12-Button Footswitch

Our beast footswitch for remote switching of GT rack effects modules

 

 

 

 

 

Buddy Board option on right side

 

Bottom of Buddy Board

 

Buddy Board option with tuner installed

 

Buddy Board option with wah and tuner installed

 

Buddy Board option with Korg Pitchblack Pro rack tuner and ABY pedal installed

 

KPB Pro mounting close-up
View of KPB Pro mounting brackets without tuner installed
Power Port option

 

The 12-Button Footswitch is our primary rack effect remote switching option.  It is intended for moderate to heavy effects users and is designed to withstand many years of heavy use.  The optional Buddy Board allows you to keep your tuner, wah, or other pedals at the front of your chain on stage instead of in your rack.

 

Description

The 12-Button Footswitch is a rugged, heavy-duty beast, recommended for controlling the switched features of GT modules.  Brushed aluminum tags allow you to "write on, wipe off" labels for your customized switching functions.  A similar tag on one side allows you to label each footswitch in multiple footswitch setups.  The required Rack Switch VGA module also includes a "write on, wipe off" tag for matching labels.  The cable connector can be on either side, allowing more convenient cable routing for your stage setup.  Status LEDs are large for easy visibility, but not blindingly bright.  Comes standard with a Gerlt Technologies logo on the front panel, but can be customized with your own graphics.  Utilizes widely available, inexpensive, computer monitor VGA cable so you can choose the quality, color, and length that meet your needs (see IMPORTANT NOTE below).  With heavy construction and no-soldering, user-replaceable parts, this footswitch is meant to last a few lifetimes.

Features

  • 12 latching switches with individual status LEDs
  • power indicator LED
  • angled top for easy switch stomping
  • switches spaced to both avoid and enable multiple simultaneous switch stomps
  • heavy duty 1/8" thick metal construction
  • "write on, wipe off" tags to label your customized switch functions
  • "write on, wipe off" tag to label your footswitch(es) in multiple-footswitch setups
  • screw-on VGA cable connection for secure cabling
  • customizable front logo panel
  • no soldering required to replace switches and LEDs
  • (6) heavy-duty rubber feet
  • flat black powder coat finish
  • aprox dimensions:  17.25"(w) x 3.625"(h) x 8"(d), 6.2 lbs

 

f you prefer to have your tuner on the floor “up front” with your footswitch, check out the Buddy Board and KPB Pro Tuner Mount options.  The Buddy Board can also be used for wah and volume pedals.  It has limited power available, as it is not meant to power a set of pedals.  The Auxiliary Power jack is limited to 200mA of 9V DC, center negative power (like most pedals expect).  Most VGA cables should be OK with 200mA, but check the gauge of the individual wires in your VGA cable before using more than 100mA.  Most new tuners we checked use 100mA or less, almost all of them less than half that amount.  Since tuners and wah pedals are often at the beginning of chains, you might also want to add a wah on your Buddy Board.  The wah pedals we checked all used around 10mA, and should pose no problem.  Also note that you MUST have a VGA cable that has all 15 pins wired.  Many VGA cables adhere to an older standard where only 14 pins are used.  If you look at the connector and see that a pin is missing in the middle row, then that VGA cable will NOT work.  All 15 pins must be wired through.  More recent, high quality VGA cables use all 15 pins.  If you cannot find one, let us know and we should be able to obtain one for you or let you know where you can get one.

When you put the tuner (or wah or volume or ...) on the Buddy Board, you’ll be making a change to your cabling.  You’ll cable from your guitar to the tuner, then to the rack.  That may mean two long cables between you and your tuner and your tuner and your rack.  Some tuners have buffers in them, which will keep you from losing any highs in the longer cable runs.  Try it out with your cables to see whether there is an audible impact to your highs with this configuration.  If there is, you may want to consider adding a buffer to your Guitar Pass Thru module.

Check out Buddy Board, Tuners, Wahs to see some power consumption stats for some common tuner pedals and other related information.  These stats may get out of date as new versions of those tuners are released, so always double-check with the manufacturer or data sheet to make sure you have an acceptable power consumption level.

 

Requirements

 

Rack Switch VGA module

 

Male/Male VGA cable with jack screws

 

Another good VGA cable with all 15 pins

 

  • can only be used with Rack Switch VGA module
  • a male/male VGA cable with screw-on connectors is required to connect footswitch to Rack Switch VGA module. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: VGA connectors have 15 pins.  Some VGA cables do not connect all 15 pins, leaving 2 of them "dead".  You need a cable that connects all 15 pins.  The VGA spec allows for the cable to either connect or leave unconnected 2 pins that are not used in the VGA spec.  If you get a cable with only 13 or 14 pins connected, it will not work properly.  Sometimes if only 13 or 14 pins are wired, the other 2 pins will be missing.  Simple continuity testing can determine if all the pins are connected if the cable isn't labeled with this information.

Included

  •  12-Button Footswitch

Options

  • cable connector on left or right side (from player's view), standard is on the right.
  • customized graphics on front tag - contact us for graphics file requirements and artwork details.
  • Buddy Board – This is a small heavy-duty pedalboard that bolts onto either side of the 12-Button Footswitch (the VGA cable is on the other side).  It includes our Auxiliary 9V DC Power port (center negative).  Three thumbscrews hold the board to the bottom of the footswitch and can be quickly and easily removed.  Specify which side you want to have the Power Port.  The other side will have the VGA cable connector.
  • Auxiliary Power port - This option is just the power port without the Buddy Board.  Specify which side you want to have the Power Port.  The other side will have the VGA cable connector.
  • KPB Pro Tuner Mounts – If you would like to mount a Korg Pitchblack Pro rack tuner to your 12-Button Footswitch, it turns out to be very easily done.  You remove a couple of screws on the front of the footswitch, add a couple of washers and angle brackets, and replace the screws.  Add a little velcro to the tuner to stick it to the brackets and front of the footswitch, and you’re there.  This tuner uses a non-standard (for pedals) connector type and polarity, so in addition to the mounting brackets, you’ll also get a custom power cable to power the tuner from our Auxiliary Power port on the footswitch.  You’ll also need the Buddy Board, because the Pitchblack Pro does not have stompswitch capabilities.  Provide your own ABY or looper pedal, fasten it to the Buddy Board, and use it to control the tuner.  You may also need a pedal power daisy chain cable to power the tuner and ABY pedal.  This option includes the brackets, velcro, and custom power cable only.  You will probably want to add the Buddy Board to get the necessary Power Port and a place to mount a looper or ABY pedal to control the tuner.
  • Soft Touch Switches - For some reason, it is difficult to find soft touch latching footswitches, but they are usually available at a premium price (at the time of writing aprox $15 - $20 each).  With these switches you generally won't hear the mechanical clicking when you stomp them.  They are pretty quiet.  Of course, this is just the mechanical switching sound and has nothing to do with electrical switching noise, which is not an issue with soft touch switches or the normal stomp switches.  If you are interested in this option, let us know and we'll get you accurate pricing.  There is no extra charge for changing to these switches other than the difference in cost of the switches themselves.  Given prices as of the time of writing this, this option would likely run around $150 - $200. 

Note:  If you want to order your 12-Button Footswitch and Rackswitch VGA module now, but may want to add the Power port or Buddy Board later, let us know when you place the order.  These options require different boards and cabling, which we can put in place ahead of time.  If you don't do this and later want to add the Buddy Board or Power port, it is a more difficult and costly upgrade process, and some drilling may also be required.  There is no extra cost for being "Buddy Board ready".  In the future, all 12-Button Footswitches will be ready for Buddy Boards, but we have some transition time at present when they will only be ready for Buddy Board upgrades if you ask for it.

 

 

Base Configuration

Part # Description List Price
FSW-12B 12-Button Footswitch $399

 

Options

Part # Description List Price
FSW-12B-LCON VGA Connector on Left Side $0
FSW-12B-BBPP Buddy Board with Power Port $80
FSW-12B-PP Power Port only $15
FSW-12B-KPB KPB Pro Tuner Mounts $15
FSW-12B-LOGO Custom Logo Graphics $50

 

Parts

Part # Description List Price
FSW-12B-FT Set of (6) Rubber Feet with screws for 12-Button Footswitch $15
FSW-12B-BBFT Set of (4) Rubber Feet with screws for Buddy Board $10
FSW-12B-FFTS Set of (3) Thumbscrews for Buddy Board $5
FSW-12B-FTAG Logo Panel with Gerlt Technologies Graphics $20
FSW-12B-TTAG Top Tag with screws $10
FSW-12B-STAG Side Tag with mounting hardware $10
FSW-12B-CONN VGA Connector Assembly, with mounting hardware $30
FSW-12B-SW Footswitch Assembly $15
FSW-12B-POW Power Port cable assembly and mounting hardware $19
FSW-12B-SLED Status LED Assembly $11
FSW-12B-PLED Power LED Assembly $11