🎛 Stompboard

Well, I don't even know where to start. If you ask me why I put this board together, I will tell you I don't really know. I just had a feel and then boom, I spent more than I paid for my Helix Floor to create this masterpiece. For the past 2 weeks, this board was about 90% done. I was waiting for the compressor pedal to finally talk about this board.

First things first, the compressor pedal. Many moons ago, I had a compressor pedal but I don't really know how it affected my sound. Today, after years of experience, I do. My playing at home definitely doesn't require me to have a compressor pedal, because I need all the dynamics I can get. But stage wise, it's so much better to have a compressor pedal.

I chose the Xotic SP Compressor because I remember it to be very very reliable. Also, maybe the reason was I only have enough space for a compressor this small. Whatever the reason. here I am with the Xotic SP Compressor. Got it for $130 from a Carouseller.

There's the usual volume knob, and then there's this blend knob where my clean and compressed tone is blended to my liking. I left the internal DIP switches as the default, which is at the lowest amount of attack and with both high pass and low cut filters on. The filters will only be off if active pickups are ran through it. I like the attack to be low as I dislike the notes to be too tight.

With the SP Compressor, my board is complete, bringing it to version 5.4. It was a tight squeeze and a headache to wire it up, but I managed to do it with what I have. The sad thing is my volume pedal is still first in chain, providing me with smooth volume swells but no trails.

A quick calculation of this board's price equates to at least $2100, less the Mosky dual switch, the patch cables and the inaccuracies in converting currencies to SGD. With my Helix Floor bought for just under $2000, this little board, version 5.4, is thus more expensive than the full Helix.

Wow! I can't believe I actually spent more than what I did for the Helix to put together a board with only like 50% of the Helix's capabilities. But no regrets though, this board is so sick, even more than my last iteration of a board on the Pedaltrain Jr. The Helix Floor has now become my backup to my Stomp board. Wow!

Can't wait to bring this board out on stage soon!

Edwin Ang

Tags: PBv5.40

***As of 11th October 2025, the Xotic SP Compressor have been sold for $150.