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Do you use one board for different projects, or customize?

hrodbert696

hrodbert696

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Jan 15, 2010
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#1
Just curious - I got to the point when, depending on the project, I had different boards I would use. I went to rehearsals with a FlyRig (still do, for convenience), a complex bi-amping Royal Blood-type setup for Six Cowards, and a more compact board with about five pedals (tuner, preamp, compressor, chorus and OD) for some rock and funk stuff. I've put Six Cowards on hold for a while and tried going to just one board. It still has the pitch-shifters for bi-amping (one of the ongoing projects is a classic rock cover band, power trio plus singer, and I like being able to fill frequencies when the guitarist solos), otherwise pretty basic.

76651478_10157215824968113_3884462241768013824_o.jpg

I actually switched out the SCR-DI and B3K for a VT Bass Deluxe (love the B3K but didn't have room with the VT on). The top row of pedals is a straight chain to the bass amp: a second out from the preamp goes to the first PitchFork and then that lower row of pedals to the guitar amp.

So, just musing. What do you do for multiple projects and styles? One board to rule them all, or the right tool for the right job?
 
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#4
I don’t have a fixed board. I put one together for whatever I’m working on if I feel it would benefit from me using effects. Most times I’ll just swap out different preamps and maybe combine that with one of several compressors. But I have around forty different pedals I can pick and choose from if I need “effecty” effects.
 
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#6
My board always depends on the project I'm in. I tend to be very basic since most of my projects only require Tuner->Compressor->DI. Maybe a Chorus too.
Another project requires a full board. I prefer the full board (because I'm a pedal geek). But it's heavy and I don't like to go everywhere with it. So I have one board, but when I have to, I just removed the three pedals I need and take them in the gigbag
 
#7
Up until ~3 years ago I would mix&match as per what the situation called for, but for a number of reasons -- mostly because A) any situation that called for any effects was pretty much calling for all of them; and B) reliability seemed to increase if I could hard-mount everything onto a rigid pedalboard in a roadcase -- back in 2016 I consolidated everything onto a Pedaltrain Pro and dragged that everywhere, even if I ultimately only wound up using one pedal from it for the gig. (Which rarely happened.)

Then this year I got involved in a project that needed both a (semi-)radically different approach to the sonic palette and a higher degree of portability. So I built pedalboard #2. It's smaller, has no identical duplication with anything from pedalboard #1 (and very little conceptual/functional duplication, except in a fairly abstract sense), and lends itself to a completely different style of bass playing. But it's still hard-wired, an all-or-nothing proposition.

So I no longer pick&choose a la carte, I just bring either pedalboard #1 or pedalboard #2. Or both. :)


(Or neither, I still love the gigs where I plug straight into the amp.)
 
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#9
I have a mini-board (fits in a Tick) that's always-on: Tuner, compression with mild harmonic flavor, DG Vintage Ultra for tubey goodness, DI, and cabsim.
And a larger board that gets used when the set list calls for something besides 'just bass.'
A delay for 'Bridge of Sighs.' More aggressive drive for heavier songs (e.g. Man in The Box). Synth if there's 80's stuff...
Like that. Big bin of effects, but I've never needed more than 5 or 6 for even the most diverse setlist. The board gets populated with what I'll need.
 
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#12
I've gone to a rather small board - Noble DI, TurboTuner and one other pedal. Using a CustomDistrict pedalboard that has mounting plates similar to the Temple Audio boards. I can swap out that one pedal in about 20 seconds, two thumbscrews and re attach power / cabling. Definitely going through a less is more phase in effects, but realizing there are times when I can use a certain pedal. I just have to plan ahead, I have less to carry, but fewer options. If I really need a lot of effects, then I can break out the HX Stomp. Although that's more likely to go up for sale soon.
 
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#14
ThinCrappyTone said:
Taking the “One board to rule them all” approach would, for me, mean lugging a giant, heavy board every time, only to not use most of it.
Click to expand...
Sorta...
Whether you use the effects or not, you're using a zillion signal and power connections, each of which is a potential source of maddening "where did my sound go" frustration during setup...
 
#15
One board, or no board. What I have does cover a lot of things.

Source audio reflex, neuro, kingmaker, c4
EHX ring thing, 8 Step, V256
Boss MD500
Visual Sound Volume Pedal

Doesn't seem like a lot but the only things that aren't covered are delay and reverb really.
 
#16
I have a board really tailored to my main band. Not too excessive, but I have a nice array of sonic options that are more on the aggressive side of the spectrum.

I started playing in a second band that is more pop in their sonic palette. I can honestly play with 0 pedals in this band. But, I am in the process of putting together a very small board for this project as I would like a pedal tuner, a chorus, and some sort of basic pre-amp/tone shaping/DI. The pre-amp also gives me a little security if I am playing through an unknown back-line.
 
#17
2 bands, 2 boards... 1 small, 1 large.

In still in the experiment/assembly phase of the smaller one until I get a couple more dupes/similars, so I'm tearing some off of the larger board every week at this point.

Looking forward to when they're both just grab and go for awhile, however I apparently do enjoy Tetris and trying new things so I'll truthfully be surprised if either will really stay put for long ;)
 
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#18
Pedalboard F16 10292019.jpg
Currently I have my F16 that has all my most used pedals for my two trios and the rock band. I can also use that for recording, jams and smaller gigs. OTOH there are plenty of leftover goodies so that I can put together smaller boards as needed for quickies or a flyaway if I don't want to use the F16.
 
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#19
I'm in 2 bands, but actually have three active boards. One is a battery-powered Nano+ practice board in a soft case that I share across both bands. I have a big board for one genre and a small board for another genre.
 
#20
I currently have two boards - one which is populated with just a few (albeit large) pedals that gives me my core sound. The second board....I'm trying to figure out what the point is. I have more than enough pedals to populate both boards, I'm just awaiting inspiration or something.
 

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