What do you mean...
Ever wonder what certain terms and expressions mean, in the world of guitars, amplifiers, etc.? Well, this section is for you!
Ask Kyle!
Here's where our most awesome staff person, Kyle (aka the wonder boy) imparts wisdoms, illuminates and initiates.
October 13th, 2008 - A diet of 9v's (Unplug those pedals!)
Guitar pedals (and bass pedals, vocal pedals...etc) are great tools/toys, and I can't think of a single newbie electric guitar player (or seasoned professional) who hasn't been caught drooling over a case full of shiny new pedals. I quite often get asked why pedals drain batteries so quickly, and we've even seen attempted returns of ‘defective' pedals that go through a battery a day.
There's no doubt that pedals slurp down those expensive 9v's way faster than we'd like them to, but, GREENHORNS PAY ATTENTION: your pedals use battery even when off! So long as an instrument cable is plugged into the input jack, your 9v is on its way to battery heaven. The solution: Ye, who own one or two pedals, just unplug the input cables when you're not playing. If you have a bunch of pedals, you likely have (or badly need) a 9v AC adapter, usually in the form of a DC "brick" - a power supply with anywhere from 2 to 10 or more (usually about 5) 9v outputs. If you have juice running to your pedal from the wall, save your batteries and leave your cables plugged in.
BE AWARE:
-- Most pedals' power jacks accept ‘center-negative'* plugs. A lot of commercial AC adapters that are not designed for use with guitar pedals are ‘center-positive'**. REVERSING THE POLARITY MAY IRREVERSIBLY DAMAGE THE PEDAL AND OR AC ADAPTER. Some pedals are, however, center-positive. Read the tech-specs or use only the recommended power supply for best chance of not blowing anything up.
--Different pedals use different amounts of current. By purchasing a commercial AC adapter (say at Radio Shack) you risk exposing sensitive circuitry to excessive amperage, or too little amperage. Typically this will just make the pedal function or sound odd, but it can also damage it.
--Not all pedals use 9 volts. Big multi-FX units and vintage or tube-driven pedals typically come with their own adapters that supply very specific voltage and amperage. Be careful when purchasing replacement adapters, or when purchasing adapters for, say, a used pedal that did not come with one.
*Center-negative - referring to a power supply in which the ground (negative) current runs through the center pin of the power cable, and the positive current runs through the surrounding ‘sleeve'.
**Center-positive - referring to a power supply, which emits the positive current through the center pin of the power cable, while the ground current returns via the surrounding ‘sleeve'.
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