Custom Pedal Boards Music Industry Spotlight

A few months ago my good friend Matt Bishop told me to check out a new guitar pedal loop switching system called G2 from the guys at Gig Rig (see image above).

Suitably impressed, I decided it was time to replace my trusty rack based Voodoo Labs Ground Control Pro & GCX loop switching system with said G2, and at the same time, I figured I should completely upgrade the wiring, ditch the rack, and put everything on a pedalboard

Having looked around at number of consumer pedalboard products, nothing really provided the level of flexibility or quality I was looking for.

My pedalboard wish list looked something like this:

• Compact design but one which would be able to hold a large number of pedals
• Accommodate the new G2 loop switcher seemlessly
• Completely self-contained power supply which can handle a wide range of pedal types
• Studio grade wiring for the ultimate tone
• Integrated connectors for guitar in/out, fx outs, amp channel switching
• Ability to swap pedals easily (I’m always buying new gear!)
• Indestructible build quality for maximum protection on the road
• Lowest weight possible (I must be getting old!)

I noticed Gig Rig listed a number of custom pedalboard builders on their web site, several of whom had designed ‘boards specifically for the new G2, so with a million questions in mind I shot across an email to Chris Ryan at Custom Pedalboards who promptly responded with a fantastic design and assurances that he could build exactly what I was looking for.

Personal, friendly, expert advice

Now the purpose of this blog series is to highlight companies, individuals or products which we believe offer something really fantastic for the artists we work with, and who we have found to offer exceptional customer service.

Chris earned this recommendation not just because of the fantastic quality and flexibility of his product, but because of the extreme patience and understanding he showed whilst helping me put the board together. Despite having been a guitarist for more than 25 years, and having played professionally for about 10 of those, I have to admit I knew little about buffered outputs or the correct position of a vintage fuzz pedal in your signal chain in relation to an unbuffered wha wha blah blah geek geek …

So sounding like a bit of a moron I must have exchanged about 30 emails during the course of the build, often changing my mind as the design came together, often adding new pedals into the mix – and not once did Chris get annoyed or condescend. I almost told myself to sod off a few times, but Chris kept his cool and walked me through the whole process with no fuss, recommending the best pedal position and signal flow, working out each pedals power requirements, all the patch cable lengths, and delivering an end product which was exactly what I wanted.

Bespoke design

Chris offers a bespoke design service where you can have a ‘board built to the exact size you require. He also offers several ‘standard’ sizes which suit most players and offer a great starting point to build your system from.

Hinged tier

One of the first things you’ll notice about Chris’s pedalboard design is the hinged tier. This fantastic feature permits you to stack pedals on top of each other, affording space for many more pedals than the ‘boards footprint would allow. The theory is the pedals you need most regular access to go on the top tier, and those which are pretty much ‘set and forget’ go under the tier. If you want to get to the pedals under the tier, you simply lift it up. Genius!

Wiring and power

For me, one of the most important parts of this build was getting the power and wiring right. On my old rack based system (the Voodoo labs GCX loop switcher is rack based, so all your pedals go in pull out rack trays) I had a mixture of power supplies including the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2, several 4 way power extensions with bulky, individual pedal power supplies attached – as well as the power cables for amps. It took up loads of space and was messy as hell. On top of that, I’d added various types and lengths of patch cables over time, and even just pulling the rack trays out was a hit and miss affair as to whether they’d come unplugged.

So, I was extremely pleased to hear that Chris’ bespoke build service included him calculating the exact power requirements for every pedal and fitting a high quality, lightweight power distribution system, made also by the fantastic people over at GigRig.

The entire ‘board is powered from one standard kettle lead, and all the power distribution boxes are hidden discretely under the folding tier. Amazing!

High quality 'Evidence' audio cabling

Once Chris had my very final, not to be changed ever again cross my heart and hope to die - list of pedals that would go on the board – he wired everything up with meticulously measured, precision cut, highest quality Evidence audio cable – ensuring that not only was my board the tidiest in the history of music – but every last ounce of tone was preserved throughout the signal chain.

Cost

Given the level of customisation and quality involved here, not to mention man hours, it won't come as any suprise that the final cost of the entire board was just under £2000. However - most of that was the cost of the G2, power supplies and cabling.

Here's a breakdown of costs for each part of the board:

• * Pedalboard case including hinged tier, wah riser and master connections box - £435
• * 33x Custom Evidence Audio Patch Cables £475
• * The GigRig G2 loop switcher, inc Generator power supply £750
• * 2x GigRig power distributors, 2x GigRig power isolators £188
• * 4m black 50mm hook Velcro £11.00

Total = £1859

Complete pedalboard set up service

Chris will measure and cut all your patch cables and wire on all your pedals for an additional cost per pedal basis. This option is WELL worth considering, as he really does a great job of minimising cable lengths and keeping all 30+ patch cables tidy.

Summary

In my mind, this kind of investment is relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, and really should be a no-brainer for any profesisonal guitarist.

Here are four good reasons why ......

• 1. Protection.
  My board now has £4500 worth of pedals on it. Once you add on the value of the cabling and power supplies, we're talking about £5,000+ worth of gear to protect. You wouldn't put a £5,000 guitar in a flimsy flightcase when you hit the road - so why risk destroying your pedals?
• 2. Reliability.
  The board is so well protected and secured, that no matter how much its thrown around in transit, as soon as I lift the lid, everything is in place, ready to go. The same cannot be said for the majority of low cost consumer boards that I've seen which end up completely falling apart at the slightest wiff of a roadie!
• 3. Time saving.
  I only need to plug in one power cable, one guitar cable and one amp out - and I'm ready to rock. Most pro musicians don't have the luxury of a 5 hour sound check, so you can't afford to be fixing issues with your board every time you set up.
• 4. Audio quality.
  Once you connect a ton of pedals into your system you start degrading your guitar signal. Even with a loop switcher like the G2, adding just one or two pedals to the chain, if connected with poor quality cables, you'll loose tone. If you have nice guitars and amps the last thing you want to do is kill your tone with cheap, old, unreliable cabling. If your power supplies aren't top notch, you'll run the risk of introducing interference and other issues. If you want the best quality sound, you need to ensure every part of your rig is top notch and well looked after.
• 5. Flexibility.
  It's now extremely easy for me to swap out pedals. In the past I'd look forward to getting new gear, but I'd dread the thought of having to work it into my rack system. The new board Chris has built for me is a completely self contained, with a sensible modular power structure that makes adding new pedals a breeze.

For more information please visit Chris Ryan's www.custompedalboards.co.uk

Master connector box

Chris also fits custom connector boxes for guitar in, amps out, fx loop send/returns, amp switching etc. These are built within the ‘board and it really helps to keep your cabling tidy, something Chris is a stickler for.

Wah and Volume risers

Another cool feature of Chris' boards and another example of his user centric design philpsophy, is the addition of volume and wah pedal risers. These allow you to keep the feet on the bottom of your vol/wah pedals (the feet often hold the rear metal housing in place) at the same time as ensuring the pedal sits on the board at a height where the edge of the pedalboard case won't stop you from achieving full pedal recline.

Build quality

The consideration that’s gone into build quality is evident. This board is built like a tank! Not only does it feel very high quality, I can imagine it could easily hold its own against the most Neanderthal Easy Jet baggage handlers if it had too.

Considering its size and the amount of gear loaded onto it - the pedalboard is suprisingly light weigth. As a precaution Chris mounted standard flightcase handles at both ends of the case, but it's easy enough to carry around using the one large padded carry handle on the side.

For materials he uses HexPly, which is birch ply with a phenolic UV and water resistant resin on both faces. The outside face with a special hexagon surface pattern, the inside is smooth, available in 7mm or 10mm. For aluminium he uses Double Angle and Hybrid Extrusions, which make a stronger case. Combined with low profile rubber feet, it makes for a much more ergonomic height. All hardware and fittings use the very best premium quality heavy duty zinc plated catches, latches, hinges, bolts/screws, wheels & handles.

The foam inside the case is cut to snugly fit against your pedals, allowing no room inside for anything to move around once closed. The entire base is covered in black loop Velcro, ensuring all pedals are held firmly in place.