Making it stick?

[curtisstetka]

I cannot get my effects to stay put in my pedalboard! The velcro connection doesn't fail - it's the stickiness between the velcro and the back of the pedal.

I clean thing up as best I can, put a new piece of "heavy duty" velcro on there and it lasts about a month or two. Then one day I open up the pedalboard and it's cut loose again.

Is there some secret boutique brand of velcro that doesn't let go? What am I missing here?

The Boss and Boss-esque pedals are the worst because their backs are not completely flat. My FD2 seems to last the longest but today even that sucker had cut loose again. Damnit!!!

[Offshore Angler]

curtis, I battled that problem for years. Sometimes the velco sticks but the danged rubber falls off the bottom of the pedal. My solution was stupid simple. I drill a hole on either side and use tywraps to secure them to the board. I still use the velcro so they don't slide around but with the tywraps they don't budge. I bought a tube with about 100 in it. If I need to change things I just cut and use new ones. Since I wanted skinny tywraps, I use two to make a long one. It works great.

[curtisstetka]

OSA, that is a brilliant idea. But then you sorta end up with a bunch of holes through your pedal case, right? I mean, if I shuffle the pedals around (which I do fairly frequently as pedals rise and fall in favor ) I'll end up with a case that begins to resemble swiss cheese.

I don't care so much about appearance (I mean, LOOK at me, will ya?) but one of the purposes of the case is to protect my investment in pedals. If the pedals are in the case and some damn drunk spills his beer on it and there are a bunch of holes through the lid, that's a problem.

I'm thinking about your suggestion though. It is a really good one and the solution to the supremely annoying problem I've been having may outweigh the hypothetical drawback I mentioned.

I got it!!! I'll just cut me a thin piece of plywood to fit inside my pedal case. I'll do the zip tie thing to fasten the pedals to that and then put four screws through the case to secure the plywood to the pedalcase! If I want to switch pedals around I just unscrew the plywood, drill some more holes, use some more zip ties and then screw it back in. Tah-freaking-dah!!!!!

OSA, you are my hero.

[Offshore Angler]

You really need to set higher standards, curt!

[photoweborama]

I think Chucko's solution seems to work. He gave me a Tube Screamer and a DS-1, and there was NO rubber on the bottoms.. just Velcro.. I don't move my stuff that much, but they sure don't come off easy this way.

[fetchzee]

Whew. I thought I was the only one having this problem.

I've even been cleaning the bottom of the Boss pedals with rubbing alcohol to make sure they were grease-free, but the adhesive on the Velcro just isn't sticking.

I think maybe I'll try roughing it up with some sandpaper next time to see if I can get the adhesive to "bite" a little more.

[curtisstetka]

Save your time, fetchzee. I've tried that. The velcro holds a little longer but eventually the stickiness fails. I'm going with OSA's idea.

[chuckocaster]

rip that shit off curt. sure you lose some resale vlaue, but there are no more headaches. and that velcro has been on there for about 2 years on the tubescreamer.

KISS. really the only way to play guitar.

[curtisstetka]

Hey Chuckocaster! I'm a player, not a collector. I have no trouble ripping the rubber off the bottom of the pedals. But I'm saying that the bottom of my FD2 is a vast expanse of flat metal and even though I put a HUGE piece of velcro across the entire bottom of the pedal it eventually comes off.

I clean that thing with alcohol (some for the pedal, some for me, some for the pedal, some for me ), I scuff it up with sandpaper, and STILL it defies me!!!!!!

[JAM]

Is there a way you could use the ties to secure the velcro to the pedal?

[BigsbyTracks]

If you want to really geek out, cut a piece of plywood in the outline of the pedal, then get screws long enough to go through the plywood into the bottom of the pedal as usual. (I put the original screws in a small bag inside the pedal so I don't lose them.) Now you have a nonmetallic surface to stick the velcro to. Put the velcro on the plywood and mount it on the pedalboard.

I like this because I hate screwing up the bottom of a pedal with adhesive and I can still move pedals around easily. The 2'' wide velcro from Wal Mart keeps everything nice and stuck.

On the other hand, the simplicity and economy of the tie wrap approach are inarguable. I doubt I'd be mounting pedals the way I do if I were actually playing out instead of sitting in my house worrying about how to mount pedals. :lol

[chuckocaster]

curt, beer really isn't made to clean stuff.

i use the velcro strip they sell at home depot, it's like an inch wide and about 5 feet long. i've never had it come off ever. i don't buy the squares, they don't seem to work too well for me.

but then again i don't have a fulldrive, so i haven't encoutered this problem yet.

[photoweborama]

I say just put a metal plate on the bottom of the pedal board and WELD those suckers down!

[chuckocaster]

:hee

[Offshore Angler]

Another trick would be to just leave your pedalboard on the floor of the local movie theater for a week. Anything will stick to it after that.

[curtisstetka]

If I did that, OSA, I could say I was really into grunge and I'd have the gear to prove it.

[Jonnda]

What I would do is get some really long zip ties, place the pedal where you want it, and drill two holes (or four if the pedal is large) though the pedal board on either side of the pedal. Then just insert the long zip tie in both pedal board holes and zip tight over the top of the pedal. like this
____
|___| = pedal

______= pedal board
___
(.....) = zip tie

______
(_|___|_)__

clear as mud?

[Offshore Angler]

Hey, that just might work!

[stratcat62]

There is a better way providing you don't mind mild damage to your pedals. Remove the rubber from the bottom of the pedal exposing the bare metal. The velcro tape will stick to it for years. I've been doing this for 10 years without a failure. Tom Peck, designers of rigs for many big time players, mentions the same solution in this months issue of Guitar Player Magazine. Try it, it's easier to do and effective.

[Offshore Angler]

There is a better way providing you don't mind mild damage to your pedals. Remove the rubber from the bottom of the pedal exposing the bare metal. The velcro tape will stick to it for years. I've been doing this for 10 years without a failure. Tom Peck, designers of rigs for many big time players, mentions the same solution in this months issue of Guitar Player Magazine. Try it, it's easier to do and effective.

Tom Peck also uses rubber bands. Nah, the bare metal will work for a while but it ain't roadworthy. My problem with the rubber band system is that they:

a: Dry out and fail
b: sometimes react with the paint on the pedals and leave turn your vintage Rangemaster into a gooey mess.

[Strat Cat]

If you want to really geek out, cut a piece of plywood in the outline of the pedal, then get screws long enough to go through the plywood into the bottom of the pedal as usual. (I put the original screws in a small bag inside the pedal so I don't lose them.) Now you have a nonmetallic surface to stick the velcro to. Put the velcro on the plywood and mount it on the pedalboard.

I like this because I hate screwing up the bottom of a pedal with adhesive and I can still move pedals around easily. The 2'' wide velcro from Wal Mart keeps everything nice and stuck.

On the other hand, the simplicity and economy of the tie wrap approach are inarguable. I doubt I'd be mounting pedals the way I do if I were actually playing out instead of sitting in my house worrying about how to mount pedals. :lol

I do something similar to this. I take the bottom plate from the pedal and use it as a template to transfer the screw locations to the plywood. Then I drill the holes and get the longer screws from my local hardware store and screw the pedals down to the board. Works great for me.

[Jonnda]

Tom Peck also uses rubber bands. Nah, the bare metal will work for a while but it ain't roadworthy. My problem with the rubber band system is that they:

a: Dry out and fail
b: sometimes react with the paint on the pedals and leave turn your vintage Rangemaster into a gooey mess.

So use zip ties instead of rubber bands.

[sinner]

Man, I always have the opposite problem: the velcro is too sticky! I got tired of tearing it to shreds and making it unusable again each time I wanted to move pedals around or take one favorite off the board to have just it available for bedroom use. I finally went with just some low grade velcro which still works without a problem and it's easy to take pedals on/off.

[Offshore Angler]

Jonnda, check out post #2.

[Jonnda]

Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night.

[curtisstetka]

Wait a minute. I got it! I'll use zip ties!!! I am so brilliant.

[photoweborama]

You know, I just thought of something simple. I use a pedal bag, and nothing seems to more or come loose on it.

On a pedal board, you stick the pedal to the board, and then clamp a top on it. The only real thing holding the pedal down is the Velcro. With movement it comes off.

My pedal bag zips a top down tightly on the pedals so they can't move. Maybe if you just stuck foam on top of your pedals and then clamped the top on them, they would not come off any more, even if you did still stick the Velcro to the rubber bottoms. You could stick the foam to the top, or just have a big loose chunk you put in there.

[curtisstetka]

That is a brilliant idea, Mark. Even in your delirium you are a supra-genius!

That would certainly help protect the pedals a bit better too. Keep everything nice and snug and padded in there.

When I re-work my pedal board again (it's a-coming) I'll do the plywood with zip ties AND the big chunk of foam.

[photoweborama]

Glad the idea might work for you.
I'm at work today, but I'm guaranteeing myself in my old office. I like it better anyway. I'm alone, and there is a lot of space to spread out.

If I ever go to a traditional pedal board, I'm going to do the "chunk o foam" thing too!