Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: smuprof on May 29, 2016, 07:45:07 PM
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So here's the latest update to the big stereo rig. I've posted before about the rig (Alembic F2-B feeding an ELF-1 feeding stereo power amps driving a pair of Eden D210XST extended range cabs for the "upper" end and a pair of Bag-End S18's for the "low" end). The whole system was built with the goal of hearing "pure" Alembic tone, so I don't play much with effects. I had a Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live, but was never satisfied with the tone or the flexibility (kinda like television - 200 channels and nothing interesting to watch).
I've had a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner (true strobe) stomp for several years, along with a Q-Tron for fun. I got interested in playing with a looper watching some of Kimberly's videos with her Epic 6. EH recently came out with a "freeze" pedal that allows you to sustain a note or chord infinitely and play over it which is something I've wanted to do for awhile. From there it's a short jump to a phaser, reverb pedal, and a volume pedal and the need for a pedal board.
It doesn't take much to prompt me to make something custom if I can't find exactly what I want for the price I want. I built the board out of some scrap oak 1 x 2's I had. I bought an expanded steel grate from Home Depot for about $8 and screwed it underneath the oak rails so I could use tie wraps instead of velcro for better security and no residual goo on the pedals.
The Q-Tron uses 24v which is a bit unusual and most DC power blocks only offer 9v, 12v, and/or 18v. I also wasn't crazy about the cost, and the board needs a fair amount of current, so I found a hefty transformer capable of 12v and 24v and with a few additional parts got a stout linear multi-voltage power supply exactly like I wanted. Total cost: about $60.
The phaser, reverb, looper and volume pedal are all stereo, and I wanted to maintain a true stereo signal path as much as possible. Unfortunately, the tuner, freeze pedal and Q-Tron are mono only, but that led to the most fun part of the project. The blue box on the right is an input switcher / combiner / splitter. The green LED indicates stereo through the stereo components and out to the F2-B, bypassing the mono devices. Step on the switch gives you a red LED and internally combines the L and R signal at the input to the board, (neck and bridge pickups just like the stereo / mono switch on the bass or the DS5R), then routes it through the tuner, freeze pedal and Q-Tron, back through the blue box where it splits the combined signal to feed both the L and R signal paths through the stereo pedals and then into the L and R preamp and amplifier chains.
If you want to build any custom stomp box, I have to give huge props to Connie at www.pedalpartsplus.com. They're a family business in Louisiana with amazing customer service (sound familiar?), and not only had many of the parts I needed at the best prices, but drilled and painted the box to my specs for about $15. Total switcher / combiner / splitter cost was about $50.
I'm still learning how to use it to best effect, but I'm having a blast doing so. It's a genuinely useful bass pedal board that works great with the stereo rig, and as an added bonus, one stomp provides a mono path that allows you to use it with guitar!
John
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Nice board, John. The grating works great, (pardon the pun), for attaching the pedals. If you can handle some simple soldering, you could also run the patch cords underneath. I know if I used your board I'd be clumsy enough to eventually step on the loops hanging off the front. Even better, and easier, than soldering would be to use George L or similar solderless connectors. They work especially well for pedal boards where they aren't subjected to a lot of movement. Here's the one I put together using a Temple Audio board which is made of a similar perforated material.
Bill, tgo
http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=16323.msg164797#msg164797 (http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=16323.msg164797#msg164797)
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That is, without a doubt, the coolest pedalboard I've ever seen!! (Ofcourse, being a woodworker sort of makes me a bit biased...)
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Thanks, Bill. Yes, I love the smell of burning rosin in the morning ;D
Thought about George L's and routing underneath - certainly cleaner - just didn't pull the trigger. I can't leave anything alone, so that's probably next once I decide I like the configuration and functionality.
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Thanks, Dan. I'm a long-time amateur woodworker and come from a long line of them so I come by it honestly. While oak's not a light wood, the board as configured is not any heavier than any professional board. Also very simple - other than the 3 risers in the front, everything is a square 90 degree cut.
John
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Nice!
+1 on the George L's. I'm using cables I made over 16 years ago and have had only one failure - two weeks ago. I simply removed the failed cable, cut both ends with a sharp blade, reinserted the ends back into the jacks, tightened the little screws and was back in business.