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Why right to left?

robd

robd

Supporting Member
Mar 3, 2004
1,770
972
just outside B-more Maryland
#1
I'm rather new to using effects pedals with my bass....played for 30 years plugged straight into the amp.

Can anyone tell me the reason that pedals run

right to left <---- [] <---- []

instead of left to right [] ----> [] ---->

which is the way that everything else in my world seems to flow (it is the directionality of our written language) Would work much better for this old dog if everything went left to right...but maybe that's just me.

facts? opinions? guesses?
 
#4
I have just one pedal that's the wrong way around, a first generation EBS. I believe Dr Green (Ashdown) got it backwards with their newest pedals, which is weird when everyone else does it right to left today.

image.jpg
 
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#5
FretNoMore said:
Makes sense for me (being right handed) to have the input on the right, otherwise you'd have the instrument cable on the floor under your feet.

I have no idea if that is the reason, but it does work better that way.
Click to expand...

Well, stupid me - of course that's the reason! :wideyed:

I always figured it was just either a language thing like the OP (as so many come from Japan) or an engineering/electronics "backwards to intuitive" thing.

Of course, I would never have noticed NOT tripping on my wires...
 
#6
I guess they had to come up with one unified convention since you can't have mayhem or pedals wouldn't be able to sit near each other without a cable mess.... My bigger complaint is why aren't all the power inputs in the same place??

Some are in the rear, some on the right, and some on the left... that gets my OCD in overdrive! (pardon the pun)
 
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#7
FretNoMore said:
Makes sense for me (being right handed) to have the input on the right, otherwise you'd have the instrument cable on the floor under your feet.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, but I don't see that. I have the cable coming out of the pedalboard going to the amp on the left, so there is an instrument cable on the floor under my feet. If I used an input cable (I don't, my wireless is on the board, so no input cable coming in from the bass) than I would have a cable coming out of both sides of the board, on the floor under, my feet, so it doesn't really matter which way the pedals run, because there are cables coming out both the right and left side of the..... ymmv :)

I do wish all connections were on the top of the pedals though....
 
#8
robd said:
Thanks for the reply, but I don't see that. I have the cable coming out of the pedalboard going to the amp on the left, so there is an instrument cable on the floor under my feet. If I used an input cable (I don't, my wireless is on the board, so no input cable coming in from the bass) than I would have a cable coming out of both sides of the board, on the floor under, my feet, so it doesn't really matter which way the pedals run, because there are cables coming out both the right and left side of the..... ymmv :)

I do wish all connections were on the top of the pedals though....
Click to expand...
I don't follow your thinking here ... if I have the pedalboard in front of me the cables are to the sides of my feet, not under them; instrument cable coming in from the right, amp cable going out to the left. If the pedalboard input were on the left side my instrument cable would have to go across the floor, and more likely to be under my feet.

Of course with wireless, or using long cables for that matter, you can get around this issue. YMMV, indeed.
 
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#9
I see ... I didn't understand what you were getting at. I guess because I have used a wireless for years, I haven't had my guitar cable underfoot for a long time, and I don't spend much time directly in front of my pedals anyway (only when switching one or singing). but I can see your reasoning now, thanks for the clarification.
 
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#12
I diagrammed the instance the OP @robd is talking about. Happens to me constantly. I really need to get a longer than 12' cable to go around back of my amp. Or wireless, as suggested.
diagram.jpg

The input on my SVT (and every amp I've had the pleasure/displeasure of playing through) has the input on the left side when you are facing the head. That said/drawn, having the pedal board run the opposite direction wouldn't help me at all as my bass cable would be piled up between me and the pedal board. I didn't even add the mic stand and cables in front of and off to the left of my pedal board.
 
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#14
It seems to me that since the input is on the right and output is on the left for most pedals, that the chain usually follows that direction. Otherwise the patch cables would need to be longer also.
As far as the output cord I usually run it in front of the pedal board and rout it back to the right so I don't trip on it then back to the amp.
 
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#15
mistergoats said:
I diagrammed the instance the OP @robd is talking about. Happens to me constantly. I really need to get a longer than 12' cable to go around back of my amp. Or wireless, as suggested.View attachment 543880
The input on my SVT (and every amp I've had the pleasure/displeasure of playing through) has the input on the left side when you are facing the head. That said/drawn, having the pedal board run the opposite direction wouldn't help me at all as my bass cable would be piled up between me and the pedal board. I didn't even add the mic stand and cables in front of and off to the left of my pedal board.
Click to expand...

personally, I play on the right of the stage (facing the audience), and I don't have a problem if I do it like this, huh? :whistle:


cable_fixed.jpg
 
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#19
robd said:
I'm rather new to using effects pedals with my bass....played for 30 years plugged straight into the amp.

Can anyone tell me the reason that pedals run

right to left <---- [] <---- []

instead of left to right [] ----> [] ---->

which is the way that everything else in my world seems to flow (it is the directionality of our written language) Would work much better for this old dog if everything went left to right...but maybe that's just me.

facts? opinions? guesses?
Click to expand...

Designed in Hebrew?
 

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