• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Help with pedal power options

Guinness20

Guinness20

Jan 24, 2013
1,827
1,056
33
Liverpool, UK
#1
I'm putting a pedalboard together, most likely I'll have 5 pedals: a booster, a compressor, an overdrive, a fuzz and a preamp/eq/di. The board will be a pedaltrain mini or nano, depending on which power best suits my needs. The pedals will be:

Booster - TC Mini Spark
Compressor - Diamond Bass Comp
OD - not sure between B3K, B7k and BJEF Blueberry
Fuzz - TFR or Musket
preamp/eq/d - not quite sure yet, along the lines of a para driver, or vt bass di or tone hammer.

I know there are all sorts of combos, but chances are there'll be four 9v pedals (I know the darkglass could be 12v) and one 18v pedal. I've heard the diamond can be run on 9v, but I'd rather not compromise on the thing.

I had been considering this - [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] - it's cheap, not too big and can power up to 10 pedals, 8 9v and 2 adjustable to 12v. But since I decided on the diamond bass comp I don't know how it would be on 9 or 12v. So what other options are out there? Should I go voodoo labs, or is there something else that can do the job? What about the pedaltrain volto, sounds cool but would it do the job for me? Ideally I'd like the power supply to go under the board, so preferably nothing monstrously big.

Apologies for waffling on, any help would be much appreciated :D
 
#2
For a Mini or a Nano you're fairly limited as to what is going to fit under it. Unless you're using ultra tiny pedals I don't think that's all going to fit on a Nano.

I'd go with a 1spot. It's easy, cheap, and reliable. A T-Rex Fuel Tank Jr. will fit under those boards without modding them, as would the PT Volto. I haven't heard all that much on the Volto and what I have heard was less than stellar.
 
#3
Thanks for the suggestions. I suppose, thinking about it, it's not essential that I place the power supply underneath the board, it's just that I was worried that there'd be no space left on the board itself. Tbh, considering there's a possibility of a diamond bass comp, b7k and tone hammer all being on the board, I'll probably have to go with a mini.
 
#5
I have a VooDoo labs ISO-5 and it's a great power supply, dead silent and pro-grade all the way. That's the one to get if it fits your budget.

The "Volto" is an adjustable voltage power supply, really intended for fuzz pedals to give that "dying battery" sound with a mains power supply.

The 1 spot is inexpensive and works well for most people and most setups. But it is a daisy-chain power adapter and that means that all outputs are 9 volts and they are not isolated. Some people get noise problems from ground loops and/or the 1 spot's switching noise, but it really just depends on your pedals and your setup.
 
#6
thanks for all the help! :) The Cioks Schizophrenic Link is a great call, that looks like it could definitely do the job for me. They both seem to be around the same price, but the Schizophrenic seems more versatile, with the capabilities of powering two 18v and two 12v pedals.

Anybody have any experience of the dunlop or mxr DC Brick's?
 
#13
I can assure you with %100 certainty, you will not fit on a nano. I use a nano and it is filled with a Diamond Comp, B3k and Polytune. I power them with a standard Boss PSA adapter and a Boss 3 way splitter.

The Diamond will come with a little converter cable so you can run it with a standard Boss power supply. I do not recommend a one spot, the Darkglass will not like it and probably give you issues, they like dedicated power. My Darkglass has to be run after the tuner otherwise it gets noise, I can remedy this by providing it with it's own power source, but I would rather not run two adapters for three pedals.

Hope that helps.
 
#18
So I contacted Pedaltrain and asked about the volto's ability to power an 18v - it''s a no go. "The Volto is not capable of powering 18v pedals. Attempting to do so will damage the unit and void the warranty".

Which is the best dc brick power supply? Is the newer mxr one thinner than the others? Does the board need to be modified in order to fit a dc brick underneath?
 
#20
If you need MORE than 9V, this won't help you, but if 9V is all you need...

I have been using the Invalid Link Removed. Kind of hard to find, but they show up on Ebay. $100.

9V, 2,000mA. Right now I have it powering a Line 6 G50 receiver, Fishman Aura Spectrum, Boss OC-3, Boss CH-1, Boss, DD-7, Boss RV-5, and a Boss RC-50 Loop Station. According to my calculations, that 955mA

Here's and interesting link concerning Invalid Link Removed. Of course, I have no idea how accurate it is.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back