It Never Ends!
How small can an entire live guitar rig get? Recently I built myself a super-compact pedalboard. It measures 10″ x 8″ and ready for a pedal-sized amplifier.
The video above covers the main story of this article if you want to skip the extra detail. I hope it provides some inspiration.
If you’re reading this then you’re one of us who is in the same boat. My pedalboard setup has morphed, grown, shrunk and grown again and again, sometimes to the point of one layout only lasting one gig or not even making it to its first next gig before being rearranged.
Recently I built myself a super-compact pedalboard. It measures 10″ x 8″ and has a raised level for a 2nd row of pedals, allowing a small power supply to go underneath. It was a recent decision to see just how small I can make myself an entire rig minus, of course, the guitar and the speaker cabinet.
Yes, when I say an entire rig I do also mean the amplifier. I plan on getting a Quilter Micro Block 45 to go on the board. The other guitarist in my band has one and also uses the same model speaker cab as I do (Kustom Defender 1×12). That little Quilter and Kustom combination sounds glorious and suits the style of music I play to a tee.
I still love my Quilter Tone Block 200, but if I can get my entire rig on the board and save some space in my gear case then the Tone Block can stay in the studio, where it’s already proven its worth.
Sometimes the Tone Block 200 can sound a bit too forward, like it’s punching you in the face, but that Micro Block sounds softer round the edges whilst still being plenty loud enough.
It all fits into a soft laptop sleever, which is lightweight, compact and waterproof!
I can add a wah in front of the pedal board and I’m thinking about using a looper to put before it, just for sound check. Our band often brings our own sound system to gigs and I’m the sound guy, so if I have a looper playing through my rig I can just walk around the venue listening to my guitar in the mix while the rest of the band play.
I’ve dialled in this rig to be quite bright and trebly. I often find, mid flow at gigs that I need more bite when the band is cooking, so I’m getting used to riding the tone control more now. I can start with the tone down a bit and wind it up if and when I need some more cut. Same approach with the guitar volume too.
Description of the pedals on the latest board:
I build my rig in terms of modules, particularly for the gain elements of the signal chain
Module 1. Preamp/Tonestack (always on): the SAG and the Boost Killer
The SAG (EP Booster v2 clone) plays the role of front end of the amp. It tends to make the amp sound and feel a bit more tube-like, soaking up gain and boosted frequencies very nicely and providing natural compression the more it is pushed until it hits its limit and turns into fuzz if you give it a loud enough signal.
The Boost Killer (RC Booster clone) is there to keep the guitar signal on the edge of breakup and some extra top end. It the main tone-shaping module. The amp is already set to be just breaking up, so the Boost Killer, via the SAG pushes it further into overdrive.
The SAG & Boost Killer give me my “Home” tone. The starting point.
Module 2. Cleanup (pseudo clean channel): ENO EQ7
So with my home tone being overdriven I have to activate my clean sound. The EQ7 is, I believe a clone of a Boss GE7. I use it only to attenuate the signal coming after the Boost Killer (my tonestack/preamp module).
Lowering the output level of the EQ7 and also lowering the midrange sliders (mainly in the 500Hz) range leaves me with a workable clean tone with preserved, but not accentuated highs. This means that it sounds snappy and percussive, but without getting too glassy.
Module 3. Distortion/Lead Boost: Lovepedal Amp 50
I was lucky enough to find this used on Ebay not long ago and the price was pretty good, so I jumped on it while I had the chance. They are not so easy to find. It can get a bit noisy when dimed, but it’s too good a sound not to crank it right up. It responds very well to volume changes on the guitar and with my Strat, rolling off the volume on the guitar a notch is just the most amazing sweet spot I’ve ever found for an unbeatable classic rhythm tone. There are a lot of sounds available from this one-knobbed pedal!
Module 4. Effects – Modulation & Delay: Donner Tutti Love chorus & Yellow Fall delay:
The Tutti Love is a Boss CE2 (I think) clone and the Yellow Fall is the same as a Mooer Echolizer. Both do their jobs very well and totally perform well above their price tag in terms of pleasing tone.
The chorus is positioned at one end of the board to make it easy to swap out for another mini modulation pedal, should I fancy a change. I already have a Mooer Ninety Orange phaser (MXR Phase90 clone) and I’ll likely get hold of a tremolo and something more wacky like an octave pedal for further choices in the future.
I avoided the temptation to complicate things with a tap-tempo delay etc. so I’m forced to not have many choices of things to step on during a performance. I use the delay and chorus minimally anyway, so they’re just condiments for the real meat and potatoes of my rig.
Module 5. Power: Caline CP-01 rechargeable power supply
It has 8 separate 9v outs and is charged from a 5v source. With a modified USB to barrrel connector cable I am able to hook up a power bank to provide a large backup of charge to ensure it never runs out on me mid-gig.
Soon I’ll be trying a new product: Ionic USB power converter, which takes a standard USB 5v input and outputs a 9v center -ve supply to the pedals via a daisy chain cable. This means I can use a power bank to power my pedals without the Caline in between, saving some more space and weight. That should leave some space for the Quilter Micro Block 45’s power supply to be stowed away.
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