Ideas start small
and then gradually become a focal point of our existence. I decided that I wanted to have a collection of musical gear,
basses, amps, pedals etc. Once I downsized my gigging board (the contents of
which are decided by projects/songs) I decided to create a second board
strictly for home use with the remaining pedals.
There are many
options for how one organizes pedals on a board. One can find many great
companies and boutique builders who make awesome boards. The thing was, I was
not into going either route. There are certainly great options out there, but for
my situation, which was not gigging and some very specific size options I
decided to build my own. Doing it myself has certainly made me think more about
design and what I do.
This is an ever-expanding novella, a story with no end, a tale with no close. Sound is never set in stone, with each adaption of this board the end goal changes.
I knew the way I
wanted to go with this, I think the biggest hurdle was the actual design. A lot
of time was spent mapping, measuring and planning the aesthetics of the board
in a physical sense. I knew the features I would need, but there were also a
lot of features I wanted to experiment with or tailor to my own liking. I liked
the idea of two levels or rows, down the line if I want to add things like
power supplies or other always on pedals I could keep them under the second
row. The prospect of really cool features interested me, but the reality of my woodworking skills and budget quelled a few of those. In the early stages I had a vague idea of dimensions and finality, but those ideas were quickly reevaluated once I realized what this board could be.
If you notice my measurements
were extremely off on the first iteration of this board. Seeing settings is
kind of nice.
In terms of the pedals themselves, the
iteration of this board was strictly for the use of pedals not on the main
board. That would change rather quickly with the realization that I could make
a really gnarly home board. There is a ton of trial and error in this tale; I
hope you stick around for Part 2.
