There seems to be an increasing trend by manufacturers towards top-mounted pedal jacks over side-mounted jacks. And that got me wondering… which is better?
Pedalboard real estate seems the most obvious pro for top-mounted jacks. Being able to sit pedals in large enclosures side by side does save room without sacrificing usability.
However, unless you’re using a loop switcher, standard-sized pedals generally need to be a shoe’s width apart and side-mounted jacks provide a decent buffer of space between them to avoid mis-stomping.
The Best Patch Cables For Guitar Pedal Boards
Standard enclosures also tend to force top-mounted jacks and the power input into very close quarters, which means not all patch and power cables will fit.
For example, my pedalboard is a Pedaltrain 2 (old photo above) which can hold 12 standard size pedals. I’m powering it with 2 Pedaltrain Volto’s to give me 12 (right-angled) power cables. Plus a bunch of Hosa low profile (pancake) right angle patch cables as well. With the pedalboard rails, it’s not really an issue where the power input of the pedal is, and the finished setup looks quite clean.
As shown, the Wampler Cranked OD with top-mounted jacks doesn’t work on my board unless I switch patch cables. The Hosa patch cable jacks are too large in diameter which prevents the power adapter from being plugged in at the same time. Now I love the Wampler Cranked OD, but it’s the only pedal I own with top-mounted jacks – I nearly skipped buying it because of the jack placement, but since it was a limited run I didn’t want to miss out. In reality, however, the Cranked OD rarely makes an appearance on my board because I have to find different cables for it. I know I could use different cables, but I switch out pedals quite often which is why the Hosa cables are so handy as they’re slimline enough to make this an easy task.
Pedal Tuner With Top Mount Jacks
When it comes down to it, jack placement is absolutely a factor when I’m looking at pedals. Personally, I prefer side-mounted jacks with the power input on the top – probably one of the reasons why I have too many TC Electronic pedals.
Standard enclosures also tend to force top-mounted jacks and the power input into very close quarters, which means not all patch and power cables will fit.
For example, my pedalboard is a Pedaltrain 2 (old photo above) which can hold 12 standard size pedals. I’m powering it with 2 Pedaltrain Volto’s to give me 12 (right-angled) power cables. Plus a bunch of Hosa low profile (pancake) right angle patch cables as well. With the pedalboard rails, it’s not really an issue where the power input of the pedal is, and the finished setup looks quite clean.
As shown, the Wampler Cranked OD with top-mounted jacks doesn’t work on my board unless I switch patch cables. The Hosa patch cable jacks are too large in diameter which prevents the power adapter from being plugged in at the same time. Now I love the Wampler Cranked OD, but it’s the only pedal I own with top-mounted jacks – I nearly skipped buying it because of the jack placement, but since it was a limited run I didn’t want to miss out. In reality, however, the Cranked OD rarely makes an appearance on my board because I have to find different cables for it. I know I could use different cables, but I switch out pedals quite often which is why the Hosa cables are so handy as they’re slimline enough to make this an easy task.
Pedal Tuner With Top Mount Jacks
When it comes down to it, jack placement is absolutely a factor when I’m looking at pedals. Personally, I prefer side-mounted jacks with the power input on the top – probably one of the reasons why I have too many TC Electronic pedals.
Standard enclosures also tend to force top-mounted jacks and the power input into very close quarters, which means not all patch and power cables will fit.
For example, my pedalboard is a Pedaltrain 2 (old photo above) which can hold 12 standard size pedals. I’m powering it with 2 Pedaltrain Volto’s to give me 12 (right-angled) power cables. Plus a bunch of Hosa low profile (pancake) right angle patch cables as well. With the pedalboard rails, it’s not really an issue where the power input of the pedal is, and the finished setup looks quite clean.
As shown, the Wampler Cranked OD with top-mounted jacks doesn’t work on my board unless I switch patch cables. The Hosa patch cable jacks are too large in diameter which prevents the power adapter from being plugged in at the same time. Now I love the Wampler Cranked OD, but it’s the only pedal I own with top-mounted jacks – I nearly skipped buying it because of the jack placement, but since it was a limited run I didn’t want to miss out. In reality, however, the Cranked OD rarely makes an appearance on my board because I have to find different cables for it. I know I could use different cables, but I switch out pedals quite often which is why the Hosa cables are so handy as they’re slimline enough to make this an easy task.
Pedal Tuner With Top Mount Jacks
When it comes down to it, jack placement is absolutely a factor when I’m looking at pedals. Personally, I prefer side-mounted jacks with the power input on the top – probably one of the reasons why I have too many TC Electronic pedals.
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