroincs G major. I have been acumulating crap for years know I am turning my studio into a "Tone Library" I have no desire to reduce the amount of pedals I just want to organize better and getting all this crap wired up how I want is becoming a headache. The way my pedals are all set up on seperate boards is not working either I just need one big board to stick them all on.

[VitaminG]

lay all your pedals out how you want them, measure the floor around them (allowing room for expansion or what have you) and build a board to suit! Easy

[AK47]

lay all your pedals out how you want them, measure the floor around them (allowing room for expansion or what have you) and build a board to suit! Easy

Thats pretty much what I did and I will be adding a few pedals like the Foxx Wah so that is why I was asking about the dimensions on Justin's rig. I really like the way the pedals are laid out in almost a semi circle. I just want to make sure I leave enough room to grow.