Can I reach all my effects or do I need pedal risers?
Once you’ve chosen all the pedals and additional equipment to go on your pedalboard, arrange everything on the frame in their right spots. Check the setup from all sides. This is the first time you’ll get an idea of the actual dimensions of your pedalboard. You have selected the effects you use most often for the front row (closest to you), and now the time has come to fine-tune the heights of the pedals at the back. Even though the frame rises at an angle, some of the footswitches in the back row may still turn out to be too close to the controls of the pedals in front.
Put the pedalboard on the floor and try to step on each of the pedals. Is there, for example:
- A delay’s tap tempo switch that is hard to reach?
- Are some of the controls of the front row pedals in danger of being crushed, whenever you stomp on a back row effect’s switch?
- Also check that you haven’t placed any mini-pedals so close together that you accidentally turn on more than one pedal at any given time.
If there isn’t enough space left to place the pedals further apart, you may consider one of several ways of raising a pedal, or make its switch larger with an additional screw-on switch knob. The following tips will help you to optimize your pedalboard’s layout in terms of its height.
An additional layer of 3M Dual Lock
If you only need to raise an effect a little bit, you can use an additional layer of 3M Dual Lock tape between the pedal and the frame. You simply stick two pieces of 3M tape to one another, with the adhesive sides touching, which will result in a very sturdy fit. You can use this method to raise a pedal by approximately one centimeter.
Pedaltrain risers
Should you need to raise your pedals higher than that, you could choose one of three different risers made by Pedaltrain, which will fit Pedaltrain’s Classic and Novo series frames, as well as Voodoo Lab’s Dingbat models.
The Pedaltrain Riser PB1 is meant for a single standard-sized pedal.
The Pedaltrain Riser PB2 is a good choice for something like a large Strymon effect, or if you want to raise two pedals at once.
The Pedaltrain Riser PB3 will fit a large Strymon effect plus an additional normal-sized pedal, or three standard pedals.
All three models can be used in different combinations side-by-side, because they share the same height. The models only differ in width. Sometimes the whole back row is equipped with risers, giving the pedalboard a distinctly stepped layout that makes crushing any front row controls virtually impossible.
Barefoot Buttons Tallboy
If you only need to make a single pedal’s footswitch more accessible, you could use a Barefoot Buttons Tallboy, which is their larger model. The Tallboy is screwed directly to the switch. See examples of how to use this method in our pedalboard gallery.
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If you have purchased all the parts and components but get a feeling that you might not be up to the task after all, we can make your pedalboard for you, using the components you have bought from us. Don’t worry, we won’t let anything go to waste.