Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

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Unicorn Warrior
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Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Sun Mar 26, 2017 4:39 pm

Long story short, I've got a short window and limited time to wire my board. I had been buying pre-wired patch cables here and there whenever I got a new effect. Well, the board is so big now and space is an issue. I'm going to have to go solderless that I can cut to length myself. Also my board has grown quite a bit. Current size of board is 32 x16. Here is a photo. The eventides are in the chain yet. The eventual signal flow for the time will be VP->tuner->compressor->Mglory->soothsayer->timefactor->DMB->space->trinity.. Will also be adding a small clone, phaser, pitch shifter at some point in the near future. I eventually plan to get a loop switcher to dedicate one delay and reverb to swells only.

Image




So my questions:

1. What is, in your opinion, the most efficient solderless wiring kit? and How much do I need for a board this size?
2. Do I need a buffer? How many? Where in the chain? What kind?

Not looking to break the bank, but need something efficient. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks guys

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krossfader
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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by krossfader » Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:27 pm

Evidence SIS is a well-regarded solderless kit. I'm not a buffer user myself - if you're happy with the sound as is, I wouldn't sweat it.

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Shadoweclipse13
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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:38 pm

krossfader wrote:Evidence SIS is a well-regarded solderless kit. I'm not a buffer user myself - if you're happy with the sound as is, I wouldn't sweat it.
Agree on both. I'll never use anything but SIS now. It's SO good. And buffers: I'd only worry about it if it sounds like you need it, or if you're planning in using long cable runs. I'm planning on using one on my board, but I have a lot of pedals and a few long cables too.
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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by fuzzjunkie » Mon Mar 27, 2017 7:05 am

The Eventides, if in trails mode, will provide all the buffering you will need.

I solder my own cables so never tried solderless. Making proper length cables really helps designing a tight board though. Those Fender cables will bend easier if you take an exacto blade and strip off the Fender wrapper.

If you use tap tempo a lot, plan on putting those pedals in the front row. The Space has a "hold" function that let's you morph between two different sounds that is cool. You don't have to switch presets mid song.

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salty
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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by salty » Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:39 am

It is super easy to make your own soldered cables! I have not used the Evidence system, but the others I have tried just were not as reliable as soldering them and honestly took almost as long to make.

I really like the Mogami mini instrument cable for patch cables and the GLS pancake plugs.

I get the cable from Redco: https://www.redco.com/Mogami-W2319.html

And the plugs from: https://www.glsaudio.com/GLS-Audio-14-P ... p_300.html

I also use some miniature straight plugs that I get from Redco when I need a straight plug: https://www.redco.com/Switchcraft-380.html

I do recommend using heatshrink tubing to firm everything up with the connections, especially the short straight plugs.

As far as a buffer goes, I find if you use a really long cable from guitar to board and do not have picky fuzzes up front, then I like to put one there. If the instrument cable is shorter, but you have a lot of unbuffered pedals, then I would put it later in the chain, maybe at the end.

I think both the Trinity and the eventide have optional buffers as someone mentioned about trails mode on the eventide. So based on the current pedals, if you have either of those in trail mode, you should be fine and not need another buffer. I may be wrong about the Trinity, but I know the alter ego had a switchable buffer.

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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by sessylU » Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:38 am

Yeah, I bought a stack of good cable (Sommer The Spirit) and a load of pancake jacks and just made my own. Pancake jacks take up less space. I don't believe there is any difference in audio quality between different jacks, the downside is durability and given that they are not going to be plugged in and out loads, I don't really care about that.
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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Mar 27, 2017 12:21 pm

Nothing to add re: patch cables, but I'm using something similar to these to manage power cables under my Pedaltrain board. So much better than the zip tie style.

http://www.jetpress.com/Products.aspx/e ... djustable/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, for a board the size of yours noting what port on the power supply goes to what seems like a good idea, especially since you're dealing with pedals with a mix of power requirements. I'd even consider labeling the power cables at both ends, since a pedalboard is never actually done.

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Unicorn Warrior
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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:05 pm

fuzzjunkie wrote:The Eventides, if in trails mode, will provide all the buffering you will need.
Wow, awesome. Even if bypassed?

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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by CorporateDisguise » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:11 am

Yeah, the eventides have a pretty good buffer in them. As long as it's in trails mode, the buffer will be on when the pedal is off.

I've been using george l's solderless cables for a long time without issue. I know people complain about reliability, but I've never had a cable fail on me, and I've been using them for the last 3 years.

I think the biggest thing to keep in mind with solderless cables is to make sure your pedals are securly attached to your pedalboard. Its only when things start moving around that cables fail.

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Re: Pedalboard Suggestions Needed

Post by brucer » Tue Mar 28, 2017 9:17 am

Sounds like you've got the buffer figured, but it's always worth comparing signal at various points in your chain to directly plugging into your amp to identify tone-sucking pedals/cables/buffer-benefits.

Re: cables, I'd suggest ordering pedals on your board the way you want them, then measuring distances with string to derive lengths. I used George L's for years. They sound good, but I did find they got spotty connections after awhile. Just needed to be loosened, twisted and tightened to fix, but a drag when you're trying to play. I've since gone to a combination of soldered pancake plugs (GFS/Redco) as mentioned above) and Solderable Lava Mini Plugs (need these low-profile plugs to plug into my switcher, used pancakes on the pedal end). Easy to assemble (https://youtu.be/ktTAdZ4SVyg) and I felt better about the solder connection after my George L's experience. That said, the 2 retailers I spoke to said they've not had issues with either solder-free or solderable Lavas. Oh well. Probably just me.

Suggest you look at Covenant Cables (http://www.covenantcables.com/) to compare materials costs to built costs. No affiliation; worked great for me. Not all lengths came as asked (generally 1-2 inches long), but easily corrected. Very happy with outcome. Can post pics if helpful.

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