The “Bike Chain” Method For Pedalboard Mounting

The following is a guest post by Matt Cheezem (@CheeseBlocks). If you are interested in guest posting, please contact me!

Velcro seems to be the standard, unchallenged way to mount pedals. With the exception of custom made/mounted boards (that can often carry quite a price tag, or involve a LOT of time for you DIY’ers) there hasn’t really been a more effective method around to do it. I’ll admit, Velcro is convenient, fast, easy, and in most cases, get the job done OK… but if you’re around pedals a lot, you’ve probably experienced at least one case of a pedal that just won’t stick, one that lost grip when you stepped on it, or a precious vintage pedal that had its age identifying label or serial number ripped off by the overzealous sticky side.  Then there are always the pedalboard bandits, that are barely slowed down by velcro!

I offer, for your consideration… an alternative. If you’re still reading, and you’re with me so far, here’s what you’ll need:

Materials:

-Pedal Board (I’ll be using my new “Trailer Trash” brand board)
-Pedal (I’ll be using a Ernie Ball VP Jr. Volume Pedal)
-Screwdriver
-Electric drill
-5/32 drill bit (or metric equivalent)
-Chain cracker
-Small length of extra bike chain (I used #40 size)
-4 nut/bolt/washer combos (6-32 X 1″ used here) OR
-4 wood screws or self tapping machine screws

Step One:

Grab the chain cracker and bike chain and…. Get crackin!

What you’re looking to end up with are the flat links that look like this:

I like to use 4 per pedal (one on each corner) but 2 will do the trick. It will be less secure though.

Step Two:

Remove the 4 screws from the bottom of your pedal, and rubber feet if applicable:

Run the screws through one of the eyelets on your bike chain links, and replace them. You may need to use a couple of washers if your pedal has rubber feet, as the screws may be too long

Step Three:

Since I’ll be using the nut/bolt/washer combos, I’ll be drilling all the way through the board (I don’t recommend doing this on your carpet OR hardwood floors)

If your board sits flush to the ground, you may want to use a short wood screw or self tapping machine head screw. Either way, I would drill a small pilot hole first to prevent splitting/cracking

Step Four:

With all of your holes drilled, insert the hardware through the top of the board, place a washer on each bolt underneath the board, and tighten the nut. If you’re particularly worried about security, you can use a larger fender washer.

That’s It!

Easy as that! Mind you, if you are a player that constantly buys, sells, trades, and moves pedals, this may not be the method for you. Even if you are though, if you have a few key pedals that never move (in my case, the volume pedal will ALWAYS be right where it is here) then maybe a mix of bike chain and velcro is right for you.  Either way, with the right tools, it won’t take more than a minute or two to remove a pedal, and with the small holes drilled, damage is minimal (and will probably be covered up with whatever pedal you replace it with, right?)

If you love the idea, but don’t want to go to the trouble of buying/borrowing a chain cracker, finding a length of chain, rounding up the hardware, etc., I have pedal kits available. Each kit contains 4 chain tabs, and 4 each of either the nut/bolt/washer combo, or self tapping screws (you specify based on your needs!)

Kits are $1.50 each, plus $2.50 shipping per order, and you will need one kit per pedal that you wish to mount. To order, email me at cheeseblockseffects@nullme.com

Keep on rockin’ in the free world!

Matt
www.cheeseblockseffects.com

About the author:
Matt Cheezem is the owner of CheeseBlocks Effects, who are makers of fine stomp boxes including the CheeseBlocks sCream Cheese overdrive! CheeseBlocks also do pedal mods and custom pedal designs. Please visit them at their website or follow them on Twitter (@CheeseBlocks)

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