While their proportions have shrunk, stompboxes have never been bigger, and the humble pedalboard now comes in a wide variety of forms. New on the scene is UK company PedalDeck, debuting with the Artist Series Board following 18 months of R&D in the quest to create the perfect off-the- shelf stomping ground.
The product is made from a single piece of high-grade aircraft-quality aluminium, with no welds - and with all design and manufacture taking place in the UK, the company is able to ensure consistency of production.
"There's a full set of brackets and bolts for securing a power supply beneath the frame"
The Artist Series Board measures 610 (w) by 320 (d) by 60mm (h), with more sizes, and soft cases, on the way next year. It costs £99, while the Board plus flight case is £165. If you decide to buy the flight case later, there's a discount voucher with the standalone Board.
In Use
The Artist Series Board comes with two metres of self-adhesive Velcro for attaching your pedals, plus a full set of brackets and bolts for securing a Voodoo Lab power supply beneath the frame - there's no need for the time-consuming pre-drilling of holes here.
The underside of the unit also features cutaways to allow access to the VL Pedal Power 2's sag switches, as well as three inputs for AC power cables. It's a sharply designed system, with well-cut holes and an unyielding, sturdy frame.
We commend any new contender in the pedalboard arena, and while PedalDeck doesn't have the most original design, it brings a number of well thought-out tweaks to the formula, which make it a smart buy.
