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Thread: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandolin...

  1. #1

    Default Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandolin...

    So, it's all gonna fit on one board, right? Right...

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    Or I could make a small board for the just the mando, and I was thinking about using the LR Baggs Venue. What else would I need, do you think?

  2. #2
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    Tap dancing lessons?

    I don’t see any music there, but what do I know?
    Not all the clams are at the beach

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  3. #3
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    Maybe if you make the case to fold open like a book you can get them all in , be + 2x as wide..

    or stack them in layers like keyboard ranks on a pipe organ..

    this is where the EFX pedal fans hang out, here ..

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/f...ring-Electrics
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    is like dancing,
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  4. #4
    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    My son's a guitarist and he made a pedalboard out of old orange crates (for wood), black paint, a power supply and velcro tape. Works fine and looks great. You put the power supply on the back and daisy chain the effects across the top.
    Last edited by Elliot Luber; Feb-13-2020 at 12:44pm. Reason: afterthought.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    I use power supplies with separate channels to be sure that there's no interference. I don't trust the one spot stuff... as a guitar player in the past, I've had too many reasons to not.

  6. #6
    Dave Sheets
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    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    What effects do you want to use on mandolin?

    In addition to the preamp, eq+tuner features for pretty much any situation where I need to plug in, and I tend to want compression, reverb and delay when playing with rock bands. That pretty much holds for mandolin or acoustic guitar, I can get all of that out of a Boss AD-10 pedal. What effects or pedals do you find yourself using on mandolin?

    I tend to use a lot more pedals with electric guitar, that's when I have to lug around a big pedalboard.
    -Dave
    Flatiron A
    Way too many other instruments

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  8. #7

    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    I guess that was my post, Dave. Or the point for it. I am new to the mando. So I was hoping some people would chime in as to what effect they use with their mando so I can plan my board.

  9. #8
    Dave Sheets
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    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    Hey Mojocaster- Ah, okay, that makes sense! I tried a bunch of different pedals with mandolin, and came to the conclusion that what I typically wanted was usually just a good basic mandolin sound, but loud. Maybe a bit of reverb. For playing with rock bands, I use compression, because it helps when you move back and forth between single note lines and chords, it keeps your volume stable relative to the rest of the band. Good bluegrass players move toward or away from a mike to get the same type of effect without electronics. More power to 'em, I'm sure it sounds better, but it doesn't work out so well in a loud band.

    I'm playing 8 string electric mandolin or mandola, not a 4 or 5 string, so I'm trying for a mandolin sound in a loud band. I think some of the 4 and 5 string mandolins give you something closer to an electric guitar sound, where you might want distortion and modulation effects (trem, phaser, flanger, chorus, etc, etc). I can see the point of that approach, but it's not my thing.

    I think you really gotta go try different pedals first by lugging around your big board for a while, and see what you want or need, then maybe build a smaller board to give you just what you need, to make it easier to haul stuff around and get setup. I started out with a really big board that I use with guitar and eventually figured out what I wanted for mandolin, pretty much by trial and error. I used a small board with a preamp, tuner, reverb and compression for a while, and then moved to the Boss AD-10, which got me down to just the one pedal to deal with. I think you just gotta try things to see what works for you and the type of music you are playing. Asking people about their boards is probably a help

    A good preamp (or an amp made for an acoustic instrument, like the Fishman models) makes a world of difference, I could live without all the other pedals, but not the preamp.

    Go off and do some experimenting, see what you like first and then build a system that covers what you want done.
    -Dave
    Flatiron A
    Way too many other instruments

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  11. #9

    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

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    These two pictures show what I've been using live and with great results. The smaller board is the simplified version of the larger one with fewer effects, and I use it in gigs where I only play a few songs or if I don't need my whole arsenal.

    The choice of pedals really depends on the sound you hear in your head, and if there are any particular effect pedals you enjoy using. There are no right or wrong answers to your questions. I can only recommended these few things:

    1-Avoid big pedals, when possible, to save on board space. The Baggs Venue DI is fantastic. I have used it before but now replaced it with the older Para Acoustic DI to save board space. Alternatively, the K&K preamp is also small and board friendly.

    2-Try to have at least a reverb pedal (if no reverb is available in your amp) and a delay pedal. You can't go wrong with these two effects. Also, a compressor might be of use to even things out with certain effects/amp combination.

    3-I've previously thoroughly described my experience using effects with an acoustic mandolin (https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...stic-Mandolins). I hope this helps. I can send you some audio examples if you interested. Cheers.

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  13. #10

    Default Re: Thinking about making a small pedalboard just for the mandoli

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Sheets View Post
    Hey Mojocaster- Ah, okay, that makes sense! I tried a bunch of different pedals with mandolin, and came to the conclusion that what I typically wanted was usually just a good basic mandolin sound, but loud. Maybe a bit of reverb. For playing with rock bands, I use compression, because it helps when you move back and forth between single note lines and chords, it keeps your volume stable relative to the rest of the band. Good bluegrass players move toward or away from a mike to get the same type of effect without electronics. More power to 'em, I'm sure it sounds better, but it doesn't work out so well in a loud band.

    I'm playing 8 string electric mandolin or mandola, not a 4 or 5 string, so I'm trying for a mandolin sound in a loud band. I think some of the 4 and 5 string mandolins give you something closer to an electric guitar sound, where you might want distortion and modulation effects (trem, phaser, flanger, chorus, etc, etc). I can see the point of that approach, but it's not my thing.

    I think you really gotta go try different pedals first by lugging around your big board for a while, and see what you want or need, then maybe build a smaller board to give you just what you need, to make it easier to haul stuff around and get setup. I started out with a really big board that I use with guitar and eventually figured out what I wanted for mandolin, pretty much by trial and error. I used a small board with a preamp, tuner, reverb and compression for a while, and then moved to the Boss AD-10, which got me down to just the one pedal to deal with. I think you just gotta try things to see what works for you and the type of music you are playing. Asking people about their boards is probably a help

    A good preamp (or an amp made for an acoustic instrument, like the Fishman models) makes a world of difference, I could live without all the other pedals, but not the preamp.

    Go off and do some experimenting, see what you like first and then build a system that covers what you want done.
    Thanks man! A lot to think about

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