FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
“How do Cave Passive Pedals work without power?”
There is no battery but the pedal does need the power to come from somewhere. The signal from the pickups is used to drive the pedal’s circuitry.
“Why don’t I have to unplug the jack plug to the input like I have to with my battery powered pedal?”
The unplugging of the jack plug from the input of a “powered” pedal is to save the battery. Because there is no battery in our pedals, there is no need to unplug between sets or at rehearsals.
“Why do some of the Cave pedals boost and some do not? Why can’t they all boost?”
Good question! There are different types of effects pedals that are designed for different purposes. A chorus pedal, for example, usually does not have an amplifying ability, whilst an overdrive does. Some of our pedals boost because they are designed to increase the volume, either to drive the amp harder or to “push” the second stage of a circuit more.
Some of our designs require a lot more power to drive them. The “Blue Juice” guitar overdrive is a perfect example. To create that amount of overdrive passively, something has to “give”, in this case, unfortunately, it’s the signal level.
“When I can buy a $50 powered overdrive pedal, why should I buy a passive one from Cave?”
Our pedals are handmade in Australia and we only use Australian companies for work we can’t do ourselves, such as powder coating or printing. All our pedals come with a REAL life time warranty and we offer a friendly voice at the end of the phone or friendly customer service via emails if you need any help or advice. Also, any modifications you require to make your pedal more functional and personal to you, can be talked about directly with our design team.
“Where does the battery go?”
There is no need for a 9 volt battery or power supply. All our pedals are designed to function without the need for any external power source. Please DO NOT try to connect a battery to the internal wiring of your Cave Passive Pedals stomp box!
“I have been told by electronic experts that there is NO WAY a signal can be boosted without power. Cave are either lying about the boost effect and it is NOT true bypass, or Cave are defying the laws of physics. So my question is...WHAT IS THE TRUTH?!”
Sorry if we speak out of line, but what idiots have you been talking to?! Any REAL electronics/electrical engineer will tell you that a signal CAN be boosted passively! All of our pedals are equipped with true bypass, unless stated. We are not lying or “defying the laws of physics”!
“Can the Cave pedals be used together?”
Some can and some can’t. It’s a situation similar to powered pedals, some work well together, and some do not. Some effects pedals sound better placed in a different position in an effects “chain”. If you have any technical queries, let us know the effects pedals you are trying to link together and we will help to the best of our ability. Technical support is just an email away!
“What causes the volume to drop on some of the pedals?”
Due to our pedals being passive(having no power supply or battery), the only source of energy the pedal’s circuit can use comes from the instruments pickups. Some of our circuits “suck” the signal a little as they demand more power to function. Some pickups produce more power than others but this does not necessarily mean that it will cause the passive circuit to function better. Most of our pedals that have a drop in level are being re-designed either to boost or retain an equivalent level to true bypass.
“Why does the price go up when the word “boutique” is used? And why are the Cave pedals classed as “boutique”?”
“Boutique” means specialised. Because all our pedals are individually handmade, we put extra time and effort into their construction. We also offer friendly and personal technical support to each of our valued customers, which you would not normally find in larger companies.
