Summary: True to form, here’s another quality pedal board from Vangoa. Roughly half the depth of its bigger brother the 20″ x 12″ board, this is a convenient board that can carry up to 7 pedals in a staggered setup (see image below and how I’ve set up 4 pedals – 3 can easily be staggered above).
Pros: Like the other boards I’ve reviewed by Vangoa, the build quality of this board is unquestionably high. No cracks in the joints; everything is straight as an arrow. The included cable ties, VelcroTM, and patch cables are a nice added touch.
Cons: Functionally, I have no issues with the board at all, though as with the other boards I reviewed, the dimensions are just a little weird. And as with the other boards the bag material seems a little thin. But that said, it’s not a problem as long as you take care and not throw the bag around or overload it.
Features:
- Aluminum allow construction
- 1 Roll Self-adhesive Hook&Loop
- Carrying bag with inner pocket to hold extra cords and such.
- 3 Nylon Cable Ties
- 3 35cm Plastic Cable Ties
- 6 9.7cm Plastic Cable Ties
- 5 Self-adhesive Cable Mount Base Holders
Price: $59.95 at Amazon.com (no, this is not an affiliate link)
The quality of this board is clear. But at least for me, the size is perfect for my acoustic rig as I can fit a larger vocal processor/looper on it and still have plenty of room for modulation pedals, which was always my issue with the old Nano board.
Vangoa is one of numerous Chinese companies selling their wares on the market today. And they’re a testament to just how good Chinese manufacturing quality has become. I’ve tested and reviewed two of their other boards and have not been at all disappointed. In fact, their big pedal board is now my “big show” pedal board when I’m doing larger venues and need a bit more variety with my effects – especially overdrives and distortion, and need some space for a wah wah pedal.
When Vangoa sent me this mini pedal to review, this time, they also sent me aluminum alloy ingots, which were about a centimeter wide and almost a meter in length. I asked Jack, their sales manager what they were about, and he replied that he wanted to share the actual raw material from which the boards were made. Admittedly, it was a little humorous to me. But it did tell me that he was pretty serious about the product and wanted to prove that it wasn’t made of some other type of material.
Not that it would’ve mattered because when I first took out the board, I thought it was – as my Aussie mates say – “the duck’s nuts.” Quite simply, the board is well-made. As I mentioned above, there are not cracked joints and it’s just… well… sturdy.
A HUGE thing for me with the Vangoa boards is their use of rubber feet that not only prevent slippage, but more importantly, elevate the board above the floor to avoid potential spillage; something that I have personally had to deal with when playing in clubs when some idiot decides to dance in front of me with a beer, or stupid me, knocking over a water cup (which I don’t do any more).
Fit and Finish
I’ve already mentioned how the board itself is great, so no need to belabor the point. But it also comes with a nice carrying case. The material is good enough, and though it’s not made of high-velocity nylon, it works pretty well. And most importantly, it’s padded. But as with any thin nylon, you’ll have to be careful with it because over time, it eventually will wear out. Also, you never ever want to overload a bag like this. It will tear.
The extra accessories that that bag comes with are a very nice touch. This has what has always impressed me with the Vangoa bags. They add a bunch of stuff that you will need. For instance, the plastic cable ties are awesome. I already had a bunch of them in my workbench, but having some extras to tote to a gig? You never know when you’ll need ’em.
Waiting for the Lock-down to End
I haven’t gigged with the board yet because as with the rest of California, I’m in shelter-in-place lock-down for a few weeks, so no church, no clubs, blah, blah, blah. But once the lock-down is lifted I will be using this board as my acoustic/clean rig. I like the depth of the board because I can fit larger pedals on it such as a vocal processor/looper and still have plenty of room for modulation effects.
At least in this case, size really does matter. And this is important, especially with a solo act where consolidation is huge. One of the issues I had with the my old Nano board was that I could only fit four pedals on it. Period. If I put a vocal processor on it, like a TC Helicon VoiceLive unit, forget it. I had room for one extra pedal. So I always had to transport it separately. That also meant that once at a venue, I had to set it up separately. But with the Vangoa Mini board, I can fit a vocal processor on the board (I’m looking for a new one) and still put all four of my modulation pedals on it.
Overall Impression
Yeah, pedal boards are fairly pedestrian accessories, but when they’re well-designed their inclusion into a rig should be seamless and transparent. This Ghostfire Mini is great!
Guitar Gear 
Leave a Reply