Douglas Vertical Pedalboards: Transform Your Music Setup
In this week's podcast, we're diving into the world of vertical pedal boards and exploring the unique craftsmanship of the Red Panda Tensor pedal. While browsing Etsy for pedal boards a few weeks back, I stumbled upon a fascinating niche – vertical pedal board stands designed for desktop use.
What caught my eye were these single pedal board holders crafted through 3D printing. However, I preferred handcrafted wooden options, as 3D-printed products feel impersonal and cheap. Enter Douglas Pedal Boards – a discovery that sparked my interest.
Douglas Pedal Boards, a small business in Canada, stood out with its beautifully hand-built creations. The boards exuded a unique quality, far from the mass-produced feel of assembly line products. I reached out to Douglas, delving deeper into his craft, and was fortunate to get my hands on one for my studio – an experience I must say left me truly delighted.
Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, the vertical pedal board boasts a lightweight build that I found particularly appealing. The satiny natural wood finish avoided the high-gloss look, further contributing to its charm. What stood out were the thoughtful details – two larger holes on the sides facilitating cable management, a feature often overlooked but immensely valuable when wiring pedals in a desktop setup.
What struck me most was the realization that vertical pedal boards were a game-changer for recording and manipulating effects in real time. Traditional flat pedal boards fall short in this scenario, making it challenging to see and adjust knob settings. As someone who thrives on tweaking pedals while recording, the accessibility provided by a vertical setup has proven to be a significant creative boom.
I chose the Douglas vertical pedal board to streamline my effects pedals within my rack. The stock size perfectly nestled into my rack unit, coexisting harmoniously with other rack-mounted gear like my Universal Audio Apollo interface and Purple Audio MC 77 compressor. Now, all my effect pedals are within easy reach, allowing me to tweak settings on the fly and seamlessly integrate them into my recordings.
What surprised and pleased me even more was the affordability of Douglas Pedal Boards. Douglas's offerings are refreshingly reasonable in an era where some pedal boards command exorbitant prices. The vertical pedal board I acquired was around $84.97 – a far cry from the steep figures often associated with similar products. His horizontal pedal boards are equally well-priced, making quality craftsmanship accessible to a broader audience.
Douglas Pedal Boards offers a range of finishes, allowing you to customize your board to match your amp or create a cohesive look with a matching case. As I continue to explore different setups for various gigs, having a versatile designer like Douglas, who can create custom boards to suit specific needs, is invaluable. His commitment to quality, fair pricing, and the ability to cater to individual preferences make him a go-to for anyone in the market for a pedal board.
Contact Douglas directly for a personalized touch or if you have specific requirements beyond what's showcased on his Etsy page. It's fascinating that Douglas began this journey by crafting a pedal board for himself. He has since transformed his passion for music and woodworking into a thriving small business in Ottawa, Canada.
Go vert! It's all the rage with the kids these days.
I discussed the Douglass Vertical Pedalboard in ep27 of my podcast “Anatomy of Tone”
