Ghostfire Little 20 Pedalboard: quick review

ShawnG

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May 2, 2020
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I wanted to post a quick review of a Ghostfire pedalboard I received recently. I couldn’t find much about the Ghostfire boards anywhere on TB, so thought I’d add this for folks that might be looking for some info.

I am building my first pedalboard and was looking to keep costs down where it made sense. I had pretty much decided on finding a used Pedaltrain Nano+, when I came across this Ghostfire Little 20 on Amazon. As stated above, I couldn’t find much info out there about folks’ experiences with them, but for the price, I thought I’d give it a shot. I am happy with my purchase.

For about the same price as a used Nano+ I got a new board with fitted bag (and shoulder strap, has full length pocket on top of bag), Velcro, several zip ties and cable tie clips. The bag is of decent quality, but the padding is not great, looks to be 1/4” closed cell foam on the top, bottom and sides of the bag. I’ve not seen a Pedaltrain bag to compare it to. There is enough room to stick another layer of foam on top/underneath the pedalboard when it is in the bag if you wanted an extra layer of protection for your pedals/power supply and this is probably what I’d do if I was putting it in with a bunch of other gear for transport to/from venue, etc.

The board itself measures 20” long by 7” deep (vs 18”x5” for the Nano + or 20”x8” for the Metro 20) and is very lightweight (made out of welded aluminum). The feet are 3/4” tall and allow for the mounting of a Cioks DC7 underneath with ~1/2” clearance from the floor. No issue with mains cable clearance. For those wondering if the Ghostfire would work with the Cioks Grip, it won’t. The bottom crossbar of the Ghostfire is 3/4” vs. 1” on the Pedaltrains that the Grip is designed to work with. I’ll be drilling and mounting my DC7.

One thing I really like about this board is the additional 3/4” wide crossbar on the top of the board. This will provide extra protection for any cables going to a top jack or top mounted power input when using the board. Any extra protection from the occasional accidental kick is a great thing in my opinion and it would also be a useful place to stick something like a Broughton Always On HPF on a crowded board.

I don’t have a Pedaltrain board to compare the build quality to, but would consider the build quality of the board itself to be average. There are some brush marks in the paint applied to the board and a ding in the lower right of the top 3/4” crossbar that was there before they assembled/welded it. It has no effect on the utility of the board, but if I paid top dollar for it, I wouldn’t be thrilled. That said, I didn’t pay top dollar for it, so overall, I am pleased with what I got.

I hope this is helpful for someone considering a Ghostfire board. For the price, I think it is a pretty good deal and should provide me a very usable solution with some room to grow, if needed.

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I used to have a very similar one, and a bandmate has the same one as you. I sold mine because I couldn't get comfortable with the idea of putting hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of gear into a soft case. And I was concerned that adding any additional padding could cause the knobs to turn while in transit.
 
And I was concerned that adding any additional padding could cause the knobs to turn while in transit.

You could go all Peter Steele and hot glue them in place :)
For the less committed, there’s the o-ring trick used by some to make the knob positions more resistant to change, but still adjustable.

Nice review. Not groundbreaking stuff, but good yo know what’s out there.
 
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… because I couldn't get comfortable with the idea of putting hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of gear into a soft case…

You aren’t kidding! I really had no idea re: how quickly it would all add up when I started this pedalboard project.
I had the HPF and wanted a tuner pedal and a compressor, and thought, while I’m at it, a minimalist DI wouldn’t hurt. Ok, 4 pedals, probably should get a board to put it on, maybe one with enough room for a wireless receiver someday.

I bought everything used but the board and power supply (and I got those on sale) and I spent enough that I could have bought a nice, used, MIM Fender! I now look at those full up boards with a new appreciation for the $$ invested!
 
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Hey, OP, it looks good and sounds like a worthwhile purchase. I use a Pedaltrain Classic 2, but felt that the included OEM gig bag was too flimsy, so I ended up ordering a custom one from Studio Slips. (Much nicer with more protection, but not cheap.)
Just for my general knowledge, is that Ghostfire Little 20 angled or flat?
 
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Hey, OP, it looks good and sounds like a worthwhile purchase. I use a Pedaltrain Classic 2, but felt that the included OEM gig bag was too flimsy, so I ended up ordering a custom one from Studio Slips. (Much nicer with more protection, but not cheap.)
Just for my general knowledge, is that Ghostfire Little 20 angled or flat?
It’s flat.
 
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I have one. I like it. I actually think the case is pretty nice especially for the price.

I noticed they just released a slightly longer version with a built in power supply. I wouldn’t mind having room for 1-2 additional pedals. Although I cannot speak for the quality of the power supply in the new model.
 
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I have the ghost fire and an older pedal train. The Ghostfire clones of the pedal train design are fine. Not as well built as a real pedal train, but absolutely get the job done for a fraction of the price. Highly recommended for the average non-touring player.

The newer design Ghostfire are a little bigger/taller but very well made from what feels like a single piece of metal. Super cool, but not quite as low profile if you are trying to save space. Their new pedal bags are really nice too.
 
I just traded a footswitch for a GHOSTFIRE Baby 1 with the case. It's the size of the PT Nano. The case is fine, (I put it up for sale) and will put the board in my gig bag pocket with the snake.

The bag has a few features that are cool like a strap to secure it to a rolling case handle and a small strap to secure the board. It is more handy than PT, but overall lighter duty and not in the same ballpark as the Mono Tick.
 
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I saw the Ghostfire on Reverb, and instantly regretted buying a bag to house a (as yet unmade) homemade board. For not much $ more, I could have bought the GF. They’re a real bargain.
 
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