Maybe the least glamorous part of the pedalboard, but undoubtedly the most important – pairing your pedals with the best pedalboard power supplies is crucial to get reliable, crystal clear sounds. Moving from a daisy-chained pedal power setup to an isolated power supply was a game-changer for me, providing not only a more elegant, tidier way of powering my pedals but also delivering cleaner, noise-free power.
Combined with a pedalboard, a good pedalboard power supply will enable you to organize your pedals in a way that makes it much easier to set up and use, particularly when playing live. Even if you’re just playing at home, having your pedals arranged in one place and powered from a single point makes life much easier. With a good quality PSU, you’ll also ensure cleaner power to your pedals, giving you the best sound possible.
If you want the best overall pedalboard power supply, for me, it has to be the Strymon Ojai. It will only power a handful of effects, but the small size and excellent isolation ensure your pedals will sound their best. For a cheaper option, the MXR M237 DC Brick delivers clean power around the $100 mark. If you’ve got a lot of pedals, check out the Walrus Audio Canvas 22, which features a whopping 22 outputs that will make light work of even the biggest ‘boards.
If you’re new to buying a pedal power supply, then head to my how to choose section for the lowdown on how to go about selecting yours. I’ve also included a comprehensive FAQ section which answers loads of common questions, and a glossary of key terms to help you break down the technical terminology used in this guide.
My top picks
With each outlet offering a massive 500mA of power, the Strymon Ojai is an incredibly powerful PSU that doesn't take up too much space underneath or on top of your pedalboard. Automatic power compatibility and the ability to expand via a 24v thru jack make it a true pedal powerhouse.
Coming in around the $100 mark, the MXR 237 DC Brick is a high-quality option for powering your 'board on a budget. It's robustly built yet surprisingly lightweight, with plenty of outputs for powering your pedals.
Featuring some of the cleverest design I've seen from a pedalboard power supply, the Cioks Sol is a teeny tiny PSU that provides flexible power from a minuscule form factor. It's got 5 outputs, each of which can be switched between 9v, 12,v 15v, and 18v, making it small but supremely versatile.
Best overall
✅ Buy if: You want a compact isolated power supply that’s built beautifully and will slot seamlessly onto a pedalboard.
❌ Avoid if: You want a single power supply with lots of outputs, as the Ojai only has five.
Overview
This compact offering from Strymon is one of the best pedalboard power supplies for those with only a handful of effects. With five fully isolated 9V outputs each offering a massive 500mA, you’ve got enough juice to cater for the most power-hungry pedals out there.
Build quality
Of all the power supplies on this list, the Ojai is among my favorites, in no small part due to its looks – if it had a footswitch on it, you could easily mistake it for one of the premium pedals in Strymon’s range. It has an anodized aluminum chassis, which will hold up to the rigours of the road. And it isn’t just the exterior of the Ojai where the quality is sky high; it also uses quality components internally with dual isolation and individual regulation per output.
Usability
Another nifty feature is the ability to combine more than one of these together. The Ojai has a 24V thru jack to expand your setup with another unit, so that you can carry on using it even if you add more pedals to your board.
Another thing that makes the Ojai one of the best is its automatic power compatibility, so whether you’re running on 240V, 120V, or 100V, you’re still going to get good, clean power to your pedals – this is an absolute must for touring guitarists.
It's all-analog design uses individually isolated, regulated outputs with dual-stage filtering and custom transformers. This means that you get two stages of isolation, so expect this to be an incredibly quiet unit – no ground loop or AC line noise here!
Best budget
✅ Buy if: You want a cheaper power supply with excellent build quality.
❌ Avoid if: You need something with isolated power outlets in order to reduce noise.
Overview
Stocky but lightweight, the Iso-Brick from MXR earns its way onto our list of the best pedal power supplies with its 10 isolated outputs covering a range of voltages and currents for seemingly any pedal.
Build quality
It's incredibly robustly built, but lightweight, and the handy LEDs let you know that everything’s okay when you’re on a dark stage – the perfect gigging tool. MXR products have a reputation for good build quality, and there's nothing here that suggests to me that this won't do the job for players on a budget.
Usability
The Iso-Brick runs really quietly, even with the most power-hungry of pedals. It has 9v outputs ranging from 100 to 450mA. There are also two 18v outputs and two variable outputs with selectable voltage from 6-15v. With this, you can recreate voltage sag, as you’d get with a dying battery – this is where some old-school fuzz pedals sound their best, so it’s a nice feature to have for some players.
It's not an isolated power supply however, which is part of what keeps the costs down. This means some users may encounter a bit more noise or hum than they'd find with one of the more expensive PSUs in this guide.
Best compact
✅ Buy if: You want a flexible power supply with switchable outlets.
❌ Avoid if: You need something really small with a conventional layout. Despite its sleek size, this can be a bit fiddly to mount.
Overview
Cioks’ Sol Future Power Generation is an exceedingly clever contemporary design, and one of the most innovative entrants with respect to smaller pedal power supplies. It provides just five isolated outputs, but each of these isolated outputs is switchable between four settings – and the whole thing, despite its diminutive size, is directly mains-fed.
Build quality
The Sol Future Power Generation is sleek and compact in design, with a slim 1-inch profile and solid, all-metal enclosure, which still remains relatively lightweight. Touches like the recessed dip switches and reinforced RCA-style Flex jacks suggest Cioks have put a good amount of attention to detail into this unit, and built it specifically for the stage.
Usability
This chunk of pedal power is barely the size of an external hard drive, yet it receives a kettle lead and gives up to 30W of clean power to its five completely isolated outputs. Two dip switches control the ultimate output of each outlet, with a handy legend printed onto the unit itself to direct users. The options are 9V at up to 660mA, 12V at up to 500mA, 15V at up to 400mA and 18V at up to 330mA – enough to cover almost any pedal’s individual requirements (save for some of the heavier-duty multi-effects, such as Eventide’s H90), though the total power available is not super high, so you may struggle if you have lots of pedals with high current requirement.
Fully isolated, the Cioks will deliver crystal-clean power to your pedal without any noise. The high amperage of the 9V option is also useful, as analog dirt effects could be daisy-chained safely, and relatively noiselessly – meaning this tiny thing can serve pedalboards well above its posted weight. The future is now!
Best for large 'boards
✅ Buy if: You need power… lots of power. 22 outlets means there is a crazy amount available.
❌ Avoid if: You don’t like the idea of the external power brick getting in your way on stage.
Overview
Walrus Audio has previously been regarded as the old guard for boutique pedals, having made a serious name for itself via pitch-perfect interpretations of essential effects. The brand has recently branched out into true essentials, including their impressive, gig-ready Canvas 22 pedalboard power supply, my pick for anybody with a particularly large collection of pedals.
Build quality
The Canvas 22 cuts a slim and sleek form despite its size, allowing it to winnow its way under most angled pedalboards, despite its huge amount of power on offer. The custom low-profile barrel cables and universal mounting brackets – most pedalboard power supplies don’t have this included! – are hugely useful and make fixing this to your board a dream.
Usability
As you might expect, the ‘22’ refers to the number of outputs it offers – 20 of which provide 9V at up to 500mA, and two of which can be switched between 9, 12 and 18V. Additionally, there’s a USB-C port for up to 5V charging, and a 24V thru socket for chaining multiple Canvas power supplies to one plug. This means the Canvas is well equipped for most pedals, though anything exceeding 500mA draw will be too much for it.
Part of the sleek design is due to an external laptop-style power brick, which powers the Canvas Power 22, which hosts the bulkier mains-converting circuitry. This greatly reduces the possibility of hum introduced by situating pedals over the supply itself.
Best high output
✅ Buy if: You need a significant amount of current from your pedalboard power supply.
❌ Avoid if: You want all adapters and patch cables included, the Runsten has a limited set included so you may need add-ons.
Overview
The EBS Runsten is a remarkably powerful power supply, with ten different outputs. What makes it more impressive is that all of them have 900mA, which can even power modelers such as the Neural DSP Nano Cortex or a Helix HX Stomp, and if you use a doubler, you can even power more power-hungry modelers.
Build quality
Made with an aluminum chassis and with a clear focus on being totally gig-ready, the EBS Runsted is durable enough for regular gigging, but at only 0.68lbs it’s still relatively lightweight and pedalboard-friendly. Compared to some of its hyper-robust peers, it doesn’t feel quite as sturdy, but if mounted under a pedalboard, you have nothing to worry about.
Usability
The outlets all start at 9V and have a max current draw of 900mA, which trumps the vast majority of other power supplies, and makes daisy-chaining your analog pedals for more outlet availability extremely viable. If you’re using a current doubler, there aren’t a lot of pedals that this can’t power. Eight of these ten outlets are also switchable, via dip-switches on the side of the unit, to 12V. Add to that a pair of USB outputs to let you charge a phone or other power accessories, and you can see just how much power the EBS Runsten has.
You can expect clean, quiet performance with minimal noise and interference when using the Runsten, due to the fully isolated outputs, which should prevent ground loops and buzzing, even with high-gain or high-headroom gear. The regulated DC delivery also means pedals don’t suffer from sag or voltage drop, preserving true tonal response regardless of the pedal type.
Best modular
✅ Buy if: You want a power supply that can grow with your board, with the use of additional gear.
❌ Avoid if: You’re on a tight budget. This is a premium power supply that comes at a premium price point.
Overview
Voodoo Labs' Mondo power supply is a clever design, which, when combined with Voodoo Labs’ Pedal Power X4 Expander Kit, can grow with your board. Featuring 12 isolated outputs, you can be confident that it’ll be supplying your pedals with what they need to operate to their full potential, without the annoyance of any unwanted noise.
Build quality
Like just about everything else Voodoo Labs makes, the Mondo lives up to the brand’s reputation for solid, professional hardware. It’s pretty hefty, but in a reassuring way, with a robust metal chassis and high-quality internal components that feel designed for long-term use on the road or in the studio.
Usability
On the usability front, Mondo is very versatile for larger pedalboards, offering a mix of high-current and standard outputs plus selectable voltage options that accommodate a wide range of pedals without adapters. It has a good reputation for reliability – as is customary for Voodoo Labs products – and I’d feel confident that it could work well as a permanent fixture on my board, particularly as it is expandable with additional Voodoo Labs accessories.
Expect clean, quiet power with the Mondo featuring an ‘audiophile-quality’ linear supply for consistently stable, clean, undiluted power. The 12 isolated outputs ensure that you’re supplying your pedals with what they need to operate to their full potential, without the annoyance of any unwanted noise. There’s also a built-in silent fan that will help regulate the temperature of the unit; handy when playing in small, hot venues.
Also consider
For us, the pedal power supplies above should cover off most guitarists needs. We appreciate there's no one size fits all option though, so if you didn't find what you were looking for above, here are some more great options to look at.
How to choose
The best pedalboard power supply for you will depend on how many pedals you have, and what pedals they are. Whilst most pedals require a 9V center negative power supply, there are some that differ from this. Check the voltage your various pedals run at and you’ll quickly start to put together a list of what you need from your power supply.
1. Current draw
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Different pedals draw different currents too. Analog fuzz and overdrive pedals, for example, tend to be fairly low current; you’ll find many that are under 10-20mA. However, powerful digital pedals, like those by the likes of Strymon, Eventide, Line 6 etc, will draw more current. These can require anything from 300mA upwards. If you have a mixture of pedals with different voltage and current requirements, you’ll want a pedalboard power supply that can do it all – whether by offering some high-current outlets, or offering outlets with higher or switchable voltages.
2. Outputs
Depending on the number of pedals on your board, you will need a pedalboard power supply that has enough outlets to power them all. Pedalboard power supplies can vary from just a handful of outputs (or a single outlet if using a wall wart), all the way up to extensive supplies such as the Walrus Audio Canvas Power 22, which can power up to 22 different pedals – an insane number of pedals to power even for the biggest pedal fan. Don’t just think about your pedal requirements now, but what you might be looking to power in the future.
3. Sizing
If your pedalboard is small, and you’re prepared to keep it that way, you’ll likely be looking for a small power supply to fit your small board, and to keep it light. For most of us, though, it is practically a law of nature that our pedalboards are given to expand. As such, unless you have highly specific and unchanging needs, you might benefit from future-proofing your board with something that can supply more than you need.
FAQs
Are all pedalboard power supplies isolated?
No. Some cheaper pedalboard power supplies may not be isolated, though these are becoming less and less common as the vast majority of users opt for an isolated power supply. An un-isolated power supply may be okay to use in an emergency, depending on the types of pedals you are using, but
Do I need an isolated power supply for analog pedals?
Analog pedals draw far less current than their digital counterparts and are much less sensitive to power noise, so isolated power supplies are less necessary and they will perform adequately with a standard non-isolated power supply, however I would always recommend using isolated if possible, particularly if you have a large board, or if you think you may want to introduce a digital pedal into your chain. You certainly won’t sound worse with an isolated power supply, so it is a good investment.
Why is my pedal making a high-pitched whining noise?
The most likely reason that your pedal is whining at you is that it is not getting enough current or there isn’t adequate filtering on the power signals. This is a common occurrence, often called digital clock noise, particularly in digital pedals, such as multi-FX, digital delays, and complex reverbs. This can be easily solved by using the correct mA for the pedal.
Some other causes may be from daisy-chained supplies or cheap switching components, though this is less common.
Can I plug a 9V pedal into a 12V/18V outlet?
The majority of pedals should not be plugged into an outlet at a higher voltage – I have first-hand witnessed one of my pedals being struck down in front of me by a friend who plugged it (a 9V pedal) into an 18V supply. Too much voltage can burn through internal pedal components and render the pedal useless.
There are some pedals that primarily operate at 9V, but when plugged into 18V, can have different qualities, such as additional headroom. This is almost always made very clear in the marketing for that pedal, so it’s always best to assume that if it is a 9V pedal, you don’t exceed that.
What happens if I exceed the mA on a pedalboard power supply?
If you exceed the total amount of mA available from a power supply, the good news is that you are fairly unlikely to cause damage to any of your pedals. The bad news is, they may not work. Instead, they may make some very weird noises or distortion – not the kind of weird noises or distortion you’d want from a pedal, either! – and for digital pedals, they may glitch, reboot, or freeze. In the worst case scenario, your power supply may overheat, too.
This is because the power supply is not supplying enough current to the pedals. So be sure that your power supply is equipped to deal with the pedals you are throwing at it. Some pedalboard power supplies will have dedicated high-current outputs, which should be used specifically for those pedals.
What's the difference between a current doubler and voltage doubler cable?
Current and voltage are two very different ways of describing parts of electrical power. Voltage can be thought of as the electrical pressure of the signal, while current, measured in Amperes (or milliamperes in pedals), describes how much electrical current is available.
If you double the voltage, you are doubling the electrical pressure – for example, going from 9V to 18V. If you double the current, you are increasing the available milliamps (mA), meaning more current can be supplied while the voltage stays the same. Some pedals may only be 9V but require a lot of current to operate, whereas some pedals may be 18V, but have a much lower current draw.
Can I mount a pedalboard power supply without drilling?
Depending on your setup, it’s totally possible to mount your power supply without drilling, with some opting to use the same pedalboard velcro to mount their power supply as they do their pedals. You may also be able to use some brackets onto which your pedalboard can slide, or if you’re feeling particularly DIY, even some cable ties can secure your pedalboard in place – I’m not ashamed to say that I have used this method in the past!
Can I power an amp modeler with a pedalboard power supply?
Yes, you can, but it all depends on the power requirements of your particular modeler. With the use of current doublers, a lot of modern PSUs like the EBS Runsten, Cioks DC7, and Walrus Audio Canvas range can provide enough power for units like those from Neural DSP, Line 6, and others, but you should be careful to ensure you’re providing both the correct voltage, and the correct mA to ensure proper operation.
Why am I hearing a hum when using my pedalboard power supply?
Hum is usually a result of poor grounding somewhere in your circuit, which presents itself in a droning 50-60Hz buzzing. There are several different potential causes of hum, from daisy-chained pedals, amp, and pedalboard plugged into different wall outlets – you’ll be surprised to hear, most dive bar venues don’t have pristine electrical setups – or from connecting to a computer or audio interface.
It can also be caused by cheap power supplies, or, in the worst case scenario, a broken pedal or poor shielding on your guitar, though these are much less common. To find the culprit of the hum, I would suggest unplugging everything, then plugging it all back in one by one to establish where the problem lies, then taking action to fix that individual problem – sometimes it can be a simple fix.
Is it okay to daisy chain low-draw pedals off the same outlet?
Daisy chaining pedals isn’t ideal and would never be something I’d actively recommend – individual power to each pedal is a much cleaner way of operating; however, it wouldn’t be right to totally discount daisy chaining pedals together as a viable option, particularly if they are low-draw and don’t exceed the maximum capacity of the outlet/supply. It’s also crucial to check that all pedals use the same voltage and polarity.
Are there any pedalboard power supplies that are expandable?
Modular power supplies can allow you to expand the supply to provide additional power. Not every power supply can do this, so if you think you are likely to want to expand your supply in the future, it is worth buying a device, such as the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 3 Plus, which has this capability – in the case of the Pedal Power 3 Plus, Voodoo Lab sells the X4 expander kit to do this.
There can come a point where you may want to not expand too much and invest in a separate power supply, too, particularly if you use a lot of power-hungry digital pedals. Current from your wall outlet is not limitless, and it may be better to split it across multiple outlets.
Key terms
- AC (Alternating Current): The type of power that comes from your wall outlet and that some pedals (and power supplies) require instead of DC.
- Ampere: A unit of electrical current (often shortened to “amp” or “mA” for milliamps) that tells you how much current a pedal needs.
- Brick: A multi-output pedalboard power supply in a single box, usually mounted under a board.
- Center negative: The most common pedal polarity, where the inner pin of the barrel plug is negative, and the outer sleeve is positive.
- Center positive: The opposite polarity of most standard pedals, where the inner pin is positive – plugging the wrong supply into these can cause damage.
- Current doubler: A special cable that combines two isolated outputs to provide more available current (mA) to a single pedal.
- Current draw: The amount of current (in mA) a pedal requires to operate properly.
- Daisy chain: A single power output split to feed multiple pedals, which is simple but can introduce noise if pedals don’t share power nicely.
- DC (Direct Current): The type of power most guitar pedals use.
- Digital clock noise: High-pitched whine or ticking caused by digital pedals leaking clock signals into the power line.
- Ground loop: Unwanted noise (often a low hum) caused by multiple paths to ground in your signal or power setup.
- Headroom: In power terms, the extra available current or voltage a supply can provide without straining or introducing noise.
- IEC cable: The standard detachable power cable (the common “computer-style” cable) used to plug many power supplies into the wall.
- Isolated outputs: Power outputs that are electrically separated from each other to reduce noise and prevent ground loops between pedals.
- Polarity: The direction of electrical flow in a connector. Matching the pedal’s required polarity is crucial.
- Starving: Running a pedal at lower-than-required voltage, sometimes accidentally, sometimes intentionally for a sputtery or gated effect (e.g., fuzz)
- Voltage: The electrical pressure supplied to a pedal (commonly 9V, 12V, or 18V), which must match the pedal’s requirements.
- Voltage doubler: A cable or internal feature that combines two outputs to increase voltage (for example, turning two 9V outputs into 18V).
- Wall wart: A small plug-in power adapter that goes straight into the outlet and usually powers one pedal at a time.
How we test
With nearly six decades of experience writing about and reviewing guitar gear, it's safe to say the team here at Guitar Player knows our stuff. Our gear testing processes are built upon real-world use, an unrivaled technical understanding, and of course, our own passion for great guitar tone.
Our writing team includes many working musicians, and we all use pedalboard power supplies week in, and week out, so when we recommend you a PSU, we're doing so from a place of knowledge.
For each pedalboard power supply, we evaluate the amount of current draw on offer, as this is one of the most important things when selecting a PSU. Each option in this guide has plenty of power for modern pedals, ensuring you can use anything from your collection when needed.
We also look at the noise levels induced by these power supplies. We want whisper-quiet performance, and all of our selected PSUs absolutely deliver this. Isolated outputs are all tested to see how they perform in real life, and we'll even daisy chain pedal together for higher amperage outputs to see how much noise is added.
Finally, we'll look at the size and durability of the unit in question. The size determines what it is best suited for, whether it can be mounted underneath the pedalboard or has to go on top for example. In terms of durability, we're looking to see it will withstand life on the road, putting up with being bashed around and subject to the rigors of touring life.
Read more on how we test gear and services at Guitar Player.
