The most important (and often overlooked) component of a pedalboard is power. Some people rely on batteries for “proper” fuzz tones while lamenting the frequency of which said batteries die. Others swear by daisy-chains and put up with the excess noise they create. Neither of those options work for me.
I, like many of you, have spent more money on my collection of pedals than I’d prefer to admit. Whether they’re hard-to-find japanese stompboxes or modern-day boutique gems – I want my pedal chain to sound as clean and honest as possible.
I spent the better part of a month trying to wrap my head around all the different power supply offerings available today, and while I found many serviceable options – I was still at a loss. That’s when a friend and fellow writer recommended the Hot Stone Deluxe from Decibel 11. I’m glad he did.
The Hot Stone Deluxe is absolutely packed with features that all guitarists desire:
● A battery of outputs from 9 to 12 volts to power ALL of your pedals
● The ability to “jump” two outputs together to double your voltage. (Perfect for those large vintage chorus pedals and boutique offerings that love being run at 18v)
● Two independent outputs that can be controlled via external pot and reduced down to 5v to reproduce the sound of a draining battery for accurate reproduction of your favorite “sweet-spot” distortion and fuzz tones.
● A rugged and well-built enclosure. Road-worthy and built like a tank.
With all of these features, I figured it would be a no-brainer, but how did it stack up in person? Perfectly.
The Hot Stone Deluxe flawlessly powered any combination of pedals I threw at it with ease. The isolated outputs had no issues with both vintage fuzz boxes & modern digital effects whatsoever and powered my entire chain without any additional noise.
If that isn’t impressive enough, the reliability will seal the deal. I’ve left this thing plugged in for days without concern for heat or damage. I’ve dropped it and it shrugged off impact. I’ve even spilled beer on it without causing ANY issues. (I do not recommend spilling beer on your pedalboard.)
All in all, power is the most important aspect of any rig. Why not give your pedals the absolute best available and buy a Hot Stone Deluxe today? You can learn more about the Hot Stone Deluxe on Decibel 11’s website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter pages.
Devin Bartnikowski is a Sr. Staff Writer for TMRZoo.com and an accomplished guitarist. Devin is recognized for his brash, fresh and honest views and opinions of guitars, amps and signal processing equipment.
