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
