Rockboards (pedalboards)

[Sascha Franck]

Far too many possible points of failure for my taste.

But that's got zero to do with the board construction (which this thread is about) but with my lousy cabling skills (which, in fact, aren't all that lousy, they just don't look pretty).

And btw. I gigged that board more often than pretty much any other board (even if with some modifications over the years), not one single hickup. Besides, I always have a small backup of some sorts.

 

[Dave Lewis]

I got some of the 3M tape from Amazon because I’ve got one pedal over 4 Kg and I don’t trust Velcro to hold it onto the board .
I’ve just put some on my GigRig Quartermaster 10 because that’s going to have a lot of cables off it .
Thats not going anywhere now

 

[Chocol8]

I got some of the 3M tape from Amazon because I’ve got one pedal over 4 Kg and I don’t trust Velcro to hold it onto the board .
I’ve just put some on my GigRig Quartermaster 10 because that’s going to have a lot of cables off it .
Thats not going anywhere now
View attachment 47058
View attachment 47059

Those use cases are where 3M dual lock, double sided tape, or even screws make sense. 4 kg would require a lot of standard Velcro!

I move pedals around and don’t want them stuck too well, but for something like the Quartermaster, I might get out the drill and run some screws through the pedal board and into the foot screw holes (or whatever it has) to make it solid. I often screw in power supplies as well and like that Cioks includes threaded holes on the bottom and sides for that.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Those use cases are where 3M dual lock, double sided tape, or even screws make sense. 4 kg would require a lot of standard Velcro!

Fwiw, I've even fixated the Helix Floor with velcro - and only used some spots. To ensure it wouldn't move around during transport, I slapped a layer of thick foam on top and just closed the lid. Didn't even need much pressure for everything to securely stay in place.

 

[Dave Lewis]

Those use cases are where 3M dual lock, double sided tape, or even screws make sense. 4 kg would require a lot of standard Velcro!

I move pedals around and don’t want them stuck too well, but for something like the Quartermaster, I might get out the drill and run some screws through the pedal board and into the foot screw holes (or whatever it has) to make it solid. I often screw in power supplies as well and like that Cioks includes threaded holes on the bottom and sides for that.

The older GigRig switchers used to come with fixing brackets but they stopped doing them because of what it cost to make them apparently .
My WA Canvas 15 power supply comes with two metal fixing brackets and screws
It fits nice and dug

 

[dronerstone]

Iirc, there's even a Rockboard class D power amp that fits into their modular slots and has additional cab sim output, as well as a direct out/dry through.

Not shabby at all.

 

[the swede]

Iirc, there's even a Rockboard class D power amp that fits into their modular slots and has additional cab sim output, as well as a direct out/dry through.

Not shabby at all.

Correct! They have quite many “mod” units now.

I think I will be getting the PSU “mod” and this input thing that slots in on the right side in a hole.

Rockboard Mini Mounting MOD TRS

Pedalboard Extension Mounting solution for all RockBoard pedalboards, 1x TRS 6.3 mm jack socket to 2x TRS 6.3 mm jack socket, Fits into the mounting hole for the RockBoard LED Light, No drilling required, Dimensions (W x H x D): 20-25 x 35 x 70 mm,...

www.thomann.se

 

[Baba]

Fwiw, my last *really* big board sat in a case that was deliberately "console style", so that the side facing me was flat, but the rear part was high, with sloping sides. That way, all plugs and what not were nicely protected.
The current main board is somewhat similiar, as in being kind of an L-case. It's very old already, and back then I didn't consider console-style, which would be better as the L-portion is wasting some space on the lid and the switches all the way to the left/right might be a tad more difficult to operate. Yet, great protection for all the stuff in the rear.

View attachment 46975

(Got some velcro inside the L-part, though, allows me to "mount" one or the other cable there, but I usually don't do that)

That's actually a great idea. There are rare occasions where I'll use the club's wedge as "pedalboard protection", even if I'm not actually listening to the wedge itself.

 

[Sascha Franck]

That's actually a great idea. There are rare occasions where I'll use the club's wedge as "pedalboard protection", even if I'm not actually listening to the wedge itself.

Yeah. It's been many years ago when I just got sick of whomever it is to stumble over my precious outputs and what not. So I went with the L-case and later went console-style. If the L-board wasn't that great (it'll easily survive mankind), I'd likely replace it with a console-style one. But I might do that anyway one day...

 

[Count_Drugula]

I know, I may sound like a broken record, but seriously: Why not go for a "semi-DIY" board? Yes, you would end up with something made of case plywood, but it's usually not heavier, doesn't take more space (but a handful of millimeters), but wood allows you to do easy modifications yourself and, even more important, you would start with exactly the right size, tilting and whatever form factor related things to start with.
I have been doing just that 3 times by now, went to a local casebuilder with the exact dimensions and had him cut a bunch of case plywood stripes in the very dimensions I wanted. Overall cost less than €50. I even got one for free as an addon of a case (another semi-DIY kit) that I've ordered.

I’ve done this a few times, I’m a hobbyist woodworker and have all the necessary tools. The problem for me is usually the weight, but I tend to overbuild things. Last one I did was a “grab and go” board for cover gigs and it’s great in that it’s made exactly to the size and specs I wanted, but it weighs as much as my PT-2 when loaded up and it’s half the size. Then there is the task of finding a case for it, which I usually go hunting at thrift stores.

Next time I’d probably just buy a ready made metal board. I’m even thinking of swapping it out for one because it weighs around 40 lbs loaded and is annoying to carry.

 

[Sascha Franck]

The problem for me is usually the weight,

Has really never been an issue for me with my case plywood constructions. I don't think metal would've saved me much more than 100-200 grams on the biggest one.

 

[Chocol8]

Has really never been an issue for me with my case plywood constructions. I don't think metal would've saved me much more than 100-200 grams on the biggest one.

How can that be? Aluminum is not only lighter, but it can be much thinner. The ones I made out of aluminum and a little wood are quite a bit heavier than the all aluminum Aero board I just bought.

 

[Sascha Franck]

but it can be much thinner.

All fine. But all I can say is that 9mm birch case plywood is very, very light and the weight of any of my constructions has never been of any concern to me.

 

[Count_Drugula]

Has really never been an issue for me with my case plywood constructions. I don't think metal would've saved me much more than 100-200 grams on the biggest one.

My last one I built the frame out of scrap oak and plywood base. For a small pedalboard it’s very heavy but I build things to last plus it has a riser.

 

[dronerstone]

To me, it really depends on the means I use to commute.

If that involves a car, I don't mind bringing a board that's on the heavier side. When I'm using public transport, I normally try and decide what kind of weight is "justifiable", also counting how often I'm changing from one train/bus to another and how crowded transport is gonna be.

Luckily, I can choose between these, sorted by weight:

Palmer PB60 (huge-ass "band board")
Helix Floor + Mission Exp. (in backpack)
Palmer PB40 (pedals change often)
PT Nano+ (easy grab'n'go board)

Now, if only all boards would come in a backpack instead of a big bag with a single strap, that would be nice. We're not getting any younger here...

 

[Sascha Franck]

Re: Weight of case plywood vs. Pedaltrain boards

I weighed a piece of 9mm case plywood (the only one not connected to any crowded pedalboard construction), size is 64x8cm. 3 of them would give you plenty of top space (at least 64x35cm should be doable) and you'd need around 3 x 30cm stripes of somewhat the same height to support the bottom of the board (two on the sides, one in the middle).
Weight of this single piece is 220 grams.
So we roughly need 5 times (well, a little less) that. Makes up for 1.1 kg.

As said, pedal estate would be 64 x 35 cm.

The closest Pedaltrain model (even marketed as extra light at Thomann) would possibly be the "Pedaltrain Classic 1 SC", pedal estate is 55.9 x 31.7 cm. Weight: 1.13 kg

So there, my plywood models are even *lighter* than the Pedaltrains.
And no, there's no issue with bent plywood stripes. Yes, you need to add one support stripe in the middle of the underside, and I had to saw some of that extra stripe out so I could run cables there properly, but that was about it.
But in return I got the perfect size for less money.