Let's talk about jacks...and a question to you builders

[Dark Barn]

I like some room too. I usually don't smush pedals together even when they have top jacks unless they are huge ass pedals. But I never want to have to worry about precision when stomping on a switch. So yeah top jacks/side jacks doesn't matter to me.

[resincum]

pedals should have a combination of both to spice things up a bit

[UglyCasanova]

I'd defintely pay more for both top- and sidemounts.

Topmounts with power input on either sides can suck my jewels though. Wtf is that shit?

[elevenstrings]

I'm always bitching about sidejacks so I guess I should comment.

Goroth summed it up pretty well.

I totally understand them on smaller mxr or mini pedals, but once it gets to 125b or bigger I think they should have everything on the top - including expression.
I'm slightly annoyed by the trend of putting the Expression on the side, but I'm at least thankful that builders are adding expression options these days (though on stuff the size of the Judder, the jack should be at the top).

I've asked a lot of builders and they all have different reasons for side jacks - sometimes it's the circuit or shit's just in the way up there or they say their customers prefer them that way.

If it's a totally unique pedal where I absolutely cannot get the same/similar sounds from something else (and it's too difficult to rehouse), will be the only time I will tolerate sidejacks.
I rehoused both my Raptio and Octasynth to a 125b with Top Jacks (thanks to Dan W!), but there's not many other pedals out there I will bother doing that with - honestly, I'll just skip them.

So between Earthquaker, Iron Ether, Dr. Scientist, Strymon, and Eventide believing in Tops I think I'll be okay without EHX*, Catalinbread, Chasebliss, Pigtronix, Mr. Black and other builders who are sidejack only.

Let me add that I think the "I like more space" argument is kind of stupid, because you can still put space between each pedal for your big feets** with top-jack pedals, but with sidejacks you don't get a choice to pack them closely if you wanted to.

NSFW: show

My board for reference:


*I know some EHX have topjacks, but they usually, at least recently, put them on the side - and almost every EHX pedal I've owned has been broken/fucked-up a certain way. I just dug up my POGII after not using it for a couple of years and the fucking -2 octave switch is broken.
** I wear a size 13, I would be classified a big-feeted person.

[repoman]

I don't like the concept of face mounted jacks. Unless you cut your own sized patch cables, that shit be floppin' all over yo knobs, trippin' up yo dancing. For real.

How about bottom mounted jacks? And get a pedaltrain with infinitely thin slats. Your pedals will basically levitate with no visible wires at all!

dude pedal boards could look like this



thats so much cooler
you could even snazz it up with different colored patch cords n shit

the type of patch cord and tip would become trendy too

[Dark Barn]

Let me add that I think the "I like more space" argument is kind of stupid, because you can still put space between each pedal for your big feets** with top-jack pedals, but with sidejacks you don't get a choice to pack them closely if you wanted to.

Well in my case I could have just posted "I don't care" without elaboration, or just not posted at all. But I didn't argue for side jacks, I just don't care, since I will make the pedals I really like work, and I tend to keep some space between them anyways. It sounds like it is frustrating for people who do have a strong preference, and I get that, but I'm glad I don't have those concerns.

[Psyre]

My favorite is top mounted jacks with a toggle on the side, self-defeating is the way to go.

[Iommic Pope]

gorothliness won this thread with logic and practicality.

Fucked if the notion of face mounted doesn't have some appeal to it though....



...TWES (the E is for "everybody").

[Chankgeez]

TL;DR

This thread is about bodybuilders getting jacked, right?

[waltdogg]

pedals should have a combination of both to spice things up a bit

Like my ABY. If it didn't have both I never would have considered it.

[oldangelmidnight]

I want expression jacks on the bottom.

[lordgalvar]

The only thing that bothers me is the lack of an on/off switch for battery only pedals...

Don't care either way about jacks, but prefer awesome different bent steel cases over Hammond boxes...and I kinda like the input at the top, output on the side kinda thing sometimes...eh, I always make it work either way [doesn't really bother me if input/output are flipped either].

[terminalvertigo]

top. always. 100%

[goroth]

I've thought about face mounted jacks for a while, but it does seem to increase the risk of gunk getting in the jacks. I dunno. Maybe it's rad.

[ThorZ]

For my bigger board then i done have a preference, i prefer all my top mounted pedals to go at the top of the board so the cables sit nicely off the top. The middle row is the most annoying where i actually need side mounted ones as the cables i use are customo ones and the jacks are massive so top mounted pedals dont play nice with the pedals above.

The bottom row is a mixture of both, the top mounted Heisenberg really helps with stretching the cables to the side mounted pedals above.

On my small Pedaltrain Nano i wish all the pedals were top mounted as it wastes too much space and the pedals dont line up nice like my OCD commands.

So in all,

I dont really care enough unless it affects my OCD on how my pedals are aligned