Since its inception, the guitar pedal has been an integral tool for all guitar players. Performers use most guitar pedals, but now even beginners buy pedals to learn how to use them. Guitar pedals are frequently used in almost every music you hear on music streaming sites or music videos, as it is practically impossible for guitar players to record songs without using them.
DeArmond invented the first guitar pedal, and it was a volume pedal, followed by a tremolo pedal, but both weren’t suitable for stage use. The guitar company Gibson produced the first distortion guitar pedal in the ’60s, which The Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards popularized on (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.
As guitar pedals are owned mainly by professional and amateur guitar players, they are also expected to travel with their owners. That is why most of the guitar pedals in the market are built robustly.
There are many methods on how to transport guitar pedals safely, as your pedals need to avoid any beatings even though it is built to work for a long time.
Can you travel with a guitar pedal?
You can travel with your guitar pedal in any mode of transportation (air, water & sea). In airports, you can bring your guitar pedals as hand-carry luggage, as long as you remove its batteries as it will be checked through the X-ray machine. You must remember that having your guitar pedals as hand-carry luggage is the safest option to avoid misplaced or raise suspicion.
You can also travel with your guitar pedals in ships or cruises as long as you do not exceed the weight limit allowed. Travelling with your guitar pedals in public transportation or private vehicles is the most common way as it is also the cheapest way of travelling.
On how to transport guitar pedals safely, it really depends on how many you are transporting. If you have a single guitar pedal or a multi-effects pedal, it is easier as it can fit most bags like pack or shoulder bags or even in your guitar gigbag. For multi-effects guitar pedals, there are bags sold in the local and online music stores designed as transport bags for a multi-effects guitar pedal.
It would be best to use a pedalboard and either a guitar pedal case or a bag for transporting multiple guitar pedals. Travelling with many guitar pedals without any appropriate storage will prove to be a hassle as there is a huge possibility that the pedals will collide with each other, which could result in internal or physical damage to the pedals.
Using a guitar pedal case is a great way to transport your guitar pedals from one place to another safely. Most guitar pedal cases available in the market are made from aluminum alloy mixed with wood as they are one of the lightest materials. It is also essential to consider the weight of your pedal case as it will give better comfort transporting from one area to another when it is light.
There are various sizes of guitar pedal cases available in the market. There are guitar pedal cases that can store two to thirty pedals. It is better to purchase a guitar pedal case that can exactly fit or even bigger than your current number of pedals for futureproofing.
Transporting Guitar Pedals With A Gig Bag
You can also use pedalboard gig bags to transport your guitar pedals safely. It is a more comfortable option, like only bringing a duffle bag. It is usually made from robust nylon fabric to be able to withstand the weight of the pedals. It allows you to place your guitar pedals without having collisions safely.
It is also important to have a guitar pedalboard, as it allows you to place your pedals on the board safely without falling off and put it in the pedal case or gig bag. Usually, musicians use velcro tapes, fleece tape or cable ties to hold the guitar pedals in the pedalboard. This method is really the best way to prevent your guitar pedal from falling off the pedalboard.
Using a pedalboard also allows you to pre-arrange the pedals in the board in the correct pattern without removing them after a gig. You can just easily place it in your case or pedal after your gig or performance, and you are good to travel again. To avoid any damage, you just have to make sure that the pedals are solidly attached to the pedalboard.
Although it is very rare to find it in local and online music stores, some pedalboards have a lid attached to their frame to serve as their cover in preventing the guitar pedals from falling off when you travel. It is also a great option to make a DIY pedalboard. It allows you to build your preferred design, and hopefully, it prevents your pedals from falling off or colliding with each other.
There are still many ways how to transport guitar pedals safely, but all the methods mentioned above are the most successful ones. It is essential to have your guitar pedals safely to avoid any problems, especially when playing in a live performance, as you do not really want your pedals malfunctioning on the stage.
