Convertible Pedal Board Rig

A completely user-definable setup that combines the best of having different amps and pedals with sharing the fundamental and important elements. (video inside)

My Setup Just Got Bigger

Without actually getting any bigger!

A Desire for Multiple Rigs

I recently built a 2nd, smaller pedalboard rig with an Orange Terror Stamp amplifier and a selection of pedals that worked well with it. I wanted something that would cover some other styles of music that I play depending on the band I’m playing with.

There were issues however with my new board. I didn’t want to keep moving pedals from one board to the other – like my Flashback delay, tuner and a couple of others that improve the overall performance of the rig.

Also the way I power the pedals on the main board took some effort to install and implement and to duplicate that on the 2nd board would mean extra expense and an increase in size, which would mean building a whole new board, getting a bigger carry case etc.

The end result was that the 2nd board was a compromise. It sounded good, but was not as versatile and left me reluctant to rely on it for a gig, despite the particular sounds provided by the Orange amp being really great.

A Modular System

After some thought and racking my brains for a solution that existed with resources I already had (so I wouldn’t need to spend any more money) I got a result.

After a whole day armed with a blunt hacksaw and some elbow grease I ended up with 4 small sheets of steel provided by an unused 19″ rack shelf. Then the idea in my head could then become a reality. I thought to myself “This had better work after all that effort!”

The result is a modular rig that fits into my existing carry case of the main rig. The amplifier can be swapped out and two pedal sections that come before the amplifier can be swapped out too. What remains on the board all the time are the pedals that go into the FX loop and a couple at the very beginning and end of the input chain.

With The Hotone Britwind and the Orange Terror Stamp I now have what I call a “Vintage Rig” and a “Contemporary Rig”.

Flexibility, Versatility, Convenience

It’s easy to convert from one configuration to the other and it takes just a minute or two. I can also bring along the modules of the unused rig in a separate case if I choose to convert the setup while I’m out. That is not likely at a gig, but it is if I go elsewhere for recording sessions.

Future Expandability

My rig is now a traditional-style, old-school amp, plus pedals, plus cab setup that is no bigger than a Line6 Helix and almost as many tonal options. Well as many as I’d likely end up using with a modelling device.

And my rig is expandable like a digital unit too, only instead of updating firmware or loading new virtual amp models I can add new physical amps and pedals (although I’ll have to buy them first).

With so many pedalboard friendly, compact amplifiers on the market these days I see no limit to the number of rigs I can build into my case with the right combination of pedal modules and mini amplifiers.

I suppose I’ll have to prepare myself for some more hacksaw action in the future, unless I can find something already prepared or get myself an angle grinder!