Any mini pedal-boarders here that aren't dweebs?

[Chistopher]

It seems like a pretty innocuous hobby and at worst a neat little mental game, but at least on the internet it appears to have some small amount of snobbery assosciated with it. I've never met a mini-board user in real life, but they seem to fall more into the category of guitar equipment enthusiasts more so than players, so I don't know how many of our circles overlap.

Who here has a mini board and why? Is it because it's a cheap little hobby, as far as guitar goes? Or something more... sinister?
Why do you guys like top jacks and hate battery boxes? Do you ever get tired of the precision required to step on foot switches in such close proximity? What's your ratio of time spent practicing things you aren't good at and time spent looking at gear reviews?

My "mini board" rn is a DS-1 and DC-2w that sit on the floor and I feel I could do a full set with them.

 

[Mincer]

Well, I like top jacks due to board cabling, but I've never put together a mini board. I might put something small together, but it would run on batteries and be easy to set up at a jam. That sounds like the opposite of a only-AC power mini board.

 

[jeremy]

this is my mini board. battery powered. fuzz->overdrive->delay sounds great and will get me through any gig i play

 

[Chistopher]

Pedal boards in general have just never appealed to me, I prefer my stuff just layed out on the floor, or at most a slightly raised surface. No switchers or anything. For that reason top mounted jacks are a really big inconvenience.

 

[jeremy]

for me its about time of setup at a gig. having a board with things already in place saves time and makes things easier for me.

 

[Ascension]

Have several and run them simply because I like the pedals not because they are minis. Don't run much in effects anyway so small is better. Own 3 Wampler minis , Ergo Compressor, A Tumilus mini and a Belle OD then a Xtotic compressor.

 

[Aceman]

How mini do you want to go?

This is my Go To rehearsal/Jams/Backup board. I use it a lot. Add a DI and it can do a show - and I have used it for that. Fits in a gig bag, runs on a One Spot. In "real" pedals it is a: Suhr Riot, Exotic RC Booster, Boss CE-2, Multi-fx for Flange, Chorus, Phase, Tremolo, Wah etc., and a Boss DD7 w/ 3 modes. Gets me my distortion, Boost and Delay that are my meat/potatoes happy place.

I have an adjustable board that can go Mini if I want. This isn't exactly Mini, but it isn't very big, especially if I get rid of the Vibe.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

This is what I practice through in my apartment where I can't crank up a tube amp and a 4x12.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I personally don't like pedals with jacks on the top. Mainly because 90% of the pedals I've owned don't, and any benefit that is gained from them having on the top gets negated if they don't all have them, IMO.

 

[Chistopher]

This is something I can kind of get behind, the smaller knobs for less important functions. I hope the gear makers move towards more 1 or 2 knob designs.

I think a pedal that has 3 knobs, one to control compression, one to control reverb, and one to control a DC-2 type chorus would be pretty cool.

 

[beaubrummels]

I use a mini board for minor gigs where I'm going direct/quiet statge or to a backline that is off-stage and because I can slip the mini board bag/case over the guitar case's neck portion and carry everything in in one go.

 

[Seashore]

I guess the HX Effects is my mini board. I've put together small utility boards for shows - noise gate, OD, and tuner for instance. I have lost count of how many times I've seen loose pedals get kicked out of place or otherwise yanked around, I think putting them on a board of some kind is the most reliable live option no matter how few pedals you have.

 

[Mincer]

I guess the HX Effects is my mini board. I've put together small utility boards for shows - noise gate, OD, and tuner for instance. I have lost count of how many times I've seen loose pedals get kicked out of place or otherwise yanked around, I think putting them on a board of some kind is the most reliable live option no matter how few pedals you have.

Haha, the HX Effects is my main board!

 

[Blille]

How mini do you want to go?

This is my Go To rehearsal/Jams/Backup board. I use it a lot. Add a DI and it can do a show - and I have used it for that. Fits in a gig bag, runs on a One Spot. In "real" pedals it is a: Suhr Riot, Exotic RC Booster, Boss CE-2, Multi-fx for Flange, Chorus, Phase, Tremolo, Wah etc., and a Boss DD7 w/ 3 modes. Gets me my distortion, Boost and Delay that are my meat/potatoes happy place.

I have an adjustable board that can go Mini if I want. This isn't exactly Mini, but it isn't very big, especially if I get rid of the Vibe.

Did you get that Treverb from the eBay link you shared or you already had it?

 

[Aceman]

Did you get that Treverb from the eBay link you shared or you already had it?

Already had it. I share the links when I see good deals.

 

[Mikelamury]

Now that I think about it I don't have a single mini pedal.and my only pedal board is 28" long.

 

[Blille]

Is this about pedalboards with mini pedals or small pedalboards? I’m a fan of the latter.

This is my current guitar board, it’s a Nano+ which is pretty small. I plan to simplify it a bit when my next reverb comes. My pedalboard used to be about twice this size plus an amp. And a half rack comp.

I don’t have a pic of my bass one but it’s a Nano with this configuration:

Both go straight to PA. I feel that with the Stomp I’ve lost a lot of the need to have a bazillion pedal.

 

[donaldr]

Haha, the HX Effects is my main board!

My main mini board

 

[donaldr]

But I can go smaller on occasions (battery powered):


And still smaller (battery powered and fitting in my guitar gigbag):

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Several mini (and a few even smaller) pedals on my small board, but it isn't exactly minimalist.



Four minis on my medium board too; this one is fairly elaborate.