Again, this bit might only be interesting to some – if anyone – of you. But this is part of the ”bragging pages”, after all, and no one is forcing you to read this. So feel free to move on if you prefer, or stick around. This will be a birds-eye view of the pedalboards as they stand, and will be periodically updated, as and when they change. For more info on the individual pedals – including the ones that currently doesn’t feature on any of my pedalboards – check out the different effects categories.   


Current setup

I used to keep two pedalboards – one big/main board and a small grab-n-go board for quick rehearsals and tight stages. As I started using the digital 11 Rack rig more and more, I found myself only bringing an amp/pedalboard rig when the gig was either too small to have a proper PA, or when I needed a quick rig for a rehearsal. So while I had all my favourite pedals on the large board, I realized was really only using the small board. So I ripped up both boards, and decided to start fresh with a new ”main” board, but confined to the smaller size.

I’m using the Stonecastle Blues Boy pedalboard/case from the small gig setup (listed below), as well as the Cioks DC8 for power. The board currently has the following chain:

board_2014-7
  • Tuner/input buffer – T-Rex Tunemaster. I used to have a Korg DT-10 (as shown in the pic) first in line, but decided to try the Tunemaster to save a little space. Sadly, the Tunemaster I have does leak a little DC voltage when in buffered mode (causing the other pedals to pop), so that needs to be fixed before it will work as intended. Either that, or I go back to the trusty old DT-10.
  • Compression – Xotic SP Compressor
  • Dirt – a Stinkfoot ”30” (Catalinbread CB30 circuit built on veroboard) for low gain tones, and a Mooer Solo for higher gain stuff.
  • Boost – home built Micro Amp-style booster. The pedal used to have a nice chickenhead knob, but I’m currently trying a larger one to allow me to adjust it on the fly with my foot. Not as pretty, but function beats form.
  • Modulation – Mooer Ensemble King chorus and a Mooer Eleclady flanger (for those Andy Summers moments).
  • Delay – a Mooer Echolizer for standard echo, and the Ibanez DML10 has currently moved over for a TC Flashback Mini.
  • Tremolo – Voodoo Lab Tremolo. Yes, it’s big for this type of board, but it sounds great and the volume control is invaluable. I have a Mooer Trelicopter that I also like very much, but you can’t set the level on that one.

I also have a Maxon AF-9 Auto Filter that I want to incorporate into the chain. But there isn’t any room… I also want to use true bypass loop strips to get all footswitches within easy reach. And none of that won’t fit on this small board, so I might have to move on to a bigger board after all (it never ends!!). And I am still considering a programmable loop strip for the compressor/dirt section. That would let me preset the foundation sounds, and add other effects freely as normal. So I might end up with a larger board once again…


Bass board

This board was used as the sub-board, carrying a Korg G4 leslie simulator and a true bypass loop box to turn it on/off. The idea was to be able to add the board on after whatever setup I was using at the time, if I needed a leslie and couldn’t be bothered to bring the real thing. The board has since been converted for use with bass, with the following pedals:

bassboard2014
  • EBS MultiComp
  • EBS Octabass
  • DOD FX25 Envelope Filter

All powered by a Cioks Baby power supply. The MultiComp stays on pretty much 100% of the time. I originally had the Octabass last with FX25 in the middle, but found it tracked better when being fed directly from the compressor.  The bonus is that the FX25 provides a consistent, fully buffered signal that has no problem driving even a passive DI box with the amp connected to to the parallel out jack. That can sometimes be a problem, with the two input impedances (of the DI circuit and the amp) ending up in parallel with each other.


Large (now defunct) setup

This was the last incarnation of the main pedalboard setup (click for closeup). The signal chain was:

  • Digitech EX-7 Expression factory (used mainly for wah and space station sounds, and sometimes the leslie sim)
  • Korg DT-10 tuner
  • Foxrox Octron
  • EBS MultiComp
  • Ibanez PT-9 Phaser (modified for true bypass)
  • Stinkfoot Stage 1 TS-9 (modified for true bypass)
  • Higher gain overdrive/distortion (in the pic it’s a modified STL Super Tube, but this spot kept changing)
  • Stinkfoot 5-loop true bypass strip, containing:
    • Stinkfoot boost pedal (basic LPB circuit)
    • TC Electronic SCF chorus/flanger
    • Ibanez EM5 Echomachine (set for almost-infinite repeats)
    • Ibanez DML10 Modulation Delay II
    • Ibanez DL5 Delay
  • Voodoo Lab Tremolo

The whole board was powered from a Modtone Power Plant located underneath the back row riser. The EX-7 has its own power supply, while the TC Chorus is mains-powered. Both of those get their mains power from the accessory mains outlet on the back of the Power Plant, via a dual extension cable I whipped up. The Power Plant does have a 9vAC output, which should eliminate the need for the EX-7 power supply. But sadly, it creates a hum in the EX-7… 🙁 I am told they’ve fixed this in a later revision of the Power Plant, but mine is still the old one.


History
Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz