My Recommended Purchases of the Year

Before I knew it, September has arrived, and the year-end is in sight.
At the beginning of the year, I confidently declared to everyone that I wouldn’t buy any more gear this year. Yet, somehow, I’ve accumulated more gear without realizing it, making me wonder if I have a second personality.

So, as a form of confession, I’d like to introduce some of the gear I bought this year that I’ve found incredibly useful.

One Control / Inner Bag for Effects Pedals Black

Let’s start with this case!
When I’m heading to a studio to jam with friends, the thought of carrying my entire pedalboard is enough to make me groan.
Maybe this is a sign of hitting my thirties...
So recently, I’ve been packing just a few compact pedals into this bag.
Its compact size makes it super convenient.

Mooer / PDC2A

Whenever I take just a few pedals to the studio, I always struggle with power supplies.
Power supplies are heavy, and split DC cables often come with too many branches. Then I found this handy little two-way splitter cable.
It’s perfect for when you only want to use a couple of pedals.
I use it when I use two distortion pedals.

Moridaira / Silent Power DC-009SP

And here’s the power adapter.
I use this with a mini-plug adapter to convert the power to fit pin-type pedals.
The tip of the mini-plug adapter is L-shaped, so it’s tricky to use an adapter that also has an L-shaped tip.
Straight-tip adapters are surprisingly rare, you know.

Switch Audio / Battery Supply

I had been searching for this for so long.
—A power supply that runs on batteries.

Up until now, the only multi-battery power supply I knew of was the Stoners FX Battery Park, which I thought had too many outputs. So, when this more compact 3-output model came out, I was eagerly waiting for it because 4 outputs are too many.
According to my purchase history, I bought it on release day...
Apparently, it was an impulse buy!

Janicek Picks / D-Grip Standard Picks 0.88mm

I usually use Jim Dunlop’s Tortex, and while I’ve always been curious about nylon picks, I never tried them.
When ordering other items, I remembered Janicek Picks are made of nylon and threw one in to round off the total. I found it to have better flex when strumming the strings than Tortex, and the anti-slip grip made it incredibly easy to use. I might even switch to these.

Custom Audio Japan / CAJ Phone Jack Protector

This year, I’ve amassed even more pedals than before.
I can’t possibly use them all at once, but why...?
Did they grow in my garden?
So the pedals I don’t use much will naturally be my snack to just staring at while sipping a drink (I know, it’s a bit much), but the worst part is when I finally decide to use them, only to find the jacks are so noisy that I give up in frustration. I’m sure I’m not the only one with that trauma.
That’s why all the pedals I’m currently storing now have dust caps on their jacks.
Whether they work or not, at least they bring me peace of mind, haha.

K.E.S / ESH3-Silver

This is a switch hat, which has become trendy recently.
My current MXR Phase90 is an older model with a slightly larger footswitch. I tried various brands, but only K.E.S’s switch hats fit. Now,
I’ve standardized all the switch hats on my board with these.

Providence / PFL-1000

I also bought this to prevent accidental stomping on effects I leave on all the time on my pedalboard.
It’s a simple cover you screw onto the footswitch, but if it can physically prevent mistakes, it’s a handy item.
Like the switch hats, it’s not exactly essential, but after buying them, I’ve come to appreciate how important it is to reduce stress during performances. It’s also why my spending has accelerated.

VOCU / Double Power

When I was using an Ibanez NTS, I wanted to run it at 18V instead of 9V. But buying a separate 18V adapter seemed like too much hassle, and carrying it around was a pain. That’s when I found this.

There’s a similar booster, the Xotic Voltage Doubler XVD-1, but the VOCU is more compact and convenient.
That said, it’s so small that I might lose it—maybe the Xotic would have been a better choice!

I’ve also been stacking up on pedals from an online store, some of which aren’t available at Sound House, so I’ll spare you those details to keep my standing in the company intact.
This time, I introduced products related to pedals, but I’ve also unknowingly accumulated a ton of guitar parts. If there’s any interest, I’ll cover those next time.
See you next time!