Frequently
Asked.

1. Voltage (V)
This is the amount of power that the pedal requires. If it needs 9Vdc, always plug it into a 9Vdc output. Don't plug it into a 12Vdc or 18Vdc output unless you are sure that it can handle the extra voltage and you have checked with the pedal manufacturer. Never plug your pedal into a 9Vac output (or 9Vac adapter), unless the pedal specifically states that AC voltage is required, as on some Line 6 and Digitech pedals.

2. Polarity (-/+)
All DC powered pedals will indicate polarity near the DC jack. There can be negative tip or positive tip. All 1 SPOT Pro outputs have a negative tip polarity. However, if your pedal needs a positive tip polarity you can use the Truetone Reverse Polarity Converter (red plug) on the pedal to reverse the tip polarity from negative to positive. If you see a polarity symbol, the middle dot is the "tip".

3. Current (mA)
Each pedal requires a specific amount of current that is measured in milliamps (mA). The pedal will only draw what it needs to function properly, and it is best to have more mA available than the effect needs. Please note: most pedal manufacturers do not indicate the actual mA draw of their products. Instead, they will generally match the mA specs on the pedal to the power supply that they make. If you want to know how much mA your pedal is actually drawing, check out our mA Meter at Truetone.com.

1. You always want to have more available than you need.
2. A pedal will only draw the amount of current (mA) that it needs to function properly.
3. If an output on the 1 SPOT Pro does not have enough current available to power the pedal — and you have properly matched the voltage and polarity — the pedal simply won't power up or function properly. You won't damage either the pedal or the power supply.

Old-style fuzz pedals use PNP germanium transistors, which are electrically opposite polarity to every other pedal you have, so they must be run on a separate power supply. Most people who have a pedal like that run them off a second 1 SPOT. That way, you're still not using up valuable pedalboard space or power strip space — and it's still a lot less expensive than one of those brick-sized power supplies.

There are very few pedals designed to take AC voltage instead of DC voltage. If you feed your 9VDC (battery voltage) pedal AC, it will usually destroy much of the electronics. Once in a while the pedal will survive needing only minor repairs, but most of the time the entire circuit board needs to be replaced.

The V2 and V3 Series pedals from Truetone include an AC blocking component that will prevent AC voltage from damaging your pedal.

Yes — all the way back in 2000–2001. Unlike 1 SPOT knock-offs, we designed our power supply from scratch and we've been continuously improving the 1 SPOT circuit whenever possible over the years.

"CarbonFree" is a trademark of Carbonfund.org, a non-profit that collects annual membership dues from businesses who want to "offset" their carbon footprint. We looked at their financials and decided not to participate in their programs due to what we believe is an inefficient use of funds.

We also considered partnering with The Nature Conservancy, but unfortunately their use of funds is even less efficient.

Bob Weil, the founder of Truetone, is a lifelong nature enthusiast. Some of his original motives for inventing the first compact pedalboard power supply were to reduce the vast number of batteries going into the waste stream, and to greatly reduce the wasted energy from musicians using many 9V linear adapters — one per pedal — which used to be commonplace. The 1 SPOT changed all that for musicians around the world.

So while Truetone is not partnering with a non-profit, energy conservation is at the heart of who we are and why we make the power supplies we make.

Great news — the 1 SPOT Pro CS11, XP5-PS and XP8-PS have high-current 12Vdc outputs, perfect for the Quad Cortex.

Spec	Quad Cortex Requirement
Voltage	12V DC
Current	3.0A (3000mA) rated; ~2A real-world draw
Polarity	Center-negative
Connector	Standard 5.5mm/2.1mm barrel

Using the 1 SPOT Pro CS11 (recommended):

1. Connect a standard DC cable to the dedicated 12V output on the back panel of the CS11.
2. Add the included CYR (red) Reverse Polarity Converter to the end of that cable. (You need to use the CYR because the 12Vdc output on the back of a CS11 has center-positive polarity.)
3. Plug into the Quad Cortex. Done.

Using the 1 SPOT Pro XP5-PS or XP8-PS: Both the XP5-PS and XP8-PS have linked 12Vdc input/output jacks on their back panel. Use the same method — DC cable + CYR reverse polarity converter — and you're good to go.

The HX Series pedals are some of the most popular pedals we get asked about. It takes a bit more setup than a standard 9V stompbox, but the 1 SPOT Pro CS11 handles it beautifully. Two things make the HX Stomp different:

Spec	HX Stomp Requirement
Voltage	9V DC
Current	~800–1000mA real-world draw (rated 3A by Line 6, but actual draw is much lower)
Polarity	Center-negative (standard)
Connector	5.5mm/2.5mm barrel — larger than the standard 2.1mm on most power cables

Line 6 intentionally used the larger 2.5mm connector to discourage people from plugging in random 9V supplies. The good news: the CS11 includes the C2.5 (gray) plug converter, which adapts from the standard 2.1mm cable to the 2.5mm jack without reversing polarity.

The HX Stomp draws ~800–900mA, which is more than any single output on the 1 SPOT Pro can deliver on its own. The solution is to combine two high-current outputs using the included MC2 current-combining cable, which doubles the available current to 1000mA+ — plenty of headroom.

Step-by-step (CS11):

1. Connect the MC2 current-combining cable to two of the high-current outputs on the CS11 — Outputs 1, 2, 10, or 11 (each rated at 500mA).
2. Plug the C2.5 (gray) converter onto the MC2's single output end. This converts from 2.1mm to the 2.5mm jack the HX requires.
3. Connect into the HX Stomp's DC input. You now have a clean, isolated ~1000mA feed going into your HX.

This same method works with the CS12, CS7, CS6, XP5-PS and XP8-PS, using their 500mA outputs. The C2.5 and MC2 are included with the CS11 and are also available separately at Truetone.com for other model users.

Good question! Click here to find out — and be sure to see Bob's interview on Truetone Lounge marking 25 years in business.

The FTC requires that "all or virtually all" parts and labor cost of a product be of USA origin to carry a "Made in USA" marking. Under those strict guidelines, it is impossible to have an FTC-approved "Made in USA" label on a guitar pedal or power supply.

Consider what goes into guitar pedals: resistors, capacitors, diodes, IC chips, transistors, and switches are 0% made in the USA. Housings (Hammond) are made in Canada. Others are made in China. Even circuit boards are mostly made in Canada or China.

At Truetone, we've known this since our beginning in 1995. Starting in 1997 we've gone directly to the source for buying the highest quality parts we can find and for assembly. Even if we assembled everything in our office in Tennessee, we still would not qualify for an "Assembled in USA" claim. According to the FTC: "a 'screwdriver' assembly in the U.S. of foreign components into a final product doesn't usually qualify."

In short: it is impossible for an electronic product — including guitar pedals and power supplies — to be Made in USA, according to the law.

All 1 SPOT Pro power supplies carry a 5-year limited warranty to the original owner, covering faulty materials and workmanship.