Is it absolutely necessary to have a power distributor / co

[chopshop777]

Say you have an Engl Fireball half stack, Diezel Herbert Half Stack, Axe Fx Ultra, Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro, digitech whammy pedal, regular Wah pedal. Eventide Pitch Factor and a Tone Bone Amp Switcher. is it absolutely necessary to have a power distributor / conditioner ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ed

 

[Code001]

I assume you're referring to a voltage regular and not a normal power conditioner. Necessary? Not really. Useful? Definitely - especially in areas with shady power.

 

[chopshop777]

code001 , thanks so much man, you answered both of my threads, pretty knowledgeable. thanks again
Ed

 

[OldSkoolNJ]

After playing with one for years, Taking a Hiatus and sold all of my outboard gear..
A new Furman unit was one of the 1st things I purchased again..
Just having the Interference filtering is worth it along with the other capabilities...

 

[Shark Diver]

It's necessary if you like all that gear. Believe me. Twice my regulator got fried. That would have been my amps! Shit happens. Protect that gear!

Plus, it just gives you more consistent tone.

 

[blackba]

Conditioners with voltage readouts are nice just to monitor what is going on. I think they are worth the money in gigging situations. At home though a good furman power strip with surge protection is fine.

After about 5 years or so both should be replaced or serviced. The MOVs that protect against lightning strikes do go bad.

 

[halford]

Hey i was on here recently asking about these also.

Plus, it just gives you more consistent tone.

which brand and model does this?

is it a Voltage regulator or power conditioner that achieves a consistent tone?

My understanding is that the Power Conditioner is like a glorified 4-8 way plug (which is good)

and a Voltage Regulator actually matches the voltage for what you amp needs (more expensive)

Am i on the right track?

Cheers
Halford

 

[Shark Diver]

Hey i was on here recently asking about these also.

Plus, it just gives you more consistent tone.

which brand and model does this?

is it a Voltage regulator or power conditioner that achieves a consistent tone?

My understanding is that the Power Conditioner is like a glorified 4-8 way plug (which is good)

and a Voltage Regulator actually matches the voltage for what you amp needs (more expensive)

Am i on the right track?

Cheers
Halford

My understanding is that by regulating the voltage the amp sees basically the same voltage without huge swings - so once set, the tone stays the same. It is what I have always been told. Different voltages have always been one of the reasons sited for how different amps can sound place to place. I've never experimented with it, but I feel my amp tone is consistent and I run a regulator, and conditioner.

 

[glassjaw7]

Hey i was on here recently asking about these also.

Plus, it just gives you more consistent tone.

which brand and model does this?

is it a Voltage regulator or power conditioner that achieves a consistent tone?

My understanding is that the Power Conditioner is like a glorified 4-8 way plug (which is good)

and a Voltage Regulator actually matches the voltage for what you amp needs (more expensive)

Am i on the right track?

Cheers
Halford

Yeah a regulator will keep the voltage at a steady 120 volts and this is good for the amp to have consistent voltage.
Voltage regulators are quite expensive though. All you really need is a good power conditioner to protect your gear. They do more than a standard power strip as they provide noise filtration and usually a higher level of protection for your gear.
Just get one with the voltage readout and you'll be fine. You don't need a regulator, most pros don't even use them.

 

[stephen sawall]

If a amp is not seeing the same power it well change the tone, envelope and a number of other things. In bad cases it well stress some of the amps parts that could lead to more problems.

Not a bad idea to have these for all audio, video, computer..... and as far as that goes everything.

 

[glassjaw7]

If a amp is not seeing the same power it well change the tone, envelope and a number of other things. In bad cases it well stress some of the amps parts that could lead to more problems.

Not a bad idea to have these for all audio, video, computer..... and as far as that goes everything.

Good idea yes, but that would get expensive at $800 a shot.
Power conditioners on the other hand, yes those are a good idea for all audio and computer products.

These are the cheapest Furman regulators that I've found:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navigation?q=voltage+regulator

 

[Shark Diver]

Good idea yes, but that would get expensive at $500-800 a shot.

Look at the gear list the OP gave:

Say you have an Engl Fireball half stack, Diezel Herbert Half Stack, Axe Fx Ultra, Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro, digitech whammy pedal, regular Wah pedal. Eventide Pitch Factor and a Tone Bone Amp Switcher.

$500-$800 is very inexpensive to protect this gear and ensure it works properly.

 

[stephen sawall]

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... ps-sellers

 

[glassjaw7]

Good idea yes, but that would get expensive at $500-800 a shot.

Look at the gear list the OP gave:

Say you have an Engl Fireball half stack, Diezel Herbert Half Stack, Axe Fx Ultra, Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro, digitech whammy pedal, regular Wah pedal. Eventide Pitch Factor and a Tone Bone Amp Switcher.

$500-$800 is very inexpensive to protect this gear and ensure it works properly.

I agree that nice gear is worth the extra investment to protect it. But a nice power conditioner is all you need. How many pros go on tour with voltage regulators? Not many at all. A nice furman like this will do the trick http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Furman-PLPlus-C-Power-Conditioner?sku=500824

With that said though, voltage regulators are nice. They are just not necessary at all. Well made amps of this caliber are built to withstand fluctuating voltages within several volts. I'm not saying they are a bad thing because some clubs/bars/stages have some shady wiring going on. If it gives you peace of mind, then it is worth it!

 

[glassjaw7]

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=voltage+regulator&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16710370785681858676&ei=vuPbSsCAGYvetgPbuvGxCQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCkQ8wIwBw#ps-sellers

Good find

 

[blackba]

Alot of the inexpensive voltage regulators just have a transformer that will switch to a different tap if the voltage gets too low or high (kind of like an automatic variac). So if you voltage is in a range, say for example 115-125VAC, the voltage regulator will not be changing the level.

In my last band we played, I should have used one. The power conditioner on my PA gear showed sags of less than 110VAC, in that case the voltage regulator would have helped me there. This issue was at the other guitar player's house, he was a long way from the grid. Voltage regulators are good to address a specific issue, but in most cases power conditioner or a good quality power strip are all you need.

 

[Yek]

If the Axe and a 2U rack is all you have and need, this may come in handy:

 

[Shark Diver]

In my last band we played, I should have used one. The power conditioner on my PA gear showed sags of less than 110VAC, in that case the voltage regulator would have helped me there. This issue was at the other guitar player's house, he was a long way from the grid. Voltage regulators are good to address a specific issue, but in most cases power conditioner or a good quality power strip are all you need.

But this is exactly why I would use one. If it only did something 5% of the time, and I'm sure at all the crazy places I've played 5% is conservative as far as bad AC, that's 5% covered and no problems. Wouldn't matter to me if a major Artist uses it or not when I'm on a stage having power issues.

Even a power conditioner is not a "necessity". Both are like insurance, and I want to be fully covered.