Building a Pedal Board. How to secure pedals to board?

[zerofivefour]

I'm building a pedal board for my Midi controler, Amp Channel box, and Wah pedal.

My question is:

What are my options for securing the pedals to the board?

I'm considering Industrial strength Velcro.

Any other methods.

Thanks,

054...

 

[screamingdaisy]

Velco works fine, I found I had to use staples to keep if from pulling up off the wood though.

Also, build something like this for your wah;

http://www.nycpedalboards.com/images/banzai.jpg

It's basically a piece of wood with four holes drilled in it where the rubber feet go, that way you can mount the pedal without removing the feet.

 

[zerofivefour]

Thanks for the tip !

Much obliged.

054...

 

[cvansickle]

I've noticed that with a few pedals I have some trouble getting the Velcro to stay in place. Sometimes, the adhesive turns real gooey, and the pedal starts to slide around the board. On one pedal, my Blackbox Cobalt, the adhesive turns brittle and the Velcro pops off. apparently, the laquer top coat on the pedal has a chemical reaction with the adhesive.

 

[TigerStrat]

I use a slab of plywood with a cut out handle and drill holes for zip-ties.

 

[t0aj15]

A lot of people have bad luck with Velcro for a reason, they don't read the insructions. The directions clearly state, after the two sides of Velcro are applied you should allow 24 hours minimum before using it to allow the glue to set up properly, and that it should only be applied to a clean, dry surface. I've used the industrial stength Velcro many times and it hasn't failed me once.

 

[vulture2600]

zero, you can eliminate your amp's footswitch all together with this:
http://www.axess-electronics.com/_cfx4.htm
its a midi controlled switcher that you would connect to your amp's
footswitch jack. that way you could have your midi controller
switch everything with one button.
as far as securing pedals go, zipties are the best way to go.
put a screw-eye on both sides of each pedal and put the zip tie thru them
over the pedal and yank em down tight.
good luck!

 

[Ampcab]

Or if you think that MIDI is a little overkill for such a simple task...Again, try the guys at Audiotech they make replacement amp channel footswitches.
www.audiotechusa.com Try some dual lock for your pedal board. Like Audiotech its the best solution.

 

[OneMoreAugust]

I used velco. Hook side on the back of the pedal and put some carpet on the pedal board. You need to find some of that cheap, thin carpet that they use for car interiors. I found some a trade center/flea market. I also had problems with the glue on the pedals, but I just used 3M spray adhesive and they stayed on.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking of getting one of these pedalboards...depending on whether or not I get a PODxt Live. This is what they use to keep the pedals in place... http://www.stompin-ground.com/pics/stompin/Pedalboard34aBlank02web.htm

 

[Hoove_Dogg]

I have had good luck with Velcro myself.

Some people have used a felt type material to cover their boards with, but that stuff tends to fray fairly quickly.

I use a blackish-grey indoor/outdoor carpet for the covering on my board. I went to the hardware and grabbed the Velcro and started "trying it out" on their carpet samples to see which kind it would grab onto the best.
My pedals are locked in pretty solidly.

 

[macaddict]

Don't use the cheapy velcro, try and find the wider industrial strength velcro, it's doesn't turn gooey, and it sticks forever!!! Also it helps with some pedals to remove the rubber feet on the bottom to eliminate the gap between the pedal and the board so the velcro makes full contact.

 

[fredp322]

My pedal board consists of a Ground Control Pro midi controller (for my Road King and rack) a Volume pedal, and a Crybaby wah. I bought a piece of good pine from Lowe's 36" by 12". I put some ink on the rubber feet of the Crybaby and Ground control and positioned them where I wanted on the board making impressions where the feet would go. I then drilled out the impressions just deep enough for the feet to go in and the pedals to sit flush on the board. I painted it black, added some velcro, and I've been using it ever since. It works great and I carry it around in a keyboard bag.

 

[hoople]

Another method I've seen is bike chain links. They're small oval/figure8 plates with two holes. You mount them to the pedal through one hole using the pedals chassis for feet screws. The other hole clears the side of the pedal and becomes a mounting tab. Screw it directly to your board. Secure and reversible. Someone was selling 50 packs of them on ebay awhile back, but you might be able to find them in a hardware store.

 

[fredp322]

That's really a cool idea! I think I'll give that a whirl on my backup board... Thanks for the advice!

 

[fatboy135]

good velcro=good pedalboard

 

[cvansickle]

Another method I've seen is bike chain links. They're small oval/figure8 plates with two holes. You mount them to the pedal through one hole using the pedals chassis for feet screws. The other hole clears the side of the pedal and becomes a mounting tab. Screw it directly to your board. Secure and reversible. Someone was selling 50 packs of them on ebay awhile back, but you might be able to find them in a hardware store.

I tried this method on a small pedalboard with several "retired" pedals. It works well, as long as the pedal's screws are long enough to account for the extra threading needed due to the size of the bike chain link. Sure, it's a very thin piece of metal, but when you're looking at something that small in the first place, a "skinny milimeter longer" makes a difference. I had to replace a couple screws with longer ones on a couple pedals.

For security purposes, this method really works great. The pedals don't move at all. They stay put during transit and during playing, and of course nobody is going easily rip off a pedal when you're not looking.

I'm about to makeover my larger main pedalboard, and this is the method I plan to use. I bought a cheap bike chain and link remover from Nashbar, and spent an evening gathering enough links. Then I cleaned them with a quick soak in a degreaser. Good to go.

 

[dmt]

I used 3M Dual Lock. Tha **** is crazy strong. I wont have problems with it ever. You really have to pull the pedals hard to get them off. One or two inch sized peices will hold just about anything.

 

[cvansickle]

Here's the result using the bike chain links on my big board:

The links work great, and with the way I angled them they are barely noticeable. For the Banshee talk box, I had to go with something bigger - I used a few pieces of flexible metal stripping that is used for suspending pipes and ducts. My Pedal Power, invisible in this picture but positioned under the MidiBuddy and behind the orange pedal, is bolted to the bottom of the board this way too.

The only place I use velcro is for the MidiBuddy, as sometimes I use a rig without midi and swap the controller for my Mesa's big foot controller.

For full details, please read here.

 

[Billy Adams]

http://www.stompin-ground.com/products/sghl.htm

This will give you some real good hook and loop product for your pedal board.