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Hey guys,

I'm just looking for some advice as to what is the quot;bestquot; way to attach pedals to a pedalboard. I'm going to be attempting to make my own pedalboard and would like to know before hand what I should use to secure the pedals.

Quick-ties?
Industrial strength Velcro?
etc

Any ideas or comments are much appreciated.

Velcro all the way. Much easier to swap the order of them around if I want to or change them out. The industrial strength stuff from Home Depot is great.

I use velcro as well.

I also use the Industrial Velcro..

However, it will not work on some pedals. For instance, my wah pedal is too heavy (not a problem if you always keep the pedal flat). I have a storage/transport system that tips the board onto its side, and the pedal was always falling off. So I supplemented the velcro with a black nylon strap and screws into the board.

Also, my Line 6 foot controller has some really nice rubber pads that won't stick good to the velcro glue and set it too high up for the velcro. So for that I doubled up the velcro. That is - I always put the loop (soft) side on the board and the hook (rough) side on the pedal. For this pedal I made an intermmediate layer with an extra loop strip and hook strip back-to-back to give it more depth. It seems to work that way.

Hope that helps

Thanks alot so far guys. I was leaning towards Velcro but had heard stories of it not holding well. I guess I just have to find the good stuff. Anyone know if you can buy it in sheets instead of just small strips? I would like to cover the entire board with the loop side and therefore would like to find a sheet around 16quot; wide.

As proud owner of the WUPB (World's Ugliest Pedalboard), my way may not be the best way, but it works.

I made my own pedalboard out of a 2' x 3' hunk of half-inch plywood, with three shelving brackets screwed into the bottom on the side facing away from me, the other end of said brackets screwed into a 3' long 2x4 hunk of pine. The shelving brackets with the 2x4 serve two purposes:

1) It tilts the pedalboard back toward me at a very ergonomic angle;

2) It creates space underneath to mount a power strip.

I mounted a grabhandle on the 2x4 for easy carrying

BUT TO THE POINT ABOUT MOUNTING PEDALS -- I mounted them by removing two of the bottom plate screws from each pedal and then finding longer screws that fit the threading of each pedal and screwing them through bottom of the pedalboard and into the two now-empty screw holes in the bottom of each pedal.

There is enough space on this board that I was able to mount the pedals in a nice, widely spaced, ergonomic semi circle -- you really have to TRY to hit the wrong pedal and hitting two at once even on purpose is impossible.

It's UUUUUUGLY -- pure hamfisted carpentry very finest -- but it works better than any pedalboard I've ever tried in a store. It's a beautiful thing...

The stuff I bought came in small sheets almost the size of the bottom plate of an MXR box. Covered up almost the whole thing, except the screws. Perfect stuff.


Originally Posted by ZhangliqunI mounted them by removing two of the bottom plate screws from each pedal and then finding longer screws that fit the threading of each pedal and screwing them through bottom of the pedalboard and into the two now-empty screw holes in the bottom of each pedal.

I've also heard of doing this but I'm not sure I like the idea of having the pedal placed into a particular position and not being able to move it somewhat easily. I am by no means set on the pedals I'm gonna have on this board. Therefore I am making it slightly larger than I currently need and would like to allow for moving the pedals. But I will keep your suggestion in mind.

I've always used a method similar to Zhangliqun's, definitely a non-velcro solution. Here are a couple old pedalboards of mine from the early 80's.
I remove the back plates completely, then duplicate their holes in the aluminum top plate. Some pedals (like MXR) have long enough screws to re-use the originals. For Boss pedals, I replace them with #4 x 1/2quot; sheet metal screws. I hide a 1/2quot; hole (with rubber grommet) under each pedal for wiring access. All my wiring is soldered onto the back of the jacks, then routed under the pedalboard's top. Some pedals don't have rear plates (my current Rocktron Short Timer come to mind) so I just drill a couple small bolt holes in the back of its housing.

This is NOT a flexible design, but it is bullet proof. I've been using this idea since about 1980, and remember only one time I had to open a board up at a gig for a quick fix. The latest (about Rev. 5) is on the bench now, ready to be wired.

You can always drill new holes and move it elsewhere. It's not quite as rigid a design as it sounds. But all the pedalboards I've ever seen are very cramped space-wise and it's all but impossible to avoid hitting the wrong pedal or two at once sometimes. So I decided to make my own...


Originally Posted by ErikHVelcro all the way. Much easier to swap the order of them around if I want to or change them out. The industrial strength stuff from Home Depot is great.

Ya i did this too.... Home Depot velcro works great.. I used both the velcro straps to put some extra strength around the pedal and the sticky back velcro on the bottom of the pedals... It does pull off the Boss sticker on the bottome of the pedal when you remove the velcro so bewear of that.

I really like RichS's idea... I like the clean look of the bottom one.... Do you also run adapter power threw the bottom of the pedal? or batteries?


Originally Posted by Rich_SI've always used a method similar to Zhangliqun's, definitely a non-velcro solution. Here are a couple old pedalboards of mine from the early 80's.

I remove the back plates completely, then duplicate their holes in the aluminum top plate. Some pedals (like MXR) have long enough screws to re-use the originals. For Boss pedals, I replace them with #4 x 1/2quot; sheet metal screws. I hide a 1/2quot; hole (with rubber grommet) under each pedal for wiring access. All my wiring is soldered onto the back of the jacks, then routed under the pedalboard's top. Some pedals don't have rear plates (my current Rocktron Short Timer come to mind) so I just drill a couple small bolt holes in the back of its housing.

This is NOT a flexible design, but it is bullet proof. I've been using this idea since about 1980, and remember only one time I had to open a board up at a gig for a quick fix. The latest (about Rev. 5) is on the bench now, ready to be wired.

Yours look a lot better than mine, for sure. But though I'm sure they worked great for you, they have those two problems that I had to get away from for my clumsy feet. Pedals too close together and no tilt-back, at least not that I can see. Maybe you had a fold-out tilt stand or something on the back?

The first one in particular, how were you able to stomp the flanger and chorus without screwing up the dial settings on the MXR delay? Looks like it would require some serious ballet moves.

Even so, I'm thinking about a more durable design than plywood. It looks like you used the lid of some sort of Anvil case or something and that's giving me some ideas. What did you do about a power supply? In my case, as I said, I just mounted a power strip on the bottom in the space the tilt-back shelving brackets provided. And how do you go about getting something like an Anvil or road/flight case lid on the cheap?

I'm also curious about the MXR delay -- I see it has two outputs (like my MXR Stereo Chorus). Is it stereo? Does it pan the delay back and forth between the two outputs?


Originally Posted by ZhangliqunYou can always drill new holes and move it elsewhere. It's not quite as rigid a design as it sounds. But all the pedalboards I've ever seen are very cramped space-wise and it's all but impossible to avoid hitting the wrong pedal or two at once sometimes. So I decided to make my own...

Yeah, I generally re-drill a board a couple times until it turns into swiss cheese, and then it's time for a new top...
I always think about layout a long time before I commit. Sometimes, I place pedals so that I CAN press 2 at a time. For example, my quot;Andy Summersquot; sound - the Boss flanger and digital delay. They are side-by-side so that I can turn them on with one stomp. Also, I put the chorus and flanger next to each other. I never use them together, but I can switch from one to the other by stomping them both.

On my latest board, I have the Short Timer instead of the Boss delay, and it's mounted in a second row, above the Boss pedals. No way to get the 2 pedals/1 stomp action with that layout, so I had to add a loop switch to the delay/flanger combination.

Sometimes two pedals crammed together does have its uses.

Not divulging secrets on those road case tops, eh?

I always find when making pedalboards i always need a second row but higher so i do not touch the first rows kobs and bottons when reaching for it... I saw Joe Walsh's pedalboard last year and it is the exact idea i want.


Originally Posted by WhoFanI always find when making pedalboards i always need a second row but higher so i do not touch the first rows kobs and bottons when reaching for it... I saw Joe Walsh's pedalboard last year and it is the exact idea i want.

That's probably what I'm gonna do. I'm thinking of making a riser to hold a couple of pedals (tuner and eq) and have the power strip and adaptors placed underneath it.

That board with the MXR delay was in ~1979 - Rev. 1. I've learned a lot about layout since then, and most of my boards have been single-row. The latest will have a second row, but I put the taller pedals (Rocktron Short Timer and Rat) in the back.

I haven't seen that MXR in 20 years - wish I had it back. I believe the 2 outputs were either dry/wet or dry/mixed. I only used one output.

I've always used a homemade 9 volt supply that's mounted and wired under the top.

Regarding the cases - those in the pictures are just homemade wood boxes with aluminum angle protecting the edges. Years ago, I had a local guy make me some 12quot;x18quot; Anvil-style cases. I'm presently using the last remaining one of those. The cases split in the middle. The pedals are mounted in the bottom half. When it's time to go, just pop on the lid.

I'll put up pics of the latest model when its done in a few weeks.

3m Heavy Duty Velcro sheets from Home Depot. The cheap stuff at grocery stores doesn't hold good enough.

Hmm sorry to sort of hi jack this thread but what do guys normally use for the baord itselfs? What type of wood and is the wood finished, varnished, sanded down? etc? Lastly how much velcro do you guys put on the botton of the pedals and on the board? Anyone got nay pics to help me get a beter idea....again sorry for the hijacking!

I use cable ties! Holds about anything down, i dont swap pedals around too much so works well as a semi-permanent option.