
There are three major issues to consider when thinking about powering your pedalboard: voltage, current, and isolation.
With so many cool and interesting pedals readily available to the modern musician, you will inevitably come to the point where you need to build a pedalboard (especially if youāre a gear junkie like me). Youāll need to decide which kind of board to buy or build, which pedals will actually make it on your board, the optimum order of the effects, cable lengths, and whether or not you will buy pre-made cabling or wire your own. But probably the single most critical decision youāll make is how to power all of the pedals on your new board. There are three major issues to consider when thinking about powering your pedalboard: voltage, current, and isolation.
Luckily for us, the early popularity of Boss pedals helped to establish an unofficial standard when it comes to the voltage level and DC (direct current) jack used in powering pedals. The simple fact that most pedals could be powered by a 9V battery was the logical starting point that led to the inclusion of 9V DC power inputs. These DC inputs were useful when players didnāt want to hassle with batteries, and instead wanted to be able to power their pedals from standard AC wall outlets. Boss chose to use a 2.1mm DC power input jack with a center negative polarity and because of this, the majority of pedals on the market today also use this āstandard.ā Take a look at the labeling next to the input on your pedals and chances are it will say 9V DC, center negative (an icon symbolizing a jack with a negative sign pointing to the center symbolizes this).
Of course, not all pedals are powered with 9V, so make sure to take note if there is one in your collection with special voltage requirements. Some devices out there even use 9V AC (alternating current) power. Be very careful not to accidentally plug an AC power source into a pedal designed to be powered with DC. Chances are that if a pedal needs 18V or 24V DC, the manufacturer will have supplied a special power adapter anyway. Be sure not to hook your pedal up to a higher voltage source than it calls forāno one likes ending their pedalboard project with a puff of smoke!
Current is the next thing you will need to think about. The current that a given effect consumes is not likely listed on the pedal itself. For that you will need to look in the manual. Assuming theyāre analog devices, a distortion, overdrive, fuzz, compressor, or wah will in almost all cases have a very low current requirement (less than 20 mA or so). This is because these classic analog effects use only a handful of transistors and op-amps with low power requirements.
A digital effect, on the other hand, will contain a microprocessor or DSP, probably some memory, logic chips, A/D and D/A converters, as well as supporting analog components. In this case, you will literally be powering millions of miniaturized transistors inside of these digital chips, so the pedal will be a bit hungrier for power. Digital and DSP-based pedals typically consume more than 150 or 200 mA, and modern power supply manufacturers have taken this into consideration.
The thing to remember about current is that there is no danger in having more than you need available. But if your power supply canāt keep up with demand, your pedal may not even turn on. Worse yet, it could shut down in the middle of a gig. Think of current like horsepower in a car. If you have a 450-horsepower muscle car, you are not using all of that power when backing out of your garage, but itās there waiting for you when you step on the gas.
Voltage and current are critical in getting all of your pedals to work properly, but thereās one more thing that is crucial in making a low-noise rig: isolated power. Whenever you string together a number of different effects, their electronics can interact in both good and very bad ways.
The most common noise problem I regularly encounter when helping players troubleshoot their pedalboard is ground loops. Ground loops are commonly caused when using a daisy-chain power cable to power multiple pedals. This creates a ground loop between every pedal in the daisy chain!
Why should we avoid ground loops? One reason is that they allow stray magnetic fields to introduce hum into your signal path. Another is that noise currents are able to flow into your audio instead of cleanly back into the power supply. If the only type of effect you use is distortion, you may not have heard the ill effects. But, if you have modulation and delay pedals, the likelihood of ground loops wreaking havoc on your signal is high.
To solve this, power supply manufacturers have created multiple-output isolated power supplies. The Voodoo Lab Iso-5 is an example of a cost-effective, multiple-output isolated power supply. An isolated supply works by using a transformer (or multiple transformers) to keep every power outlet completely electrically isolated. This prevents your guitar signal ground from connecting to multiple pedals at the power supply.
Ideally, you want your ground and guitar signal to have a single path to your amp. Otherwise, hum and other nastiness will creep its way into your tone. Multiple-output supplies, when designed correctly, also supply regulated power that is cleaner than a standard wall wart. That said, if you have a bunch of wall warts lying around anyway, having them all connected to a power strip under your board is not a bad solution at all. This will also provide isolation if each wall wart is only plugged into a single pedal.
This may be a lot to think about, but if you do a bit of research up front, youāll save a lot of frustration down the line. Watch those voltage levels, make sure you have enough current available, and use an isolated power source for each effect. Happy shredding!
[Updated 12/6/21]
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- DIY: How to Make a 9V Power Supply Out of a Drill Battery - Premier Guitar āŗ
Lutefish, the real-time music collaboration device and platform, is excited to announce a suite of new features designed to simplify setup, streamline collaboration, and offer more flexible subscription options for Lutefish Stream users. These latest updates, Audio Presets, Automatic Session Recall, Improved Scheduling with Contact Visibility, and a new Yearly Subscription Plan, are all about making it easier than ever for musicians to jam together, no matter where theyāre based.
Save Time and Stay in the Flow with Audio Presets & Session Recall
Musicians can now save and reuse their exact audio settings, reducing setup time and ensuring every session sounds exactly as they want.
- Automatic Session Recall: When users leave a session, their current audio levels are automatically saved and restored when they rejoin.
- User-Defined Audio Presets: Each user can create and name up to five custom presets, like āBand Practice,ā āStudio Mic Setup,ā or āQuick Jam,ā making it effortless to jump back in with the perfect sound.
āThese tools are all about saving time and hassle,ā said Patrick Finn, Business Manager at Lutefish. āMusicians want to make music, not spend time rebalancing levels every session. With presets and recall, weāre giving them time back and helping them sound their best, every time.ā
Smarter Scheduling and Contact Visibility
The latest update to Lutefish also made it easier to find collaborators and book sessions. Users can now:- View all their contacts at a glance when scheduling a session.
- Instantly identify which contacts own a Lutefish Stream deviceāso they will always know whoās ready to jam.
Go Yearly and Save 20%
Lutefish now offers a Yearly Subscription Plan, providing users with the same great access as the monthly plan at a 20% discount.
This option is now available within the Lutefish app and web platform, and current monthly users are eligible for a discount with an upgrade to a yearly subscription.
Lutefishās mission has always been to empower musicians to connect and collaborate without boundaries. With these new updates, Lutefish Stream continues to break down barriersāwhether youāre jamming with a friend across town or collaborating with a bandmate 500 miles away.
For more information and to start jamming today, visitlutefish.com.
Few musical acts did more to put their fame and fortune to good use than punk rock icon Wayne Kramer. Known for his enduring commitment to activism, especially in justice reform, his life story embodies the defiant, DIY ethos of punk, directly inspiring generations of bands and musicians who followed. Now, fans and fellow musicians alike can attempt to emulate Kramerās incendiary sound with the new, limited-edition pedal.
Designed before his death in February 2024, Wayne Kramerātogether with friend Jimi Dunlop (Dunlop CEO) and Daredevil Pedals owner Johnny Wator āthe pedal features artwork from artist and activist Shepard Fairey (Obey Clothing founder). A majority of profits from the sale of the pedal goes directly to Kramerās charity supporting the rehabilitation of incarcerated people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.
In honor of his close friend, Tom Morelloāthe innovative guitarist behind Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, the Nightwatchman, and moreādemoed the pedal, showcasing its sound and shining light on Wayne Kramerās incredible legacy.
Tom Morello Introduces MC5 Wayne Kramer-Inspired Pedal For Charity: MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive
"What they've tried to bake into the MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive distortion pedal is not just Wayne's sound but Wayne's attitude, and the grit and the rawness of Detroit and of the MC5," said Morello, one of Kramerās best friends, during his demo of the pedal. "This is the guitar pedal that was used on the song 'Heavy Lifting' that I recorded with Wayne for the last MC5 record.
"Named after the late rocker's charityāwhich provides instruments and art workshops to incarcerated individuals as rehabilitation toolsāthe MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal aims to capture all of the high-voltage energy of Wayne Kramer's sound. It features two uniquely voiced gain circuits cascaded together with a singular pot controlling both the output level of each circuit and the overall saturation level of the distortion.
Music makers looking to capture Kramerās raw, fiery sound can pick up the new MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal, exclusively on Reverb via The Official MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive Reverb Shop for $199, here: https://reverb.com/shop/the-official-mxr-jail-guitar-doors-reverb-shop.
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you donāt need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single āTrembling Level,ā back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December⦠A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PGās Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the bandās show at Nashvilleās Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by DāAddario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Hetās Hardwired strings, .011ā.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab thatās been rebadged in honor of its nickname, āDonkey,ā while the Archon, which is like a ārefined 5150,ā runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primackās Pedalboard
Primackās board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taverās Teles
Vadim Taverās go-to is this cherryburst FenderĀ Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primackās recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have DāAddario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taverās Pedalboard
Taverās board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmonās favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which heās outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ā70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmonās Pedalboard
Harmonās board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kieselās new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com