Not a personal review, but a very close friend of mine has, and uses, that tuner to great effect! But then, he's a guitar player... so if I ever bought one, I'd probably just throw it on the bonfire
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Show your tidy pedalboard!
- Thread starter JakobT
- Start date
Not a personal review, but a very close friend of mine has, and uses, that tuner to great effect! But then, he's a guitar player... so if I ever bought one, I'd probably just throw it on the bonfire
My first ever pedalboard submission on Talkbass is actually my two smallest and most straightforward boards, hooked up in series on a flat board that I've just finished making. I hope this qualifies as tidy.
Above all this year, I intend to improve my fretless playing. Finally.
The nano+ is my "essentials plus some modulation for colour" grab-and-go board, powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power X4. On the nano board, the DITTO looper and the EHX Freeze come in very handy for fretless practice, especially the Freeze for holding a reference note. Reverb and delay make the journey more pleasurable, right?
The home-made ring/tip momentary switcher expands the DD-8's capabilities. The nano's also got a PPX4 under it. There are simpler (better?) ways to create a practice/looping set-up in 2024, but I wanted to do this without buying any new devices. Everything apart from the wood and metal for the flat board has been with me for a number of years and it all sounds beautiful directly into a headphone amp.
Why mount two boards on yet another board? Convenience. And tidiness.
I don't currently have a space where I can leave all this permanently connected. The PPX4 supplies are small and produce surprisingly -- to me, at least -- clean power for such lightweight compact units, but their AC adaptors (also attached under the nano and nano+) take a two-pole 'figure-eight' C7 connector, which I find a PITA to plug in and then remove from the underside of the pedalboards afterwards each time.
I don't like packing the nano/nano+ away with the power cables attached. Therefore I've Dual Locked the two Pedaltrain boards onto the flat board and then connected the two PPX4s to a robust multi-socket adapter (itself attached by magnets). For the flat board I used 12 mm (~1/2") phenolic resin-coated marine ply that didn't really add that much weight.
Now I can set up for a session in seconds and clear away the flat board afterwards just as quickly. If I need to break either Pedaltrain board off for something else, the Dual Lock means I can do that just as quickly and put everything back again after with a snap.
The only remaining question is what I should do with the empty space in the lower right. I don't *need* anything else (I don't need more gear, I don't need more gear), and I wasn't going to spend any more on this... but I was wondering whether a mini expression pedal (DOD? Other?) plugged into the RV-6 might be worth it. Or I've got some other modulation pedals that sometimes replace the WaterFall, which have expression sockets...
Yay? Nay? Too much distraction from practice? Any other suggestions for the space? Thanks.
A Digitech DOD Mini Expression fit perfectly in the available space. I couldn't resist. No regrets.
I then had fun experimenting with pedals that could make the most of the expression possibilities.
On the Boss RV-6, EXP just varies the effect depth (not something I'd really use), so I cycled through a few modulation pedals (Julianna, Warped Vinyl Hi-Fi) and ended up replacing the JAM pedals Waterfall with the Chase Bliss Audio Condor, which I'm now using mainly for its variable LPF settings and the hairy drive which stacks well on top of the Barbershop. It also has a substantial EQ/gain range and tremolo abilities that I'm working on for the two on-unit presets. So, I guess this incarnation has lost a chorus but gained a... multitool?
Cleaned up some cable routing in the process. This one's done.
#BoardsAreNeverDone
I then had fun experimenting with pedals that could make the most of the expression possibilities.
On the Boss RV-6, EXP just varies the effect depth (not something I'd really use), so I cycled through a few modulation pedals (Julianna, Warped Vinyl Hi-Fi) and ended up replacing the JAM pedals Waterfall with the Chase Bliss Audio Condor, which I'm now using mainly for its variable LPF settings and the hairy drive which stacks well on top of the Barbershop. It also has a substantial EQ/gain range and tremolo abilities that I'm working on for the two on-unit presets. So, I guess this incarnation has lost a chorus but gained a... multitool?
Cleaned up some cable routing in the process. This one's done.
#BoardsAreNeverDone
Thank you!
It’s smoother than I was expecting for such a short pedal and more than fine for my use case. There’s a lot of metal in the construction, and having it Dual Locked to the flat board means it’s particularly stable under foot.
The mechanism holds the treadle reliably wherever it’s left. Before buying it I did find some negative reviews, but took a chance. So far, so good.
Thanks! I've been interested in it because of the size but also had some misgivings because of the size. Sounds like I needn't have worried
Keeley Bassist has been the latest addition to my small pedalboard…
Damn, that is one if the tidiest boards I have ever seen. And some rather nice pedals to boot!
Much appreciated, @glassmoon, thank you.
I'm a very infrequent poster and though I only joined in 2019, I have lurked intensively on the TB forums since 2013, when I first started using -- and accumulating pedals -- for bass. Have enjoyed and learned from your own TB posts, btw.
I'm definitely a detail-obsessed neat-freak when it comes to instruments and gear, and have spent far too much disposable time perfecting complex pedal board layouts and far too much disposable income on pedals and related gear. I hit a peak just before the pandemic and then life got in the way of music and GAS. (And I really didn't need more stuff.) But life's short, right? And not much feels as good to me as playing through a noise-free, clean-looking slab of colourfully-lit, rich-with-possibilities, pedalboard goodness.
There are other boards that I'm bringing back into circulation and will post them in the future, once I'm feeling more like a bassist again.
It does have quite a wide angular range. Being so short and with the pivot point situated at roughly the mid point of its length but offset vertically, it feels like an ankle mobility workout if going for fast full sweeps.
Slow filter sweeps feel intuitive and comfortable. Also, I tend to play in bare or socked feet so I can feel what my toes are touching. If playing wearing shoes and there were a higher pedal just behind it, I might be concerned about inadvertently affecting the pedal behind. But it's definitely a solution if using a heavier, larger full-size expression pedal separately in a set-up is an issue. (I have some Boss EV-30s and old Ernie Balls, so am comparing to those.)The one slight irritant when setting it up on the board was the location of two large domed torx adjustment heads that sit proud of the surface by 3.1 mm (1/8") and off centre. The manufacturer notes point out that the pedal's four tall rubber feet can be unscrewed for easy mounting to a pedalboard, but you still need to have an attachment system that provides a clearance of more than 3.1 mm to avoid the bolt heads interfering with the seating. The Dual Lock that I use takes up about 5 mm when mated, so it's perfect. Lower profile DL or hook and loop (especially if the loop is a continuous strip on the board surface, like many people use) might not be.
Great info! Thanks again for the detailed reply. The domed bolts are an odd choice.It does have quite a wide angular range. Being so short and with the pivot point situated at roughly the mid point of its length but offset vertically, it feels like an ankle mobility workout if going for fast full sweeps.
The one slight irritant when setting it up on the board was the location of two large domed torx adjustment heads that sit proud of the surface by 3.1 mm (1/8") and off centre. The manufacturer notes point out that the pedal's four tall rubber feet can be unscrewed for easy mounting to a pedalboard, but you still need to have an attachment system that provides a clearance of more than 3.1 mm to avoid the bolt heads interfering with the seating. The Dual Lock that I use takes up about 5 mm when mated, so it's perfect. Lower profile DL or hook and loop (especially if the loop is a continuous strip on the board surface, like many people use) might not be.
View attachment 5317543 View attachment 5317544
While I have you, what are your thoughts on the EV-30? That's also under consideration.
This is a work in progress, but I'm trying to keep it neat and tidy:
One evening when I had a bit of free time, I was arranging my pedals on the board. My wife said "when you're done doing that, do you want to watch a show on TV?" I said, "oh, no--this never ends!!"
I really like them and have a few. Very solid and durable (à la just about everything Boss/Roland in my experience), good length and shape for intensive use without being too big, with great adjustability and connectivity options that make it work with just about everything (see front panel).
If I had to nitpick, the top surface is too slippery for my liking. There's nothing to stop users applying grip tape, but I was surprised that Boss didn't address that. And, if I were to really be difficult, I'm not a fan of the colour, which is kind of blue... but not really? I suppose they wanted to differentiate this one from their similar volume pedal, which is light grey. Very personal, that last one.
Very tidy, indeed. No visible velcro, DC power leads hidden, flat patch cabling adds a nice low profile, evenly spaced pedals, and bonus points for a gold Peterson tuner.
Great! Thank you once more! I really like the blueish color haha. Very strange that they didn't add some grip tape or rubber matting. Oh, well, that's an easy fix.I really like them and have a few. Very solid and durable (à la just about everything Boss/Roland in my experience), good length and shape for intensive use without being too big, with great adjustability and connectivity options that make it work with just about everything (see front panel).
If I had to nitpick, the top surface is too slippery for my liking. There's nothing to stop users applying grip tape, but I was surprised that Boss didn't address that. And, if I were to really be difficult, I'm not a fan of the colour, which is kind of blue... but not really? I suppose they wanted to differentiate this one from their similar volume pedal, which is light grey. Very personal, that last one.
View attachment 5317964
View attachment 5317965
Thanks. I need to work on the underneath next. It's not quite as clean as I'd like it.
I bought two of them... in 3 months both got broken because of cheap plastic wheel inside... never again, back to Dunlop Mini X
Inside the DOD mini expression: The bolt pointed at with the pen is used to mechanically calibrate the pedal. If not set right there will be a gap between the pedal and the rubber stops for toe and heel down. If there is such a gap there will be a lot of friction on the plastic parts at toe and heel down position.
I like the form factor, I think the mechanical design is 'disappointing'.
I like the form factor, I think the mechanical design is 'disappointing'.
