Crazy "Make your own pedalboard" idea

[bassman1185]

Ok, this is just something that popped into my head as I was working today.

What if you were to take an angled rackmount mixer case like this one:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=544559X

and turn it into a pedalboard by purchasing blank or vented rack spacers and mounting them in every other space (a la Pedaltrain)?

My thought is that it would be pretty dang cool, because you could have any rack-mount units (Like a compressor or tuner) right at your feet where you can see them easily without turning around to your amp. Plus, it would be a fairly rugged setup with a lot of modularity options.

Heck, you could even mount your head in the bottom and forego a second rack for that.

I realize that there would be a few drawbacks. You wouldn't get to have a gigantic, Pedaltrain Pro-sized board, but you could fit a decent number of pedals on there. Also, you might need to double up on the blank rack spaces. It might also be a bit of an adjustment to lift your foot that high to kick on your overdrive in the middle of a song.

So what think ye, fellow TBers?

[SteveC]

Interesting idea.

[Bhuti]

Interesting, might step on some rackmounts though. And the spaces would have to be pretty strong to withstand some larger pedals. But it can work out though...

[chicago_mike]

there is something already. Its a flat pedalboard that has a rack angled facing you...for tuners and such..but looks kinda cheeseball.

I have to build a new board though, so thank you for reminding me. =)

[SpectorBass]

I've seen guitar players with those cases, but with more rack space underneath. They put their FX processors, switchers, preamps and amps and such underneath and put their pedals on the top angled tray.

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by Bhuti

Interesting, might step on some rackmounts though. And the spaces would have to be pretty strong to withstand some larger pedals. But it can work out though...

Yeah, I thought about that. The vented panels are much more sturdy than the plain flat version.

Also, in my head, I figured that it would make the most sense to have any rackmounted gear on the "top" rack spaces, furthest away from where your feet would go, and then put anything that you only step on once or twice a show (DI/preamp, Noise Supressor, compressor pedal) towards the back, with your most used pedals toward the front. That would minimize stepping on the rack mounted stuff.

[bongomania]

I've actually done this a few times. The drawbacks are that the pedals take up about 3RU if you include cables and DC plugs, and the lid of the rack won't necessarily fit closed (depending on the lid and the specific pedals). And the standard rack panels (even the vented ones) are nowhere near sturdy enough for stomping, you have to buy or make a panel out of much thicker steel.

[detracti]

Originally Posted by chicago_mike

there is something already. Its a flat pedalboard that has a rack angled facing you...for tuners and such..but looks kinda cheeseball....

I saw a picture of that once! But recent relentless never-ending googling has turned up nothing.

I'd mount my wireless rack unit in it.

[TOOL460002]

pretty sure youre thinking of Pedal Pad. google them and look at whatever their biggest board is. only one ive seen with rackspace. i agree with the cheese factor. there looks to be a lot of sheet metal and other unnecessary electronic crap in it. not as functional as a pedaltrain in my opinion.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I had the PedalPad with the rackmount spaces (they don't make them anymore- the ones still pictured in the ads are no longer available). The two issues with them are:
A. The pedalboard is VERY heavy
B. The rack spaces are very shallow.

As my Looperlative looper is rackmount and I also need to look at it constantly while playing, I thought it'd be a great solution, but the only way it worked was by building rackmount arms that were taller, which meant the lid wouldn't fit on. That and the weight made it a bit too difficult to keep. It was very convenient though, as I also had two mini amps in it, so it was a full stereo rig. This is what it looked like:


The old SKB PS-100 also has a few rackmount spaces attached to a small pedalboard, but that one has a very awkward shape. Pedalboards.com makes pedalboards with fold-down rack spaces, but they are very expensive and I've had a hard time getting info from them.

I'm still looking for an ideal solution. I currently have my pedals on a Pedaltrain Jr. and my Looperlative and MIDI controller for it on a Pedaltrain 2- the Looperlative is propped up on a couple angled wood blocks that I built. Not the best solution by far though, as the Looperlative isn't protected at all down there, and I have wires going everywhere.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Originally Posted by detracti

I saw a picture of that once! But recent relentless never-ending googling has turned up nothing.

I'd mount my wireless rack unit in it.

[guitaraja]

picture shows a skb ps100 pedal board with 3 space rack -
great for wireless and tuner, power conditioner, etc...

heavy as sin;
unfortunately discontinued -
however still available used...