For just five pedals I'd recommend one of the Pedaltrain Nano or Voodoo Lab Dingbat pedalboards. And while I don't know exactly what the sizes of your five pedals are, I'll give a few examples that account for different scenarios. First, the Pedaltrain Nano Plus:
Pedaltrain Nano Plus
Dimensions of the Nano Plus are about 18 x 5 inches, enough for five small-form pedals side by side.
Dimensions for the Pedaltrain Nano Plus.
Here's an example with six total pedals, though the first one in the signal is a smaller TC Electronic PolyTune:
Five pedals sit comfortably on the Nano Plus, with room for a mini-form pedal like the PolyTune. Image via Stuart Allan
- 5 x small-form pedals (Boss size)
- 1 x mini-form pedal (PolyTune)
Another configuration would be three small-form pedals with room for a large-form pedal like the Strymon Mobius, and one mini pedal, pictured here:
You can also do three Boss-sized pedals, a larger Strymon, and another mini pedal, pictured here on the right side. Image via Adam Turton
- 3 x small-form pedals (Boss style)
- 1 x large-form pedal (Strymon style)
- 1 x mini-form pedal (PolyTune style)
Here's a Nano Plus pedalboard with exactly five pedals. A bit of a snug fit depending on the exact specs of your pedals, but comfortable nonetheless.
Five total pedals fit pretty well on the Nano Plus, though not with much room to spare. Image via Gita Wang
In the above photo, we should note that the yellow NUX pedal is wider than the others, which is why it has to run right up against the edge. Also keep in mind that the types of patch cables you use and the location of the i/o jacks (top of the pedal or sides), will have an impact on how much room you have to work with. Low-profile patch cables are preferable for saving room.
Here's one more look:
Again we see five pedals with one taking up more space than the others (the Death Audio Fuzz War in the middle), yet with a comfortable fit. Image via Ben Tansey
Voodoo Lab Dingbat Small
Dingbat pedalboards come with a carrying case and Voodoo Lab does a bunch of bundled deals that include one of their power supplies.
The Dingbat Medium is a little wider than the Nano Plus at about 22 inches compared to the Nano's 18, so you could go with that if you want some room to grow. But for five pedals I'd go with the Dingbat Small which is roughly the same dimensions as the Nano Plus:
- Nano Plus: 18 x 5.5 inches
- Dingbat Small: 18 x 7.7 inches
So it's a little higher than the Nano which might allow you to put one or two pedals near the top positioned horizontally. The Dingbat medium would give you more room in both directions, but either way the Dingbat is where you should go if you want a little room to expand beyond five pedals.
The Dingbat Small pedalboard with five pedals. You can see there is more space above that line of pedals, perhaps where you could fit a mini or even Boss-style pedal. Image via Legato9
Here you have an example of that with the EXH Pitch Fork turned sideways at the top of the board. This leaves room for the larger Eventide H9 multi-effects pedal on the left side:
The Dingbat's additional height gives you a little more space to work with, perhaps up to 6-7 pedals depending on the exact dimensions. Image via James Santiago
Questions or thoughts?
There are certainly other pedalboards that can handle five pedals at a time, but these are my two best recommendations if you don't want to over-buy. The exception would be if you plan to expand and add more pedals, then you could just go up to the Pedaltrain Metro or Dingbat Medium. Otherwise, these are your two best bets for 5-7 pedals total. If you have thoughts or questions, drop them in the comments section below.
More Pedalboard Material
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Effects & Reviews
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Effects & Roundups
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