Building first pedal board

[Dalton]

I posted something on UG but I feel like y'all are much better help...

So, I need some guidance on building a pedal board.. My rig is a DSL100H into a 1960a JCM900 cab with the original G75's. I'll be playing rhyhtm guitar/vocals in a pop punk/alternative rock band if any of that matters.....

So the "frame" of the board I plan to build myself out of plywood and 2x4 (not exactly to cut down on cost, I just want to build it myself to my standards. I'm handy in wood shop)

Here is my current plan of pedals..
- Boss SD1 overdrive (Just got one today. It's freakin awesome!!!)
- Boss TU3 tuner
- Boss NS2 noise supressor
- Boss DD3 delay (maybe, I'm not sure if it's needed for rhythm guitar)
- Dunlap mini volume pedal or Ernie Ball VP Jr
- DSL100H footswitch

Yeah, as of right now I don't see a need for anything else. Here are my questions

1- Biggest question.... power supply... Here's the one I'm looking at... Does anyone have any input on this thing or recommendations for a different one? As you can see I wont be running but maybe 3-4 pedals that need 9v power.. https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Guitar-Supply-Isolated-Output/dp/B00WHLLDWO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=CG6WXHMSYPL4&keywords=donner+power+supply&qid=1581830932&sprefix=donner+power,aps,162&sr=8-4

2- How important is a noise suppresor pedal and a compressor? I'm not doing any swells, so is a volume pedal even worth getting?

3- Any suggestions on other pedals?

This is just my starting idea of how I plan for this to pan out.. I know y'all have much more experience in this stuff so I'm asking for any advice and input.

Thanks guys, y'all were amazing help getting my amp/cab.

 

[Deerhunter1972]

I built mine out of an old shelf in my scrap pile. Cut it to my specs, painted it, then slapped some Velcro on it, put some handles on the sides for carrying, and attached my power supply to the underside.

1. I would skip the Donner power supply. Get a this instead: https://www.amazon.com/Voodoo-Lab-P...2?keywords=voodoo+mondo&qid=1581840187&sr=8-2
I know it is pretty steep in price, but believe me...Voodoo makes THE best power supplies...Completely isolated and dead quite. The Donner is a gimmick. Not truly isolated and very noisy.
If you only run 3-4 pedals..Get this: https://www.amazon.com/Voodoo-Lab-P...4?keywords=voodoo+mondo&qid=1581840187&sr=8-4

2. I have a noise suppressor, but have never really had to use it. It's a good idea to have though just in case... I love my volume pedal, although I do some swelling. It's also pretty handy to have to cut the volume quick to switch guitars.

3. Boss CE-2, Flanger, MXR Phase 90, TC Electronic Spark, Looper, Tremolo, Wah...

Also, DO NOT skimp on patch cables...I've had many different brands through the years, but use these exclusively now: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...remium-gold-flat-patch-cable-10cm-angle-angle
THE Best patch cables I have ever used!

Also, I just recently bought a case for my pedal board off of eBay...this one to be exact:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LYT-Pedalb...545999?hash=item1f03037b4f:g:2ygAAOSwYxxdmkHR
It is pretty heavy duty and they are discontinued so they are on clearance right now. Very sturdy and lots of space for cables, etc...

Here is mine that I use at bigger venues, I also have a couple smaller ones that I use for Acoustic gigs..

 

[WellBurnTheSky]

I concur. Get a good isolated power supply, not the Donner. A good one is a bit more expensive, but it's dead silent. Especially if you put some pedals in front and some in the FX loop. Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+, one of the Cioks or a Truetone Pro. There's lots of more esoteric ones out there, but these are the "safe" choices. Basically can't go wrong with either of these.

I have the Truetone CS7 on my small board, and both the Voodoo Lab PP2+ and PP Digital on my big board (lots of stuff on that one, including some power-hungry digital ones), and have been happy with these for years, through hundreds of gigs.

Regarding noise gate, it depends. I for one don't use them, but you might feel the need for it. Want modern chug, with the rig being dead silent in between ? Get one. But in my experience using quality cables with good soldered ends (I use Sommer cable and Neutrik or HiCon plugs) and laying out cable runs properly goes a long way towards getting a quiet pedalboard.
Same goes for the compressor. I like having one for specific tones (either doing the U2/Gilmour thing or funk stuff), but it might not be needed for the tones you want to achieve.
And again, same thing goes for the volume pedal. Do you want to do swells ? Do you want to control your overall volume ?
And delay: I like to have delay on board (tbh it's one of my go-to pedals, but I'm usually the only guitar player in a band, and more of a classic rock/hard rock type), but you might not need it, especially if you're playing rhythm only in a 2-guitar band.

Honestly for a rhythm player doing pop punk/alternative, I'd start with tuner/overdrive/footswitcher, and only add stuff if needed. Especially if you're singing, you don't want too much stuff to deal with.

 

[Deerhunter1972]

+1 on what @WellBurnTheSky said...

 

[SkyMonkey]

A word on noise suppression.
I have an NS-2 I got 2nd hand.
It does work, but I got slightly stung, because engaging it incurs a volume drop that shouldn't happen, and is therefore useless for switching the noise suppression ON/OFF.
So I have it paired exclusively with an MT-2 in a separate switched loop (Boss LS-2), and keep it ON at all times .
Besides the fault in my particular NS-2, I find they are relatively slow to clamp down and pretty one dimensional.
Also setting up using it's in-built loop was a fail too, but this could be related to the volume problem.
If you are looking for Pantera-like signal clamping (and everything in-between), look elsewhere.
It will be replaced with a TC Electronic Sentry when funds allow (same price as the NS-2).
The Sentry also two different settings + one TonePrint slot for a user 'patch' setting.

 

[SkyMonkey]

BTW If you just want to try out Noise Suppression very cheaply, get a Behringer NR300.
It is basically a plastic NS-2 for about 1/4 of the price.

 

[paul-e-mann]

I posted something on UG but I feel like y'all are much better help...

So, I need some guidance on building a pedal board.. My rig is a DSL100H into a 1960a JCM900 cab with the original G75's. I'll be playing rhyhtm guitar/vocals in a pop punk/alternative rock band if any of that matters.....

So the "frame" of the board I plan to build myself out of plywood and 2x4 (not exactly to cut down on cost, I just want to build it myself to my standards. I'm handy in wood shop)

Here is my current plan of pedals..
- Boss SD1 overdrive (Just got one today. It's freakin awesome!!!)
- Boss TU3 tuner
- Boss NS2 noise supressor
- Boss DD3 delay (maybe, I'm not sure if it's needed for rhythm guitar)
- Dunlap mini volume pedal or Ernie Ball VP Jr
- DSL100H footswitch

Yeah, as of right now I don't see a need for anything else. Here are my questions

1- Biggest question.... power supply... Here's the one I'm looking at... Does anyone have any input on this thing or recommendations for a different one? As you can see I wont be running but maybe 3-4 pedals that need 9v power.. https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Guitar-Supply-Isolated-Output/dp/B00WHLLDWO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=CG6WXHMSYPL4&keywords=donner+power+supply&qid=1581830932&sprefix=donner+power,aps,162&sr=8-4

2- How important is a noise suppresor pedal and a compressor? I'm not doing any swells, so is a volume pedal even worth getting?

3- Any suggestions on other pedals?

This is just my starting idea of how I plan for this to pan out.. I know y'all have much more experience in this stuff so I'm asking for any advice and input.

Thanks guys, y'all were amazing help getting my amp/cab.

A pedalboard doesnt have to be expensive, I use an old laptop case, plug a 9 volt power supply into your tuner and daisy chain off the tuner to the rest of the pedals. I dont think you need a volume pedal, get a wah instead, and get some kind of modulation effect like a vibe or something.

Or you can get yourself a multi-effects pedal and forget about the pedalboard.

 

[Jimmy Slag]

I'm just getting my first pedal board together too and stumbled upon this: https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_powerplant_powerbank.htm
It works, it's cheap and it negates the need for a noise gate

 

[SkyMonkey]

Noise gates remove more than just AC hum.
Preamp hiss, high volume feedback, and unwanted guitar handling noises are eliminated too.

 

[Lukas]

 

[Lukas]

I built this one in literally in 1/2hr and painted it and put some funny stickers I had on it in the junk drawer... pedals are Velcroed to the board, nothing fancy I know but way better than them sitting loosely on the floor. Each have a separate power supply as there is not much there. It’s just a small board I built for my DSL40CR. I just wanted the essentials. If your handy with wood working like you say which I’m not at all I’m sure you’ll build an awesome one. The one for my JVM full stack I had a carpenter build and it’s huge. Has isolated power and just tons of room if you wanted a lot on it. Here that one is.

 

[Lukas]

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

I posted something on UG but I feel like y'all are much better help...

So, I need some guidance on building a pedal board.. My rig is a DSL100H into a 1960a JCM900 cab with the original G75's. I'll be playing rhyhtm guitar/vocals in a pop punk/alternative rock band if any of that matters.....

So the "frame" of the board I plan to build myself out of plywood and 2x4 (not exactly to cut down on cost, I just want to build it myself to my standards. I'm handy in wood shop)

Here is my current plan of pedals..
- Boss SD1 overdrive (Just got one today. It's freakin awesome!!!)
- Boss TU3 tuner
- Boss NS2 noise supressor
- Boss DD3 delay (maybe, I'm not sure if it's needed for rhythm guitar)
- Dunlap mini volume pedal or Ernie Ball VP Jr
- DSL100H footswitch

Yeah, as of right now I don't see a need for anything else. Here are my questions

Sounds like a pretty good plan.

1- Biggest question.... power supply... Here's the one I'm looking at... Does anyone have any input on this thing or recommendations for a different one? As you can see I wont be running but maybe 3-4 pedals that need 9v power.. https://www.amazon.com/Donner-Guitar-Supply-Isolated-Output/dp/B00WHLLDWO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=CG6WXHMSYPL4&keywords=donner+power+supply&qid=1581830932&sprefix=donner+power,aps,162&sr=8-4

I would suggest a power supply that has isolated inputs, is quiet, and is reliable/good reputation.

2- How important is a noise suppresor pedal and a compressor? I'm not doing any swells, so is a volume pedal even worth getting?

Noise suppressors/noise gates (ns/ng for short) really depend on the situation, genre of music, and a well-maintained rig (i.e. guitar+pickups, cables, tubes, etc). If your amp is fairly quiet, then you might not even need a ns/ng. If your rig is really noisy in general, then it's probably best to deal with that first. If you play bars/parties/whatever where the ambient noise will cover up small rig noise, then maybe you don't need ns/ns. If you use a lot of overdrive/distortion/dirt/gain, then maybe ns/ng might be a good idea (especially if you do a lot of stop/start riffs). So as you see, it really depends on you and your situation.

3- Any suggestions on other pedals?

Good EQ pedal (5-7 band graphic EQ pedals are good but I prefer parametric EQ designs) and either an auto wah/envelop filter or a switch-less wah because you're bound to play at least one song/solo with a wah sound.

This is just my starting idea of how I plan for this to pan out.. I know y'all have much more experience in this stuff so I'm asking for any advice and input.

Thanks guys, y'all were amazing help getting my amp/cab.

Good luck with your rig. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[Dalton]

I concur. Get a good isolated power supply, not the Donner. A good one is a bit more expensive, but it's dead silent. Especially if you put some pedals in front and some in the FX loop. Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+, one of the Cioks or a Truetone Pro. There's lots of more esoteric ones out there, but these are the "safe" choices. Basically can't go wrong with either of these.

I have the Truetone CS7 on my small board, and both the Voodoo Lab PP2+ and PP Digital on my big board (lots of stuff on that one, including some power-hungry digital ones), and have been happy with these for years, through hundreds of gigs.

Regarding noise gate, it depends. I for one don't use them, but you might feel the need for it. Want modern chug, with the rig being dead silent in between ? Get one. But in my experience using quality cables with good soldered ends (I use Sommer cable and Neutrik or HiCon plugs) and laying out cable runs properly goes a long way towards getting a quiet pedalboard.
Same goes for the compressor. I like having one for specific tones (either doing the U2/Gilmour thing or funk stuff), but it might not be needed for the tones you want to achieve.
And again, same thing goes for the volume pedal. Do you want to do swells ? Do you want to control your overall volume ?
And delay: I like to have delay on board (tbh it's one of my go-to pedals, but I'm usually the only guitar player in a band, and more of a classic rock/hard rock type), but you might not need it, especially if you're playing rhythm only in a 2-guitar band.

Honestly for a rhythm player doing pop punk/alternative, I'd start with tuner/overdrive/footswitcher, and only add stuff if needed. Especially if you're singing, you don't want too much stuff to deal with.

This is exactly where I'm at... I'm wondering if all that other stuff is really even needed being the lead vocalist and rhythm player. Yes, our lead player has all the cool pedals (MXR Phase 90, Wah pedal, DD3 delay, etc....) which makes sense because he's playing lead. If I'm just strumming chords, it makes me wonder if all that delay and phaser and stuff is even worth messing with.

 

[Dalton]

Man y'all are awesome!! UG ain't got shit on you boys

So I'll take everyones word, spend the money on a good isolated power supply.

As far as a supressor goes... I actually used a NS2 our lead player has so I could try it out today.. I really like it and think it's going on my board. He told me he doesn't like it because it can cancel out some notes though... But for playing chords, I doubt it'd hurt me.

For delay..... I think I am going to go ahead and get a delay because when I come to think of it, there are 2-3 songs of ours where I play the intro lead, and they have delay on them. I'm probably going to pass on a volume pedal, because as said they are good for swells and thats about it. As far as I'm aware, tuners will mute the signal anyway..

Y'all pretty much answered everything I need to hear.. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible...

So the only other thing I can think to ask... Are there any other tuners besides the TU3 that I should consider? I tried a Polytune today (not sure on model and everything, all I know is that it was white) and it was nice... But in my eyes a tuner is a tuner... lol

 

[Deerhunter1972]

Man y'all are awesome!! UG ain't got shit on you boys

So I'll take everyones word, spend the money on a good isolated power supply.

As far as a supressor goes... I actually used a NS2 our lead player has so I could try it out today.. I really like it and think it's going on my board. He told me he doesn't like it because it can cancel out some notes though... But for playing chords, I doubt it'd hurt me.

For delay..... I think I am going to go ahead and get a delay because when I come to think of it, there are 2-3 songs of ours where I play the intro lead, and they have delay on them. I'm probably going to pass on a volume pedal, because as said they are good for swells and thats about it. As far as I'm aware, tuners will mute the signal anyway..

Y'all pretty much answered everything I need to hear.. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible...

So the only other thing I can think to ask... Are there any other tuners besides the TU3 that I should consider? I tried a Polytune today (not sure on model and everything, all I know is that it was white) and it was nice... But in my eyes a tuner is a tuner... lol

I ditched my tuner pedal for this a long time ago>>>https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...VipyzCh1-mQmzEAQYBSABEgL__vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Very pleased. Battery lasts FOREVER...+ freed up space on my pedal board!

 

[WellBurnTheSky]

Clip-on tuner is ugly, plus if you move around during the show there's always a risk the tuner will fall off. Also, I'm unconvinced about its ability to work properly on a loud stage. I very often (like, every other tune) quickly check my tuning if I have a few bars not playing, and I'd trust a pedal tuner (that picks up signal from the guitar output) more that a tuner that uses vibrations. Especially if the drummer is banging away. Clip-on is nice for at-home practice though.

So the only other thing I can think to ask... Are there any other tuners besides the TU3 that I should consider? I tried a Polytune today (not sure on model and everything, all I know is that it was white) and it was nice... But in my eyes a tuner is a tuner... lol

On my big board I have the Korg Pitchblack Custom, and a 1st gen Polytune on the small board (recently switched them around). The poly nature of the TC is really nice to check your tuning quickly, but I like the display of the Korg a little better, seems to be more readable at an angle.
Also, I wired the tuner off the alternate output of my wireless receiver (Line6 G70), so it's always on and receiving signal. In our set there's a point where I got from standard tuning to drop D in a transition from song to song, so being able to tune without actually muting the signal is cool. I still can mute the signal chain via the wireless if needed of course.

As for the rest: since you're a singer and tap-dancing while singing can be difficult (I do lots of background vocals, and singing AND switching pedals at the same time can be annoying at times), I'd focus of a few bare essentials, and only add pedals if needed. Keeping it simple will free your mind for singing.

 

[AlanH]

Some good points on here. I agree with hanging fire on the noise suppression but don't buy a looper for live use in a band situation. I have a Korg Pitch black mini and a Polytune mini noir. However, I like our bass player's Boss TU-3 because the needle doesn't wobble with fret buzz.

For the small amount of pedals you use I would buy a One Spot daisy chain.

My DSL40C live rig (used for covers from pop to funk to rock to metal) is currently as follows...

Line 6 G70 wireless
Front end:
Morley M2 Wah
Polytune mini noir
Biyang CO-10 compressor (you won't need one)
Boss SD-1 (for goosing red 1 channel)
FX Loop
Bad Monkey (set as a mid humped clean boost for solos - any TS type pedal will do)
Marshall RG-1 Regenerator (multi modulation pedal - excellent and cheap)
MXR Carbon Copy (analog delay - well worth the money)

My DSL40C is set up using green crunch for my clean tones and Red 1 for hard rock tones - the DS-1 will push it to metal territory.

 

[Dalton]

Clip-on tuner is ugly, plus if you move around during the show there's always a risk the tuner will fall off. Also, I'm unconvinced about its ability to work properly on a loud stage. I very often (like, every other tune) quickly check my tuning if I have a few bars not playing, and I'd trust a pedal tuner (that picks up signal from the guitar output) more that a tuner that uses vibrations. Especially if the drummer is banging away. Clip-on is nice for at-home practice though.


On my big board I have the Korg Pitchblack Custom, and a 1st gen Polytune on the small board (recently switched them around). The poly nature of the TC is really nice to check your tuning quickly, but I like the display of the Korg a little better, seems to be more readable at an angle.
Also, I wired the tuner off the alternate output of my wireless receiver (Line6 G70), so it's always on and receiving signal. In our set there's a point where I got from standard tuning to drop D in a transition from song to song, so being able to tune without actually muting the signal is cool. I still can mute the signal chain via the wireless if needed of course.

As for the rest: since you're a singer and tap-dancing while singing can be difficult (I do lots of background vocals, and singing AND switching pedals at the same time can be annoying at times), I'd focus of a few bare essentials, and only add pedals if needed. Keeping it simple will free your mind for singing.

I tend to agree with you on the clip on tuner. Not only does it bother me just being there, I dont feel they would be as accurate as a pedal on stage..

And thank you for understanding my simplicity lol. Right now I have the SD1 and the marshall footswitch, and it's hard enough singing then switching from clean to dirty channel, PLUS hitting my SD1.

I'm also interested in that wireless system so I'll give a Line 6 a check

 

[Dalton]

Some good points on here. I agree with hanging fire on the noise suppression but don't buy a looper for live use in a band situation. I have a Korg Pitch black mini and a Polytune mini noir. However, I like our bass player's Boss TU-3 because the needle doesn't wobble with fret buzz.

For the small amount of pedals you use I would buy a One Spot daisy chain.

My DSL40C live rig (used for covers from pop to funk to rock to metal) is currently as follows...

Line 6 G70 wireless
Front end:
Morley M2 Wah
Polytune mini noir
Biyang CO-10 compressor (you won't need one)
Boss SD-1 (for goosing red 1 channel)
FX Loop
Bad Monkey (set as a mid humped clean boost for solos - any TS type pedal will do)
Marshall RG-1 Regenerator (multi modulation pedal - excellent and cheap)
MXR Carbon Copy (analog delay - well worth the money)

My DSL40C is set up using green crunch for my clean tones and Red 1 for hard rock tones - the DS-1 will push it to metal territory.

I've been told to never "daisy chain" power to the pedals.. Not sure why that would hurt anything, that's just what I read else where