I currently have a pedalboard, but velcro has been the bane of my existance. No matter what I do, the velcro sticks to itself, but not to the pedals. So every time I go to move a pedal, the velcro comes of. I even tried superglue!
So I’m considering a pedalboard that doesn’t use velcro. I’m looking at the Temple Audio boards (probably the Duo 17). Trying to decide if I really want to spend that much on a board.
I’m wondering which add-on modules are needed or recommended. That’s the one part I find confusing, as there are a lot of modules, and it’s not clear to me what they all do, or which I need.
I am planning to get a power supply, probably a Voodoo Lab x8. Also the carry bag and needed mounting plates.
Beyond the power supply, are there any modules you’d recommend? Just trying to figure out what the total cost will be before I pull the trigger.
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I’ve got one of these. I wasn’t going to do velcro and looking in to the temple boards, it looks like you till have to use sticky plates to secure them to the board which wasn’t much better than velcro imo. Other than the little plugs taking up some space (which tbf, isn’t much more than you’d need for patch and power cables for pedals where they’re on the side), I love this thing and I’m glad I went this route.
Amazon link
Excuse the mess, it’s still a work in progress and I wasn’t ready to post it all over the interwebz. The multi effect is about 11.5" across for reference.
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I have a temple board, I talked about it a couple times somewhere around here. but short version do I like it? yes. would I recommend it? …maybe? it’s expensive, a gigantic pain in the ass to assemble some things, and the Velcro saving system is kinda pointless (you still attach adhesive to your pedals and the mounting screws tend to loosen over time requiring retightening). but it looks cool and the optional modules might be handy for you (none are required). the modules pretty much do what they say on the tin, there are things like USB or input jacks so you can run those cords into the side of the board rather than directly to your pedals), power cord inputs, etc.
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I bought one like @faydout because I wanted to avoid velcro as well. I’m happy with it, but only have a few pedals and have nothing else to compare it to…
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Have you been cleaning the pedals first? I wipe mine (and my fingertips) down with rubbing alcohol, let it dry (just takes a few seconds), and then apply the velcro. Haven’t had any issues getting it to stick, and I’ve just been using whatever’s cheap on Amazon or the local music store, not exactly sourcing the finest hook and loop tape.
Any adhesive will have issues sticking to a surface that’s coated in oils or other contaminants, which can be left behind by manufacturing processes, packaging, and even finger oils from handling if it’s been sitting on display for a while. Rubbing alcohol on a paper towel is a pretty quick and easy way to get rid of most of it; acetone or other solvents will do as well, just a little more noxious (and liable to damage markings, stickers, etc).
When you remove the pedals, use something thin to separate the hooks and loops - a paint scraper is probably the best tool I’ve used, but I’ve used a pocketknife much more often just because it’s what’s at hand.
Of course if you get a non-velcro solution that solves the problem too, but you’ve probably already got the stuff you need to make the velcro work better without investing in a whole new board.
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I actually haven’t done the alcohol cleaning first. I’ll try that next time. And yeah, I just learned to use an old library card to slide under the velcro to release it. That’s helping a lot.
I also think I may be using too much velcro. I’m using a strip the length of the pedal down the middle. Might be better to use two smaller strips across the width on the top and bottom. So I’m going to try that.
I’m doing the thing where you put gaffer’s tape on the pedal, and then glue the velcro to the gaffer’s tape. Now the main issue is the gaffer’s tape doesn’t hold on the pedals. I’ll try the alcohol trick. Also, I think I got junk gaffer’s tape, so I ordered some better tape. Hopefully that works. If not, I’ll probably be getting the Temple Audio board.
The other upside to upgrading would be that the new board would be a bit lighter. Also with a dedicated power supply there’d be less noise than using the daisy chain I have now.
Oh yeah @Al1885 this stuff is gold. I always have a roll handy along with gaffer tape.
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Or…dispense with a pedal board entirely! I did and replaced it with a multi-effects unit. I’m very unlikely to go back to separates.
Lol. I already have the pedals I need, so that wouldn’t be cost effective. 
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I’ve actually tried that exact stuff and didn’t have any better luck with it than the other Velcro I had. But I’ll try again with the better gaffer tape and cleaning with alcohol first. If that doesn’t work, Temple Audio here I came! 
I think the problem is the Velcro sticks to itself (whatever brand you use) much more strongly than it does to the pedal or tape.
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this is not how GAS works
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this does not compute!
While I’ve not GAS any “bass” guitars but I’ve been GASsing some flagships IEMs. Fiio FA19, FX15, and FH19
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Gaffer tape is specifically designed to come off cleanly since it’s meant for temporarily taping stuff on set/stage, while the velcro is meant to be permanent and should have a stronger adhesive.
I did this. Precisely taping every pedal. The tape would come loose during transportation, and having gaffers tape on the pedals for so long ended up making just as much goop to clean up as using hook and loop.
I enjoyed how the taping process catered to my OCD, but it’s not a solution that works the way the guy in the video said it would.
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Good to know. Well if I’m going to have to stick things to the pedals anyway, I may as well go the Temple Audio route so it can be more permanent and I only have to set it up once. Also their board will be lighter than the one I have now.
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Gotta say… after years of touring with the Temple Audio plates, I’m quite unhappy and abandoned the whole system.
Ya know how velcro adhesive fails? So does the adhesive on the Temple mounting plates. So then you have goopy $5-10 hunks of metal that are slightly askew on the bottom of your pedal, instead of goopy hunks of cheap velcro.
YMMV, I was transporting stuff in fairly extreme temperatures, played gigs that were like 100F outside, etc., but it was enough to make me lose faith in the system.
What would be DOPE is it pedal manufacturers could all agree to make holes for thumbscrews in their bottom plates, so you could attach stuff to Temple-style boards without needing the extra layer of a mounting plate.
Or if someone could 3D print aftermarket pedal bottom plates for a variety of manufacturers. Or something. But with the system as it is… my new board will be velcro, for sure.
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i mean i guess if you took the initiative you could just drill mounting holes through all your bottom plates. probably somebody would bitch and it would ruin resale value or something.
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Wow thanks for this Josh. You’ve convinced me and saved me a lot of money. Can’t argue with the amount of experience you’ve had with the system. The heat would definitely be an issue, and where I live in the PNW, humidity as well.
Yeah it would be so nice if someone could come up with an affordable solution that didn’t involve adhesives of any kind.
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