Guitarists and bassists are generally fond of gadgetry, and both take great interest and pride in putting pedalboards together. Often, a pedal or pedalboard needs a little sometin’-somethin’ to optimize, so we’ve rounded up 10 tools to consider.
ROCK STOCK PEDALS
The Bright SwitchKeep your phone charged and pedalboard lit at the same time with this dual-USB, small-footprint stomp, which includes a 17" USB LED light attachment.
$49 street
rockstockpedals.com
BAREFOOT BUTTONS
V1 StandardIf you prefer playing shoeless, these inexpensive buttons will fit most major pedal switches and triggers, and will save your feet from step-on-a-Lego-style pain.
$9 street
barefootbuttons.com
MONO
Pedalboard RiseCut from a single piece of aluminum, the ergonomic inclined plane of this universal riser allows for forward-facing placement for easy reach or backward facing for higher elevation of pedals.
$30 street
monocreators.com
ROCKBOARD
LED DamperIf you find yourself blinded by the bank of LEDs on your ’board, these self-adhesive caps will dampen the glare, but still allow a pedal’s status to be visible, even in broad daylight.
$8 street (5-pack)
rockboard.de
OPTION KNOB
WingManThis wing-shaped dial allows you to easily replace a factory knob (using the included inserts for a firm fit) and achieve real-time foot control over your effects parameters.
$10 street
wingmanfx.com
HELWEG DESIGN
Pedal Mounting RisersThese minimalist 2" risers also function as a mounting bracket (no Velcro required), will work with virtually any pedal enclosure, and create open space on all sides and beneath.
$21 street
helwegdesign.com
TEMPLE AUDIO
RGB LED Light StripThis remote-controlled pedalboard LED lighting system will provide adequate lighting to see your knobs and settings, and set your rig apart with its mellow, color-selectable glow.
$21 street
templeaudio.com
EBS
2nd Row Pedal RiserThis lightweight and universal riser offers comfort and more secure switching by raising a rear-row pedal (or two minis) while hiding loose cables.
$25 street
ebssweden.com
ONE CONTROL
Junction BoxDesigned to be the beginning and end of a signal chain, this convenient input/output box helps to keep everything clean and organized on a pedalboard.
$45 street
one-control.com
SINGULAR SOUND
BeatBuddy Mini 2When you need your drummer and he/she isn’t around, this stompbox-sized drum machine provides 16-bit sound performed by pro drummers with more than 200 styles onboard.
$149 street
singularsound.com
The Rock Stock Skyline Reverb aims to put authentic spring-reverb sounds in a straightforward stompbox, and to that end it succeeds in many measures. As you’d expect, the tone knob shades reverberations from a bit muted to bright and splashy, and decay lengthens them from brief to longer than most real spring units can go. But level and drive might stump players expecting a response like two- and three-knob tube-driven units of yore. Level increases the volume of the wet signal, but no matter how high it’s set, the dry signal doesn’t remain just constant, but dominant. You can’t dial in that drowning sound an old spring unit gets when you crank the mix knob. And the drive control, rather than dialing in tube-like saturation and grit, increases the reverb’s intensity in a way that seems more like an extension of the decay control.
On the plus side, the feel and response of the Skyline’s lovely fundamental tones have a lot of the boing and sproing of a real spring reverb. But a few refinements would help its odds in a competitive market.Test gear: Baritone Jazzmaster with Seymour Duncan Antiquity IIs, Jaguar HC50 with Weber Gray Wolf
Ratings
Pros:
Reasonably convincing spring-reverb sounds with extended decay possibilities.
Cons:
Hiss from high level settings present when effect is bypassed. Slight pitch-modulation artifacts. No “drowning” surf sounds.
Street:
$179
Rock Stock Skyline Reverb
rockstockpedals.com
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