I'm offering this review of the Trio 43 I purchased in comparison to the Pedaltrain boards I use now for my guitar and bass rigs in terms of aspects that are IMO better (Pros) and not better (Cons) design elements vs. Pedaltrain boards. That is not to say one is superior or not to the other. That is because the design of the Temple Board is very different than the Pedaltrain. It all comes down to your preference and needs between the two. So that said, I'm reviewing based on my own preferences and intended use. As I mentioned, I pay both bass and guitar. Currently, I am only playing out live on bass with my band and use a Pedaltrain II for that set up. It is the perfect size for the live shows and I'm not looking to use the Temple Board for that. The Temple Board Trio 43 is intended to be used in my studio only mostly for guitar. I currently use a Pedaltrain Pro for my guitar. I wanted a large board to space out my pedals and still get more on there. That way I can experiment with many combinations of pedals and be able to swap out different ones quickly. At over 3 1/2 feet long by 16 inches, this Trio 43 can fit a truckload of stomp boxes.
So here it is...
Pros
It's lite... Really lite weight. How lite you ask? As I type this on my iPad, I'm using the Trio 43 as a table resting on my lap very comfortably. Try that with a comparable sized Pedaltrain Grande! Yet, it is nice and sturdy. While it does have some minor amount of flex (more on that later), that's because the design only has three main parts. The top surface is bent to form the front and back as one piece and is screwed on at four points to each of the two side plates. The larger Temple Boards like the Trio 43 also come with additional underside bracing. This simple design keeps the weight down while ensuring there is little chance of something breaking.
Surface design allows for fit of all pedal sizes. It's kinda like a coffee table with holes. You can play some serious pedal board Tetris on this surface without having to worry about only half the underside of your pedals in contact with the board as is sometimes the case with the wider gapped Pedaltrain designs. This a real good thing if you like to use mini sized stomp boxes. Plus, as pedals continue to trend toward ever smaller enclosures in the future, having as much surface area as possible looks to be ever more a bonus. The layout of the wiring holes is far better than the wide gaps with the Pedaltrain designs. They are precisely cut into the surface without any sharp edges to fray your patch cables.
The Trio Board looks clean and uncluttered in the gun metal gray color I ordered. The side handles are a nice touch. They also function as two of the four screw points for the two main side plates to the surface plate. This also helps keep the simple and sleek look of the board without any visible screws on the top surface.
There's lots of room on the underside of the Trio sized board for power supplies of all sizes / shapes and such. Plus mounting them should be a snap. There's no need for extra plates or braces when zip ties can be easily used. I have read some users of smaller sized Temple Boards (Solo or Duo) have not been so lucky as there is less usable clearance, but the Trio looks good to go. Also, the extra bracing underneath can be moved or removed if it gets in the way.
Cons
Board flex does seem to be a design trade off in order to get the light weight and greater surface area over the rock solid Pedaltrain designs. Board flex can be an issue depending on how much and how hard you stomp on the board surface. This is especially apparent in the very center. If you only lightly stomp on your pedals and / or use a looper of some type along the front, board flex will likely be non issue for you. If you constantly place your weight on a wah, volume, or expression pedal and you like them located dead center, you're going to want to add some type of underside support below that'll reach the floor. I fall in the later category as I have both a Sonuus Wahoo and Voluum that I was hoping to place in the middle. I was already expecting this though and I'm sure underside mounting of whatever support I come up with to the surface will be very easy. The only concern maybe over the long term if the board flex turns into surface warping over time that can't be easily repaired.
While the pricing for Temple Boards are very attractive, add the cost of shipping and the extra accessories and the total bill starts to add up quickly. I only ordered the Trio 43 board without any extras or a case and the total costs to my doorstep was just under $205. So be sure to consider the costs of mounting plates and end panel connectors (if you want them) before clicking that PayPal button. To be fair, the modular design allows you to get started with just the cost of board and add as you like over time.
A small wish would be if they had made a couple holes on the front of the board like the Pedaltrain designs to route cables through. Those could very useful with top loaded pedals hanging over front edge. As is, the cables have to route back towards the nearest hole on the board surface and you'll need to leave otherwise waisted space between those pedals.
Conclusions
I'm pretty stoked about this board. I'm sure it'll meet my needs very well. You can tell they took time to engineer it and thought out some interesting solutions. Some might call the board flex a design flaw. I say it would more fair to consider it a trade off to get the weight down and the most surface real estate. The real test will come when I can get it in action. I'm really looking forward to that.
Cheers,
TJ
Some pics for you all.
So here it is...
Pros
It's lite... Really lite weight. How lite you ask? As I type this on my iPad, I'm using the Trio 43 as a table resting on my lap very comfortably. Try that with a comparable sized Pedaltrain Grande! Yet, it is nice and sturdy. While it does have some minor amount of flex (more on that later), that's because the design only has three main parts. The top surface is bent to form the front and back as one piece and is screwed on at four points to each of the two side plates. The larger Temple Boards like the Trio 43 also come with additional underside bracing. This simple design keeps the weight down while ensuring there is little chance of something breaking.
Surface design allows for fit of all pedal sizes. It's kinda like a coffee table with holes. You can play some serious pedal board Tetris on this surface without having to worry about only half the underside of your pedals in contact with the board as is sometimes the case with the wider gapped Pedaltrain designs. This a real good thing if you like to use mini sized stomp boxes. Plus, as pedals continue to trend toward ever smaller enclosures in the future, having as much surface area as possible looks to be ever more a bonus. The layout of the wiring holes is far better than the wide gaps with the Pedaltrain designs. They are precisely cut into the surface without any sharp edges to fray your patch cables.
The Trio Board looks clean and uncluttered in the gun metal gray color I ordered. The side handles are a nice touch. They also function as two of the four screw points for the two main side plates to the surface plate. This also helps keep the simple and sleek look of the board without any visible screws on the top surface.
There's lots of room on the underside of the Trio sized board for power supplies of all sizes / shapes and such. Plus mounting them should be a snap. There's no need for extra plates or braces when zip ties can be easily used. I have read some users of smaller sized Temple Boards (Solo or Duo) have not been so lucky as there is less usable clearance, but the Trio looks good to go. Also, the extra bracing underneath can be moved or removed if it gets in the way.
Cons
Board flex does seem to be a design trade off in order to get the light weight and greater surface area over the rock solid Pedaltrain designs. Board flex can be an issue depending on how much and how hard you stomp on the board surface. This is especially apparent in the very center. If you only lightly stomp on your pedals and / or use a looper of some type along the front, board flex will likely be non issue for you. If you constantly place your weight on a wah, volume, or expression pedal and you like them located dead center, you're going to want to add some type of underside support below that'll reach the floor. I fall in the later category as I have both a Sonuus Wahoo and Voluum that I was hoping to place in the middle. I was already expecting this though and I'm sure underside mounting of whatever support I come up with to the surface will be very easy. The only concern maybe over the long term if the board flex turns into surface warping over time that can't be easily repaired.
While the pricing for Temple Boards are very attractive, add the cost of shipping and the extra accessories and the total bill starts to add up quickly. I only ordered the Trio 43 board without any extras or a case and the total costs to my doorstep was just under $205. So be sure to consider the costs of mounting plates and end panel connectors (if you want them) before clicking that PayPal button. To be fair, the modular design allows you to get started with just the cost of board and add as you like over time.
A small wish would be if they had made a couple holes on the front of the board like the Pedaltrain designs to route cables through. Those could very useful with top loaded pedals hanging over front edge. As is, the cables have to route back towards the nearest hole on the board surface and you'll need to leave otherwise waisted space between those pedals.
Conclusions
I'm pretty stoked about this board. I'm sure it'll meet my needs very well. You can tell they took time to engineer it and thought out some interesting solutions. Some might call the board flex a design flaw. I say it would more fair to consider it a trade off to get the weight down and the most surface real estate. The real test will come when I can get it in action. I'm really looking forward to that.
Cheers,
TJ
Some pics for you all.
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