Hi guys,
Below are a series of images of my new FX8, mounted on a LYT Pedalboard with two Ernie Ball VP Jr's. This is also a tutorial on how I did this. This was a first attempt and it came out really well. The LYT Pedalboard is 24" X 14", to fit in a Mono Tour pedalboard gig bag (on order). I wanted to bolt the FX8 and VP Jr's to a pedalboard, so it became one self-contained unit. I prefer the controller as close to the ground as possible, as that makes the buttons the optimal height off the floor. I have multiple pedalboards (3 Pedaltrains and 1 Trailer Trash). The thing about those boards is they ALL elevate the effects and 2 out of the 4 tilt them toward you. IMO, neither the FX8 or the VP Jr's need to be higher off the ground OR tilted. I got in touch with my buddy Mark Day and found out the size the of the screws FA uses to attach the feet. The screws are "pitch 6/32 (m3.5), length is 3.8" (10mm) pan head screws. I went to Home Deposit and picked up the following parts:
- #6-32 x 1/2 inch screws
- #6-32 x 3/4 inch screws
- 1/8 inch x 1 inch fender washers
The LYT Pedalboard is 1/4" thick, so I figured I need 5/8" screws, which, naturally, they didn't have. SO, I bought both the 1/2" and 3/4". I wasn't sure if I was going to use the original feet, just the fender washer or both. As it turned out, the 1/2 inch was a little too short for either just the foot or the fender washer, so I ended up using both with the 3/4" screws. The feet on the VP Jr are s little smaller, and the thread depth into the bottom of them are pretty shallow, so I used the feet and 1/2" screws on the VP Jr's. I put the feet on for two reasons: 1) I know where the feet are, if I take this rig back apart and 2) the feet under the FX8 hang down almost the same amount as the LYT feet, so that's 6 more feet to add support and to help keep the board from sliding. If a little's good, then a lot is better, right??!!
THE TEMPLATE AND ATTACHING THE FX8:
I used 24" wide brown Kraft shipping paper and wrapped it over the board and taped it on the back with blue painter's tape. Then I had to figure out how to mark the template. I decided to rub olive oil on the feet and place the board and VP Jr's on the paper. You'll notice that I Dual Lock my expression pedals to the side of the FX8. I did the same thing with my previous rack setup, with a Midi Raider. I did THIS for 3 reasons 1) It puts a little space between the FX8 and pedal 2) I set my delay mix pedal so, when the front of the pedal is flush with the top of the FX8, I have exactly the amount of delay I want on a solo (via the slope adjustment) and 3) it makes the connection between the FX8 and pedals even more solid. This worked perfectly. The olive oil left little round wet circles where the feet went. I only had to ream out one hole slightly to get the screws to line up with the holes in the bottom of the FX8. The reality IS, those 1" fender washers give you a lot of room for error, so even if you make the holes way bigger than you want, the board isn't going to move, once all six screws are tightened.
After I was done attaching the FX8 and happy with the placement, I then drilled the holes for the VP Jr's. This time, I wasn't quite the superstar on getting the holes exactly in the right place to line up, so I had to ream a couple holes out. AGAIN, the feet still cover the holes and make the process more forgiving, so you don't have to be perfect.
FINISHING TOUCHES:
To clean it up, I attached my Rapco 4-channel snake (for now) and used surface mounts and zip ties to clean it up. My goal was to have the snake, power cord and guitar cord semi-permanently attached to the pedalboard, so I could just roll everything up and throw it in the Mono Case Tour bag. Dave Friedman of Friedman Amplification and Tone Merchants/Rack Systems is making a 4-channel Humbuster snake for me, so that's why I say "for now" on the Rapco. I also ordered a "left angle" power cord, so both the snake and power will exit the left side of the board.
On a side note, I had no idea there was actually an opposite to a right angle power cord. If you search for "right angle power cord", they all come up going to the right. It seems to me from high school geometry, that a right angle means something has a 90º bend? Apparently not in the computer world. LOL So, if you want a right-angle power cord that goes to the left, try searching for "left angle power cord".
A buddy of mine turned me on to using the glow in the dark tape and black on clear Dymo labels to label the board.
CONCLUSION:
So, there you go. An all-in-one, fairly lightweight effects unit, with tuner, and channel switching pedalboard that is less than 1/2 the maximum weight of airline baggage. The board with the snake, power and guitar cords weighs in at 22 pounds. That's less than 1/2 the weight of my previous rack alone, not counting the Midi Raider foot controller. Between 14 screws thru the bottom and 4 pieces of Dual Lock this thing is SOLID!! You can easier lift the entire board by the handle to pack it into your pedal bag, Pelican or SKB case. THAT is just the functionality of this setup. We ALL know how great the effects sound from this unit.
My thanks to Mark Day of Fractal, Dave Friedman and Rob Navarette of Tone Merchants/Rack Systems and Daniel at LYT Pedalboards. I LOVE my new setup.
TUTORIAL (show and tell )
FX8 and VP Jr's sitting, unattached on LYT Pedalboard
24" x 14" LYT board with no riser
Attaching Kraft paper to board
I labeled it "olive oil" so no one would think its urine. LOL
Outline of FX8 and VP Jr feet left by olive oil...
Under side of rig with feet sti
Dual lock holding VP Jr to side of FX8...
Remaining images in the next post...