New Pedalboard aka Nebulon B progress build

[Alnus Rubra]

I admire your patience, courage and tech savvy skills.

Like a Boss.

 

[Simon Says]

I admire your patience, courage and tech savvy skills.

Like a Boss.

Thank you, gentleman; what can I say? I'm a nerd!

What's funny, though, is - I already started planning the changes. I will close the board as it is for now, but as soon as I recover financially from doing this pedalboard, I will be changing things around a bit. I wanted to have the RC10R looper not hooked to MIDI. Initially, I saw no sense in it, but I realised I could use the looper and the drum machine more freely if I could access separate commands via the MC6 Pro MIDI switcher. That got me thinking; why would I have it on board if I can shelf it with other non-essential rack gear outside the pedalboard? This would give me enough space to put Eventide H90 onto the pedalboard and not the rack as I initially planned. I could easily pull the plan of having the pedalboard with all essentials, jam/gig ready, an excellent grab-and-go package with all the tones I could need, and a home-based fun centre when plugged back into the rack.

So no more changes for a while; this will be until I am ready to start making changes. I will swap over the Q-zone for a new Pico POG as soon as they hit the shops, as I dislike everything about the Q-zone, and I like pitch shifters and Octaviers. The Cornish pedal on top is not connected; it's used as a dummy because I couldn't live with an empty space

I'm slowly building the banks and patches with the MC6 with no issues.

The EXP still waits to be assembled and connected; I had an issue with ordering a 10k Wah potentiometer; the first parcel has been lost, and they don't have any more in the UK. I will probably have to order a new one from the States. A friend helps get me stuff from the USA every four months, so the EXP pedal may be delayed as well. Not a big deal.




That's it for a while

 

[Simon Says]

Graphic representation of 2024 version of the board

 

[vchizzle]

It’s funny, I used to geek out on boards and have run some semi complex boards/racks with multiple amp switching setups, midi controllers, etc. -none of them as well built or thought out as yours…certainly not as tidy. Now I just want a handful of pedals I love, simply laid out. I must be getting old, or lazy…or both. Or maybe I’ve just run big boards for the past 20 years and I just want to get back to basics?

 

[László]

Thank you, gentleman; what can I say? I'm a nerd!

What's funny, though, is - I already started planning the changes. I will close the board as it is for now, but as soon as I recover financially from doing this pedalboard, I will be changing things around a bit. I wanted to have the RC10R looper not hooked to MIDI. Initially, I saw no sense in it, but I realised I could use the looper and the drum machine more freely if I could access separate commands via the MC6 Pro MIDI switcher. That got me thinking; why would I have it on board if I can shelf it with other non-essential rack gear outside the pedalboard? This would give me enough space to put Eventide H90 onto the pedalboard and not the rack as I initially planned. I could easily pull the plan of having the pedalboard with all essentials, jam/gig ready, an excellent grab-and-go package with all the tones I could need, and a home-based fun centre when plugged back into the rack.

So no more changes for a while; this will be until I am ready to start making changes. I will swap over the Q-zone for a new Pico POG as soon as they hit the shops, as I dislike everything about the Q-zone, and I like pitch shifters and Octaviers. The Cornish pedal on top is not connected; it's used as a dummy because I couldn't live with an empty space

I'm slowly building the banks and patches with the MC6 with no issues.

The EXP still waits to be assembled and connected; I had an issue with ordering a 10k Wah potentiometer; the first parcel has been lost, and they don't have any more in the UK. I will probably have to order a new one from the States. A friend helps get me stuff from the USA every four months, so the EXP pedal may be delayed as well. Not a big deal.




That's it for a while

 

[Simon Says]

I apologise for the late response; the last few days have been hectic.

It’s funny, I used to geek out on boards and have run some semi complex boards/racks with multiple amp switching setups, midi controllers, etc. -none of them as well built or thought out as yours…certainly not as tidy. Now I just want a handful of pedals I love, simply laid out. I must be getting old, or lazy…or both. Or maybe I’ve just run big boards for the past 20 years and I just want to get back to basics?

I get it. My last pedalboard was relatively small, based on Pedaltrain Metro. It was a theme past several years; from barn gate-sized pedalboards, I was going down to smaller and smaller every year. This current pedalboard is not big either. It's 17 inches wide with only a few options to enhance the tone, not replace it. I will never get a tribute gig with it; no endless options with my rig, I'm afraid. The only reason I went with a MIDI with this pedalboard was to be able to switch between the amp's preamp and the additional preamp I'm now using. It would be a nightmare to have it done differently for several reasons I mentioned earlier in this thread. The last few pedalboard builds had no MIDI, just a channel switching and a few pedals.

Lol

 

[Triptones]

In my older age I decided to have a modest and simple pedalboard.

 

[Simon Says]

In my older age I decided to have a modest and simple pedalboard.

Yeah, these are not for me

 

[Triptones]

Yeah, these are not for me

I understand completely but when U can fool an engineer from a real amp and a Fractal I will stick with these. I sold (5) JMP heads and purchased the AXE-FXIII and love it. Through my ears it aounds the same every night the Marshalls did not. And the crazy thing is I can take my rack unit to a gig pump it through the PA with out a cabinet onstage and still the same. But I do think it lacks the air movement from the stage but so easy to setup though.

 

[Simon Says]

I understand completely but when U can fool an engineer from a real amp and a Fractal I will stick with these. I sold (5) JMP heads and purchased the AXE-FXIII and love it. Through my ears it aounds the same every night the Marshalls did not. And the crazy thing is I can take my rack unit to a gig pump it through the PA with not cabinet onstage and still the same. But I do think it lacks the air movement from the stage, but so easy to setup though.

Aw yeah, if I were a gigging musician, I would be all over modelling. But for what I do, it's just not for me

 

[vchizzle]

I apologise for the late response; the last few days have been hectic.


I get it. My last pedalboard was relatively small, based on Pedaltrain Metro. It was a theme past several years; from barn gate-sized pedalboards, I was going down to smaller and smaller every year. This current pedalboard is not big either. It's 17 inches wide with only a few options to enhance the tone, not replace it. I will never get a tribute gig with it; no endless options with my rig, I'm afraid. The only reason I went with a MIDI with this pedalboard was to be able to switch between the amp's preamp and the additional preamp I'm now using. It would be a nightmare to have it done differently for several reasons I mentioned earlier in this thread. The last few pedalboard builds had no MIDI, just a channel switching and a few pedals.


Lol

Totally get the reasons you use the midi. I still have it on my big board with es-8. Mostly using it to program my Eventide presets to the patches. I use the es-8 to change channels on 2 different heads. Depending on which I use, I just plug into the proper jack for that head. All my patches are programmed with cc’s for both heads. Preset/bank mode is super useful for live use, playing specific songs with specific effects. I just get tired of living in that world after awhile. If not running a set, I’ll use the other mode to just manually turn pedals on and off. I still feel kind of boxed in for whatever reason.

 

[Simon Says]

Totally get the reasons you use the midi. I still have it on my big board with es-8. Mostly using it to program my Eventide presets to the patches. I use the es-8 to change channels on 2 different heads. Depending on which I use, I just plug into the proper jack for that head. All my patches are programmed with cc’s for both heads. Preset/bank mode is super useful for live use, playing specific songs with specific effects. I just get tired of living in that world after awhile. If not running a set, I’ll use the other mode to just manually turn pedals on and off. I still feel kind of boxed in for whatever reason.

With this board, I have the best of two worlds. MIDI for channel switching and Volante, and manual foot switching for pedals via GigRig Quartermaster. It's weird to mix a MIDI controller with a pedal strip switcher, but it gives me more freedom and protects me from - as you nicely put it - being boxed in.

 

[László]

Aw yeah, if I were a gigging musician, I would be all over modelling. But for what I do, it's just not for me

I feel the same; my gigs are all in studio sessions. I use real amps.

 

[Simon Says]

I feel the same; my gigs are all in studio sessions. I use real amps.

Both solutions have pros and cons. When I get more free time, I start a new thread with an unpleasant surprise I had with my amp the other day. But I will always choose a real amp over a modeller. I prefer simplicity and the WYSIWYG control panel. To many options makes me confused

 

[László]

Both solutions have pros and cons. When I get more free time, I start a new thread with an unpleasant surprise I had with my amp the other day. But I will always choose a real amp over a modeller. I prefer simplicity and the WYSIWYG control panel. To many options makes me confused

For me, it's simply about the way a real tube amp sounds. I'm not a modeler fan.

If I played out, I might consider a modeler. But first I'd try taking a fairly light weight head, like my Fillmore, and a load box to go direct into a mixer. Not that much of a weight penalty. I already have a load box, might as well use it!

 

[Triptones]

In the early 80's I used stomp boxes, MXR distortion plus, MXR Delay, MXR Phase 90, Boss Chorus with a home made pedalbooard and got very good at tap dancing. In the 90's I used a CAE rig (Bob Bradshaw) with the stomp boxes in the rack, CAE RS-10 switcher with (3) Marshalls and (4) 4x12 vintage cabs. I also had an additional rig with CAE 3 + preamp and a Soldano Series II SP-77 preamp with all rack effects and RS-10 switcher. In 2000 I built another pedal board for church which was a great pedal board.
I wish I still had those rigs.

 

[Triptones]

I feel the same; my gigs are all in studio sessions. I use real amps.

True I have always believed that a modeler never gives me that sag and feel of a real tube amp. I was hesitant to jump on Fractal until they came out with the Axe-FX III. Just wanted them to work out the bugs. When I have use this in the studio and A/B this with real amps the fractal has always won or the response being I can’t tell. Trust me I have always been a valve champion but I’m no longer a younger man so to be able to do a show with a rack and no one in the audience complains works for me. The real reason is we have always had roadies so I never had to lift/move equipment. I was lucky and spoiled.

 

[László]

True I have always believed that a modeler never gives me that sag and feel of a real tube amp. I was hesitant to jump on Fractal until they came out with the Axe-FX III. Just wanted them to work out the bugs. When I have use this in the studio and A/B this with real amps the fractal has always won or the response being I can’t tell. Trust me I have always been a valve champion but I’m no longer a younger man so to be able to do a show with a rack and no one in the audience complains works for me. The real reason is we have always had roadies so I never had to lift/move equipment. I was lucky and spoiled.

Don't get me wrong, the Fractal is one of a small handful of the top modelers.

I've got a handful of tube amps that do what I like, and a head/cabinet switcher to make life less of a headache. I keep everything miked up when I'm working on a project, so I press a toggle, or use a MIDI command, and I'm on whatever amp and cab I feel like using.

If I had a modeler, I'd have it model my real amps, and wouldn't be scrolling through every amp under the sun. So might as well just use the real amps and call it a day.

But I'm not playing out. I'm beyond ancient, so if I played out I might find a modeler a necessity for my physical health!

Roadies...last time I was in a band with a roadie was...um...1971...

 

[Triptones]

Don't get me wrong, the Fractal is one of a small handful of the top modelers.

I've got a handful of tube amps that do what I like, and a head/cabinet switcher to make life less of a headache. I keep everything miked up when I'm working on a project, so I press a toggle, or use a MIDI command, and I'm on whatever amp and cab I feel like using.

If I had a modeler, I'd have it model my real amps, and wouldn't be scrolling through every amp under the sun. So might as well just use the real amps and call it a day.

But I'm not playing out. I'm beyond ancient, so if I played out I might find a modeler a necessity for my physical health!

Roadies...last time I was in a band with a roadie was...um...1971...

Understand completely I should have held onto my old Marshalls and Fenders. I don't play out as much as I would like to but unless you are in a tribute band your not making much money anymore....

71 - Yeah I was 7 so it has been a few days

 

[Triptones]

This was the last pedalboard I put together for church. Went through a Splawn Street Rod Combo.