This post may contain affiliate links
Over the past few weeks, I have been scouring the #miniboardmonday hashtag on Instagram and have slowly been talking myself into purchasing a small pedalboard to use at home. As you may know, limiting yourself in what tools and instruments you can use is a great way to spark new creativity when it comes to making music. And having a small pedalboard that forces you to only use 4 or 5 pedals can be a massive change from what you are used to.
While I was browsing through these miniboard posts on Instagram I came across a message in my inbox from Zoog Pedalboard – talking about their handcrafted pedalboards.
“We specialize in solid hardwood pedalboards that are as high-end as the pedals they show off!”
After reading that, I decided to check out what Zoog Pedalboard had to offer, and I found their small walnut pedalboard – which was exactly what I was looking for.
So I ordered one. Here’s my review:
DISCLAIMER: Zoog Pedalboard did give me a significant discount on this pedalboard. While that is extremely nice of them, I will not let this influence this review.
Overview of the Small Walnut Pedalboard from Zoog Pedalboard
As I mentioned above, I went with the small walnut pedalboard that Zoog Pedalboard offers. Here are the exact dimensions (6 × 17 × 2.5 in). However, they also offer a medium (12 × 21 × 3.5 in) and large (12 × 24 × 3.5 in) version, and all sizes are available in both walnut and white oak wood options.
All of the pedalboards offered by Zoog Pedalboard are handcrafted from solid hardwood, and I must say, this is an extremely well-built, sturdy pedalboard.
On the side of the pedalboard you will find a set of jacks and a power adapter input. These are all pre-wired and ready to go out of the box. Not only are these incredibly handy, but they also help you keep your input, output, and power cables tidy and all in one place.
One issue I found is that the solder points on the input and output jacks are exposed. Since these are underneath the pedalboard I don’t foresee it being too much of a problem, but if you’re a touring musician who is constantly loading and unloading their pedalboard these could get knocked loose if you’re not careful.
Aside from that minor issue, I am very pleased with what I received from Zoog Pedalboard.
The Build
The pedalboard itself is made from solid walnut wood and is built like a tank. I’ve found that it is extremely sturdy and doesn’t feel like it’s going to collapse if you step on it too hard. And despite its durability, it’s still very lightweight (1.75 lbs to be exact). This is a nice change compared to previous pedalboards I’ve owned, which felt like a workout just carrying them into the venue.
As mentioned before, the small version that I have is 6” × 17” × 2.5”. Which is just big enough to fit 4 or 5 pedals on it. Perfect for setting up a small at-home pedalboard or a little pedalboard to take to gigs or band practice.
Overall Thoughts of the Zoog Pedalboard
Overall, I think the pedalboards offered by Zoog Pedalboard are solid purchase for those in the market for a nice, handcrafted board. This small board is going to be the perfect setup for my at-home rig and I can honestly see myself buying a larger one later down the road. I think that Zoog Pedalboard has succeeded in their goals of building a pedalboard that is just as impressive as the pedals you put on it!
Here is what I put together tonight to test out the pedalboard:
Pedals: Haunted Labs DARK AURA, Mr. Black Supermoon Eclipse, Ezhi and Aka Moonindrone T, Monarch Musical Devices Lion Drive.
Be sure to check out and follow Zoog Pedalboard on Instagram! And while you’re there, check us out too!