Custom Pedal Boards
Posted on 31 January 2011
Brady Cases Pedal Boards
One of our favorite things to build are our pedal boards. They are all built custom to order and we haven't found a company that has as much customization for the actual board, wiring/routing, or design concepts that we've been able to build through the years. We can build the simple & tough to the elaborate, high-end pedalboards that are both a sight to look at, as well as a tool to make your music-making a fast, sonically-pleasing and enjoyable process.
Can You Build This...?
Yes! We've been asked this question dozens and dozens of times. Do we limit ourselves to one design or size? No. We build angled, elevated boards, lift-out boards, tiered boards and risers, cases for other companies boards, and have done quite a few different concepts to fit what the customer wanted/needed. A lot of companies build good pedal boards and then stick them in a bag or have cases made for them that are, to be honest, terribly made and tend to tear up after just a simple tour. We see airlines get blamed for destroying some of these companies cases, and yes - they are way too rough on them, but in the vast majority of the situations, our cases would have held up the same scenario due to the rugged design.
Some of the companies that we regularly build cases for:
- PedalTrain
- Trailer Trash
- Boss
- Behringer
- Black Bird
- Lyt
- NYC Pedal Boards
- Puma Boards
- Wilton Pedal Boards
- Furman
- The Wicked Woody
- Pedal Gear
- ToneBone
- Leprechaun
- Wilton
- Pedal Pad
- The Gig Rig
- Throne
Connecting...
- 1/4" neutrik jacks
- power inlets/outlets (IEC or standard NEMA)
- 1/8" headphone jacks
- XLR
- MIDI
- Speakon
- DMX
- RJ-45
- Fiber Optic
- USB
- FireWire
- Retractable extension cables
Aesthetics
We like the look of a shiny decked out pedalboard (check out Brady's personal board here!). We can do plexiglass boards, incorporate RGB or single LED strips or light bars that cycle through a million colors and can pause on any color, be programmed with a remote or controller to strobe, change frequency cycles and can even be hooked up to run DMX by the lighting technician (we can deck out all your backline to match and create some very cool stage presence!). If you have an idea, we'd love to design it and make it happen. The design process is free and Brady or other techs will work with you to build your perfect board.
Standard Specs (listed on each product page)
Features of a Brady Cases Angled Pedalboard include:
· Medium ball corners
· High strength blind rivets either extrusion or washer backed
· 4 zinc recessed latches (2 in front - 2 in back)
The Possibilities Are Endless!
All our pedal boards are built custom to order so you can choose from our standard sizes or build your own. Before building these ourselves, we just found we were tired of all these mass produced boards that always seemed way too small for our needs, had features that we didn't need, and they were just cheap (as far as quality but not as much on price). What you get on this pedal board is a mixture of ruggedness, customization, and looks. It is a full ATA approved case that will last the lifetime of the pedal board, which very few companies offer a real case to go with their boards and if they do, I wouldn't trust airline companies for one trip. The possibilities are endless - we handwire our true bypass strips in shop, can add any connectors (power, audio, data, dmx, etc), offer full 3D CAD design, can install your equipment and offer mounting solutions, tiers, case customizations and colors - at the fraction of the price of some of our competitors. Choose from one of the standard size on the site or feel free to give us a call or email and we'll start the design process!
How The Boards Work
The pedal boards are designed around the case. Since you're likely housing $1000+ of pedals in one place, it makes sense to protect them. That's why we use all ATA approved designs and the best latches, handles, corners and other hardware to make sure your gear stays protected. The exterior case is standard 1/4" ABS laminated birch and the polypropylene usually shaves off 5-10 pounds depending on the size of the board (great for flying!) and is comparable in durability. The interior board is angled and is about 2" from the ground at the front and around 5.5" in the back so it low to the ground. There is about 4" of room underneath in the back for you to house your power supplies and surge protectors. The sides and back are closed up so we recommend power inlets to power your power supplies. To access your equipment underneath, just drill holes where you need them (it is 3/8" high quality birch so it doesn't affect the integrity of the interior board). Some people prefer to drill holes where every pedal goes for the power which gives a very clean appearance and some prefer to drill larger holes and have everything run through smaller holes. Don't feel handy or comfortable doing it yourself? - we can drill holes where you specify and can route slots in the interior board as well. There is 1" foam in the lid that is angled towards the front of the case so that your pedals stay well-protected. There is standard 3.5" from the board to the foam at the front and 2-2.5" at the back. The pedals will sink into the foam and it actually helps keep your knobs from turning while in transit. If you need more clearance, just let us know when you order. There is foam around the perimeter of the interior board so that is also shock-mounted as well. They come standard with a velcro (loop side) surface so it will accept the hook side velcro affixed to the bottom of your pedals. We want your pedals to move around as little as possible inside the case. Have further questions? View our pedal board FAQ!
2 comments
casew/ wheels for pedaltrain 32×16 pedal board. Height needs to accommodate expression pedals on the high end of the slanted board
To whom this may concern. My ? is, if you were to build a custom pedalboard for me. and, I wanted you to also, assemble my effects onto the board. could you carry out that assignment as well and how about if I wanted to have dual buffers attached to the board. could that be done
as well Thank you! Toby,