Features
Boneyard Development
Today, guitarists are using more effect pedals as part of their tonal arsenal. This opens the door to creative new sounds and allows greater flexibility on stage. For guitarists, the challenge has been trying to find a suitable pedalboard that could at once be large enough to accommodate all of the pedals while providing easy access for quick changes on stage. The Boneyard pedalboard is a simple device that cleverly addresses these needs by incorporating many innovative features. As with all good 'inventions' the Boneyard's development was not automatic: six different prototypes were created and tested before the final Boneyard design took shape. Who said pedalboards were easy to build?
How big should a pedalboard be?
By the time you line up your wah pedal, a volume pedal, a chorus, flanger, a few distortion pedals and a few fuzz boxes, you quickly realize that all of this gear takes quite a bit of real estate. Add a loop controller (like the Radial Loopbone) and a power supply and all of a sudden you begin to wonder how big of a pedalboard is realistic and how much room you will have when playing on smaller stages. When deciding on the Boneyard's size, Radial Engineering asked themselves these and many other questions. How much room does a guitarist really need on stage? That answer was easy: the width of a guitar. So Radial Engineering measured a Strat and a Les Paul and figured 32" to 36" would work. How deep, front to back, became the next question? This also soon became obvious as guitarists generally have a tripod boom stand in front of them when they perform. To accommodate this, the Boneyard could not be so deep as to make it difficult for the mic boom to reach over it.
What do you do with all the wires?
The next challenge was figuring out what to do with all of the connections between the pedals and all of the power supply wires. Radial Engineering started by looking at building a surface with a passageway underneath. Radial Engineering soon discovered that a flat horizontal surface made it difficult to access the footswitches of the second row of pedals. This prompted us to develop the Boneyard's unique wedge design. This not only could accommodate passing cables underneath, but also made it easy to foot stomp pedals wherever they were placed on the surface. Radial Engineering then developed a matrix of pre-drilled holes that would allow the guitarist to position his pedals and then pass audio and power cables through the surface for a cleaner, more professional looking pedalboard. All that is required is a carpet knife and a nail or screw as a marker. Once the pedals are in place, locate the appropriate hole by pushing the nail through the carpet and then cut the carpet. The 1/2" holes are large enough to accommodate a standard 1/4" guitar jack. Underneath, a large work area allows cables to be run in an organized fashion. The Boneyard comes equipped with a selection of tie-wraps and anchors to assist. The riser board is designed to accommodate a power bar or multi-effect power supply. Because of the high quality multi-laminate plywood construction, screws are easily accepted to create custom set-ups.
Velcro with sticking power!
The next challenge was to find a carpet surface that would ensure the pedals would not fall off when transported around. Radial Engineering knew that Velcro was the product that we wanted to use, so they went to dozens of carpet stores and tested carpets until they found one that really worked when mated with Velcro. In fact, Radial Engineering Super-Stick carpet surface is so good, you can actually pick up the whole pedalboard by grabbing a pedal. Now that's sticky!
Construction and survival concerns:
Trying to keep build costs down so that the Boneyard would be affordable for the average player while at the same time tough enough to survive on the road was a challenge in itself. In the end, Radial Engineering went with 'no compromise' tough materials and construction methods. Instead of using cheap materials like particle board, Radial Engineering chose to build their pedalboard with furniture grade 3/4" multi-laminate plywood. Why? Durability - it will be jumped on, kicked and abused and it has to stand up. Furthermore, it has to take being on wet outdoor stages, getting soaked in beer and thrown into and out of trucks in all kinds of temperatures and climates. The joint connecting the front riser and pedalboard deck is dado'd, then nailed and glued, then further supported by the use of 'L' brackets on each end. Each pedalboard is sanded smooth, lacquer finish is applied and finally, Radial Engineering rout the exposed edges and insert a PVC T-Edge surround 'bumper' to protect the Boneyard and keep it looking sharp for years.