Novice Needs Help Selecting First Board and Other Effects Goodies.

[jmattbassplaya]

**Warning - Long post ahead from a complete novice**

Alright guys,

I`m fairly new to individual effects so I need some help trying to set up and create my own board. I`ve been searching around the past few months for the perfect pedals and have settled on the following:

EHX Big Muff Pi
Dunlop Crybaby 105Q Bass Wah
MXR M288 Bass Octave
SansAmp Tech 21 VT
Korg Pitch Black Tuner

Now my first question to you guys is how should I set up my chain? Should the Wah go first? Last? What about the tuner?
Basically, what would you guys recommend as my chain, and are there any basic guidelines one should follow when creating a chain?

My second question(or group of questions, really) is about the actual board. I`m looking to buy a traveling case for my pedals that will keep them in place while I`m traveling about and will also be straight forward so that all I have to do at gigs is open the case up, plug everything in, and go.

So far I`m looking at these(I also need help in choosing a power supply for the ones that don`t contain one):

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...ard?sku=157007
Pros: Hard Shell. Straight forward. Cheap! I`ve also had good experiences with RR products.
Cons: Need a power supply and daisy chain. Possibly not big enough. Cords will clutter easily.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...ard?sku=158336
Pros: Contains power supply. Big enough.
Cons: Bad reviews with power supply and build. Cords will clutter easily. I`m also least interested in this one.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...ard?sku=541961
Pros: More than big enough. Looks like a good power supply. Has good reviews.
Cons: Too big for just 5 pedals. Bags quality looks questionable. Cords may clutter. Kinda expensive considering what I`m looking for.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...Bag?sku=150579
Pros: Looks to be the perfect size. Cords won`t clutter. Nice looking case. Good reviews on TB from what I`ve read.
Cons: No power supply. Doesn`t seem that pedals will stay in place while in the bag, which goes against my plug and go strategy.

So what board do you guys think will best suit my current layout and needs? Any other suggestions that are decently priced? Also, what would you guys suggest as a power source for the boards that don`t have power? The 1-Spot seems to get great reviews and I was thinking of just going with this to power my entire board since I`m only using 4 pedals(since the tuner will only be on when I tune):

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.c...ack?sku=150373

I know some people swear by Voodoo Labs and other power supplies, but I don`t think those would be necessary considering how small by board is and how expensive they are... unless you guys strongly insist otherwise

Also, what cables would you guys suggest? These seem to get great reviews for their price:

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.c...ble?sku=330478

And one last thing, how would I plug this board into my Markbass SD800? Does it go in the effects send/return or does it go straight into the input?

p.s I`m sorry this post had to be so huge and thanks!!!

[SteveMcB]

For a relatively simple board like what you're planning, I would suggest a 1spot is probably perfectly adequate. I've run 15 pedals off one 1spot with no problems. When problems do occur, they're usually with high-draw digital pedals, and all the pedals you're planning on are low-draw analog, so you should be fine. Get the combo pack so you get extra adaptors and a daisy chain for maximum versatility/future expansion...

For the actual board, I'm not going to make a recommendation. I use an Ikea gorm shelf in a thrift-store bag at the moment, and it's fine for me. The only powered board I've had was a Rockcase gigboard, which I definitely recommend against - cheap, crappy plastic componentry which broke after no time at all, and the power supply gave out after a couple of years.

For the chain, there are no rules. Many people put wah first. There are not too many permutations with the pedals you're getting, so try after you buy and see what sounds best to you.

For cables, I don't think it's absolutely critical on a small board like yours. I like to make my own (when I have the resources to do so) because you can be exacting with lengths and tidiness. I also like the hosa-style "pancake" jacks for space reasons, and you don't get many pre-made cables with that style. George L's and Lava cables and planet waves sets are cool, but costly and the improvement, whilst probably real, is marginal... uts flame suit on: . With the extra cost you save, you could add a Bad Monkey for low-gain drive, or a cheap modulation pedal (Boss chorus, Dano trem or whatever) if it took your fancy. Ultracheap molded multicoloured cables are not necessarily recommended though.

I would run the whole of your board out the front. Certainly I would do that with the dirt. Again, experiment. But using the FX loop means more long cable runs, more cost in cabling, and I don't really see the advantage unless you're using your amp's preamp for dirt and using mod or delay/verb, which you aren't.

Hope that helps.
Steve

[jmattbassplaya]

Steve,

Thank you so much! This has really helped ease my worries about the current build I`m planning on.

BUMP for any extra ideas or help on selecting an actual board, recommendations for certain ones, or warnings to stay away from certain ones.

[Nerotic]

I can only recommend PedalTrain - it's a great versatile board. And if you use a good industrial type velcro, you shouldn't have any problems with pedals falling off - even if it is in a softshell bag. Personally I use at T-Rex Tonetrunk (PT knock-off) with a bag and haven't had any problems at all, when travelling with it.

Regarding the order of your pedals - I would suggest Tuner>Octave> and then play around with the rest. The tuner and octave pedals needs to be first in your chain, as they need the strongest signal possible. The rest will give you different options and results, depending on how you set it up.