There's no getting away from it, some pedals just sound better on batteries. From Germanium Fuzz Faces to Wah pedals sometimes only a battery will do.
If you try to power them from a non-isolated source, such as a daisy chain, they can be noisy and in some cases can even damage your precious pedals.
How would you like all the benefits of batteries with none of the drawbacks?
TheGigRig Virtual Battery is the answer.
Available with a DC connector (VB-DC) or a battery clip (VB-BC)
The GigRig Virtual Battery is designed to deliver filtered, isolated 120mA of almost totally noise and hum free 9V DC power for guitar
effects.
Isolation:
The Virtual Battery output is totally isolated up to 1000V. This means that there is no direct connection between the inputs and the outputs of the Virtual Battery. Isolation is achieved using a miniature toroidal transformer. This solves most hum and noise problems associated with many effects pedals and other guitar
equipment.
Virtual Fuse:
The Virtual Battery contains an output safety fuse. This fuse is designed to blow at continuous currents of over 300mA. However, being a virtual fuse, it will re-heal approximately 4 seconds after the load has been removed.
Virtual Internal Resistance:
The Virtual Battery is designed with an internal resistance of 10 Ohms. Just like old carbon-zinc batteries the voltage will drop to 6.5V DC at a load of 250mA. The Virtual Battery is designed to emulate older carbon batteries as some effects pedals (such as vintage Fuzz & Wah-Wah pedals) can actually sound better when used with these older higher internal resistance batteries.
Variable ‘Sag’ Voltage:
The Virtual Battery also features a variable ‘sag’ control (this is a small user pre-set voltage control situated just above the Virtual Battery output lead) By using a small jeweller’s flat-head screwdriver you can lower the voltage to emulate the ‘dying battery’ effect beloved of many Fuzz and other vintage pedal aficionado’s.
The key here is experimentation – use your ears to see what works for you.
Technical
Input Voltage 9.0V +/- 10%
Output Voltage +/- 5%
Isolation 1000V
Isolation Resistance 500Meg ohm
Case Black ABS plastic.
Usable Temperature Range -10 to +50 Deg C
Efficiency 74%
Isolation Capacitance 4.7nF
17 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews
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Virtual Battery - It's great!
Definitely brings out the best in old fuzz / was pedals. I never used batteries because of the waste. When I plugged in the VB I was honestly shocked how different my fuzz face sounded and felt. The sag is a great feature too! Don't underestimate the impact of quality power on sound.
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Virtual Battery
My MK1 Tonebender clone is fussy, the virtual battery saved the day!!! Cheers
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Perfect
Does what it's supposed to = makes an AC power source sound and feel like an alkaline battery. Perfect on my Sun Face and Tchula pedals.
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95% like a Battery
To my ears, good fuzz pedals sound best with a non alkaline battery. I've tried using different power supplies/options but nothing was as good as just the battery. The sag function on some power supplies was a great improvement but still only got you 75% of the way there. This little box is well built, does the sag option and emulates the non alkaline properties that effects the fuzz circuit. This is the best option I have found if you don't want to keep using batteries and have things more consistent. The first thing I noticed plugged into this little guy was the feeling was back while playing thru my fuzz pedals. This will be on every pedal board I build that has a fuzz pedal!
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Works well powering germanium transistor fuzz and wah
These Virtual Batteries do a great job powering my old-school Analogman Ge Sun Face and Wilson Freaker Wah. The only issue for me is accessing the Sag adjustment--not much of a problem on two of the VBs, but the third is a bit dicey. It would be better if the screw head was closer to the surface and not made of such soft plastic.
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Virtual Battery DC
This thing is great! I would have been happy with a simple virtual "battery" that sounds like a battery without ever dying, this thing also has 'sag' and a voltage emulator (of sorts). I A/B'd it with the battery billionaire (real batteries) and I liked it even more! Good product.
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Powering the FUZZ
Great product for fuzz since they tend to prefer battery power. Fuzz - Battery - Isolator - Distributor - Generator.
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Amazing product!
Works great with my diy pedals, so happy I can use them with my gig rig power system
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Best isolator for any + ground Fuzz
We all have them, we all want them. PNP Germanium fuzz pedals. But what's the problem? They have a positive ground and therefore require an isolated power. Well here you go, this is the perfect answer. Thanks, Gordon
