Voodoo Lab Pedal Power

Very easy to use and configure. Decent manual. Would've like to see fully variable control of each output voltage so I could see how various voltages affect my OD pedals. Hey, you can't have everything (at least not for $137).

The questions of just how much a power supply affects one's tone is highly subjective (Eric Johnson and Mike Fuller claim that they can hear differences in batteries).
I'm using the SKB PS-25 pedal board with an assortment of Boss "ACA" and Fulltone pedals. The Pedal Power is a must-have for anyone using ACA type Boss pedals. They will work adequately with the stock SKB wall wart but will sound noticably better with the Pedal Power.
Pedal power is dead quiet. It's essential for getting that last 10% of great tone out of your pedals (IMHO). BTW, the last 10% is always the hardest and most costly in my experience.

No first hand experience, but I bought it primarily because I felt it would be more reliable than the stock SKB wall wart.

Because the Overall Rating is a value rating, I'm going to award a medoicre score primarily because I think this unit is just too darned expensive. I think list is a whopping $229; most of the street prices are $179 or so. In fact, cost is the number one reason I didn't buy one sooner.
However, about a month ago my pedal board inexplicably stopped working at a gig (actually refused to work at all). It appeared to have power, but my guess is maybe not enough power or some wierd power-up problem with my Boss TU-2 tuner (stuck in bypass???). I never did diagnose the problem (it has worked fine since). However, this was a high-profile gig (The Roxy in Hollywood, CA). I decided to remove power supply troubles from the equation.
I finally found a great price on this unit from J&S Music Center (www.jsmusic.com) in Emmaus, PA. $137 shipped 3 day air to my door in CA. Listen, $50 difference in price is significant (at least to me). Talk to Josh at J&S. They were terrific.
Again, I'm totally satisfied with the Pedal Power, the score just reflects the excessive list/street prices on this thing from most folks.

The manual provides all the information you need to plug-in-and-go. I took about 5 minutes to read through the manual, then hooked up my effects. Up to eight effects can be hooked up, assuming you have all the necessary connectors. (Eight connectors are included - five 'Boss' type, two 'male' type, one 9-volt converter). This didn't pose a problem for me, however additional connectors can be ordered from Voodoo Lab, if necessary.

I run my guitar into a Visual Sound BB1 --> EB Volume --> Arion stage tuner --> Voodoo Lab Bosstone --> Stamps Drive-O-Matic --> Whirlwind Commander --> send loop (via Whirlwind) --> Dan-O Cool Cat --> Ibanez PH5 --> Boss Tremolo --> Boss Delay --> return loop --> Carvin MTS amp.
With the exception of the Visual Sound BB1 (which only takes batteries) and the EB Volume (N/A), all of the effects above are powered by the Pedal Power. The noise difference in going from 9-volt battery to the Pedal Power is hardly noticable, and it sure beats changing batteries every other day. There is absolutely NO hum produced by this power unit.

I've only had it a few months, but based on other Voodoo Lab products I've owned, it should last forever.

N/A

I previously owned a SKB pedalboard (w/onboard power supply), and it was absolutely AWFUL. The Pedal Power unit works perfectly. No question, I would buy this again.

I have read some concerns over the length of the connectors. Frankly, I don't see the problem. Once your pedalboard is put together, the cables should never get anywhere close to coming undone, especially at a gig. I just wish that all eight of the supplied cables were the same (double-barreled) type. Three of the supplied cables were worthless to me, and I ended up making three of my own to complete the pedalboard project. (Which by the way, is not a bad idea anyway. I could tailor the lenght of my own cables to exactly what I needed.)

I'm using all Ibanez Power Series pedals - wah, compressor, eq, phaser, flanger, digital delay and chorus - along with a reissue Tube Screamer and a Boss TU12H tuner. Absolutely no noise, and my effects sound better than ever.

I'm very happy with this unit. I want to get another one for some of the newer effects I've bought lately, such as some Danelectro stuff.

Because the company was moving at the time, I was unable to order extra cables from them. I ended up making some myself. They did, later on, sell me a dual cable for my Danelectro Cool Cat and the phone service was fine.

A followup to my earlier post: 1) Per Voodoo Labs techs, the barrel connectors are by design longer than the ones on Boss adapters or what one might be used to. Apparently a few manufacturers utilize deeper jacks in their pedals which require the longer length connector, so Voodoo decided to use all longer barrels rather than try to guess if a customer would have the need for one. SO...if you're running typical (Boss, Ibanez etc) stuff you will have barrels protruding from the pedal jacks, or you can make your own cables using the shorter barrel design if the appearance of the long ones really bugs you. I do incidentally have a new Budda wah which ironically is the first pedal I've seen which requires this longer barrel connector, and believe it or not, this great wah runs quietly on the Pedal Power! So the unit deserves really high marks for sound quality there. Also, per Josh Fiden at Voodoo, there is a hum at 120 mhz in their Analog Chorus pedal when run off electric power adapters including the Pedal Power, and they have a fix for it and will upgrade interested Chorus owners for free.

Still not totally convinced that the longer barrels won't disengage accidentally...time will tell...I may build a few cables of my own...

So far so good...

Probably the best available as Mike Fuller is no longer building his Black Box power supplies....

Plug it in, plug in patch cables to pedals. However, the barrels on the barrel connectors do not fit entirely into the jacks on either the unit itself or the pedals I'm using. I have to wonder if this is by design, or do I have a bad set of cables? If intentional, why? They carry power okay but do not have the "snug fit" one looks for when connecting cables, and are easier to accidentally disengage than they should be. FYI, I 'm using an Ibanez Tubescreamer, Boss Digital Delay, Boss TU12, etc, so nothing exotic that might account for the weird fit...

The unit is definitely noisier than when running effects off a battery. I certainly expected at least Voodoo's own pedals (I'm running Voodoo Analog Chorus, Tubescreamer, Boss DD-3) to be whisper quiet based on the marketing description of the pedal power's design...
Nothing is perfect, but I do honestly think given the price point and marketing claims of this unit that it should not have these negative attributes.

I haven't had it long but the way the barrel connectors fit (or don't fit) is a major concern to me as stated above.

Josh Fiden was very helpful and responsive when I emailed him with some questions on the unit prior to purchasing. He has not responded (yet?) to a recent email voicing these questions/concerns...

Need some answers before answering this; otherwise I'll be returning it.