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Tools for the Task: Pedalboard Power Supplies

Tools for the Task: Pedalboard Power Supplies

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]

Analog modulation guided by a digital brain willing to get weird.

Fun, fluid operation. Capable of vintage-thick textures at heavier gain settings. High headroom for accommodating other effects.

MIDI required to access more than one preset—which you’ll probably long for, given the breadth of voices.

$369

Kernom Elipse

kernom.com

4.5
4.5
4
4

If you love modulation—and lots of it—you can eat up a lot of pedalboard space fast. Modulation effects can be super-idiosyncratic and specialized, which leads to keeping many around, particularly if you favor the analog domain. TheKernom Elipse multi-modulator is pretty big and, at a glance, might not seem the best solution for real estate scarcity. Yet the Elipse is only about 1 1/4" wider than two standard-sized Boss pedals side by side. And by combining an analog signal path with digital control, it makes impressive, efficient use of its size—stuffing fine-sounding harmonic tremolo, phaser, rotary-style, chorus, vibrato, flanger, and Uni-Vibe-style effects into a single hefty enclosure. Many of the effects can also be blended and morphed into one another using a rotary control aptly called “mood.” The Elipse, most certainly, has many of those.

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Advanced

Intermediate

  • Learn how to incorporate open strings all the way up the fretboard.
  • Build velocity in your playing without practicing speed exercises.
  • Discover an easy way to steal licks from the pros using YouTube.
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It’s universally known in the guitar community that Brad Paisley isn’t just some guy that strums a guitar and sings country songs. He’s widely respected as one of the best players in the country music scene and takes an unusual approach to achieve the sonic insanity that spills out of his guitar. From Telecasters, G-benders, and cranked Dr. Z amps to instrumental records and wild guitar solos getting mainstream country radio airtime, Paisley has solidified his place in the discussion of all-time greats, and not just in the country world. In this lesson, we’ll dive into one of the cornerstones of Brad’s playing that makes him so unique: open strings.

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- YouTube

An easy guide to re-anchoring a loose tuning machine, restoring a “lost” input jack, refinishing dinged frets, and staunching a dinged surface. Result: no repair fees!

Unleash your inner metal icon with the Jackson Lee Malia LM-87, a high-performance shred-ready axe designed in collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon guitarist Lee Malia. Featuring custom Jackson signature pickups, a fast D-profile neck, and a TOM-style bridge for rock-solid stability, this signature model is a must-have for commanding metal tone and smooth playability.

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