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Pedal Pad AXS-XL Reviews  4 / 5 based on 1 reviewsThis is a new pedal board from Pedal Pad and a more affordable version of the very popular MPS series. Instead of metal, the board is soft velcro covered wood. The construction is all 1/2 inch plywood. The XL is the extra large version coming in at 36 1/2 inches wide. It has two butterfly latches and the back unhinges to remove the top lid.
I was using a home-made pedal board from a vintage suitcase and plywood. It looked very cool and retro but just didn't provide the protection that I wanted for over a thousand dollars worth of effects pedals. I had been looking at actual pedal boards for quite some time but couldn't bring myself to spend over $200 when I was about $15 into my suitcase. I didn't want one with a power supply because a strip and a couple one spots work fine for me. I liked the Pedal Pad because of the angled board and sturdy construction. I found this one new for $189 shipped to my door.
http://stores.ebay.com/mpstore2003
There are many things to talk about here. The construction is very sturdy, the half inch plywood makes me feel very comfortable about lugging it around with expensive pedals in it. You could stand and jump on the thing. The butterfly latches seem very sturdy and are easy to use. The design of the hinge in the back is great. Instead of four butterfly latches like many other boards, you just undo two and slide the top out of the half hinges and the lid is off. The storage underneath is nice for extra strings, cables, etc. The soft velcro is really nice because if you change your mind on where you wanted a pedal all you do is pick it up and move it.
The angled board is a good thing so this isn't really a negative, but I think the angle needs to be just a little steeper. The idea of the angle is to make it easier to get to your second row of effects without disturbing your first row of effects. It works well but my foot still touches the first row slightly. The board is two separate hinged boards which they thought was good for routing cables but it the holes are too small for quarter inch cables. You can rout power cables underneath but that is it. I will also be fastening the two hinged boards together because when you lift only one it pulls the cables.
Construction wise, this is definitely road worthy. It is incredibly tough and should last along time. The only thing that concerns me is over time the soft velcro will become less usable if you move your pedals often. It wont make the board unusable, you will just have to recover the wood.
For two hundred bucks, I think this is the best board out there. I wrote a lot in the negative column but they are more like little improvement ideas. It is a great board and I highly recommend it. MattG rated this unit on 2010-03-11.
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