craft project

[Jeff Schwartz <jeffs@bgnet.bgsu.edu>]

Hey kids,
If you're like me, you have a big swarm of strange cables 
running from your pedalboard to your rack. I don't mean 
the usual pedalboard action where the signal goes in one 
end and out the other, but the kind where you have 
footswitches and controllers for a bunch of rack gizmos.
For example, I have three footswitches and a pedal for my 
Jamster & Vortex (side note-how long do you think it'll be 
before these suckers go up so much in price that I'll be 
afraid to take 'em to the gig, like a flametop Les Paul?) 
and a footswitch for a ProCo R2DU (two Rats in a 1 rack 
space box), in other words, four 1/4" stereo cables and 1 
MIDI cable. I carry my crap around in a soft rack case, 
tossing the pedals and cables in the back, since all the 
devices are quite shallow. Needless to say, I had a 
considerable spaghetti problem.
So, I decided to build my own snake. After a variety of 
tape/twist-tie configurations failed, I got $.50 of fabric 
at Ben Franklin and spent an afternoon sewing and 
listening to Paul Bley albums. I made a tube 7.5'x 1.5" 
and threaded my cables through it. Presto-quick and tidy 
setup and teardown. 
I suppose this little invention won't catch on because 
it's getting easier and easier to get one big controller 
that can run all your stuff or one gadget that does 
everything and then some (G-Force? Eventide? Powerbook 
with MAX?), but I figured I'd share my Martha Stewart 
moment with y'all.
Oh yeah, under no circumstances read Mark Vail's Vintage 
Synthesizers book. It's worse than pornography. I was 
filled with an unstoppable violent lust for gear. 
Fortunately for my finances, the only used gear store in 
town is full of Samick guitars and Peavey amps cast off by 
frustrated post-grunge teenage boys... 
-- 
Jeff Schwartz
jeffs@bgnet.bgsu.edu
http://www.bgsu.edu/~jeffs/main.html