Furman SPB-8 Pedal Board

The 9v power supply was dead out of the box. Used a One Spot instead.

Weighed a ton, Velcro pulled off board when removing pedals, internal power supply not working from day one. Returned to GC for credit and ordered a Pedal Train from Sweetwater. No problems since.

Features already covered. Needs a power switch and removable AC cord like the SPB-8C.

Sounded great for me. I followed the advice of those who have posted before me by powering the effects for my amp's loop with a One-Spot adaptor instead of using the built-in 9v jacks. (For everything going to the amp's input, I did use the board's 9v supplies). Therfore, I achieved a completely quiet signal as far as the board goes. Because I had no sound issues, I give this a 10.

Here's where it failed me. I owned it for about 2 weeks with less than 20 hours use and the 9v power supply section burned out. I had it in my house and left it on for about 4 hours. I was about to pack it all up for a church gig the next morning, but decided to give it one last go before I unplugged it to make sure I had all the cables working right. That's when I realized that the pedals recieving power from the 9v supply were dead. For no reason I can think of, I put my hand on the top box and it was so hot that I was sure something burned up.

I was able to return it to my local Guitar Center the same day and I exchanged it for the bigger SPB-8C, which supposedly has a better power supply/conditioner, hard case innstead of a cheap zipper bag, wheels and an extendable luggage handle. I wasn't about to trust another SPB-8 again, and didn't like the bag/cheap zipper in the first place.

If the power supply to the 9v section didn't burn up, I probably would have kept it and enjoyed it, but in retrospect I really didn't like the soft case and cheap zipper anyway. Other than that it was great. Still, there are better boards available.

Ease of use?? It's a pedalboard... mount your pedals with velcro and plug them in... seems pretty easy to me.

I have done a side by side comparison using an A/B switch between the patch bay and running cable straight to the pedals. I could not hear any real difference that the pedals weren't already causing. Plus, live, no one will ever notice anyways. All that pales in comparison to the ease of setting up for shows. I pull it out of the bag, plug in my in/out cables, plug it into the wall and I'm ready to go. What a pleasure to not have to spend time plugging this pedal into that pedal into power etc..... I use George L cable to plug everything together, and industrial velcro to hold everything in place. Takes me minutes to get ready for a show. I LOVE IT!

Have not had any problems in the 3 years I've been using it. I use it for practices and for live shows and ocassionally at home if I'm changing and pedals. Haven't had the patch bay issues that some have mentioned.

This board is what I needed for my stage rig. I made my own board to velcro my pedals to, but the ease of the power section of the Furman and being able to plug in one cord to get everything working is a Godsend. If lst or stolen I would probably get the newer Furman with the hard case and the additional power outlet.

Well, it's a pedalboard so it doesn't really produce a sound. I would say there is no noticeable tone drain, other than what your pedals might be producing. The manual is clear and concise. My unit is stock. Not too difficult to set up at all. Take a minute to read the manual and it becomes clear.

I've used this board since 2002. I've gigged with it at least 30+ shows per year since that time, not to mention weekly practices, frequent pedal configuration changes, accidental mismatch of voltages with the inputs...you name it, I've done it. I probably just jinxed myself here, but it has NEVER failed on me. Ever.

Right now, my board configuration is Digitech XP300 Space Station > Boss PH3 Phase Shifter > Boss FL-3 Flanger > Boss DD-2 Delay > Boss RV-3 Delay/Reverb > Akai Headrush E2 > Boss TU-2 tuner, and then to the amp (Sunn Model T reissue). It has powered these pedals just fine, with no excess noise. In fact, my setup right now is dead quiet. Distortion is feedbacky, but varies between different guitars I use. Overall, it does its job.

Like I said above, I have gigged this thing pretty hard. No backup here. I think it's a definitely road-worthy board. And again, if you don't take care of your stuff, it won't take care of you. Period.

Never dealt with the company. For a lark, I should call and see if they'll trade this board straight up for their new pedal board that is about to come out. I suspect they'll laugh, but it could be funny nevertheless.

I play epic 'math rock', something like if Pelican or Isis covered the Minutemen and Faraquet. I've been playing for almost 13 years now. Wow. I'm getting old. I own mostly just my pedals, my amp, a few other backup pedals (Dano and Ibanez, last resort worst case scenario type things), a Sunn Beta Lead (needs fixing), an Acoustic 150 head (pretty good for a solid state head, but needs to hit the shop as well), a Marshall 1960B 4x12, a Marshall 1960AV 4x12...a couple guitars (my Strat the only being noteworthy)...Who cares, right?

If this was stolen, I've move on up to the East Side and pick up the new board they're coming out with. One extra wall wart space, plus it looks a little bigger...Maybe I could finally fit that Line 6 DL4 on there too! I do wish that mine had a detachable cable, and that somehow that DC outlets could handle like 500mA so I could eliminate my wall warts. But, I suppose the juice a board of that kind would suck would probably increase my electric bill exponentially. I was going to buy an SKB board years ago, which was $20 more expensive. But, back then $20 was like a month's worth of food, so I picked the cheaper one since they're basically the same board, minus a hardshell case (the new one has this as well...man that thing is sweet!) It definitely helps to have all my pedals conveniently plugged in and ready to go. It protects my pedals, and saves exponentially on our setup time, which is already ridiculous.

I'd like to share some cookies, but I don't have any. So, this review is all I have for you.

I don't use anything on the pedal board except the 9V power supplies and the surface for putting pedals on. I know it was quite a lot of money to spend to not use the patch bay whatsoever, but I've only heard bad things about the patch bay, so I haven't even tried it yet. You actually need at least two additional instrument cables to use the patch bay, so I just don't find it useful. I haven't even had to open the manual because it's just so easy and self-explanatory.

My set-up is: Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet > Korg DT-10 > Danelectro D-2 Fab Overdrive > Danelectro D-1 Fab Distortion > Morley Little Alligator Volume Pedal > Danelectro Reel Echo > Fender '59 Bassman LTD. I have the pedal board wired with a George L's Effects Cable Kit, which actually makes a huge difference. Amazing sounding cables, and you only cut exactly what you need, so your Furman won't be a mess of cables.

I don't find that using the pedal board's power for the pedals adds any noise. I don't use the patch bay, so I can't speak for that part of the unit.

The only problem is one that I know has been mentioned before. To clarify other people's comments, the velcro included works fine, but it's the adhesive on the velcro that sucks. The velcro is actually very strong, but the pedals just pull off of the velcro when I try to take them off. This really isn't a problem unless you want to move your pedals a lot, and in that case, I would still think it an only minor inconvenience. I only use 5 pedals and have found spots where I don't plan to move them from, so this isn't a problem for me.

As for overall construction dependability, the unit is very well-constructed and the power supplies aren't going to crap out on you.

I've never dealt with Furman.

I play a lot of alternative country and independent music, but this pedal board is really great for you no matter what style you play, you just put the pedal you use on it. I've been playing for 8 years and I've sold a bunch of my gear to build my dream set-up, so really the only stuff I have is the set-up listed above and a bunch of acoustic guitars. The only piece left until I have my perfect set-up is a Fender '52 Telecaster. If this was lost, buying another one would be absolutely necessary. I wish the velcro adhesive was stronger, but I don't consider that Furman's fault. The velcro is made by 3M. This product really isn't made to make you sound better, it's just meant to clean up your set-up and it does that perfectly. It's pricey, but I'd recommend it to anyone.

Real easy to use. Nice and convenient.

Here is where you have to do some modifications to get this thing to be at it's best. I removed the patch bay jacks. (REAL cheap pc board wiring) and put in my own switchcraft plug and really nice wiring.

I did this because after running an A/B switch on the patchbay and running without it was a significant difference. The tone got sucked out when running thorugh the patchbay.

Now I get reliable functionality because of the Switchcraft plugs, and good solid connections. You don't want your tone to suffer becaue of cheap connections. Otherwise why even buy a high buck amp? You wouldn't use cheap guitar cables... I gave it a 5 because they could have used the Switchcraft hardware instead of the cheap plastic jacks.

This this is sturdy. I have a had no troubles since the jack changes.

Stock I would have given this catagory a 4.

These guys will help you out if you need it with your broken zippers.

I give this an 8 because of the modifications I had to make. Otherwise clean power, heavy duty construction, nice AC, and nice outlets.

Follow the easy directions in the well-written manual and you'll have no problem.

My setup is as follows: a US-made 1962RI Stratocaster, OR an Hecho-en-Mexico vintage-style Tele that has been converted to an Esquire, OR a Danelectro DC3, OR a G&L F-100 plugged into the B-channel of a Morley ABY switch box; The A-channel of the Morley is occupied by a 1940's Astatic radio mic that I use for harp (harmonica for all you uninitiated persons). I switch between guitar/slide guitar/harp all night long, and I run my harp through my effects. The signal goes into a Boss TU2 tuner, 1970's MXR Phase 90, Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer, Jim Dunlop Crybaby, Jim Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Classic Fuzz, Boss DS-1 distortion, Danelectro Daddy-O overdrive, DOD 7-band EQ, and finally, a Rocktron Hush pedal. That amalgamation goes into a 1963RI Fender Vibroverb.

The SPB-8 pedalboard holds all this stuff nicely, and allows it to operate in an almost silent manner. The only reason I have use the Rocktron Hush pedal is to prevent feedback when I play harp through an overdrive, or if my single coils are picking up a bunch of neon or fluorescent light 60 cycle hum. But the SPB-8 causes no noise at all.

People need to remember to check/replace their patch cables FIRST when they have a noise problem.

SPB-8; Very reliable!

The carrying case is good except the crappy zipper which catches on the lining. I'm considering getting or making a hard-shelled carrying case anyway.

I'm giving this a nine only because of the zipper, otherwise, it's a 10.

Never dealt the company. Good manual.

I play guitar/slide guitar/harp/vocals in a Texas Roadhouse band (blues+classic rock+outlaw country=Texas Roadhouse) called THE SCREAMIN' ARMADILLOS. I've also sat in with other performers/groups and they always comment on the good looking pedalboard I have.

This device has helped me to carry a whole lotta stuff in one easy package, and it looks sharp/professional. It never gets in the way of the performance.

If it were lost or stolen, I would most definitely get another one.

I wish the company offered a hard shelled carrying case.

Simple as can be. Self explanatory hookups. You'd have to be a real frickin idiot or a complete amatuer not to figure it out.

No noise at all. I don't hear a thing in the loop or in front. I have a Whammy pedal thats usually kinda by itself, but now I don't hear it at all. I don't know why everyone else is bitching about noise. Maybe they got lemons, or maybe they have it hooked up wrong, I don't know. I haven't tried it with 2 amps, so I couldn't tell you how that sounds.

Ive had it about 5months. No problems as of yet.

Haven't dealt with them.

It works great, and it looks pretty cool too. I am manic about batteries and will never go back to using them. Most pedals eat batteries and if you use alkaline batteries,(which last longer) it does have a tendency to make some pedals sound "shrill". Plus, you're always wondering if the battery in it really has enough juice to push the effect hard enough. This thing actually has been a HUGE help, and if it broke down, I would definitely get something similar or better quality or, get the Voodoo Labs and make my own. Really when you think about it, all your getting is a glorified power strip with a panel and some velcro on it. The big patch bay really isn't necessary at all unless your running two amps. I am surprised at all the negative responses here. Seems like such a simple, hard to fuck up, thing to manufacture. I was going to buy the Voodoo Labs power distributer and then build a panel to velcro too, but the Voodoo Labs was 170.00 and this was 200.00. It seems like a no-brainer to me, but then again this thing may totally bite it on me,(if it does, it will most likely be during a gig,) and then I'll totally eat my words. We'll see

its very easy to use, i travel overseas and cant be bothered paying extra for the shipping of gear so i have a big road case which fits 2 guitars (in their cases) and a bag of cloths and i use my pedal board as my carry on... it is the most heavy item... i have only been in trouble once for its weight but it usualy look lite!.. so for this reason its great!

I have been using the pach bay and havent noticed any problems... my pedals sound difrent in difrent countries anyway!... does anyone else feel the same or is it just me??

i think it sound ok...

nothing has broken on it EXCEPT the zipper!... and boy was it a bugger!... i took it to the closest guitar centre and used my what i like to call my "overseas charm... it works perticualy well on girls!!" anyway if it breaks again.... ill be very angry!

i called them to find out if they made any power converters for England 240V as aposed to 180 volts... they though i was an idiot for calling.... its a fair enough question... furman are a well respected prand name but they where very inprofessional!

the up side is the fact that it is easy to cary around.. easy to fly with and all that... BUT the zipper sux... the SKB board zipper has broken also so.. well what can i say...

next time it breaks i may have to go hard case....

God forbid!

Noise! Noise! Noise! All of my pedals are/were working fine and quietly with my old Dunlop power brick. As soon as I put the Furman in the system, I had noise with all of my guitars. It was not useable.

Can't depend on anythng as noisy as this unit....after trying 2 replacements, I gave up...It's a great idea but executed poorly. I'd rather have paid another $150 and have it built with quality.

Didn't use Furman at all...tried 2 replacements from the retailer with the same problem....between the plastic and the noise, it's just not a good value.

The noise gets in the way.

This board is very easy to use, no rocket science here.

Sound quality is good

My main beef with this pedal board, is the 2-bit plastic input/output jacks for the patch bay. I gig several times a week all year round, and I've already replaced the patch bay 3 times in one year! My recommendation would be to just ignore the patch bay all together, unless you're looping in some kind of outboard rack thing. This faulty patch bay has been a total nightmare, especially when it decides to go out just minutes before going on stage in front of 5000 people! I can't express my discontent with Furman's design and choice of components here enough!

To their credit, they have been extremely gracious and provided me with a new patch bay evertime it has failed. 3 year warranty is good, but unless they upgrade their component for the patch bay, I expect this will continue to be a GIANT problem that I'll have to deal with as long as I own the board!

The key to getting the most out of this board is to ignore the patch bay, strip off the felt covering that it comes with (use solvent to remove the adhesive), and use DUAL LOCK instead of velcro. Everything in my setup stays in place, almost too tight, making later changes harder. Also, make a snake that holds together the power and all output cables, i.e., cut the AC cable to about 2-3 feet long, and make it attachable to the snake you build.

For best sound quality, hand wire all the connections to exact length with good quality cable and connectors such as Mogami and Switchcraft, and , if you use a two amp setup, use a Switchbone to reduce the hum and retain proper signal strength to each amp. Use a plug into your guitar that has a pin for circuit breaking. Customize the length of the 9V power cables also to keep everything neat, tidy, and efficient.

If you do all the items mentioned above, the Furman board will be very reliable. I've been using the above setup for 7 months now and no problems. I have no backup.

Haven't dealt with Furman.

I've been playing for 33 years and had an excellent guitar tech build this pedalboard for me and I've never sounded better. Ease of setup at gigs and getting rid of hum (and impedence-drop related signal problems) make such a difference. Chain: Boss compressor (or Rockman half rack comp)-->phaser-->V-Twin-->EB Vol-->535Q Wah-->Switchbone splits (1) straight to 63 Super Reverb and (2) H20 Chorus/Echo-->2nd amp. I play RnB, rock, blues, jazz, pop, country, and tejano, and get any sound needed except low end Creed type tones. Lastly, evaluate negative reviews on this board carefully and figure out what may or may not be the real solution. I appreciated the previous comments here about the patchbay and never even tried it out. Direct wired connections have worked fine for me, and the Switchbone gives me almost the same function as the patch bay.

easy set up...put the pedals the way you like em' and leave it that way. good timesaver for on-stage.

clean, no problems noted. reliability is the main issue

CRAPPED OUT AFTER 6 MONTHS! first the patch bay went. then the 9v power outlets went one by one. the bag it came with TOTALLY fell apart, and the velcro for the pedals stops sticking after a while. Spend your money on a MKS Pedalpad instead...better design, sturdier, cleaner power supply.

so-so. customer support said they would give me a new one, but sent me back the same piece of crap. waiting for it to die again. it's only a matter of time.

i gig 2-4 times a week in 3 different states. the unit was not abused, but fell apart anyway. If you gig and transport your gear from point a to point b alot, and set up and break down alot, this is not the product for you. get a MKS pedalpad. wish i did.

Simple to set up. Depending on your rig, just follow the instructions, or come up with your own set up.

I have been very lucky, and have never had ANY noise at all with this unit. Not even when running an effects loop signal. Completely quiet.

Currently, the pedals housed on the board are as follows:

Dunlop 535 Wah
Boss TU-2 tuner
Ibanez TS-9 tube screamer
MXR Phase 90
Boss DD-5 Digital delay
Mesa Rectifier Footswitch

Here is the problem. Plastic input jacks mounted on a PC board. This is the ONLY bad thing about this unit, but its a biggie. When the nut loosens on the jacks, they can become stripped since it is such a soft plastic used. Also, the inpu jack would not work last night, making it completely useless to me at the South by Southwest competition. So, needless to say, I AM PISSED OFF!!! I will be contacting the company tomoorrow to set the matter straight.

Havent dealt with them yet.

This would be a 10 if they used metal jacks hard wired, and not a PC board. But, it is quiet, and very convenient. Been playing for about 9 years (rock mostly) and gigging for about 4. I would buy another since it is still the best out there. Just needs some upgrades.

Easy to use, although I didn't mess with all the effects loop garbage.

No noise at all with my setup...Les Paul Custom>>TU-2>>Ernie Ball Volume>>TS-9>>Budda Phatman>>Phase 90>>Bogner Shiva Combo.

The only thing I may not depend on would be the zipper. Piddly complaint, I know, but it's a wimpy zipper! I much prefer the heavy duty kind of the SKB boards. I've already had problems zipping mine up without it catching on the material inside -- I couldn't get it to close.

I had a smaller SKB pedal board previously and wanted a bigger board and one that I can plug wall warts or other AC plugs into. This one was the only one I could find that could do that. If there was another one that had these AC outlets, a tougher case/bag, and was cheaper (maybe without all the effects loop extras), I'd buy that instead. The board itself is very sturdy, which is great, and the power conditioner is a good help. If it was a little lighter, that would be nice too...but that's a very minor complaint.

Read the manual from head to feet before use, and take for sure that all of your equipment are in good conditions.

Well, I was looking for something like this long time ago, this board will save you from lots of headaches and hassles, having your pedals patched, powered and attached at the same time is great, thats what I bought this thing. Great patching options and design, also good case!!!

I use some Ibanez models, and marshall amps.

Well, many users talk about noise around this pedalboard, some users in an intelligent way, some users not, but, I read all the reviews before buying this thing, and I was advised that maybe I could have the same problems as them, as I've guessed, I found problems, but let me tell you something: IF YOU USE ONLY FRONT PEDALS (between guitar and amp) CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! YOU WON'T HAVE NOISE PROBLEMS AT ALL, TROUBLE STARTS WHEN YOU USE FRONT PEDALS AND AMPLIFIER EFFECT LOOP PEDALS.

I use Boss Compressor/sustainer, Digitech XP-100, Boss Super Overdrive, Boss Tremolo, and Ibanez Phaser at the FRONT of my amp, (The XP-100 is powered with one of the three 120VAC outlets cause the supplied miniplug-to-DC cables doesn't fit the outlet of the pedal, the other pedals are powered with the regulated 9VDC outlets). At this point, there's no problem at all.

I use straight amp distortions, so I connect my Delay at the effect loop of my amp, if you do the same, DON'T TRY TO POWER YOUR DELAY OR OTHER EFFECT LOOP PEDALS WITH THE SAME 9VDC REGULATED OUTPUTS AS YOUR FRONT PEDALS, YOU'LL GET A TERRIBLE HUM NOISE, BE ADVICED!!!!!!!
I shut down the problem connecting the delay itself in another of the three 120VAC outlets, this reduces the HUM noise a lot.

Even though the manual doesn't ilustrate exactlly a sample of how to connect front and amp effect loop pedals, its easy to figure out how to rout your pedals in this way, just think about it and understand the patchbay signal flow.

You need to know and notice the difference between ground noise, hiss, and hum, those noises are not the same as well as its causes, some of these sounds are natural, some are caused by corrupt cables, connections between audio and current cables, or some missfunction on pedals, guitar, amps etc. I recomend to use only high quality instrument and patching cables for this kind of equipment, otherwise you'll find problems maybe thinking that you have wasted your money in something that its only filling your ears with noise.

I recommend you the next: WHEN YOU'VE GOT YOUR ENTIRE RIG AT FULL SETUP, "PAY ATTENTION AT THE SOUND THAT YOUR SPEAKERS AMP PRODUCE AT A HIGH VOLUME LEVEL, WITH THE VOLUME CONTROL OF THE GUITAR AT FULL ZERO, IF EVERYTHING ITS ALLRIGHT, YOU'LL JUST HEAR THE HISS OFF THE VALVES WORKING, AND THE ADDED HISS OF THE ACTIVE AMP INPUT AND EFFECTS LOOP.

I won't rate this category thinking about the "NOISES"

I don't find any signal degradation or response alteration, so I give it a 10.

I take for sure that this board will stand for years and years, its really solid and secure as well as the case, very well constructed and reliable, thats what I chose this model instead the SKB one, the SKB its good, but the SPB-8 IS A PRO PEDALBOARD, generally speaking. Something really intresting is that your pedals are protected by the same power conditioning stuff of the rack units, thats great.

Well, the price really worth it, it doesn't compare with the SKB and other products because its features and reliability.
I play guitar since 10 years ago, and I like use pedals on stage.
My grand father used to construct me some wood boards with a screwed multi-outlet, very funny!!!!! thanks a lot man, you should take a look at my SPB-8, of course, it doesn't demeritate your past works, jajaja... anyway thanks a lot.
I would like to tell you some points before making any judgement about this pedalboard, you must take for sure that:

-You're using good cables.
-Your guitar, amp or pedals doesn't have soldering
or wiring problems.
-The incoming AC Voltage is matching your equimpment.
-Your amplifier valves and/or transformers are in
good conditions.

I think that is very important to have experience before buying this pedalboard, and also take everything with calm, be patient and if you're having problems, try to take a look at the possible cause, if you take this attitude, you won't be dissapointed or pissed off.

I bought this pedalboard just a few days ago, it was onstage yesterday by the first time, I need to know it better yet, and at this time, sincerelly I can't tell you that my entire rig (including this pedalboard) is quiet as a grave, this not represents a serious problem to me, the cool thing around all of this, is that I'm HAPPY AND SATISFIED.

Very easy to use. Pretty well written manual too.

Like everyone else I had issues with noise. In fact I got this board to replace the SKB crap. Not only did I get 60 cycle hum, but every light switch clicked in the signal. The PL8 made most of that go away.

No the noise you are getting stems from the fact that the same power source powers the front amp stomp boxes as the FX loop boxes. It seems that if you run two loops, (as I have detailed below,) one to the front and one to the FX loop you get a ground hum. This happenned with the SKB too. It also happens if you completely remove all FX from the board and power them with the same source.

Furman directed me to have both of my amps and the board completely checked out by a very reputable tech. I was with him during the test. None of the noise was being caused by any of my equipment.


I have done a considerable amount of research on this. It is not the pedalboard causing this problem, it is the the two loops. I have tried this with six different top line amps, (Mine are Boogie and Fender, but I have gotten this noise with Marshall, Matchless, and others.) The problem is if you use the same 9V power source for the amp front loop as the FX loop.

Here is a test: Try using a One Spot and daisy chain, without a pedal board. Be sure to power your front amp fx and loop fx with the same one spot. And go ahead and just place one box in the front amp and one in the FX. You will get the same noise.

Now take a second One Spot and daisy chain, and power the FX loop boxes separate from the front amp. No noise.

So what you need to do is power the front amp stomps with the power from the PL8. Power the FX loop with amother source, like a juice box or a One Spot, that you plug into the PL8. You can still use the patch bay. This will eliminate your noise. I know it seems like you should not have to do this, pay $300 for a pedal board only to need another power source. But this is the fix, trust me. (BTW I use a One Spot and keep a back up in my gig bag.)

My set up is pretty straight forward, and all high end. I use a handful of PRS, Gibson, and Fender. Main guitars are PRS HB I and Fender 52 Tele RI. Amps are Mesa Nomad 100 and Fender Evil Twin. FX are FRONT: BOSS TU2 Tuner-Boss CS3 Compressor-Fulltone Distortion Pro-Boss PW10 Wah; LOOP Ibanez DFL Flanger-Boss CE5 Chorus-Ibanez DDL Delay-Boss DD5 Delay

I gig with it and have not had a problem. Again if you do the power wiring as I suggest above it will be silent. Plus since both the 9v and 120V outlets are RFI protected you still get the protection from lights, etc.

Furman was real helpful.

I play jazz rock. So I need Norman Brown clean and Santana scream. I have been playing 30 years. I do not gig with a back up. It is very durable. Much better than anything in its price range.

The manual is easy to follow. It's took some thinking in order to get it working for my own application. The board is laid out well and is the perfect size. Any bigger would be overkill. If I needed more real estate I'd be overdoing it. Comes with a great padded gigbag-type carrying case that has extra zippered pockets for carrying accessories. Plenty protection enough for my expensive pedals. Effects can get heavy on their own and I think Furman made the SPB8 smart and light as possible with this probably in mind.

My setup is:
Les Paul Studio > Into SPB8 > 80's MXR Dynacomp > Menatone Blue Collar > ZVex Fuzz Factory > Old MXR Flanger > Boss DD3 Delay > Fulltone Supa Trem > Ernie Ball Volume Pedal > Out of SPB8 > Carvin MTS 3212 2x12 combo amp. I have it all patched up using George L cable.
The SPB8 makes transporting my whole rig easy. The SPB8 is dead quiet and introduces no noise whatsoever. If there's ever any buzzing or humming going on it's usually due to a noisy pedal or maybe just a misbehaving cable.

Very reliable. I've been using the SPB8 for almost a year in my home studio and took it out on a few gigs. The other guitarist in my band also uses one and has had no problems with it. We both love our SPB8's and think it's easily worth the price. The unit is built rugged and durable - Nothing cheap about it.

I haven't had the need to deal with Furman. So I can't comment on their service and support.

I've been playing guitar, bass, keys, and drums for over 25 years. I have a home project studio which includes a Furman headphone amp which gets high marks also. This is what sold me on Furman. Their product line includes discreet high end audio line regulators, power conditioners, moniters, etc. Who would be more qualified to make a power board for effects chains? The best part about it is I need no more batteries! or multi outlet strips! No separate power supply for my pedals. No more unplugging from the pedal instrument jacks every time I'm done playing. At the last gig my keyboardist needed more outlets so I offered him two of my AC oulets on the SPB8.

The Furman SPB-8 is fairly simple to set up,all power and signal jacks are insulated and isolated,eliminating noisy groud loops,the manual is to the point and explains the many different setups you can do.There is plenty of velcro included also.

Well i bought the Furman as a upgrade to the SKB 25 pedalboard that was very unreliable for the gigging musician,i definitely won't have that problem with the Furman,it is built solid some have stated that there is noise in the effects loop they must have bad patch cords or hooked something up wrong because mine is dead silent no noise here folks.i really like the 120vac outlets for wall warts great idea,my set up is Vox wah,Boss Tu2 tuner,Voodoo Labs Microvibe and Proctavia,Marshall Guvnor Plus,H&K Tube Factor,Russian Big Muff mod for TB,and Danecho.As i said no noise or hum the patch bay on this thing is excellent.

I've done about a half dozen gigs with baby so far and am very confident with it,the board is put together very well and the heavy duty gig bag is a plus,also the ac cord is very durable not like the SKB's wall wart that used to crap out in the middle of a gig.

never dealt with them.

The Furman pedalboard is definitely geared for the working musician who likes to have his effects powered and organized with no hassles, breakdowns or other technical problems.Now i have my pedals totally organized and operating up to their full potential and very little setup,packup time at gigs.

Pretty Simple set-up and some decent options for signal flexibility. Definitely not pro-level craziness, but definitely good enough for someone running an 8-10 pedal set-up unless you're the Edge...

Hard to imagine how a pedalboard could sound bad right? Well this one just sucks up tone and TOTALLY trashes a clean signal. Creates a WHOLE lot of buzz. I used this thing in the studio on our first recording project and had to re-do the tracks because of how much buzz it created.

On top of the noise, its a veritable terd. I've gigged it, relatively hard I'll admit, for about 3 months. As of 3 days ago it was DOA at a gig. I plugged in and it was dead. I had to run the rest of the night straight from my guitar to my amp. Pretty disappointing, but I guess I'm learning some pretty expensive lessons.

Wouldn't know, I can't get them to write me back.

I wouldn't reccomend this to anyone if they're anal (like me) about their sound and about their equipements reliability. The best thing about this terd is the gig bag, it has nice pockets.

pretty easy to set up, but a bit more complex if some of your pedals go to the fx loop of your amp and the rest go into the front end, but i consider this flexability, not complexity.

a pedalboard doesn't have a "sound" per se, so no comment needed

this is my main complaint- the 1/4" input and output jacks( there are 10 in all) have plastic sleeves and ARE PC BOARD MOUNTED- a recipe for disaster! after a few plug ins and outs of the guitar cable (most of the other cables stay plugged in all the time)into the input, i started to get an intermittent signal, then my rig died out on the gig! PC mounted ANYTHING sucks, and has one purpose- it's cheap to manufacture!

i called furman, and a guy named Christos overnighted to me 2 sets of jacks (20 in all), so replacement was drop in, pretty simple. he also faxed to me the wiring harness diagram so my tech can hardwire metal jacks directly to the metal housing on the board. this dude is bomb, very helpful and understanding.

hard to opine here, because after 37 years as a performing, session, and touring guitarist, i know that reliability is of paramount importance to me. but the good qualities are as follows- plenty of ac & dc power outlets, a good amount of room for pedals while still being schlepable, long and sturdy power cable, handy gig bag (... but be careful of how many pedals you use- a heavy pedalboard can break the shoulder strap, it happend to me), well designed layout.

Fairly intuitive set-up. Manual is straightforward. Velcro that came with the unit needed a little help to stay adhered to the pedals after a few weeks.

I use this to carry a Korg AX-100 multi-effects (takes the space of 2-3 pedals), Fulltone Clyde wah, Carl Martin compressor, Fulltone Full-drive 2, Boss ce-2 chorus or Fulltone Ultimate Octave, BBE sonic maximizer (DI-100 version), and a Morley A/B box. The board holds all of these pedals with little difficulty, and powers them all, so I'm saving on batteries. I can be a compulsive pedal-buyer, and I'm already (after 7 months) wishing it were bigger so I could add an analog delay pedal or an mxr phase 90, but this board is plenty big for most rational, sane box stompers! I've had no problems with hiss or hum AT ALL, and I play in some funky wiring/RF situations!

The power cord is exremely sturdy, and the board hasn't failed me yet, except fot the velcro needing some additional adhesive. For me,
a backup pedal board is basically out of the question.

Never had a reason to contact 'em.

This is the first review I've posted on HC, but I've read hundreds. This pedalboard is the best thing I ever did for my live rig, and it's practical usefulness inspired me to start "giving back" to HC. The price is not the lowest, but this is a sturdy, professional grade board that will last, and will not crack, etc. The board has just enough "flex" to bend and not break if you put your weight on it, but does not feel cheap or plastic-like at all, and doesn't give so much that you can't trigger that wah-wah switch. The convenience of just plugging in to the guitar, board and amp has ended the endless headaches of messing with multiple patchcords, power cords, etc. You unstrap it from it's well-padded case, which has a carrying strap, lift it out, set it on the floor, plug in, and BAM, you are ready to rock! I've been playing for 20 years now (scary), and my only regret is that I didn't have one of these when I started playing live!

This unit is very easy to use, if you know anything about routing signals, which is fairly easy. It powers up to 8 9v effects, and also has three plugs for others that are not 9v...(wall warts...etc.) Read other posts for further detail please.

I am running a Epi Les Paul standard with a Duncan distortion pick-up in the bridge to a nady wireless unit into the following effects: Dunlop crybaby 535 wah > Ibanez tube screamer > Boss TU-2 tuner > Boss Compressor/Sustainer > into the Furman board and then into the preamp of a Mesa Triple Rectifier. Out of the amp, the signal comes back to through the Furman, and into the following: Boss Dual Overdrive (for lead boosts....works very well) > Boss Chorus > MXR Phase 90 > Boss DD-5 Delay > Furman board, and then back to the Mesa via the effects loop. I also run my footswith for the channel select of the Mesa through the board. It took a few minutes to figure out how to run the two signals plus the channel select through it, but it was well worth it. I hear absolutely NO noise, clean or dirty channels, and all effects sound fine through this unit. All, except for the MXR Phase 90, which sounds a little, and I mean very little muddy when compared with the pedal by itself through the amp. This is nothing that bothers me....in fact....i like the colored sound of the Phase 90 in this situation. Guess thats just luck.

Very reliable. Sturdy construction. Would gig without back up since you can just patch together and self power the pedals by themselves if the board decided to take the night off. Have used it for nearly a year without any problems.

Have not had to deal with the manufacturer.

I play rock/hard rock style of music. I have been playing for nearly 8 years now. This unit is perfect for me. The only thing that would make it better would be that it was a Digital Music Corp. switcher....but hey....thats a bit more money. So untill then, this will work great for me. I chose this unit over the SKB, because I had heard the SKB colors your sound too much, and would not power some pedals. I LOVE this thing.

Straight forward design from Furman. I've been using Furman products for years and they are a professional company. The SPB-8 is a straight forward pedal board designed for gigging. A polycarbonate board that handles up to "10 or 11" effects. Not really, one you cable everything up, there's not much room left.

This is where I have my problem. This is my effects chain: Wah into Boss DS-1 into Boss EQ into Rocktron Hush pedal. This signal is frontloaded in the amp (preamp). The effects loop has a Line 6 Modulation modeler and a Line Delay modeler in it. The signal then feeds into an Ampeg VL-502 1/2 stack or a Lee Jackson XLA-1000 half stack. After hooking everything up I was treated to this buzz in the clean channel that is noticeable yet tolerable. Switch to high gain and it sounds like pulling your guitar cable out of your guitar while the amp is on "10". I concur with "Anonymous from 12/21/2001" better shielding should have been used. Anonymous, if you're out there, please e-mail and tell me how you re-routed your signal!!!!

No doubt the board is reliable as are all Furman products. The board is a no nonsense polycarbonate with velcro adhesive strips for the pedals. The padded carry case with shoulder strap is a real nice feature also. The power cord is extra long and the powered 9V panel with adapter cables is clever so there is no need for wall warts (except if you're weird like me who buys Line 6 products that a require a specific power supply that only they make). The board is solid and clearly built for gigging.

Customer support was excellent. As I already mentioned with the noise factor I was constantly e-mailing tech support with questions. Every e-mail was answered within 24 hours with an intelligent suggestion. This was impressive.

Unfortunately the noise this board introduced into my signal brought the overall rating down considerably. I've been playing almost 35 years and have forgotten most of the equipment I've owned. I play hard rock/metal in the eighties style. This product by design solves a problem most of us that gig experience, a massive pile of pedals and cables in front of us. I love the design, the layout, the features, craftsmanship, and the technology. Sadly I HATE the noise. If it broke tomorrow I would not buy another one. I really want to love this board but I simply can't because there's too much noise filling my ears.

The Furman SPB-8 is a pedalboard with a Furman power conditioner/stereo patch bay on board. The board is a polycarbonate material and is extremely strong. Operation is a no brainer with this one, 8 9VDC outputs, 3 120VAC outputs, a very intuitive and extremely flexible stereo patch bay which can or cannot be used. The owners manual is simple to follow. Also included is a padded carry bag with two zippered storage compartments inside.

I'm using the following setup: Boss TU-2 tuner-->Fulltone Clyde Wah-->Fulltone DejaVibe 2-->Fulltone Fat Boost into either my 5150 combo, Demeter TGA-2 1x12 combo or Koch Pedaltone going direct into mixer. Also in the effects loop of any of the three I have a Boss DD-3 delay-->Little Lanilei Reverb. Guitars are TCM Empress, TCM Taurus Standard, TCM Glory Custom and Ovation Standard Balladeer. One could ask how could this simple device only get a 6? Well, the patch bay introduced some ugly noise into my setup, specifically with my Koch Pedaltone. I used all George L cables to interlink my effects together and to/from the patch bay. With my Demeter and 5150, I noticed no real noise from the setup from my input effects. Well, with my Koch Pedaltone going through my headphones, I got this horrid humming/buzzing noise when not playing, kind of sounds like the same noise you get with an unplugged guitat cable while the amp is still hot. After messing around to make sure I had no shorts in my George L's, I rewired my input effects setup to bypass the patch bay and low and behold, the noise completely went away. I still use the patch bay for my effects loop as it only adds a tad bit of noise in the background when not playing. I think Furman should've done a better job of shielding there wires internally.

Based on the current power conditioning products that have been on the market for years, I can't imagine really having a problem with it. As far as the actual pedalboard itself, it should stand up to alot of abuse.

N/A

Well, overall I think it's a great little unit for the price. The patch bay sure is a nice idea but based upon the noise problem I had, I can do without it. I replaced my SKB PS-25 with this and am more than happy. I will say though, if I were a constant gigger with more pedals, I'd go NGM with a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power as there is no hard case and my current pedal arrangement (which also includes my Demeter 2 button footswitch) has completely filled the board so those with more effects should look for a bigger setup.