Building a Pedal Board

Hello.
I'm Mieno, bass player of the Hammond organ trio “Banana Needle”.

My band consists of Hammond organ, bass, and drums, and the bass is the only part that can add effects to the tone!

So, I am in charge of the effects pedals!

And, I decided to divide the roles among myself (I just love effects pedals), and after repeatedly buying more and more and trying them out, I now have two effects pedal boards.

Basically, I separate the signals for the bass range (main) and for the high range (sub).

I use the “ABY” line selector to send the signal from the bass to the amp, either only the main, the sub, or a mix of the main and sub.

This is how my effects pedal board is, but when recording starts, I take it apart to prevent sound quality deterioration during recording.

Oh, I think I will be able to start distributing new sound sources around the middle of May, so please check back (CM).

Here is the MINI album the band and I released last year.

VOICE
List of distribution sites

Now, we will reassemble the disassembled effector board, but first, we will replace the Velcro that has been ruined.

One Control / Pit Hook Square Velcro for effects pedals

I have been using Velcro from One Control for the past few years.

Velcro sold in strips is hard to cut, the scissors get sticky, and it doesn't cut to the size you want.

In this respect, this size is unique to this manufacturer that produces small effects pedals.

When using it on a large effects pedal board, I recommend that you stick it on the four corners of the board so that it looks perfect.

After reattaching the Velcro, the next step is to restore the contacts.

Put contact revival fluid on the plugs, connectors, and power supply parts, and pull them out and in.

I feel that cleaning the board itself of dust with a roller or with a vacuum cleaner will help the Velcro stick better.

At this point, you are ready to go.

The next step is to figure out the layout.

What I recommend here is to lay out the effects pedals on the lid side, not on the side with the female Velcro!

If the male Velcro is already attached, it will be difficult to peel it off because it will get stuck in the temporary layout!

Incidentally, when pulling off the male and female Velcro, insert a flat-blade screwdriver for easy removal.

Once the temporary placement has been decided, check if the patch cable and the power cord from the power supply are sufficient with what you have on hand.

The power cords from the patch and power supply are often used by Oyaide.

OYAIDE / DC-3398 LL/0.3

OYAIDE / QAC-222G LL/0.15

It’s often said that it is better to use cables made by the same manufacturer, but I try to use cables with a clear bass for spatial effects and cables with a strong low midrange for distortion!

By the way, Montreux is also easy to use.

MONTREUX / Arena Jr.-15LL [2959]

After the temporary placement is completed, I actually put on my shoes and try get a feel of the pedals with shoes on.

It feels pretty good.

I've been assembling and disassembling my board for years by myself, so I'm gradually getting used to it.

When wiring, I think it looks better without the cable ties if I first plug in the patch cables and then run the power cables under the plugs inserted in the effects pedals.

I don't wear earphones, so I try to ignore noise to some extent, but strangely enough, it has never bothered me that much.

Once you have reached this point, all that is left to do is to integrate them into the board!

The key here is the height of the effects pedals!

Effects pedals placed at the back of the board need to be elevated to make it difficult to step on them.

Also, be careful with effects pedals with BOSS-type switches, because they are hard to step on unless you give them a good height.

KIKUTANI / PR-30A Peda-Age-kun

Raise the pedal height by using a pedal lift!

For silver footswitches, use a footswitch cap to increase the height of the footswitch to make it easier to pedal.

MOOER / Mushroom Footswitch Hat FT-MTP 10pcs

Almost finished!!!

but the sub-board is untouched!

And good luck with the same!

Oh, I recommend reassembling the effects board on a workbench or table.
If you do it on the floor, you'll injure your back.

Now, it's done!

I hope all of you enjoy a change of pace by switching out your effects pedals!

See you soon!

The “sound & person” column is made up of contributions from you.
For details about contributing, click here.