Are you tripping over a spiderweb of effects power cords? Have a pedalboard that requires an advanced degree in electrical engineering to operate? Or are you just confounded by your home setup of a few pedals patched together with a mish-mash of cords that mysteriously become a rat’s nest when you’re not looking?
Strymon’s Zuma power supply might be your answer. This beautiful blue box is the highest horsepower, most tech-savvy supply of its kind – and at a reasonable price.
The Zuma provides nine high-current, isolated circuits, each with its own custom transformer and dedicated regulator. The nine channels all deliver 9 volts via the provided short or long cords.
Two channels are switchable between 9-, 12-, or 18-volt output. This is ideal for most regular or even higher-power effects – and if you have a 9-volt stompbox that provides more headroom or output at higher voltages, you’ve got options. Each output delivers a whopping 500 milliamps of juice. If you don’t speak fluent electronics, all you need to know is that the Zuma is never going to let your stompboxes down. Each output is also topped by a small operating light to let you know when your connection is made.
Zuma engineers were also thinking ahead to your future world tour, even if you weren’t: the power-in options include any variation from 100 to 240 volts with the IEC cable supplied.
The Zuma is also amazingly quiet. Some pedals designed to work with batteries can churn out background static, but the Zuma’s dual isolation stages eliminate ground-loop and AC-line noises. So you really only hear your pedals working, not complaining.
If the Zuma’s more juice than you need, Strymon also offers scaled-down Ojai models. The basic Ojai has five 9-volt outputs, whereas the Ojai R30 offers two selectable outputs for 12- or 18-volt units. And they can be daisy-chained together to expand your system.
The Zuma and its little siblings are lightweight, rock-solid, simple to operate (even for guitarists), and downright cool looking.
This article originally appeared in VG February 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.