Rich_S
HomeGrownToneBrewologist
I'm thinking of modernizing my pedalboard, after using the same DIY setup I've used for 30 years. As I've crammed more pedals onto the board, ground loops have become a problem. In the old days with only 4 or 5 Boss pedals, I could get away with a common DC supply ground, provided I was careful with my wiring. These days, I've up to 8 pedals (Boss, MXR, Xotic) and it's time to buy my first real power supply.
After the shock of how much they cost wore off, I noticed that very few power supplies have enough power outputs. In this day and age, I don't think 8 pedals is really all THAT many, but there aren't many supplies with eight isolated outputs. So here's my question... do you actually use a dedicated power output for each pedal, or can you get away with doubling up a few pedals on a single output? If the later, I assume some amount of trial-and-error is required to find a setup that is quite.
The pedalboard I have in mind would have (6) 9-volt pedals, a 9-volt tuner, and a 12-volt delay. The only supply I've seen that can supply dedicated outputs for all of those pedals is the T-Rex Fuel Tank, with its scary $200 price tag. (Edit: I just read on the ProGuitarShop website that the Fule Tanks 8 9-volt outputs all share a common ground. WTF? How's THAT ever work?) The T-Rex Fuel Tank Chameleon is slightly less shocking at $150, but effectively has only 5 outputs, so most of my 9-volt pedals would have to be doubled up, two to an output.
I was surprised to find that Voodoo Labs doesn't provided 12-volt outputs. I suppose using a Pedal Power 2 Plus is an option, as long as I use the delay's wall wart to source its 12 VDC.
What's your experience in the real world with pedalboard power supplies?
After the shock of how much they cost wore off, I noticed that very few power supplies have enough power outputs. In this day and age, I don't think 8 pedals is really all THAT many, but there aren't many supplies with eight isolated outputs. So here's my question... do you actually use a dedicated power output for each pedal, or can you get away with doubling up a few pedals on a single output? If the later, I assume some amount of trial-and-error is required to find a setup that is quite.
The pedalboard I have in mind would have (6) 9-volt pedals, a 9-volt tuner, and a 12-volt delay. The only supply I've seen that can supply dedicated outputs for all of those pedals is the T-Rex Fuel Tank, with its scary $200 price tag. (Edit: I just read on the ProGuitarShop website that the Fule Tanks 8 9-volt outputs all share a common ground. WTF? How's THAT ever work?) The T-Rex Fuel Tank Chameleon is slightly less shocking at $150, but effectively has only 5 outputs, so most of my 9-volt pedals would have to be doubled up, two to an output.
I was surprised to find that Voodoo Labs doesn't provided 12-volt outputs. I suppose using a Pedal Power 2 Plus is an option, as long as I use the delay's wall wart to source its 12 VDC.
What's your experience in the real world with pedalboard power supplies?
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