Si600 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I've noticed a couple of the bespoke boards on here have an input and output jack mounted on the board itself so that you don't plug directly into the first and last pedals. What's the thinking behind this arrangement? (I've done it myself, but in my case it's because I think it looks nice ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Quicker & tidier to set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 But if you've got everything pre wired on a board, apart from the aesthetic why shouldn't you just plug into the first and last units in the chain without an inbuilt jack socket? I'm only curious not knocking it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Funny you should say that, as that's what I do. The leads to my bass are permanently plugged in to the pedals & I just take one out the back of the last pedal to the amp. My board looks like someone spilled coloured udon all over it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I've never seen the point in boards with dedicated input/output points either. I suppose it means you won't wear out the socket on your pedals but it's just as easy to replace a socket on a pedal as it is a socket on a board. And given how many times you plug/unplug your bass it's not really an issue is it. Oh and for trivia's sake: I had my first George L cable failure last week in rehearsal. After five years of using them one finally gave up, because my expression pedal was rubbing against it and managed to unscrew the cap, then the cable fell out of the plug. On the positive side it was easy to spot where the failure on my board was because the end of the plug was missing, and all I had to do was stick the cable back in there and screw the cap back on and it worked again. You just don't get that with soldered cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rk7 Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Yeah, a good point Si. I used jack sockets on the side of my board for tidiness really, no more complicated than that. I did wonder, however, whether the Polytune would be happy with a jack plug permanently installed (from the edge of the pedalboard to the pedal)? Time will tell, when it's all plugged in. RK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) I can't see why it wouldn't. I don't know how it works, but I'm assuming that it's switchable between tuner and pass through so it will not interfere with your signal unless you want it to. I've got jacks on my board as well, the old one is here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/187809-19-pedal-board-build/"]Pedal Board Build[/url] but it's currently in the process of being rebuilt to fit a case I got on here from merton. Once it's finished then I'll update the thread with more pictures and info. I did it because it's neat and I think it looks a bit cool Edited April 10, 2014 by Si600 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rk7 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 The issue I'm unsure about is whether the Polytune switches on, from the battery, when a Jack is inserted. At the moment, mine would be on all the time because its connected to the socket on the side of my board. I will need to check this out, and remove the battery if necessary (it is powered from the supply under the board anyway). This is a disadvantage of the 'sockets on the side' approach, but its not insurmountable. (BTW, I've just seen your build thread - very impressive). RK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 If it will run from power rather than battery alone then I'd take the battery out and not worry about it. It'll only be on when you turn the board on when you're using it anyway. Unless you like the pretty lights shining in the dark all night Thank you. It was cobbled together rather than crafted like yours. All my effort has gone into drilling and milling the plates rather than the woodwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 My leads are always attached. Before I had the new floor mounted Sony wireless, I always used to run through the effects loop but now, the "signal in" is always the Sony receiver which sits on the board itself. The last lead is out to the input of the amp and I've bound this (with a spare lead) to the extension socket that sits on the board to power the PSUs so that I always plug in the board at the amp end. When packing away, I just curl up this "umbilical" and put it back into the Swan Flight floor board case. Quick, easy and safe. [attachment=159853:floorboard 1.jpg][attachment=159854:floorboard 2.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubsonicSimpleton Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Having hard mounted I/O points on a pedalboard kinda makes sense if you are running an umbilical with connections for power, midi, effects loop insertion on the amp and preamp input - you can use locking multipole connectors [url="http://www.cliffuk.co.uk/products/cliffcon/ip68.htm"]like this[/url] to connect multiple signals and also low voltage DC for pedals, and connectors [url="http://www.directindustry.com/prod/lemo/multi-pole-circular-connectors-28792-106888.html"]like this[/url] if you have a really complex setup, but if your setup isn't super complicated and you don't have to make it bomb proof then tonyf's solution one post up is a sensible one - it takes very little effort to cable tie down the captive leads to the pedal board end for effective strain relief. If you just plug in to the first pedal with your instrument and run from the last pedal to your amp then the main consideration IMHO is whether you need to use a hardmounted socket to protect the cable plugs from being accidentally stood on or kicked mid performance by yourself, clumsy bandmates or drunken punters, which can render the whole board useless if everything is fastened down solidly and you can't access a new in or out point to bypass a damaged pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I'm just waiting for someone to come out with a smaller, pedalboard sized version of the RJ45 connected stage boxes (Ie Behringer S16) that are knocking around at the moment. A few channels of i/o over a Cat5 would be brilliant if you're running a larger, more complex board. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Unless they are using the special EtherCon plugs and sockets as well as high quality flexible cables, RJ45 connects and cables are a terrible idea for live use as they are simply nowhere near robust enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 You'd be better just buying a decent multicore cable & make a box that takes the jacks from the pedals in & sends to a multicore socket. You could either have a similar box at the amp end, or just put a couple of jacks on there (depending on your needs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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