Furman SPB-8 User manual

jacks, connected in two mono loops. This allows
a single guitar or instrument input to feed multiple
mono and stereo effects boxes, send and return
from remote effects, and feed up to two ampliers
simultaneously. From modest to highly complex
patching demands, the SPB-8 allows nearly unlimited
setup exibility.
Powering your pedals, amps and other gear, the
SPB-8/E offers two levels of surge and short circuit
protection, as well as RF and EMI ltering. The
SPB-8/E is quiet, powering both AC and DC pedals
without hum, due to the high quality toroidal trans-
former employed. Each DC output is rated at 100 mA,
as well as being individually protected against shorts
— guaranteeing that if one pedal goes out, the rest
are still protected and will continue to function.
The SPB-8/E makes pack-up simple and conve-
nient. Unpatching several effects boxes and pedals
is no longer required, since the large Velcro sheet
and included mating strips rmly secures all of your
pedals in place. A sturdy, padded case is included
and comes with a handle, a detachable shoulder
strap, and two zippered pouches for storing cables,
wall warts, and AC cords.
Using the SPB-8/E
When fully set up, the SPB-8/E will save you
many hours of plugging, unplugging, packing, and
unpacking pedals and effects. However, to fully
realize the simplication it offers, you must do some
planning and preparation.
1. Prepare Pedals: Most pedal effects have
rubber feet on their bottoms. These must rst be
removed to allow them to be attached to the SPB-
8/E. Some may be attached with screws; others may
be stick-on types that must be pried off. Once the
rubber feet are off, they should be replaced with the
adhesive-backed Velcro supplied with the SPB-8/E.
Cut suitably-sized pieces with a pair of scissors, peel
off the protective backing to expose the adhesive,
and stick them to the bottoms of your pedal effects.
If you wish to reposition your pedals, several smaller
pieces of Velcro may allow easier removal than one
large piece, though the larger the area you cover, the
more rmly the pedal will be attached.
2. Create a layout: Lay out your pedal effects
in the desired order, giving thought to such issues
SPB-8 Features
The Pedal Board is a solid, nonslip base for pedal
effects that lets you leave everything powered up
and patched together as you like it
Toroidal transformer for ultra low-noise perfor-
mance
Pedal effects attach securely to a 12” x 25” Velcro
pad
Sturdy, roomy, padded travel case ts the Pedal
Board plus attached effects, includes shoulder
strap and zippered pouch
Stereo effects return, effects loop, and amplier
outputs
Eight individually protected 9VDC outlets, with 8
included power cords
Three widely spaced 120VAC, 15A outlets allow
enough room for "wall warts" (E Version 230VAC,
10A outlets)
Furman's quality spike and surge suppression and
EMI/RFI ltering assures clean power
Rugged construction will withstand years of on-
stage use and abuse
Very long 10-foot AC cord (E Version needs Plug
Attachment)
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the Furman
SPB-8/E — the rst Pedal Board designed with the
professional guitar and bass player in mind. The
SPB-8/E is the most rugged, versatile, and useful
board available anywhere. It features heavy duty
construction that will handle the most forceful stomps
you can offer, as well as stand up to the rigors of the
road. The rst stereo board on the market, it is also
the rst to feature the high level of power conditioning
that Furman is famous for.
At the heart of the SPB-8/E Stereo Pedal Board
is a light yet rugged polycarbonate platform in
combination with a steel chassis and an ample 12"
x 24" Velcro sheet, ensuring secure, noiseless, ex
free, nonslip performance for up to eight (or more,
depending on power requirements) effects boxes
and pedals.
The SPB-8/E’s stereo patch bay contains seven
1/4" switching phone jacks and three non-switching
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as keeping signal levels high to minimize hum and
noise, and ease of access to all foot switches. The
Velcro system of attachment allows pedals to be
repositioned if necessary. Individual pedals should
be connected in a signal chain using short patch
cords (not supplied). The input to the rst pedal
should be patched to the To Pedal (Input) jack on
the SPB-8/E; the output of the last pedal should be
patched to either of the From Pedals jacks (both
should be used if the pedal has a stereo output). See
the next section for more on the SPB-8/E’s patching
capabilities.
3. Provide Power: The SPB-8/E can power
almost any pedal made, using one of its four power
options. Three of these provide 9 VDC power, and
the fourth is 120 VAC “wall” power (E Version 230
VAC Wall outlet).
9 VDC Power is typically used in pedals that can
run off batteries, or off battery eliminators. The SPB-
8/E provides eight 9 VDC power outlets, all of which
use 3.5 mm “miniplug” connectors on the pedal board
end. On the pedals themselves, several connector
types may be used, the most common of which is
called “P205L” or “DC connector”. This may easily be
recognized as a 5 mm round hole (often in a block of
black plastic insulating material), with a single metal
pin in the center. Eight miniplug-to-DC cables are
provided with the SPB-8/E. Some 9V pedals use a
miniplug connector instead of a DC connector. One
miniplug-to-miniplug cable is provided with the SPB-
8/E for such pedals. Finally, a few pedals have no
provision for any form of power other than batteries.
Should you encounter one of these, one miniplug-to-
battery-clip cable is also provided. To use it, simply
remove the battery and connect the pedal’s battery
clip to the one on the cable.
Each of the SPB-8/E’s DC power outputs is
individually fused and protected against shorts, so
pedals can be plugged in without risk even while the
pedal board is powered up. Each output can supply
up to 100 mA, which should be adequate for virtu-
ally any pedal. Because the SPB-8/E is protected
by Furman’s famous power conditioning capability,
your valuable pedals will be protected from damage
from spikes and surges.
120 VAC Power may be needed for a few pedals.
Three grounded, 15A outlets are provided. These
may also be used for non-pedal effects, such as
those mounted in racks.
4. Packing up: Once all pedals have been po-
sitioned, linked in a signal chain, and powered, the
SPB-8/E is ready for use on stage. After use, the
entire unit with pedals and all cabling attached may
be slipped into its padded Cordura case and trans-
ported. An internal strap holds the pedal board in
place. The case has both a handle and a detachable
shoulder strap for easy carrying. There are also two
internal zippered pouches for cables and other ac-
cessory items.
Sample Hookups
The SPB-8/E offers very exible patching op-
tions that will allow easy connection of mono and/or
stereo pedal effects, rack effects, and instruments
and amps. Several examples are presented here to
illustrate its capabilities. To understand the patch bay,
consider the “normal” signal ow through it, indicated
by the dotted lines with arrows showing direction:
Note that there are two channels, Left/Mono and
Right. If nothing is plugged into the switching jacks
(marked “S”), signal will ow unimpeded from the rst
jack (From Guitar, for Left/Mono, or From Pedals,
for Right) to the last jack (Amplier, for both Left/
Mono and Right) in each channel. Each of the three
jacks marked “U” is unswitched and may be used to
take a “tap” off the signal path without breaking it,
provided the jack to its immediate left is unused.
All hookups begin by connecting the guitar or
other instrument into the From Guitar jack, and the
input to the rst pedal in the pedal chain to the To
Pedal (Input) jack. From there, the exact hookup
used depends on whether the pedals have mono or
stereo outputs, whether rack effects as well as pedals
are used, and whether one or two amps are used.

Example 2: Mono Pedals, Two Amps
This example is similar to the rst except there are two amps. Both the Left/Mono and Right channels
are used, and receive identical signals to send to their respective amps. The feed to the Right channel is
split off from the Left/Mono signal path using the Left/Mono Rack Effects Send jack, because plugging in
to either of the Send jacks allows a “tap” to be taken without breaking the corresponding signal path.
Example 1: Mono Pedals, Single Amp
In this example, two pedals are linked together with a short cable going from the output of the rst to the
input of the second. Since there is only one amp, only the Left/Mono channel is used.

Example 4: Mono Pedals, Mono Rack Effects, Two Amps
In this example, both the pedals and the rack effect are mono, so the left/right split to feed the two amps
is accomplished similarly to Example 2, in which a Rack Effects Send jack was used to tap off a copy of
the signal. Note that in this case the pedal chain’s output is plugged to the Right channel, so it is the Right
Rack Effects Send that is the splitting element. Because the jumper cable from the Right Rack Effects
Send is plugged into the Left From Pedals jack, the “normal” signal path through the left channel is broken
and replaced with the signal from the right channel. Also, note that while the pedal effects are heard in both
channels, the rack effects would only be heard in the left channel.
Example 3: Mono Pedals, Stereo Rack Effects, Two Amps
This example is similar to the previous one except a rack effect is added which has one input and two (stereo)
outputs. Again, both channels are used, but the left/right split is generated by the stereo rack effect.

RACK EFFECTS
INPUT OUTPUT
L R
REMOTE MONO EFFECTS
INPUT
AMPLIFIER
LEFT / MONO
RIGHT FROM GUITAR
TO PEDAL
(INPUT)
AMPLIFIER RETURN SEND FROM
(TO AMPLIFIER INPUT) PEDALS RACK / EXTERNAL
EFFECTS
SPB-8 STEREO PATCH BAY
PATCH EXAMPLE - 5
INSTRUMENT
OUTPUT
EFFECTS
BOX
OUTPUT INPUT
EFFECTS
BOX
OUTPUT INPUT
AMPLIFIER HEAD WITH
EFFECTS LOOP
SEND RETURN
OUTPUT
INPUT
AMPLIFIER
SEND RETURN
FRONT VIEW
AMPLIFIER REAR VIEW
Example 5: Mono Pedals, Mono Rack Effects, One Amp
In this example, you have both pedals connected to the input of your amplier while using remote
mono effects (which can be pedals or racked effects) connected to your amplier's effects loop. You can
only connect one amplier to the patchbay with this conguration.

Three Year Limited Warranty
Furman Sound, Inc., having its principal place of business at 1997 South McDowell Blvd., Petaluma, CA 94954
(“Manufacturer”) warrants its SPB-8 (the “Product”) as follows:
Manufacturer warrants to the original Purchaser of the Product that the Product sold hereunder will be free
from defects in material and workmanship for a period of three years from the date of purchase. The Purchaser of
the product is allowed fteen days from the date of purchase to complete warranty registration by mail or on-line at
the Furman website. If the Product does not conform to this Limited Warranty during the warranty period (as herein
above specied), Purchaser shall notify Manufacturer in writing of the claimed defects. If the defects are of such
type and nature as to be covered by this warranty, Manufacturer shall authorize Purchaser to return the Product to
the Furman factory or to an authorized Furman repair location. Warranty claims should be accompanied by a copy
of the original purchase invoice showing the purchase date; this is not necessary if the Warranty Registration was
completed either via the mailed in warranty card or on-line website registration. Shipping charges to the Furman
factory or to an authorized repair location must be prepaid by the Purchaser of the product. Manufacturer shall, at
its own expense, furnish a replacement Product or, at Manufacturer’s option, repair the defective Product. Return
shipping charges back to Purchaser will be paid by Manufacturer.
THE FOREGOING IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT
NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. Manufacturer does not warrant against damages or defects arising out of improper or abnormal
use of handling of the Product; against defects or damages arising from improper installation, against defects in
products or components not manufactured by Manufacturer, or against damages resulting from such non-Manu-
facturer made products or components. This warranty shall be cancelable by Manufacturer at its sole discretion if
the product is modied in any way without written authorization from Furman Sound. This warranty also does not
apply to Products upon which repairs have been affected or attempted by persons other than pursuant to written
authorization by Manufacturer.
THIS WARRANTY IS EXCLUSIVE. The sole and exclusive obligation of Manufacturer shall be to repair or
replace the defective Product in the manner and for the period provided above. Manufacturer shall not have any
other obligation with respect to the Products or any part thereof, whether based on contract, tort, strict liability or
otherwise. Under no circumstances, whether based on this Limited Warranty or otherwise, shall Manufacturer be
liable for incidental, special, or consequential damages. Manufacturer’s employees or representatives’ ORAL OR
OTHER WRITTEN STATEMENTS DO NOT CONSTITUTE WARRANTIES, shall not be relied upon by Purchaser,
and are not a part of the contract for sale or this limited warranty. This Limited Warranty states the entire obligation
of Manufacturer with respect to the Product. If any part of this Limited Warranty is determined to be void or illegal,
the remainder shall remain in full force and effect.
A Note On The Current Requirements Of Pedal Effects
Each of the SPB-8/E’s 9VDC outlets has a maximum current rating of 100 mA, yet certain pedals
state power requirements of 200 mA or more. Most of the time, these specications are more indicative
of a desired level of regulation from a wall wart than an actual constant current requirement. Typically,
the actual current draw is no more than 50 mA, so the SPB-8/E’s supply will in fact be more than
adequate. To conrm this, try it! There is no harm in trying one of the SPB-8/E’s 9VDC outlets on any
pedal or box. If the constant current draw actually exceeds 100 mA, the PTC (solid state fuse) will
shut off, without damage, until the excessive load is removed. If this occurs, simply unplug the device
and use one of the SPB-8/E’s AC outlets with an appropriate wall wart supply. To further illustrate this
point,consider this: If a battery-powered device were actually to draw 300 mA continuously at 9VCD,
it would consume a new alkaline battery every six minutes.

Furman Sound, LLC.
1690 Corporate Circle.
Petaluma, California 94954-6919 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.FurmanSound.com
070730-C