Build You Own Pedalboard For $60

[BT55]

Pedalboards aren’t cheap BUT you can purchase anything you need to build a really good pedalboard on eBay. Yes you’ll have to wait for the parts to ship from China but if you’re not in a rush you’re good to go.



THE PEDAL BOARD
I purchased a large 18.5”x10.6” pedalboard for $30. It is a well made flat design but the Velcro was installed backwards (soft side on board). I removed the soft Velcro and replaced it with the included male Velcro. I saved the soft Velcro to be used on the pedals. I took a 2x4 and cut it to the correct angle and height to make a back panel to convert it into a raised pedalboard.





The dimensions used to make the back were taken from my Donner DB-3 pedal board which is a raised design. I drilled holes in the 2x4 for a guitar cable, Fishman dual pedal’s cable (one hole for both) and a second hole for a power cable. I removed the back feet from the pedal board (screwed on) and reused the holes to mount the 2x4 to the underside of the back after I painted it black. I attached the feet to the bottom of the 2x4. The pedalboard is now ready for pedals.



PEDAL WIRING
I use hard connectors where possible (also purchased from eBay for $2-$3 each). The hard connectors are available in three basic varieties and designs:
Straight (small & large) Great for BOSS pedals where connectors always match
Circular (offset) for Out\In connections that are a little off or higher or lower
Offset Crank for mismatched Out\In connections by about an inch.



I found that most hard connectors are lightly pressed fit. I take them apart, check them for continuity and then super glue them back together so they don’t come apart when moving pedals on the board. I make my own cables so having the correct length is never a problem.


USE THE WHOLE PEDALBOARD



I use both sides of the pedalboard to increase the real estate. Pedals are mounted on the top. The wiring, Mosky DC Core10 power supply and Line6 G30 wireless receiver are mounted on the bottom (all with velcro).



DIY FOOT PEDAL
There is a missing triple foot pedal (top right of board). This foot pedal will control the NUX Looper (two switches with a stereo cable) and the D-SEED digital delay pedals. I found YouTube videos for the NUX pedal DIY project. More eBay parts (case, three momentary contact foot switches, stereo and mono jacks all for about $12). The stereo cable was custom and cost $11 from an eBay vendor. So a total of $23 for a custom foot pedal including stereo cabling.

FINAL SETUP
The last thing is that I use a 6’ extension cord from the power supply and a 6’ guitar cable to extend the connections from the board. The Fishman pedal has a cable that also extends from the board. This makes it easy to make connections when you set up to play. You never have to “connect” to the pedalboard itself.

I hope this helps anyone building a pedalboard. The total cost for the board including the power supply was $60. If you don't want to add the 2x4 back plate to the displayed board you can purchase a Donner DB-3 for about $65 which includes a carry bag.