I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

I was recently at Control in Brooklyn (a specialised modular synth shop) and, from the perspective of a dedicated guitarist, I was enamored with the thoughtfulness and intelligence of the modular system. My $.02.

Just seems like a good idea for the 21st century. Me thinks.


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Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Mincer said:
I often wonder how designing a modern guitar rig would be approached if you weren't tied to tradition, form factor of current products, and 'vintage bias' from guitar players. I think it is an interesting theoretical dilemma if you got people who weren't guitar players (and no knowledge of guitar trends/history/gear) to do it.
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It would look like how keyboard/synth systems look.

One thing keys players have got right is they make the tech work for them. Some of the stuff available if you play keys is unbelievable.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

I’m starting to like this idea. Modularity like a pedal board, but everything is buttoned up and super tidy, like a rack within a rack. It would be great for useability, since you can just omit what you don’t need.

When do the chassis and modules start shipping?
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

I also have a G system just for this, pedal controls everything, pedal drawer in the rack, midi control changes pedals and the amp. 5 loops and full amp control plus pretty good effects.

Not really rack modular, but a drawer with enough Velcro is easy to reconfigure.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Little Pigbacon said:
I’m starting to like this idea. Modularity like a pedal board, but everything is buttoned up and super tidy, like a rack within a rack. It would be great for useability, since you can just omit what you don’t need.

When do the chassis and modules start shipping?
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I think the idea is just 'a drawer full of pedals kept in a rack'.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

ArtieToo said:
Not the studio 500 series modules per se, but a dedicated mini-rack for pedal modules. It would put all the controls up where you could "fiddle" with them easier. You could control them with a simple multi foot-switch pedal, and it would really clean up your wiring/cables. Not to mention the fact that these modules could easily have true +/- 15-volt bipolar power. Much increased headroom and elimination of a lot of caps in the signal path. Also, the actual cost of individual modules could be less than their pedal counterpart due to no need for an enclosure, jacks, power connectors, and foot switches.

Just seems like a good idea for the 21st century. Me thinks. :scratchch
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I've been thinking similar lines, but control becomes the problem. Those individual modules should be controllable via footswitches, which would require MIDI-interface, or similar. That costs, and guitar players, very rarely want to pay extra for "digitalized" version, if they can get the original for half the price.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

That being said: it is a one-time investment. In the long run, it should be cheaper to have on/offswitches housed separately, and use only one set of switches, instead of having to have one with every pedal.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

For me, rig of the future would be an iPad with maybe an arrow key foot pedal. I could program in pedal/amp layouts per song and sections of songs and just arrow key through my presets. The iPad would be my fake book, and I could also run a metronome signal in to automatically turn sheet music pages and do pedal/amp program changes at the same time.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Sirion said:
That being said: it is a one-time investment. In the long run, it should be cheaper to have on/offswitches housed separately, and use only one set of switches, instead of having to have one with every pedal.
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You do need electronics for switching inside every effect unit. Directing the actual signal from effect to switches and back would be far worse solution than traditional stomp box approach.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

How so? The advent of the pedalboard switcher seems to suggest that even the pedal people are coming around to the idea of separating switches and effects. For those running rack rigs, the idea is of course not at all new.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Sirion said:
How so? The advent of the pedalboard switcher seems to suggest that even the pedal people are coming around to the idea of separating switches and effects. For those running rack rigs, the idea is of course not at all new.
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I might not get this idea, but if you want to switch single pedal on/off, instead of loop, wouldn't you need a patch cable from each pedal to switcher and back.

Yet this would only allow routing the signal, not controlling the pedal in any way.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

You are indeed right that is how most pedal switchers work; some modern ones are also MIDI programmable, so you can switch parameters on complicated pedals easily. You are right about the cables, but cables are needed between pedals in any case. A switcher is, in any case, a one-time investment. Once you put pedals in it, their internal switches become an extra expense (that also takes up extra space on your pedalboard). For what it is worth, it also lets you switch things that cannot easily be integrated into a normal pedal board on and off.

Mind you, I do not believe that pedals as we know them are going to disappear. They are ingrained as a standard by now. I do, however, think that they are a very bad solution to the problem they are attempting to solve – in all other ways than compatibility (you can combine all brands, and use them in any rig) and the instant gratification factor involved. Once a little planning is put into a rig, there are in my opinion much better ways to include effects.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Sirion said:
You are indeed right that is how most pedal switchers work; some modern ones are also MIDI programmable, so you can switch parameters on complicated pedals easily. You are right about the cables, but cables are needed between pedals in any case. A switcher is, in any case, a one-time investment. Once you put pedals in it, their internal switches become an extra expense (that also takes up extra space on your pedalboard). For what it is worth, it also lets you switch things that cannot easily be integrated into a normal pedal board on and off.

Mind you, I do not believe that pedals as we know them are going to disappear. They are ingrained as a standard by now. I do, however, think that they are a very bad solution to the problem they are attempting to solve – in all other ways than compatibility (you can combine all brands, and use them in any rig) and the instant gratification factor involved. Once a little planning is put into a rig, there are in my opinion much better ways to include effects.
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Indeed. What I was thinking was that separating the switches from electronics would push the market to professional side, because of the reasons explained above.

The savings from not having switches would not really contribute to the user then. And market would diminish as only the people who already has the rest of that rig would be possible byers for new effects box.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Well, an effect box without an integrated switch would obviously only be useful if you either have a switcher or plan to keep it on all the time. So far we agree. But I do not agree that "The savings from not having switches would not really contribute to the user", because (1) when you add a switcher, as people are doing anyway, the actual switching mechanics and larger box that goes with it basically becomes useless, and (2) people who have been playing for a while will normally have quite a few pedals more than they are using at any time.

Again: I think this would be a design improvement (almost anything is an improvement over stompboxes imho), but it is not one I suspect to see any time soon. The two things the stomp box format have going for them are, again, simplicity and instant gratification.
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Sirion said:
Well, an effect box without an integrated switch would obviously only be useful if you either have a switcher or plan to keep it on all the time. So far we agree. But I do not agree that "The savings from not having switches would not really contribute to the user", because (1) when you add a switcher, as people are doing anyway, the actual switching mechanics and larger box that goes with it basically becomes useless, and (2) people who have been playing for a while will normally have quite a few pedals more than they are using at any time.
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What I meant was that since these boxes would be sold less and mainly to the more professional side, the prices would definitely be higher in the first place. And most likely those effects would also be the top-level equipment price-wise too.

At least until EHX arrives to the market ;)

Sirion said:
Again: I think this would be a design improvement (almost anything is an improvement over stompboxes imho), but it is not one I suspect to see any time soon. The two things the stomp box format have going for them are, again, simplicity and instant gratification.
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I'd hope this idea would caught up. But I doubt the effects I want to use will ever see that format...

I do actually have plans to build separate switching mechanism for my pedalboard in the future, but it's a one-piece a time project like Johnnys car, so it'll take awhile I'll get it working...
 
Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

Re: I wonder why guitar pedals aren't made in a quasi "500 series" configuration.

ArtieToo said:
Not the studio 500 series modules per se, but a dedicated mini-rack for pedal modules. It would put all the controls up where you could "fiddle" with them easier. You could control them with a simple multi foot-switch pedal, and it would really clean up your wiring/cables. Not to mention the fact that these modules could easily have true +/- 15-volt bipolar power. Much increased headroom and elimination of a lot of caps in the signal path. Also, the actual cost of individual modules could be less than their pedal counterpart due to no need for an enclosure, jacks, power connectors, and foot switches.

Just seems like a good idea for the 21st century. Me thinks. :scratchch
Click to expand...
Actually, something like this seemed to be a good idea to someone in the 20th century.
korg_pme-40x_001.jpg
 
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