VERTEX - Slide Guitar Pedalboard

[Desperado]

This pedalboard was built for a slide guitar player in Florida who wanted a rig that could achieve variations of Sonny Landreth and David Lindley tones.

INTERFACE

Vertex Tri-Buffer (single input buffer, dual output buffers with a ISO transformer on the right output to prevent any grounding issues, and a polarity switch to properly match two amplifiers run in stereo).

POWER SUPPLY

Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+

SIGNAL PATH

Interface (input buffer), T.C. Electronic Polytune Mini, Demeter Opto Compulator, Lovepedal Tchula, Vertex Axis Wah, Hartman Compressor, Tanabe Dumkudo, Vertex Modified FV-500L Volume Pedal, Strymon Lex Rotary (stereo), Vertex Modified DL-4 Delay (stereo), Neunaber WET Reverb (stereo), Interface (stereo output buffers)





For more information click HERE

[kriko71]

Do you also cusom-make the cases that transport the pedalborads your build? I also noticed you always put the power supplies on top of the board. Wouldn't that be more real estate efficient to put them underneath, despite the fact that the board itself might be a bit more complicated to build?
Good job as always!

[todd richman]

The power supplies are on top to make pedal swapping easier. These boards like LASD are designed by professionals for pros who want great quiet efx rigs and amp routing and ease of troubleshooting.
Great board Mason.

[kriko71]

pedals swaping can imho also be done easely while the psu is under the pedalboard. Also I do not think that these pedlaboards need troubleshooting since they are done by pros...

[GtrWiz]

Originally Posted by todd richman

The power supplies are on top to make pedal swapping easier. These boards like LASD are designed by professionals for pros who want great quiet efx rigs and amp routing and ease of troubleshooting.
Great board Mason.

Apparently they are very much like LASD boards, in lot's of ways.

[Dana Olsen]

Hey Chris - I just listened to the tunes on your website - nice stuff.

I don't understand what you mean by this comment - no matter WHO builds a pedal board that's not angled that has a buffer amp, it's going to look like a Vertex or LASD, just like everybody's pedals all look essentially the same - a metal box with knobs, guts and paint. LASD and VERTEX put their buffers in the same size box - no surprise there, the boxes are just commodities - many folks who build buffers use them, same as the boxes that house pedals, they're just commodities.

The actual board is made of non-ferrous (not magnetic conducting) material to prevent hum - since they're painted black, in my experience (GRIN) they mostly look like black boards.

I own a Vertex board, I know guys who own LASD boards - I ask, why SHOULDN'T they look similar? I mean, really, how many ways ARE THERE to attach pedals to black boards with aluminum protectors along the sides and how many kinds of metal boxes are there to house buffer amps anyway?

Guitar stands, speaker cabs, guitars, pickups - Lots of things in the music world look real similar - so what? I just don't think that similar things that are similar in appearance is indicative of, well, of anything. It's not a surprise to me at all that everybody's flat laying pedal boards look simimar - it's not just Vertex and LASD - EVERYBODY'S look like these.

Is there another point you're making here that I'm missing?

Thanks, Dana O.

Originally Posted by GtrWiz

Apparently they are very much like LASD boards, in lot's of ways.

Hey Kriko 71 - I think Mason could make a board in ANY config that the client wanted, including an angled board with a hidden power supply. My own Vertex board is flat like the one pictured in this thread - I prefer that layout, but I'm sure Mason could build an angled board on request.

Thanks, Dana O.

Originally Posted by Kriko 71

Do you also cusom-make the cases that transport the pedalborads your build? I also noticed you always put the power supplies on top of the board. Wouldn't that be more real estate efficient to put them underneath, despite the fact that the board itself might be a bit more complicated to build?

[Desperado]

Originally Posted by kriko71

Do you also cusom-make the cases that transport the pedalborads your build?

Kriko71, thank you for you interest in my work!

I do make custom cases out of the same aerospace materials I use for the pedalboards, however the density is a little thicker for added protection. The material is less than half the weight of ply wood, and much stronger as well, especially when it's laminated.

Here's an example:

Pedalboard inside of the bottom shell of the flightcase:



Flightcase, fully closed:

I also noticed you always put the power supplies on top of the board. Wouldn't that be more real estate efficient to put them underneath, despite the fact that the board itself might be a bit more complicated to build?

I'm assuming you're not referencing Pedaltrain pedalboard platforms here, but rather another popular style pedalboard platform?

In any case, I use flat pedalboards over the triangular/slanted versions (I think this is what you mean) for a few reasons:

• They are smaller and have less surface area than the triangular pedalboards with a sloped surface both in and out of flightcases.

• They are lighter in weight.

• The shape is less cumbersome to carry.

• The wiring is not exposed on the bottom and is not at risk of being accidentally damaged.

• The power supply underneath the pedalboard has a transformer in it that radiates a magnetic field. Placing pedals directly above the vicinity of the power supply can create noise and/or negatively influence the performance of an analog (especially) or digital device which is not desired. Often people are not aware of this because they have a lower gain amplifiers (clean amps) that mask many of the problems. But, through a high gain amplifier, many issues that may not have shown up through a clean amp, all of a sudden become very noticeable and the interaction between the pedals and the power supply become much more critical.

• Troubleshooting is much more difficult because of increased time to trace the wire routing from the power source to the devices, or from device to device. Re-terminating cables is also made more difficult because you have to feed your wire above the through-hole in the pedalboard first before soldering a plug to it. Generally, unless you've given your cables extra slack, a cable failure will result in needing to replace the entire cable, not just one connector end. I've also found that when feeding a cable through a hole drilled in the pedalboard (which seems to be what I see most often), the break-angle of the wood against the cable adds a lot of extra stress on the cables and puts them in a position that I don't find conducive to ensure the longevity of the cable. Cables should be as minimally stressed as possible, and I find it easier to do this effectively when running the cables on top of a surface where they can freely split off to their designated device.

• Lastly, the angled pedalboards I find cannot adequately compensate for a pedal that is built in a taller enclosure. If, for example, you have a pedal that needs to be in the first row, but uses a tall enclosure, you've now interfered with the subsequent rows of pedals behind it, and you're now at risk of impeding your ability to engage/disengage pedals in other rows because of the enclosure height. Using individual pedal lifts/risers allows you to appropriately stagger the heights of each pedal so that this isn't an issue. I will admit that the lifts that I'm using (an others) are still not the most economical way to achieve this, however I find it's a better solution than using the pitch angle of the pedalboard to compensate for pedal heights. I will shortly be using my own platform system for lifting pedals which will be a lighter weight solution that will also open up additional channels for routing and making the rigs more compact.

Good job as always!

Thank you again!

[Desperado]

Originally Posted by todd richman

The power supplies are on top to make pedal swapping easier. These boards like LASD are designed by professionals for pros who want great quiet efx rigs and amp routing and ease of troubleshooting.
Great board Mason.

Todd thanks for chiming in. How are you? Hope you're staying cool back east.

[kriko71]

thank you for you interest in my work!

I do make custom cases out of the same aerospace materials I use for the pedalboards, however the density is a little thicker for added protection. The material is less than half the weight of ply wood, and much stronger as well, especially when it's laminated.

Here's an example:

Pedalboard inside of the bottom shell of the flightcase:



Flightcase, fully closed:

That pedlaboard looks even nicer when it is sitting in its case

I'm assuming you're not referencing Pedaltrain pedalboard platforms here, but rather another popular style pedalboard platform?

In any case, I use flat pedalboards over the triangular/slanted versions (I think this is what you mean) for a few reasons:

• They are smaller and have less surface area than the triangular pedalboards with a sloped surface both in and out of flightcases.

• They are lighter in weight.

• The shape is less cumbersome to carry.

• The wiring is not exposed on the bottom and is not at risk of being accidentally damaged.

• The power supply underneath the pedalboard has a transformer in it that radiates a magnetic field. Placing pedals directly above the vicinity of the power supply can create noise and/or negatively influence the performance of an analog (especially) or digital device which is not desired. Often people are not aware of this because they have a lower gain amplifiers (clean amps) that mask many of the problems. But, through a high gain amplifier, many issues that may not have shown up through a clean amp, all of a sudden become very noticeable and the interaction between the pedals and the power supply become much more critical.

That's a good point. Do you have any experience with the cioks. They claim to have 'more' magnetic field shielding?

[/QUOTE]

• Troubleshooting is much more difficult because of increased time to trace the wire routing from the power source to the devices, or from device to device. Re-terminating cables is also made more difficult because you have to feed your wire above the through-hole in the pedalboard first before soldering a plug to it. Generally, unless you've given your cables extra slack, a cable failure will result in needing to replace the entire cable, not just one connector end. I've also found that when feeding a cable through a hole drilled in the pedalboard (which seems to be what I see most often), the break-angle of the wood against the cable adds a lot of extra stress on the cables and puts them in a position that I don't find conducive to ensure the longevity of the cable. Cables should be as minimally stressed as possible, and I find it easier to do this effectively when running the cables on top of a surface where they can freely split off to their designated device.

• Lastly, the angled pedalboards I find cannot adequately compensate for a pedal that is built in a taller enclosure. If, for example, you have a pedal that needs to be in the first row, but uses a tall enclosure, you've now interfered with the subsequent rows of pedals behind it, and you're now at risk of impeding your ability to engage/disengage pedals in other rows because of the enclosure height. Using individual pedal lifts/risers allows you to appropriately stagger the heights of each pedal so that this isn't an issue. I will admit that the lifts that I'm using (an others) are still not the most economical way to achieve this, however I find it's a better solution than using the pitch angle of the pedalboard to compensate for pedal heights. I will shortly be using my own platform system for lifting pedals which will be a lighter weight solution that will also open up additional channels for routing and making the rigs more compact.

Thank you again![/QUOTE]

[todd richman]

Hey Mason-things are good. Waiting for the revised L.A.S.D. rack to arrive back home by the end of summer. Added a few Eventide units-DSP7000 and Eclipse and a VHT GP3 preamp. Looking to do a prog rock thing with the rig so the old rack with its 1980's L.A. studio concept was out. I am actually considering putting a Wall Tribute band together-not sure logistically how to do it yet-can't really just play the music and the visuals are such an integral part of the live performance of that album. After seeing the Roger Waters' show live in Philly last weekend, it has been in my head to do this. We shall see-the Eclipse will have Dave Kilminster's Time Factor presets since the V4.0 software for the Eclipse supports the Time Factor algorithms.

Your work looks fantastic-I really like this "slide rig" board. That Tchula is so toneful.

[Desperado]

Originally Posted by kriko71

That pedlaboard looks even nicer when it is sitting in its case

If its a smaller board like this shooting pictures in the case is no problem, however the monster ones are more difficult to get everything in the shot, so I usually opt not to do it this way. I agree it's a nice look when sitting in the bottom layer of the case.

Originally Posted by kriko71

That's a good point. Do you have any experience with the cioks. They claim to have 'more' magnetic field shielding?

I've had a few offers from Paul Cioks to use his supplies, but I haven't tried one yet.

When they mention more magnetic field shielding they probably mean that they are using a thicker steel chassis than their competitors because steel has great electromagnetic isolation, where aluminum has better electrostatic isolation. For a power supply, I would generally agree that steel is superior, however I've seen a few manufacturers use aluminum because it absorbs heat better and if you're having an issue with your supply overheating, this can be a good solution.

The things I like about the Cioks at first glance:

• I like the lower height profile of the supply.

• I like that it has a multi-tap transformer for different voltages to use around the world.

• I like that they use a more reliable jack and connector style (RCA) than their competitors (2.1mm barrel)

• I like that they have supplies that can do both AC and DC in the same unit.

Things that I am unsure about or need more information on regarding their supplies:


Heat! How well does it dissipate heat? How did they do the heat sinks? Did they use an appropriate thickness for the wire of their transformer, and how is quality of their components? I don't know because I haven't investigated, but would like to in the future.


The location of the AC plug. For me, I generally always mount the power supply in the same place (upper left hand corner). Having this unit would cause me to have to add some extra components to the pedalboard to re-route the location of the AC cord to exit the pedalboard in a place where it won't interfere with the pedals. This isn't a huge deal if they have a great supply, but it's a consideration.


Noise! They do claim to be quiet, and I'm pretty sure this is a linear supply (no switching), but again I'd have to test one and Voodoo Lab is pretty stellar when it comes to low noise and outstanding quality.


Where it's made. Although Cioks may have a good supply, as a rule I try to exclusively support USA made products and materials whenever possible unless there is a marked difference between a USA product and something made elsewhere. At all costs, I avoid things made in China, but I have, on occasion, purchased certain products made in Europe and Canada.

[kriko71]

Desperado. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and approach on pedalboards and linear power supplies...

[jamison162]

Mason - what cable to you use for all your patching?

[Desperado]

Originally Posted by jamison162

Mason - what cable to you use for all your patching?

Vertex small diameter prototype cable.