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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ Power Supply For Pedal Boards Question

Posted by: Brandon Earman Aug 9 2010, 02:50 AM

I'm currently using a V-Spot power adapter to power my 4-5 pedals: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Visual-Sound-1-SPOT---Space-Saving-9V-DC-Adapter-101999308-i1124557.gc.

One of these powers 4-5 pedals of mine just fine, but as I add another pedal or two I run short and it cannot power them all (obviously). What would be the disadvantage of just purchasing an additional V-spot power adapter? They are only $20 US so it's much cheaper than a $100+ power brick.

Am I missing something here? What's the big deal about pricey power bricks?

Thanks in advance.

-Brandon

Posted by: ZakkWylde Aug 9 2010, 03:42 AM

The Power adaptors are not shielded against noise - on louder volumes you can get quite a lot of noise and buzz from the wall sockets.
Power bricks like the Voodoo Lab pedal power have each 9V output shielded seperately, this will make your pedals run as quietly as if they were powered by a battery! Also the bricks are extremely reliable and amost indestructible...

If you are just in need to power some additional pedals to play at home - get another 20$ power supply
If you are gigging or plan to do so then get a power brick; it's a fire&forget solution

Posted by: Brandon Earman Aug 9 2010, 04:46 AM

Alright Zakk.. thanks for your help man that clears it up. That does raise one more question though. What about the fancy pedal boards that come with their own power supply? http://www.guitarcenter.com/Furman-SPB-8C-Stereo-Pedal-Board---Power-Conditioner-with-Hardshell-Case-103923579-i1169891.gc looks pretty promising, but at a high price. Are they worth the high price, or would you recommend building your own board and buying a power brick?

Posted by: ZakkWylde Aug 9 2010, 01:52 PM

For those pedals boards with built in power supplies I would always read some reviews. I have com across some that had good powersupplies on board and I have seen some boards with cheapo supplies packed in a fancy housing...

The price on the one you linked is so high because it comes with a hardshell flightcase too!

Posted by: Mudbone Aug 10 2010, 05:17 AM

You might want to check out the OneSpot. Its pretty cheap, like $30 on Amazon I believe. I have it, and it works pretty good.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Aug 11 2010, 11:23 PM

It really depends on your budget in the end. Good expensive pedalboard is a nice investment, if you can afford it - go for it. Same goes for power supply.

In my experience, any pedalboard or power adapter with filtering will do the job. Cheap Behringer like this one here:

will do the job just fine, all you need is a bit better power supply.

For example, I use Boss BCB60 pedalboard some 3 years now for live shows, never had any problems, and used it's power supply. That power supply broke on me after 2.5 years, and I got a technician build me another one with twice as much cable and 1.5A of current available. It doesn't produce any noise that I've noticed, and it's ultra light. I use all analog pedals, and need my current as clean as possible, this one does the job. I could buy a brick, but it was pricey and wanted to get some pedals instead. So in the end, it's all about the budget. If you have the money, get a brick, it is a good all-around solution. If you don't, you won't notice that much of a difference with good quality power adapter.