"Compact" pedalboard advice (NYC)?

[ferarayabass]

I use a NANO Plus with the Premium bag. In the NANO Plus can enter six regular size pedals. Little pricey both things, but I like the size of the NANO plus ( or Mono Lite + ) and the form of the Pedaltrain premium bag.

 

[hennessybass]

Rather than use the pedal board planner, the best thing is to cut out a piece of cardboard and lay your actual stuff out on it.

I've got the Metro 16 and have seven pedals on it (including a few that are not that small). The bag is nice, and has a cross body shoulder strap. So you could wear it on your front along with a bass gig bag and still have two free hands if you had to. I would think if you were using a small rolling suitcase you could get it in there along with an amp and cables, no problem.

Get the EBS flat patch cables. They are quiet and save a LOT of space. They are not cheep, but most decent cables are not... they are worth it.
Also, The CIOKS DC7 will fit under the Metro boards... or get the EvenTide PowerMAX, which is the same thing, re-branded, but cheeper. Or save the $ and weight and try a 1 spot. I've got everything on a 1 spot daisy chain, and have not had any noise or any problems to date.

 

[Rocksolid]

It really depends on if you prefer standard size pedals, or are prepared to use mini pedals. Work out the effects you want, order, orientation on the board etc. I normally spend a heap of time googling the pedal dimensions, drawing where the inputs and outputs are. Also, the pedal position on the board doesn't have to mimic the order they are connected. Making a space saving board does take planning. Definitely use EBS gold cables to save space. My main board has 11 pedals on it and is the size of a PT Jr. I replicated that board on a nano with mini pedals for fly gigs, small stages, poopy load in situations.

*edit* the sonic cake 5th dimension has been replaced with a Valeton CDR which has modulation/ delay/reverb options.

 

[basslayer]

If you are going to plan your board digitally, use pedal playground. You can make custom sized boards, pedals, etc. In regard to the question, I would go with mounting everything, and carrying that, but going with very small, digial pedals. When I was gigging in New York, I would occasionally need to take an amp on the subway and having my pedal board in my gigbag made everything less NYC terrible.

 

[Joeykun]

Temple planner

Templeboards have some great options and comes with carry bag!

 

[marqueemoon]

Rather than use the pedal board planner, the best thing is to cut out a piece of cardboard and lay your actual stuff out on it.

Good advice.

 

[hennessybass]

Good advice.

One time I made an actual size cardboard version of a Berg NV412 to see if it would fit in my Mazda Protege back seat.

 

[joe vegas]

5 gizmos finalized after a few years of hearing what really works for me.
12" x 10", lives in a Priority Mail envelope in my knapsack (along with my TC BAM200 head, the size of a big paperback). 4 nano pedals, & one slightly larger.
zero bulk & max lightweight efficiency, for the early-evening soundcheck meets Blade Runner-density of midtown NYC.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Mr. Cheap and Stupid says:

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I would suggest this board w/bag.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...lboard-with-bag-23.75-inch-by-10.6-inch-black

 

[FDR Jones]

I would consider two boards-- one with essentials and one with the more obscure stuff that you don't always need.

 

[kalle74]

My Metro16. The output+power loom (10m/ca 30ft) coils on top, but it's a pretty tight fit. I doubt you can fit 8 pedals on Metro16, so I suggest going with Metro20 and good planning.

 

[Frank77]

I would lose my mind if I had a smaller board and additional pedals I had to hook up before the gig. There's usually no time. One board is the way to go.

I don't think it's that big a deal: How long does it realistically take to hook up one patch cable and one DC cable? Unless you live in an infomercial, it should be 5 seconds or less. My guitar player has been doing it for years with the wah pedal that sits next to his pedalboard, and he seems to manage just fine...

 

[BurningSkies]

I found that any of the mid-to-large sized pedaltrain 'bags' couldn't take the weight of a loaded pedal board very well...the zippers gave out. So remember that if you're going for one that holds a bunch. It becomes 'hard case required'.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I don't think it's that big a deal: How long does it realistically take to hook up one patch cable and one DC cable? Unless you live in an infomercial, it should be 5 seconds or less. My guitar player has been doing it for years with the wah pedal that sits next to his pedalboard, and he seems to manage just fine...

The wah pedal is the equivalent of some jacked-up diesel truck parking at the bank.

 

[ObsessiveArcher]

Get the board that meets your needs. Swapping pedals mid or even pre show is a recipe for disaster. I have added one volume pedal that didn't fit on the board, but it was always a hassle. It's way more convienent to just plug and go.
If you have two different needs, have you considered two separate and smaller boards?
Lugging extra gear you don't use is no fun.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I probably have 5 or 6 boards of differing size in the basement. After realizing that 99% of the time I'm not using effects and 1% of the time you really can't hear the effect part of the effect over the guitars, I went with a small board, the 16"x6" version made locally - Pro — The Custom District

I bring a Noble DI and then swap out pedals as needed. If I think I'll need some effects, I add the HX Stomp. Otherwise, standard load is a TurboTuner and a compressor of choice. The plates with thumb screws makes swapping configurations easy. Also added an LED strip underneath for the cool factor.

 

[nilorius]

No need of it for my as i use only tuner, reverb and dunlop wah.

 

[hennessybass]

I don't think it's that big a deal: How long does it realistically take to hook up one patch cable and one DC cable? Unless you live in an infomercial, it should be 5 seconds or less. My guitar player has been doing it for years with the wah pedal that sits next to his pedalboard, and he seems to manage just fine...

I agree that this is not a bad way to go, and generally not a big deal (especially in terms of time spent) but depends on how you use your pedals, and how fussy you are about pedal order.
If you have a set number, set order, and you use all of them, on every gig, I think the preference would be to have one board.
If you have a few essentials, and then like to mix and match a few, this is nice. I see Tim Lefebvre on gigs doing this... he seems to have a PT Nano with 4 essentials, and then hooks up about 20 pedals after that, depending on the gig.

The thing I try to avoid is constantly re-working the board. I'd rather use the small essentials + loose add-ons if that were my situation.

I found that any of the mid-to-large sized pedaltrain 'bags' couldn't take the weight of a loaded pedal board very well...the zippers gave out. So remember that if you're going for one that holds a bunch. It becomes 'hard case required'.

The zipper on my new PT Metro 16 bag is pretty substantial. But I haven't had it / used it long enough to speak to how it will hold up over time.
I previously had a PT Nano that I bought long ago, and sold about a year ago, and it had a regular old zipper.

FYI, the PT Metro 16 will fit in this case... Invalid Link Removed
It's not an Anvil flight case, but the price is right, this one comes with foam you can cut to size, and it does a fine job as a hard case. I used these for years in my traveling / trailer days.
If you go with the bag, I don't think PT will sell you a hard case without a board. This case played into my thinking when going with the 16 - should the situation ever arise where I want a case.

 

[dalo]

I gig in NYC and take the subway all the time. I have a PT Junior that's loaded up and I use it for my own band and some others where these kinds of sounds are appropriate. I have it in a nice Mono case and it is kind of a PITA to carry sometimes.

I also have a PT Nano+ that I will reconfigure depending on the gig. It is much easier to carry around.

I used to use a PT Nano which was nice because I could attach it easily to my mono gig bag.

There are a lot of small stages in the city. Gotta be compact!