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Every amplified musician or singer should use an outlet tester similar to one of these at every gig!

These testers are available at most hardware stores or you can order from Amazon.com by clicking on the image above.

As Jeff mentions in his letter it is also very wise to plug your equipment into a Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor (GFCI) adaptor plug. Before I received Jeff's letter I didn't realize that GFCI extension cords were available. I was contemplating writing an article on wiring a GFCI socket (such as you'd find in your bathroom) into an equipment rack but the ready availability of inexpensive devices like those below render that unnecessary. Ain't progress great!

Triple Tap with Right Angle GFCI at Amazon Dot Com

Triple Tap with Inline GFCI at Amazon Dot Com

Finally, a power conditioner is nice to have, though not for protection from shock (which is minimal except on the most expensive units). A power conditioner is not a substitute for using an outlet tester and/or a GFCI, unless the power conditioner has those features built in. The main benefit of a power conditioner is that it may help reduce power-line noise from lighting systems, motors, and so on, and can protect your equipment from surging and sagging line voltages. Some mid-range ($250+) power conditions provide dropout protection that will turn off the power if the line voltage surges or sags enough to damage your equipment. Only the most expensive power conditioners also provide true voltage regulation to maintain a steady output voltage when the input voltage surges or sags. Power conditioners vary in price from about $50 for conditioners that are little more than surge suppressors with a little extra filtering to over $3000 for expensive high-power studio models with very tight line regulation.

You can press the "Go" button below to shop Musician's Friend. They have a variety of Furman power conditioners. Furman is widely recognized as an industry leader in power conditioning.

Shock Hazards

Here's a letter I received in September of 2003.

Hello!
   I have just read your article on electric shock hazards it was
   excellent! I am a master electrician in the state of Massachusetts and
   I couldn't agree more about all the half witted inlaws doing wiring in 
   peoples homes never mind in public venues like nightclubs.
   
   I thought it might be useful to mention that for about 18 to 20 bucks
you can also purchase in line Ground Fault Circuit interrupters that plug
in line with your equipments power cords. These are the same devices
you've seen in bathrooms and kitchens (the outlet with the test and reset
buttons). They are easy to bring with you, as it is just a 3 foot
extension cord,and offer constant protection to both you and your
equipment.

   However, using an outlet tester is an awesome idea and a GFI should be
used as well as and not instead of the tester.

   The reason why I am sending you this is because of the way some 
electrical distribution works in a building. It is entirely possible that
your tester tells you that everything is fine in an electrical outlet so
you go ahead and plug in and start rocking. The next thing you know
somewhere in the building something kicks on that requires a large amount
of current,ie: an air conditioning system etc... If the neutral and/or
earth ground in the building have any kind of resistance the current could
possibly find its way through your equipment and/or you! GFI's will stop
any current imbalance between the hot side of your power cord and the
neutral. In other words if your amp is drawing 2 amps of power on the hot
side and only 1.95 amps on the neutral side is returning to the outlet.
Then the GFI trips the circuit open. This also works vice versa if the
neutral sees more current than the hot, ie: the neutral becomes live.
  Yes they are sensitive to .05 amps and trip in a matter of milliseconds.
  
I've tripped them with my own fingers and you can barely feel it(don't try
this at home!). However I don't think they are completely fail safe, YOU
MUST TEST THEM EACH TIME THEY ARE USED! that's what the test button is
for. If it fails and you didn't test it then its your own fault. I hope
this info is helpful, I love your website and just finished the shielding
project you described here on your site. It is on a Chinese made epiphone
strat that was as noisy as you could imagine. I have now indeed quieted
the beast. It worked beautifully. I could not believe the difference it
made. Now I am going to try potting a Duncan Seymore bridge pickup that
squeals like the dickens. Its a really hot pickup with no cover on it and
no factory potting so I think it will work out great.

       Regards,
     Jeff

P.S. Keep up the great work on your website!

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