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Topic: Stands for Pedals, etc |
Justin Shaw
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 18 Nov 2023 10:23 pm |
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| Does anyone have any good suggestions for stands to put pedals on at a height you can reach with your hands? This would be for a live rig so portability would be nice. I did a brief google search but saw no clear winner: lots of little tables and stuff but lots of it looked too flimsy or too big. |
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Chris Brooks
From:
Providence, Rhode Island
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Posted 19 Nov 2023 6:35 am
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Justin, I carry all my gear in an old Samsonite suitcase (which just refuses to wear out!)
Then I stand the suitcase on end at the right side of the steel and put my one or (at most) two devices, glasses, pen, set list etc. on that. Effects pedals are easily reachable with the right hand.
Chris |
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Kevin Quick
From:
Sacramento
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Posted 19 Nov 2023 9:55 am
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Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
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Alex Cattaneo
From:
Quebec, Canada
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Posted 20 Nov 2023 10:56 am
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Hey Justin, I've been following your posts on pedals and it sounds exactly like what I've been dealing with for the last few months. Here's how I solved the problem.
This is the pedal board I was using initially:
Not that big, right? Well, as we started playing gigs to support my album, I realized that putting the pedals to the side, even if they were raised, just wasn't really working. When playing the steel, you can't use your feet, so you have to use your hands. But if you turn your body to the side, the slide is going to move and veer out of tune. And you can't see your fretboard. And if you have to turn and bend over, then you have stop playing completely, so forget all the cool effects like looping, delay feedbacks, freeze, hold, etc.
The way I want to use pedals, I need to activate the switches (latch and unlatch) as well as turn knobs WHILE I'm playing.
So my conclusion was that I need the pedals IN FRONT of the steel, where I can reach them quickly with my right hand.
Now, having a massive board, or even a medium-sized board, on a table or a roadcase, in front of the steel is not really an option, as it would completely hides the instrument. Plus, it would have to be high enough to clear the front apron.
So, the solution was to a) reduce the size of my board
and b) build a custom stand.
This is what I'm using now:
It's basically a xylophone stand I found in my closet, to which I added a wooden board to hold and support the pedalboard, which is a pedaltrain nano+.
It's no more obtrusive than a music stand, and everything is very close to my right hand. Perfect for looping, delay feedbacks, knob twisting, adjusting, etc.
If you have the patience to sit through my music, this is how it looks (and sounds) on stage:
https://youtu.be/4zZxris6Yfc?si=1GQjVzFElPqycQKm
https://youtu.be/IPadZgR_9sQ?si=Xfnqpfl8b6VZ7OGB |
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C. Eric Banister
From:
Scottsburg, Indiana, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2023 5:48 am
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I picked this up from Amazon and it works great. It folds up so it is also portable
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Justin Shaw
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 21 Nov 2023 8:32 am
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Thank you all for your responses, I appreciate them!
Alex thank you very much you have indeed solved the problem I've been dealing with. At home I like the upright pedal tray and that's basically what you have, but on a stand. I think I may try a pedal midi controller on the stand to give me presets for a bigger board off to the side. I'll have a few pedals on the small stand for knob twisting too.
And thanks for the videos, sounds good! |
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Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2023 12:57 pm
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C. Eric, can you post a link to the stand? I'm curious about dimensions, details, etc.
Thanks.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amp w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2023 5:00 pm
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Thanks, Larry!
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amp w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
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Bruce Derr
From:
Lee, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 22 Nov 2023 7:45 pm
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I recently bought a similar table for $24.88 at Walmart. "Mainstays Folding Activity Table." It was in the aisle with folding chairs, etc.
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2023 4:23 am
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Pedal Train with hard case.
_________________
MSA 12 String E9th/B6th Universal.
Little Walter PF-89.
Bunch of stomp boxes |
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Karl Paulsen
From:
Chicago
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Posted 8 Dec 2023 3:46 am
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That Mainstays/Amazon table mat be just what I need. How sturdy is it?
I often triggerb effects repeatedly during songs and need a sturdy surface at about the same height as my steel so I built this by shortening a keyboard stand. The two bolts sticking up side into holes on my wood pedalboard.
Only issue is that it's a little bulky for transport.
_________________
Nickel and Steel. Sad Songs and Steel Guitar.
https://www.facebook.com/NickelandSteel
Chicago Valley Railroad. Trainspotting and Bargain Hunting...
https://chicagovalleyrailroad.blogspot.com/ |
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Bruce Derr
From:
Lee, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2023 7:06 pm
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| Karl Paulsen wrote: |
| That Mainstays/Amazon table mat be just what I need. How sturdy is it? |
The Amazon one weighs 7.8 lbs. and is rated for 44 lbs. max capacity.
The Walmart one weighs 6 lbs. and is rated for 30 lbs. I haven't really put it to use yet but it seems pretty stable, certainly not tippy. |
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