Pedalboard design gripe

jclemensfl

jclemensfl

Inspired
Why does every pedalboard made have a 3/4"-1 1/4" lip at the front? Why would they want to make it so you have to lift your foot higher to get to your pedals? Seems really inconvenient and anti-ergonomic.

I have a great aluminum Mono board that I shaved the front lip off so the board face goes all the way to the floor. But I can't understand why pedalboard companies don't do something like this. Some actually make the lip almost two inches high.

I'm looking for a new board for smaller gigs, and it's frustrating. Why wouldn't companies want to design a board that is closer to the surface we're all standing on?

God, I'm old.
 
I need a big, curved one:
20191206_003211.jpg


...or maybe one with two hinges.

Also with no lip in the front.
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
I need a big, curved one:
20191206_003211.jpg


...or maybe one with two hinges.

Also with no lip in the front.
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Totally agree, curves make far more sense, too. Holeyboard makes a curved board that doesn't really fit my needs. But almost everything else is straight. Why make certain parts of the board further away from the player than others?
 
It becomes more difficult with only having 2 rows of buttons. The FCs are really nice, but it's an odd shape to fit vs the AX8, FX8, or MFC. I ended up making my own board for the FC-12.
 
jclemensfl said:
Totally agree, curves make far more sense, too. Holeyboard makes a curved board that doesn't really fit my needs. But almost everything else is straight. Why make certain parts of the board further away from the player than others?
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Yeah, I saw Holeyboard. I don't think they have one quite big enough. The new aluminum ones are nice, though.
 
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Absolutely. I prefer the aluminum boards, because they are strong and light. Otherwise, I would build my own. But wood boards are just too heavy. I took to altering the Mono board myself, but it's no fun sawing something you just spent $220 on. I must be missing something, because I can't understand why any guitarist would want their pedals higher off the ground at the front.
 
Temple looks nice, size-wise. Maybe their 43-trio would work if the FC6es were mounted at angles, with the pedals set back a bit in the middle to make the curve.

I saw Temple at NAMM. IIRC, the guy at the booth was, like me, also named Dale....
 
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Joe Bfstplk said:
Temple looks nice, size-wise. Maybe their 43-trio would work if the FC6es were mounted at angles, with the pedals set back a bit in the middle to make the curve.

I saw Temple at NAMM. IIRC, the guy at the booth was, like me, also named Dale....
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Temples do look nice, but suffer the same design flaw. Why raise the front of the board so high?
 
Pedal boards are raised to accommodate cable runs. The amount if space provided is too much but that’s probably due to the manufacturers buying as few custom parts and different shapes of pieces of pre-bent aluminum as possible to keep cost down.
 
USMC_Trev said:
Pedal boards are raised to accommodate cable runs. The amount if space provided is too much but that’s probably due to the manufacturers buying as few custom parts and different shapes of pieces of pre-bent aluminum as possible to keep cost down.
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Of course, but no cables need to run under the front lip. All pedal connections occur at the back or sides of the unit.
The great Mono board that I own with both the entire front lip and the back rubber feet removed STILL has enough room under it for two Sennheiser G3 wireless units, their power adapters, and a Furman 6-outlet power strip.
And removing the front lip would require one less metal bend! ;)
 
jclemensfl said:
Of course, but no cables need to run under the front lip. All pedal connections occur at the back or sides of the unit.
The great Mono board that I own with both the entire front lip and the back rubber feet removed STILL has enough room under it for two Sennheiser G3 wireless units, their power adapters, and a Furman 6-outlet power strip.
And removing the front lip would require one less metal bend! ;)
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Cool. Start a lip free pedal board company and make a buck.
 
USMC_Trev said:
Cool. Start a lip free pedal board company and make a buck.
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Will you go in 50/50 with me? I’ll let you handle the details.
Look I get it, there are more important things in the world. Maybe I’m just naively hoping someone who is good at this kind of thing will see this post and re-think their design.
Or that guitar players will rise up, en masse, and demand pedalboards for those among us with arthritic knees.
 
Personally, I like the lip. Keeps me from accidentally kicking a foot switch when I'm walking around near the board.
 
Kamil Kisiel said:
That's why I like this style of pedal board: https://www.long-mcquade.com/15453/Guitars/Pedalboards/Stagemaster/Pedalboard-Case---32x16.htm

It's what I use for my FC-6 + 4 expression pedals. There's no unnecessary angle to it, and the pedals are basically at floor height. There's a very slight lip, but it's not any taller than the height of the pedals themselves so it doesn't get in the way at all.
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Nice! Yep, live-in cases are a good alternative, as the pedal sits down in the case and the lip doesn’t rise to the height of the pedal switch. I have one from Creation Music Company made from a lighter polypropylene honeycomb board that is well-made. But I actually like a little angle to my board. Makes it easier to hit switches in the back.
 
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