FX wiring

[olectric]

I've been checking some different pedal boards online, and I see a lot of custom jobs that have IMMACULATE custom wiring. I would like to know, where do you get this stuff? My PB is wired up using George L's for the signal flow and the stock Voodoo Lab PPII connects for power. Does anybody use any custom connects for powering their pedals? If so, what? Here's an example pic of a board that has different power connects than what comes stock with a PPII:

<img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/olectric/awesomePB.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

What are they? For close up of the image, click here:

http://www.axess-electronics.com/pix_usrs/r16al.jpg

[LonestarGtr]

Justin,

Yeah, I see the pedal power hidden under the tuner, but I'm not sure what power cables he's using to the pedals. It's not rocket science making them, but I'm not sure where you get the parts or if you can buy custom lengths. That looks way too neat, though. I'd never want to yank a pedal out and swap it then, which takes a lot of the fun out of it!

Mike

[ToneLounge]

Lots of places to buy parts online:

www.pacrad.com
www.mouser.com
www.markertek.com

You'll need 2.1mm barrel plugs (staight or right angle)
Maybe some 2.5mm barrel plugs (depending on your fx)
2-conductor buss wire/cable (mogami, canare or belden)

I recommend using Switchcraft connectors and Mogami for the audio cables. Or as I do for many clients, Switchcraft connectors with George L cable.

Add some cable tys, adhesive backed cable mounts and you're looking like the pros!

[olectric]

Lots of places to buy parts online:

www.pacrad.com
www.mouser.com
www.markertek.com

You'll need 2.1mm barrel plugs (staight or right angle)
Maybe some 2.5mm barrel plugs (depending on your fx)
2-conductor buss wire/cable (mogami, canare or belden)

I recommend using Switchcraft connectors and Mogami for the audio cables. Or as I do for many clients, Switchcraft connectors with George L cable.

Add some cable tys, adhesive backed cable mounts and you're looking like the pros!

Thanks for the parts suppliers list! Quick question: I know that the Line6 modelers take a 2.5mm plug, but are they reverse polarity?

[tom]

yes the line6 is reverse polarity. that looks too neat already! i wouldn't dare show you mine. it doesn't stay the same for more than a couple weeks. too many pedals, not enough space.

[ToneLounge]

I agree with Tom - unless you are leaving for a world tour, make your pedalboard modular. Gigs change, my ears need new inspiration, and I rarely need everything on there...

[olectric]

Yeah I know what you mean. Tying all the power connects down would make it a bit difficult to add/remove pedals, especially if that required shuffling things around to get new ones to fit. That board is really neat though. I want to strive for that. And I like the extra large power connects. I've had a few Voodoo Labs connects crap out on me just from wear and tear; I need something more heavy duty.

[LonestarGtr]

I ran across a brochure in a music store in NYC this week. Has anyone seen or tried the "pedalpad"? Here is the web site: www.pedalpad.com It looks pretty cool for people that like clean but want to be able to switch stuff out. The only thing it seems to lack is the ability to run power for line 6 pedals or the new double Boss units.

Mike

[tom]

i didn't see a weight on the padal pad. looks heavy for around town. similar subject, one of the crowder guys was running his dd20 off the line6 jack on the ppII without the reverse polarity wire. voodoo said it wouldn't work, i needed the ppII+. i tried it and it is working fine. anybody have any experience with that?

[brian b]

Just saw one today at GC both the smal and large size cool idea, but even the small one is bulky and heavy, even without pedals.

[olectric]

I recommend using Switchcraft connectors and Mogami for the audio cables. Or as I do for many clients, Switchcraft connectors with George L cable.


Just curious, why don't you use the George L connectors?

[Janine Doubly]

I use a combination of George L and Switchcraft ends. I would prefer to use all Switchcraft, if I had the time to go back and make custom length cables for each pedal. I have found that the George L ends sometimes are not very consistant with the diameters and sometimes are known to fail due to a loss of continuity when banging them around. My Cornish pedal will not take the George L ends, but love Switchcraft. Someday, I will wire up a super clean soldered Mogami/Switchcraft set up, but haven't gotten around to it.

[olectric]

I use a combination of George L and Switchcraft ends. I would prefer to use all Switchcraft, if I had the time to go back and make custom length cables for each pedal. I have found that the George L ends sometimes are not very consistant with the diameters and sometimes are known to fail due to a loss of continuity when banging them around. My Cornish pedal will not take the George L ends, but love Switchcraft. Someday, I will wire up a super clean soldered Mogami/Switchcraft set up, but haven't gotten around to it.

Could you post a parts number for the switchcraft ends you use?

[crash]

...one of the crowder guys was running his dd20 off the line6 jack on the ppII without the reverse polarity wire. voodoo said it wouldn't work, i needed the ppII+. i tried it and it is working fine. anybody have any experience with that?

I usually run my dd-20 from a wallwart plugged into the grace outlet on the PPII. But tonight the dd-20 started giving me fits, so I tried this and it worked - sort of. If I powered down the PPII, the DD-20 would not come back up unless the PPII had sat without power for a few minutes.

Tom - For the L6 plug that I run my MM4 from, the dipswitch is set to the 'up' (non-NORMAL) position (whereas all the other dips are set to 'normal'. Do you (and the unnamed Crowder guy) have the DIP switch for the L6 plug set to 'normal' for running the dd-20?

Thanks much for the help.

[tom]

haven't experienced tht problem. it's working fine for me. i have the dip switch set for the line 6 mode, not normal. i coul be wrong, but in the line 6 mode it has a higher current capacity that the double pedals need. you have to use a normal cable, the line 6 cable is the larger 2.5mm size and is reverse polarity.

[tom]

the thing i just noticed that is really throwing me for a loop, is all that black empty space between the pedals. you have willpower beyond measure.

[crash]

haven't experienced tht problem. it's working fine for me. i have the dip switch set for the line 6 mode, not normal. i coul be wrong, but in the line 6 mode it has a higher current capacity that the double pedals need. you have to use a normal cable, the line 6 cable is the larger 2.5mm size and is reverse polarity.
I was using the normal cable, so that wasn't it. I fired it up again tonight and flipped the dip to the L6 setting, and that nailed it down - works great now. Once again, you rock.

(As a side note, it has been hard to devote the proper amount of attention to working on it tonight, as the Colts are currently giving the Steelers a pants-down spanking.)

BTW, I got the same line when I talked to Digital Labs - but at the time, the PPII+ wasn't out, so they said to use the grace outlet and the wallwart for the double pedals. But they did build me a double cable to run my Fulldrive at 18v, so they were cool about that.

[olectric]

the thing i just noticed that is really throwing me for a loop, is all that black empty space between the pedals. you have willpower beyond measure.

if you're talking about the pic i posted at the top of this thread, it ain't my board! there is maybe room on my board for another keeley-sized pedal (hmmm....keeley...), but trust me--it's not due to my willpower, it's saving up to move across the country that is keeping that space for rent for the time being. :)

[tom]

the normal setting probably didn't quite have enough juice so the pedal was struggling to get going.

[brian b]

On the PPII you have to use either 5 or 6 and flip the switch for line 6 items. The line 6 stuff needs 18 volts to run, when you have it in the normal you only get 9 volts. But on 5 & 6 you can get 18 volts. This also works great with a
FDII which is one of fulltones pedals that can run on 18 volts.

[tom]

someone somewhere else posted that if you measure with a load on it, the pp2 makes 12 volts on the line 6 setting, i think it's the current that the big boss pedals need. i kinda like the sound of bigboss pedals, sounds very athoritative don't you think?

[crash]

On the PPII you have to use either 5 or 6 and flip the switch for line 6 items. The line 6 stuff needs 18 volts to run, when you have it in the normal you only get 9 volts. But on 5 & 6 you can get 18 volts. This also works great with a
FDII which is one of fulltones pedals that can run on 18 volts.
I guess that's what I get for not reading the manual for the PPII throughly. It's a moot point now - both of my L6 plugs are taken, one with an MM4 and one with the DD20. My FD2 takes up two 9v plugs with a Y cable, but it's nice to know the L6 plugs are an option.

I still have one 9V plug left, for whenever I decide on a Wah. Any suggestions there? Haven't tried Teese's stuff yet but I know people seem to dig them.

Speaking of running at 18V, has anyone run the Tube Zone at 18V? I was thinking that you could do that but haven't tried.

[guitarzan]

I still have one 9V plug left, for whenever I decide on a Wah. Any suggestions there? Haven't tried Teese's stuff yet but I know people seem to dig them.


i'm a bud-wah guy. The budda is vocal sounding and has a nasal articulation. I've found that I love the middle 85 percent of a wah sweep because the highs and lows are often too extreme. the budda seems to fit perfectly in that 85 percent range (and you can get in there and roll the teeth a bit to have the whole sweep a little more "heely" or a little more "toey").

I realize, though, that before I had a wah on my board I thought I needed it for every song. Now I find myself going a dozen gigs without it.

...except for that one time when it has activated by pushing on the inside lid of my roadcase and I played an entire gig trying to figure out why my tone sucked so bad. I wanted to quit. I hated my guitar (sorry, Tom), I hated my amp (sorry, Mr. Manufacturer of that month), I hated the other people in the band (sorry, fellas), and I hated being on stage. then on the outro of the last song of the set, i go to click on my wah to get Shafty, and found my tone. I felt like a tool.

[olectric]

hilarious.

[crash]

...except for that one time when it has activated by pushing on the inside lid of my roadcase and I played an entire gig trying to figure out why my tone sucked so bad...
And THAT is why any Wah I get will have to have a pilot light to tell when it's on (or I'll have one installed).

My latest 'tool' episode was at a sideman gig for a solo artist a few weeks back. Had to do a quick guitar change between songs 1 and 2. Changed to a guitar with the plug on the bottom (a set-neck mahogany model with a gold top...) and in my haste, did not loop the cable through the strap as has been my custom for the last 20 years.

So, of course, about 12 bars into song #2 (and the only song I intended to use that guitar for) I stepped on the cable and yanked it out, and had to squat down and plug back in. I had NEVER done that live before, and of course, it happens at a paying gig with a new client.

So I'm looking around wondering, did any of the 300 people watching notice? Of course they did.

Does the Bud-wah have a pilot light?

[guitarzan]

nope, no pilot light. I've now made it a habit of rocking it to see if it's on.

and yes, I've done the step-on-the-cord bit, too. Unfortunately, i was in the middle of a talent show in college- just getting ready to burst into the solo and realized there was no sound. I just looked around for who was to blame. Then as I looked down at the guitar again, I saw the cord at my feet. I took second (out of sympathy).

[tom]

teese for me, love the vowel sounds, doesn't get too ice picky at the toe. no light though. it has a dpdt switch for true bypass, i suppose you could add a 3pdt switch to do the light. not your disco wah, but loves to solo.

[olectric]

nope, no pilot light. I've now made it a habit of rocking it to see if it's on.

and yes, I've done the step-on-the-cord bit, too. Unfortunately, i was in the middle of a talent show in college- just getting ready to burst into the solo and realized there was no sound. I just looked around for who was to blame. Then as I looked down at the guitar again, I saw the cord at my feet. I took second (out of sympathy).

Just when I thought the end was in sight to Corey's "Thank God that hasn't happened to me (YET)" scenarios, you totally redeem yourself!

Oh, I have one! Has anybody ever went for a nice, big, soulful bend--totally locked in the moment and the emotion of it all--only to realize you're a fret sharp of where you should be, and you have to bend a half-step instead of a full-step to get to where you want at the apex of the solo but your fingers have already set in motion the unstoppable and your mind is saying in slo-mo "noooooooooooo!" and you hit that b9 on a I chord. I know that doesn't have to do with the effects that we step on (as the thread has sort of kept topic to), but I'll tell you that the effect was nothing short of devastating. Women were weeping and covering their children's ears, young men's hair turned grey, and I'm pretty sure I can't have kids now.

[crash]

Thanks for the Wah recommendations.

May try and get a Bud-Wah soon to try it out - would be a less expensive trial than the Teese would be. I know a guy who could do the pilot light mod - he built me a rangemaster clone a while back and I'll bet I could trade it back to him for the pilot light installation.

Can you tell I'm trying to get this done cheap? :-) I also can go several gigs without using wah, but I don't currently own one and there's unused real estate in the pedal board...

Anyone running the Tube Zone at above 9v? The manual says it will go to 25. I have a worship set this weekend where I'll use it a lot (over the Fulldrive) and I may give it a shot just for kicks.

[marsodude]

Could you post a parts number for the switchcraft ends you use?

I sure would like some help here on the plugs also. I have looked at the Switchcraft site and see several different options.

[Janine Doubly]

The Switchcraft jack is model 226. But I have recently discovered the Planet Waves pedal board kits. I love the banana type spring they have on their jacks and the solderless connection they make is perfect. For a permanent board, the Planet Waves makes a VERY solid connection. No more checking the plugs before a gig, they are rock solid.

[marsodude]

Thanks for responding Janine.

Is there not some problem with the Planet Waves being a bit oversized?