It takes an absurd amount of time for us to refine our approach to pedals by trying out anything we can get our hands on. However, not enough time is spent figuring out how to properly power those boards we’ve so carefully pieced together. Overall power, variable voltages, and portability all need to be considered when choosing the right power supply. Below are 10 different options that will assuredly keep your board up and running, but also give you peace of mind.
Cioks DC7
A slimline power machine, this 7-ouput unit offers four different voltages, a 5V USB outlet, and a 24V aux output—quite a bit of options for a supply that is only 1" thick. For international travelers, it will handle any type of power you throw at it.
$249 street
cioks.com
Truetone 1 Spot Pro CS12
If your pedal inventory is creeping into the double digits, the CS12 offers a dozen customizable outputs to get all your stomps the power they need. Four of the outputs can move between 9V and 12V, while one output has variable voltage. All in, the CS12 cranks out 3000mA of isolated power.
$197 street
Strymon Zuma
With nine outputs pumping out 500mA each, you’d be hard pressed to find a pedal that the Zuma can’t hang with. It’s also easily expandable, with a 24V thru jack to connect to other Strymon power supplies.
$279 street
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 3
One of the oldest names in the power game offers up the latest iteration of their classic model. It sports six 9V outputs each spitting out 500mA, a pair of switchable 12V/9V outputs, and an X-Link output that allows you to connect a Pedal Power X4 or X8 for up to 16 more isolated outputs.
$229 street
voodoolab.com
MXR M238 Iso-Brick
This compact power supply offers up 10 isolated outputs that range from 100mA to 450mA each, plus a pair of adjustable outputs that can be dialed in from 6V to 15V via a small knob.
$149 street
Walrus Audio Aetos
If you’re named after a close friend of the God of Thunder (no, not Gene), you better bring plenty of power to the table. It features a total of eight isolated outputs (six of them at 100mA and two at 300mA) and has a complimentary power output.
$169 street
walrusaudio.com
Fender Engine Room LVL8
If you have a mid-sized pedalboard with a handful of power-hungry pedals, this expandable eight-output unit offers plenty of juice. Alongside the six 9V, 500mA outputs you have two adjustable outputs that can go from 9V to 18V and a pair of USB outputs to keep your non-pedals gadgets powered up.
$219 street
Mission Engineering 529i USB
If you need to be really portable, this rechargeable power supply might be the ticket. With two hours of runtime, it can be recharged by nearly any mobile device including computers and even your car. Housed inside are six 300mA outputs and a pair of 500mA outputs for more power-hungry stomps.
$175 street
Friedman Power Grid 10
High-gain amp wizard Dave Friedman has created this power supply, which features 10 350mA outlets, to offer zero field hum. It works everywhere in the world, no matter what power you get to feed it. Plus, it’s designed as a riser, so if you don’t have room under your board, you can mount a pedal right on top.
$219 street
Gator GTR-PWR-5
This small-but-powerful unit would be perfect for more compact rigs—even if your board is tight on space. The five outlets shoot out 120mA each, and you can switch between 115 volts and 240 volts for international travel.
$79 street