MusicRadar Verdict
A hybrid that doesn't quite come off.
Pros
- +
Excellent as a pedalboard…
Cons
- -
…but the add-ons are gimmicky at best.
MusicRadar's got your back
SKB made its name by producing moulded polymer flight cases, but now it's releasing what it claims is the world's first amplified pedalboard.
Onboard is a five-watt amplifier with a simple Treble, Bass and Level control layout, which then pumps its sound through a six-inch Eminence speaker. It's also able to power up to eight stompboxes, plus there's a built-in cable tester, auxiliary output and headphone socket. The amp part can drive an external speaker cab too.
Setting up your 'board is pretty standard, with pedals attached using the included velcro. SKB has also supplied power cables for your pedals, which are in turn connected to any of the eight power sockets at the 'board's top.
As a pedalboard, the FootNote is great. There's plenty of space, and supplying power to pedals is convenient. The cable tester is a neat add-on for checking your leads too.
Unfortunately, we're not convinced by the rest of it. The amp and speaker are useable, but keeping things clean at anything past the quarter volume mark is tricky.
The panel is busy too, and the labelling isn't entirely clear. With those power sockets pushing electricity through a mini-jack socket, a hastily plugged in MP3 player could take a 9-volt hit. It's bulky, and there's no SKB solution for housing a FootNote in on the way to gigs either.
Ultimately, it feels like an answer to a problem that doesn't really exist.

I'm a freelance member of the MusicRadar team, specialising in drum news, interviews and reviews. I formerly edited Rhythm and Total Guitar here in the UK and have been playing drums for more than 25 years (my arms are very tired). When I'm not working on the site, I can be found on my electronic kit at home, or gigging and depping in function bands and the odd original project.
“Last time I saw my mother alive was at her own father’s funeral. It sounds almost too Irish": Bono shares trailer for his Apple TV+ documentary
“If it’s not all samples, what did those people do to get that credit on the song?”: Diane Warren on the trend for hit songs having multiple writers, and why she prefers to work alone
“We could see John begin smiling. At the end of the first verse, he gave an exuberant thumbs-up and McCartney and Harrison began slapping each other on the back”: How one Beatles track spawned a recording technique revolution