Voodoo Lab

Quick Test
Diamond Bottlenecks Tom Doughty
Evolution Slide
£34.95
Verdict
The unique paring of steel and glass, in
theory, gives the best of both worlds,
although to this reviewer’s ears the
differences are subtle and, arguably, it’s
the size, weight, density and
smoothness of the slide that promotes
the major sound differences we
perceive. That said, it’s a good-sounding
slide with great weight and feel.
RATING
VOODOO LAB’S LATEST PEDAL
Power is the 2 Plus. It provides eight 9V
outlets that will power “any type of
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus £159
160 AUGUST 2005
KEY INFO ❘ DB EVOLUTION SLIDE ❘ PRICE: £34.95 ❘ TYPE: GLASS/STAINLESS STEEL SLIDE ❘ TEL: DIAMOND BOTTLENECKS 01527 578236
DIAMOND
Bottlenecks,
inspired by British
slide wiz Tom
Doughty (www.
tomdoughty.com), has
produced the Evolution
slide combining steel and
glass in one slide – enabling
you to use either material for
subtle tone differences. Two-
thirds of the slide is hardened stainless
steel tube, the remaining third is hand-
carved glass seamlessly bonded
together to form a symmetrical glass ’n’
steel tube. Notches are cut in the base
so it doesn’t rotate on your fi nger and
Innovative British slide that combines glass and stainless steel by Dave Burrluck
Powerful, pro-spec do-it-all power supply ideal for your pedalboard by Dave Burrluck
RATING
mains power outlet to power any
AC effects.
IN USE: Weighty, built like a brick and
utilising a toroidal power transformer
to keep things quiet, the Pedal Power 2
Plus is sizeable (at 152 x 86 x 44.5mm
about the same size as a compact
effect). The detailed user manual will
explain all you need to know – including
using the row of voltage selecting DIP
switches on the underside which will
extend the usefulness further. And even
if you have an 18V pedal you can double
up, in series, two of the outputs with a
special lead. In fact, Voodoo Lab will
provide you with virtually any DC power
lead you need.
Verdict
Can we get excited by a power supply?
Yes. It may seem expensive but it’s
easily the best, pro-spec unit currently
available. The least you can do for your
effects is power them properly.
EVOLUTION SLIDE TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Playability
Sound
Value for money
■ WE LIKED Unique concept
■ WE DISLIKED Steel/glass sounds not as
different as expected; not cheap
PEDAL POWER 2 PLUS TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Features
Compatibility
Value for money
■ WE LIKED The Swiss Army knife of power
supplies
■ WE DISLIKED Expensive… but worth it
The Pedal Power’s
eight 9V power
outlets will keep your
FX motor running
The Tom Doughty
Evolution slide
combines glass and
steel surfaces
two lengths are offered: 58mm and
62mm, with a standard internal
diameter of 20mm. And if you
accidentally break the glass section
Diamond Bottlenecks will replace it
simply for the price of postage. Nice.
SOUNDS: The outer surface has a
smooth seam, although internally it
feels a little unfi nished, “allowing the
player to either leave as standard, or
pad out to their preferred internal
diameter measurement,” says DB. On
the fi nger it’s a good medium weight.
The tone differences are subtle and you
can’t help thinking when we make
observations about slide tone we’re not
comparing like with like: thick heavy
brass compared to thin lightweight
glass. Here, with the identical thickness,
the steel sounds a bit more direct, the
glass a little more open, but it is subtle.
KEY INFO ❘ VOODOO LAB PEDAL POWER 2 PLUS ❘ PRICE: APPROX £159 ❘ TYPE: MULTI-VOLTAGE PSU ❘ TEL SOUNDS GREAT 0161 436 4799
battery-operated effects”. Importantly,
to avoid ground-loop hum and noise,
each output is completely isolated,
short-circuit protected, highly fi ltered
and regulated. It will also power up to
two of the large 4-series Line 6
modelling pedals, not to
mention other power
hungry beasts like the BOSS
Twin pedals. For vintage
buffs there are two variable
voltage (approximately 4V to
9V) outlets for that knackered-
battery sound. It comes
complete with a handful of the
most-used DC power leads
(including a battery clip if your pedal
has no DC input), plus there’s also a
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