NPBD: RockBoard Tres 3.1

[Dave Sloven]

This arrived today. A 2019 RockBoard Tres 3.1 with the flight case, plus their power supply mounting The Tray. It came with velcro etc plus these plastic rivets to mount the power supply mount.

I'll just post the unboxing photos for now. My old pedalboard was a 2013 Pedaltrain PT-2, you can see it in one of the photos.

This image (made using Pedal Playground) shows the difference in size:

I think the rest of these images are self-explanatory. I used the Peavey footswitch because it is close in size to the Boss MS-3 (which I am still waiting on ). I'll post more photos as I set it up. The hole on the right side of the board was new for 2019, it is for mounting various things, notably a large LED lamp.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Good bit of solid kit at a reasonable price.

 

[Dave Sloven]

Well the package arrived at my post office, their notification system failed. Got it now so I am relieved. A tracking number would have been much more professional though

 

[Dave Sloven]

Everything fits so far ...

 

[Dave Sloven]

Okay, so I removed that white plastic thing over the MOD mount hole and added velcro to The Tray to mount my T-Rex Fuel Tank Chameleon power supply.

The next step will be to have a hole cut into the front of the board to enable a CEI socket to be fitted, and then run a power cable from that to the power supply. Hence why I removed the plastic surround, to make that a bit easier

 

[Dave Sloven]

Looking at the height of the MS-3 compared to the row of MXR pedals behind it I will need to buy a riser for those to engage the chorus at shows, so I have inquired with my local dealer about ordering one of these,

RockBoard Step Up 3

RockBoard Step Up 3 - Pedal Riser (Extra-Wide)RockBoard® Step Up 3Increase the height of 3 standard size pedals for better access on the upper rows of a RockBoard® PedalboardAngledMaterial: metalFixation via included screws or hook & loop tapeDimensions (L x W x H): 255 x 145 x 25 mm / 10 1/16"...

www.ambertech.com.au

 

[Dave Sloven]

Mines the opposite problem. The MS-3 is in the way of the pedals behind it, which are lower.

 

[Dave Sloven]

Yeah my riser will have to be on the back row too, to lift them above the MS-3 on the front row. Like this guy:

 

[Dave Sloven]

I did a couple of things today. First I contacted Southern Music in Christies Beach and ordered the Step Up Kit, which includes the Step Up 1, Step Up 2, and Step Up 3. I don't have a use for the Step Up 2 at the moment but it's basically free when you consider the cost individually. I will put the Step Up 3 under the three MXR pedals and the Step Up 1 under the Boss tuner, as its angled casing seems to be designed for level surfaces, whereas my board is tilted. Also I can run a cable out from under it and that might be handy. You can see the problem in these photos:

Also Dean Zimmer at Zimmer Engineering cut this hole for an IEC socket into the front of the board! Very professional job!! I gave him a Heineken

 

[Dave Sloven]

I have a few things on the way for this board. Besides the MOD 5, there is a Boss FS-7, a Boss TU-3S, and a Boss BCK-24 Solderless Pedalboard Cable Kit. I'm also thinking of adding a Behringer Hum Destroyer, a Rockboard buffer, and a few other little things

 

[Dave Sloven]

I decided to only put the velco on the area under the individual pedals, not right across. It just gives a neater look and saves some velcro, plus it avoids picking up all kinds of fluff etc on the exposed velcro.

This gives a clearer idea of how the front of the rear row of pedals needs to come up an inch or so.

Even the LS-2 is too low.

The Step Up kit lifts the front of the pedals at least one inch, that should fix it. Here you can see the change in height:

The MS-3 is higher than the front row pedal in the photo but this riser is high enough

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Pedals always look good on pedalboard before the wiring/connectors are added...

 

[Dave Sloven]

I actually gave him two Heinekens, one for the apprentice ...

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Good move, Dave - I would have given the Heinekens away too - terrible beer...

 

[Dave Sloven]

Heh ... I just worked out that these risers are too long ... by about an inch ... looks like I might need to take them to Dean for a fold and slice operation with more beer ...

 

[Dave Sloven]

I only need them long enough for the Carbon Copy etc, any longer and there’s no room for the cables into the MS-3

 

[Dave Sloven]

In case you people haven't already worked this out, I'm one of those people who obsessively works through problems and plans them out to the nth degree ... well looking at the whole issue of risers and stepping on things I don't want to step on etc I made some decisions with this pedalboard. I tried putting the MS-3 on the rear row but that was worse than having it in front. And then I thought about how the whole point of having a switcher is to step on that and avoid stepping on the pedals behind it; i.e. to use the looper to control all of the effects behind it. So I decided to do omit the risers and build it as follows:

1: Put the MXR/CAE MC401 Boost / Line Driver in front of the MS-3 and use it as a buffer, using the clean boost inside the MS-3 when I want actual boost;
2ut the MXR Black Label Chorus in Loop 1 as the last effect before the amp;
3: Use Loop 2 as the send and return for the effects loop in the amp;
4: Put the MXR Carbon Copy in Loop 3 as the first effect in the effects loop; and,
5: Use the CTL OUT jack to control the amp channels via a TRS to DIN cable.

The three pedals will be always-on and controlled by the MS-3

The FS-7 will connect to one of the CTL IN / EXP jacks and the EV-30 will connect to the other one. If I encounter any hum issues I will buy a Behringer HD400 and mount it under the board, running the cable to the amp and the effects send cable through it.

I have a Loopi Tuner / Mute pedal coming that will connect the guitar to the input of the MC401 from its output jack and connect to a Boss TU-3S tuner from its tuner out jack. Those two pedals should be here over the next couple of weeks. I can get by with my Snark tuner until then. I also have three TRS cables (one 6" and two 1') coming, those will connect the EV-30, channel selector, and FS-7 to the MS-3. I have a Boss BCK-24 solderless cable coming that I will use to make all of the mono cables for the board. I won't bother making any cables or connecting anything though until the MOD 5 arrives, which will probably be Wednesday.

I also tested the flight case to see how it fits in the storage area under the floor of my Toyota, it fits real sweet. It also stands up nice on the concrete floor, unlike the soft case, which always needed to be leant against a wheel or something.

I have attached the EV-30, MS-3, and the three MXR pedals to the board now with velcro.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Looking good, Dave - although, I'm still worried about cables...

 

[steveb63]

I have had a Rockboard for approx. a year now.

Very happy with it, also got the Rock module? for routing and 4 cm.

Has traveled well, and does everything I've asked of it.

Once you get your details ironed out, think you'll be more than satisfied.

 

[Session 5]

Very sweet rig Dave...Congrats!!