TheGigRig sets a new standard for Pedalboard Construction and Smarts

So I was one of the 300-odd who watched GigRig’s Pedalboard launch on the TGR Podcast. And like many, I was blown away by how smartly these are designed and constructed. Hitherto the go-to smart pedalboard system has typically been Schmidt Array - admittedly beautiful mostly wooden boards - but relatively heavy, and reassuringly expensive! That’s not to say these featured boards are in any way low-cost - while when you factor in exactly what you’re getting here - the prices are very fair and reasonable!

I feel that the new GigRig Boards are the ultimate choice for touring and gigging musicians - the all-aluminium construction should be lighter and more robust than most wooden boards. And the lids come included with the boards - where they are an added extra for other brands, and including Schmidt Array. The only extra here is the Tour /  Gig Bags - which because of the front slope of the lid - have a pocket that fills that gap - where you can load / stow away all your various additional cables and accessories. There are so many smart touches and a deep attention to detail here!

During the 1 hour or so launch session - only two points were raised really - which would be nice-to-have additions. The first thing that was mentioned was a ’Modesty Curtain’ - as the backs of those boards are currently open to the elements for easy access - but that means you run the risk of showing the front row somewhat messy wiring (depends on how tidy you are). Dan was receptive to the addition of a back panel (with ports) - I would imagine something with neodymium magnets - to be easily snapped into place - it’s not a load-bearing part - so it could really afford to be simply magnetic - like many guitar cavity covers are nowadays!

The construction and ergonomics of the boards are highly innovative - and the depth of the shelves / tiers for instance have been designed to be able to easily accommodate power supplies on the underside.

The other thing mentioned during the session was about the ability to angle the shelves - where Dan explained that you could move down the ’Pins’ for the Front Tier Shelf on the Dual Boards - and lean the shelf against that dropped leve pinsl. I suggested more Pin Slots for a greater degree of angle-flexibility - but Dan rightly reminded me that the Boards had to remain structurally robust and secure - and adding more holes / indents - would weaken the structure. So it sounds like there may not be a lot of movement in that area for a while! At the show Jake demonstrated to me how you moved the pins and tilted the front shelf - which is very straightforward. The way the shelves are secured is kind of genius - with spring-loaded pins at the back, and bulldog grips keeping the front secure. The ’struts’ for those shelves are heavy load-bearing and are made of steel, everything else here is aluminium. The front tier shelf on the Doubles is on rails - and you can angle it out and forward as in the above lower diagram - to gain more access to the interior.

The design of the boards is so clever - also with the inclusion of the Wah Wall / Riser for each of those boards. And ultimate cabling access - where you can run your cables in myriad configurations - they don’t have to tuck in around the back of each tier shelf - there are holes in those tiers, and plenty of other planned gaps to give you ultimate flexibility. The front shelves can be moved really elegantly to fully open up the insides of those Boards. Dan and team have really thought this one through solidly. And understandably these were at least 2 years in the making.

And with two ports on each side you have further configuration flexibility for where you want to set up the board - having two sets of ports on both sides allows for pretty much every configuration. Those ports take a variety of GigRig patchbox types - including the enduringly popular Cinco Cinco.

My rig doesn’t really allow for a singular pedalboard solution - as there are 51 pedals currently in the chain - and I swap around up to 20 each month - which means I need ultimate flexibility - and bringing a board or boards into proceedings would put in place unnecessary barriers, limitations and complications. I’ve always talked on this blog about the major difference between a Studio Board / Rig, and a Touring Board. These GigRig Boards are surely the ultimate Touring versions.