To coincide with this month’s smorgasbord of stompbox reviews, we look at options for efficiently powering your pedalboard.
WALRUS AUDIO
Aetos Clean Power Supply
This 8-output, isolated power supply has a custom-wound toroidal transformer for superior noise filtering and clean power.
Street: $169
walrusaudio.com
VOODOO LAB
Pedal Power 4x4
Featuring an internal thermometer that controls a silent cooling fan, the 4x4 can power up to four power-hungry digital effects and four standard battery-powered stompboxes.
Street: $189
voodoolab.com
PEDALTRAIN
Volto
This svelte, rechargeable lithium-ion battery-powered supply is a quiet and efficient alternative to AC-powered options. A pair of 9-volt outputs provides total power output of 2000 mA.
Street: $99.95
pedaltrain.com
MOOER
Micro Power
This tiny power supply features eight outputs, each with a status-indicator LED.
Street: $98
mooeraudio.com
DECIBEL ELEVEN
Hot Stone Deluxe Dual Voltage
This power supply boasts eight isolated outputs, a shielded toroidal transformer, selectable input voltage, a pair of high-current outputs, and a heavy-duty steel chassis.
Street: $179
decibel11.com
GATOR CASES
G-BUS-8-US
Housed in a heavy-duty aluminum enclosure, this multi-output power supply with resettable short-circuit protection can juice up to 11 pedals via eight 9-volt outputs and three 18-volt outputs.
Street: $94.99
gatorcases.com
ROCKTRON
Power Tap
This power supply’s space-saving chassis houses five power jacks switchable between 9 volts and 12 volts. Two jacks offer continuously variable power (from 4-volt to 9-volt), and there’s a single AC power jack.
Street: $189
rocktron.com
T-REX
Chameleon
This compact, rugged, and versatile power supply was built for players with many diverse pedals. It comes with all needed cables and offers four voltage options.
Street: $149
t-rex-effects.com
MXR
MC403 Power System
With high-performance toroidal transformers to ensure quiet operation and superior performance, this power supply offers 16 outputs. It can be used on a pedalboard or in a single rack-mount space.
Street: $249.99
jimdunlop.com
CARL MARTIN
Pro Power
Designed for the touring musician, this power supply features switchable AC input (110/230-volt) and eight isolated/regulated 9-volt/12-volt outputs, with extended power for outputs 7 and 8.
Street: $173
carlmartin.com
[Updated 3/2/22]
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Grammy-nominated session guitarist, producer, mixer, and engineer Paul Moak stays busy on multiple fronts. Over the years he’s written, played, produced and more for TV sessions (Pretty Little Liars, One Tree Hill) and artists including Third Day, Leeland, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. But most recently he’s worked with Heart and Ann Wilson and Tripsitter.
Time Traveler
Moak is most loyal to a 1963 Stratocaster body that’s mated to a 1980s-vintage, 3-bolt, maple, bullet-truss-rod, 1969-style Fender Japan neck. The bridge has been swapped as many as four times and the bridge and neck pickups are Lindy Fralins.
Cool Cat
If there’s one guitar Moak would grab in a fire, it’s the Jaguar he’s had since age 20 and used in his band DC Talk. When Moak bought the guitar at Music Go Round in Minneapolis, the olympic white finish was almost perfect. He remains impressed with the breadth of tones. He likes the low-output single-coils for use with more expansive reverb effects.
Mystery Message Les Paul
Moak’s 1970 L.P. Custom has a number of 1969 parts. It was traded to Moak by the band Feel. Interestingly, the back is carved with the words “cheat” and “liar,” telling a tale we can only speculate about.
Dad Rocker
Almost equally near and dear to Moak’s heart is this 1968 Vox Folk Twelve that belonged to his father. It has the original magnetic pickup at the neck as well as a piezo installed by Moak.
Flexi Plexis
This rare and precious trio of plexis can be routed in mix-and-match fashion to any of Moak’s extensive selection of cabs—all of which are miked and ready to roll.
Vintage Voices
Moak’s amps skew British, but ’60s Fender tone is here in plentitude courtesy of a blonde-and-oxblood Bassman and 1965 Bandmaster as well as a 2x6L6 Slivertone 1484 Twin Twelve.
Guess What?
The H-Zog, which is the second version of Canadian amp builder Garnet’s Herzog tube-driven overdrive, can work as an overdrive or an amp head, but it’s probably most famous for Randy Bachman’s fuzzy-as-heck “American Woman” tone.
Stomp Staff
While the Eventide H90 that helps anchor Moak’s pedalboard can handle the job of many pedals, he may have more amp heads on hand than stompboxes. But essentials include a JHS Pulp ‘N’ Peel compressor/preamp, a DigiTech Whammy II, DigiTech FreqOut natural feedback generator, a Pete Cornish SS-3 drive, Klon Centaur, and Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man.
Reverend Descent W Baritone Electric Guitar - Transparent White
