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Anybody Ever Painted A Pedaltrain Pedalboard Before?

bass10bfb

bass10bfb

Prophet Low End Provider
May 5, 2011
2,573
1,691
53
Newport, TN.
#1
So, I was thinking I might get a PT Pedalboard later, and I was thinking how cool it would be to have it match my Aguilar Chocolate Thunder cabs. Has anyone ever painted a PT board before, and if so, what did you use and how did it turn out?
I have contacted a couple of companies about doing it, and the paint job costs as much or more than the PT board itself. The bigger the board is obviously the price can get outrageous quick.
So anybody have a DIY project that can fill me in on? Thanks in advance for the help and God Bless!!!
 
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#2
I tried sanding/painting one for a friend and it never held up. If you want any kind of longevity/durability of the finish, I'd look into getting it powder coated instead.

I've never had it done to a pedal board, but I used to repair/maintain arcade machines, and I had it done to several parts that I got tired of repainting all the time. If I remember correctly, it only cost me around $60 to get a set of handlebars for a motorcycle game cleaned/stripped and powder coated. They lasted until we got rid of the game too.

You may still end up in the "more than the cost of the board" situation, but, if it were me, I'd rather pay and do it once the right way.
 
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#3
mmon77 said:
I tried sanding/painting one for a friend and it never held up. If you want any kind of longevity/durability of the finish, I'd look into getting it powder coated instead.

I've never had it done to a pedal board, but I used to repair/maintain arcade machines, and I had it done to several parts that I got tired of repainting all the time. If I remember correctly, it only cost me around $60 to get a set of handlebars for a motorcycle game cleaned/stripped and powder coated. They lasted until we got rid of the game too.

You may still end up in the "more than the cost of the board" situation, but, if it were me, I'd rather pay and do it once the right way.
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Thanks for the info brother!!!! I am like you for sure. I would rather pay and have it done right if it cant be done right as a DYI project. Thanks for the info!!!
 
#9
FullTime Tim said:
Awol pedals has been hinting about doing custom Pedaltrain powder-coating on instagram. Might be worth checking them out and sending a message https://www.awolpedals.com/
I actually have checked them out already lol.. just didn't recognize the name. I just think it's too much to pay and not interested in paying as much for painting, or possibly more, than I pay for the board. That may be the only way, to get it to look good though. I am sure they do great work.

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#10
yep...custom paint, powder-coat or anything on a one off item is going to be expensive. Whoever is doing it need to make something for their time and materials.

Your best best bet might be to play around with rattle cans then. Good primer and pick your colour and go! Might not be perfect, but you can always sand down and try again. (Your comment got merged into my quote, took me a sec to figure out what you replied)
 
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#11
FullTime Tim said:
yep...custom paint, powder-coat or anything on a one off item is going to be expensive. Whoever is doing it need to make something for their time and materials.

Your best best bet might be to play around with rattle cans then. Good primer and pick your colour and go! Might not be perfect, but you can always sand down and try again. (Your comment got merged into my quote, took me a sec to figure out what you replied)
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Sorry about that brother. Thanks for the info!!! I may just try that and see how it looks when I get the board.
 
#12
The problem my buddy and I had with rattle can finishes was they would just scrape off too easily. We sanded, primed, and painted, (3 coats if I remember correctly). It just wouldn't hold up to the "rigors of the road" so to speak.

Yes, you can repaint, but that requires taking everything off the pedal board, cleaning it up, etc. then putting it all back together when finished. Just got to be too much of a pain, so my buddy gave up on the idea. He didn't want to bother with it anymore, so he never went the powder coating route, though I'm sure that it would have held up well. You have no idea the kind of abuse arcade machines take from little kids...but the powder coating handled it well.
 
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#13
mmon77 said:
The problem my buddy and I had with rattle can finishes was they would just scrape off too easily. We sanded, primed, and painted, (3 coats if I remember correctly). It just wouldn't hold up to the "rigors of the road" so to speak.

Yes, you can repaint, but that requires taking everything off the pedal board, cleaning it up, etc. then putting it all back together when finished. Just got to be too much of a pain, so my buddy gave up on the idea. He didn't want to bother with it anymore, so he never went the powder coating route, though I'm sure that it would have held up well. You have no idea the kind of abuse arcade machines take from little kids...but the powder coating handled it well.
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Now that makes me think I DONT want to try and paint myself lol. I don't know what I am gonna do
 
#14
bass10bfb said:
Now that makes me think I DONT want to try and paint myself lol. I don't know what I am gonna do
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Sometimes we spend too much time on the vanity side of gear. If you want the truth... probably a very small minority of people will notice your pedal board matches your cabs.

But then that being said.... you could look into getting a custom wrapped tolex board to match your cabs I would recommend Maple Rock Invalid Link Removed and just ditch the pedaltrain ;) I especially like their pedal boards with lids :thumbsup:
 
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#15
FullTime Tim said:
Sometimes we spend too much time on the vanity side of gear. If you want the truth... probably a very small minority of people will notice your pedal board matches your cabs.

But then that being said.... you could look into getting a custom wrapped tolex board to match your cabs I would recommend Maple Rock Invalid Link Removed and just ditch the pedaltrain ;) I especially like their pedal boards with lids :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I understand brother, and you are right. But I don't care what other people think, I would just like it to match for myself. Not trying to please anybody but me (which is hard lol, I am never pleased) :help::help::help:.
All kidding aside those are nice looking boards for sure!!! They have a color close to Chocolate Thunder by Aguilar too!!!!
 
#16
Man, I have looked at a TON of boards since I started this thread. There are several makers that do, at least close, to the color I would want, which would be ok. It would be awesome to have it made without painting. The prices are about what you would expect, some more, some less.
The big thing for me now at least, is that I really like the way the Pedaltrain boards are designed. I like the spacing in between each rail of the board. Some boards are just flat, and I don't really dig that. I am ASSUMING it would be hard to hide the cabling on a solid board. I don't know.
What board design do you guys like? If you like the flat solid boards with no holes, how do you hide the cables to make it look neater? Unfortunately, I am a neat freak, and could not stand my board looking messy!!! I know, I know, it's not all about looks. But I can't change my personality lol!!!
 
#18
Ooooo, you could wrap a Pedaltrain with Tolex!
- contact adhesive along the front of the rails
- lay the tolex down on it when it's tacky (depends on the adhesive requirements) - stretched across, not tucked in between the rails or anything
- clamp to bond the face surface, but also stretch and wrap the sides around to the back and secure with screws and washers into the aluminum to keep tight
- cut just horizontal razor-slits in the tolex between the rails, so you can tuck your cables and fish them through while hiding the big gaps

=0)
 
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