My first pedal board build was way overdue. Here’s how I built it, what I used, and what I’d do differently next time.
In this weekend feature post here at gearnews, stay with me as I delve into building my first-ever pedal board. This post includes the process of building, the gear required and lessons I learnt along the way.
Key Information about Pedal Boards
Guitar pedal boards allow players to utilise and store their pedals in one place. Improving reliability of your effects, signal flow, and on-stage efficiency.
You need to choose the right board size for you. This will depend on what pedals you already have, or are planning to purchase. Buying larger could future-proof yourself.
Safe power supplies and good quality patch cables are the make-or-break on a good pedal board.
Building a Pedal Board Pedal Board Gear The Physical Board Power Supply Patch Cables Pedals Signal ChainConclusion
My First Board
As a guitarist of 17 years, you’d think that I’d have built a pedal board by now. And do you know what? So did I. However, it’s just something that I’ve never got around to doing.
For context, I’ve played in bands and as a duo for approaching 10 years. With bands, I’ve always gone straight into my Fender 700 Roc Pro, with a footswitch to change between the clean channel and tube drive circuits. Furthermore, when I’m playing acoustically, I just go straight into our PA desk that has integrated effects. Therefore, I’ve never really needed anything more.
Over the years, I have dabbled in multi-effects pedals and some standalone pedals. Most recently, I invested in the versatile *NUX Cerberus. Now with a few modest pedals in my collection, I decided that 2026 was the year for me to get into board building. Afterall, everyone is going digital these days, it’s nice to go back to basics.
Pedal Board Gear
What do you need to build a guitar pedal board? It can all seem very cool and glamorous, but there are a few key components that you need before you do anything else. As ever, you could spend a small fortune, or you could build a setup on a budget. I went somewhere in the middle. Keeping it real, y’all.
The Physical Board
The board you get all depends on how many pedals you have, or want to use in the future. I only had 4 pedals to use at the time of building. Therefore, I went for the *Pedaltrain Classic 1 TC. This allowed me to easily store my existing pedals, whilst leaving room for more.
Additionally, you’ll want to get some Velcro tape strips, along with some cable ties. Both of these aid in fixing your pedals to the board. Whilst I love the aluminium construction, one limitation with the Pedaltrain classic is that it does not facilitate power supplies to be drilled into it, therefore cable ties became my solution.
Affiliate Links
Pedaltrain Classic 1 TC
Customer rating: (23)
$166.00 / £148.00 / 169.00€ at
Harley Benton SpaceShip Hook & Loop Tape 3M
Customer rating: (1012)
$5.70 / £5.30 / 5.90€ at
Hellermann Cable Ties 300 mm
Customer rating: (102)
$7.70 / £6.90 / 7.90€ at
Power Supply
Another important step in building your board. When it comes to electricity, don’t mess around. What does an ISO do? It provides power safely to your pedals, with only one mains plug being required.
The supply that I elected to use allows for a single POWER IN, which is the 12V mains supply. From here, I get x7 9v 300mA outputs for pedals, along with x3 9v 500mA ports for extra power. In my case, one of my pedals required more than 300mA to work correctly.
Power Supply Underneath the Board · Source: George Loveridge
You’ll want to secure your power supply underneath your board, in a location that allows you to still see and use all of the connections. As aforementioned, I used two cable ties to secure the power supply in place. This means that if I want to replace it at any time, I can simply cut the zip ties at my convenience. This is a secure and cost-effective way to secure your power supply to your pedal board.
Affiliate Links
Harley Benton PowerPlant ISO-2 Pro
Customer rating: (2015)
$68.00 / £59.00 / 69.00€ at
Harley Benton PowerPlant ISO-12 Pro
Customer rating: (620)
$88.00 / £77.00 / 89.00€ at
Strymon Ojai Expansion Kit
Customer rating: (56)
$135.00 / £119.00 / 138.00€ at
Walrus Audio Canvas Power HP
Customer rating: (9)
$245.00 / £219.00 / 249.00€ at
Patch Cables
One of the final pieces of the puzzle is patch cables. These act as a way to connect your pedals together. Typically, regular guitar jack cables are far too long for pedal board use. This is where patch cables come into play.
Affiliate Links
Harley Benton FPC-10 Flat Patch Cable
Customer rating: (1535)
$2.85 / £2.50 / 2.90€ at
EBS PCF-DL18G DLX Flat Patch New
Customer rating: (82)
$6.70 / £6.00 / 6.90€ at
pro snake Patch Angled Jack 0,15 m
Customer rating: (6110)
$3.22 / £2.90 / 3.30€ at
There are various makes, models, and sizes on the market. Try to buy the best that you can afford, as a broken patch cable could be the end of your gig. For a tidy board, try to route your patch cables as neatly as you see fit. A good way to do this is by routing them underneath your board, where nobody can see them.
Pedals
Right, the part you’ve all been waiting for! What’s on my pedal board? Some of these pedals have been in my collection for a while, whilst others were either gifted or purchased recently.
Pedal Board Signal Chain · Source: George Loveridge
The pedals in question are:
1 – Fuzz
2 – NUX Cerberus
3 – EVH Flanger
4 – Behringer DR600 Digital Reverb
What a strange collection, I hear you say. Allow me to explain. Since September, I have been using the NUX Cerberus multi-effects pedal for both live and studio use. It allows me to use multiple effects simultaneously, along with reverb and an integrated tuner.
Affiliate Links
tc electronic Rusty Fuzz
Customer rating: (213)
$38.00 / £35.00 / 39.00€ at
Nux Cerberus
Customer rating: (175)
$273.00 / £244.00 / 278.00€ at
Boss BF-3
Customer rating: (151)
$138.00 / £125.00 / 141.00€ at
Behringer DR600 Digital Reverb
Customer rating: (454)
$27.00 / £23.90 / 28.00€ at
I was gifted the Fuzz pedal from a gentleman who makes his own pedals! Moreover, the Flanger was a recent Christmas gift. Finally, the *Behringer Reverb unit has been with me for years. I love the ‘Room Modulate’ feature blends both reverb and chorus. It sounds magical.
Signal Chain
Onto one of the most complicated elements of building a pedal board. The best way to ensure that your pedal board actually works is to follow a simple rule order:
Guitar
Tuner
Drive / Gain
Modulation
Delay / Reverb
Amp
In my case, I’ve started with the Fuzz in front of the Cerberus, along to the Flanger and concluding with the Reverb. This allows everything to work as it should and voids any harsh interference. Moreover, I can still utilise the tuner on the NUX unit.
Pedal Board Build · Source: George Loveridge
One admission I have to make is that the Cerberus facilitates an effects loop, as can my amplifier. However, I have no idea how to make use of the four cable method that is an effects loop. Any help would be welcome!
Conclusion
What would I do differently next time? I’m no expert in building pedal boards, so I have certainly learnt from my mistakes. Firstly, I’d be more cautious with where I lay the Velcro tape to affix the pedals. I should have tested if all of the patch cables reached each pedal before I committed to the locations of the pedals.
Furthermore, I’d recommend buying some sort of carry case. This allows me to store the pedal board whilst I’m not using it, and it’ll help me take it between band practices and studio sessions. Luckily, I soon purchased one later.
Pedal Board Carry Case · Source: George Loveridge
Videos
Further Information:
Best Guitar Gear of 2025
Recording a Live Podcast
The Best Pedal Board Power Supply
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The post Building My First Pedal Board: Gear, Signals & Surprises appeared first on gearnews.com.
