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Topic: Volume Pedal Distorsion |
Rich Gibson
From:
Pittsburgh Pa.
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Posted 1 Jun 2003 11:55 am |
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All of a sudden I'm getting a nasty break up.I trouble shoot it down to my Goodrich 120.Different vol pedal everything is wonderfull.What gives with that.I read the current thread about the lack of good quality pots -am I answering my own question?
As always gentlemen, your help and guidence is much appreciated.
Thanks |
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Jim Bob Sedgwick
From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
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Posted 1 Jun 2003 3:01 pm
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| I think you have answered your own question. A bad pot can do all sorts of nasty things to your sound. Try replacing the pot. |
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Gino Iorfida
From:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 1 Jun 2003 4:29 pm
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Before replacing the pot (if it's not scratchy, it may be fine), give it a good once over. Clean the input/output jacks, retension them to put more pressure on the plugs going in. I've found corroded/out of tension jacks to cause all sorts of weirdness in may pedals myself (also, another tip, even though the 120 is not an active pedal, unplug your cables when not using it. the unplugging/replugging action will sometimes do a minor cleaning, as well as release the tension on the contacts, I found that esp in the pedalboard I was using for 6 string, that after a few months, I'd have to reconnect everything etc, and had to change out a good number of jacks (esp if lower quality jacks were used!).
Another thing (not sure of your soldering skills, but if you are unsure, just stop over and I'll do this for ya), retouch all the solder connections, a cold solder joint can cause these problems as well. |
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Rich Gibson
From:
Pittsburgh Pa.
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Posted 1 Jun 2003 7:18 pm
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Thanks guys for indulging my redundant question-If i'd taken my expert trouble shooting a step further I would come to the conclusion that the pot is the only part that effects the sound...Duh 
I will admit to still being confused after reading the other thread on this subject-what should I get as a replacement?
Is a potless pedal the only viable alterative(at 250 a pop).As much as I like new stuff volume pedals are so utilitarian...It's like a new screen door.
Gino thank you for your kind offer.My sodering skills are about par with my trouble shooting so i may be out for a visit.
Thanks |
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Gino Iorfida
From:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 1 Jun 2003 10:33 pm
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Yes and no that the pot is the 'only thing that affects sound' I'd say that is 90% correct, but there are inherant losses in the wire going from the pot to the jacks, the jack themselves, the contact between the jack and the plugs, the solder connections and so on. I've traced many oddities to cold solder joints, failing jacks, dirty jacks, overstressed wire, undertensioned pots, even corrosion on the plugs on your cables.
For some reason, these 'marginally bad' connections cause the weirdest things. you'd think it would be all or nothing, or at least just a loss of low end/high end etc, but for some reason they canbe homes to gremlins that let the signal get fuzzy etc.
True story on 'bad connections' A buddy of mine put new tubes in his amp, and at practice, we were hearing AM radio clear as a bell when he wasnt playing. We joked that it was that he used 'radio tubes' not 'guitar tubes' in the amp. Turned out the problem was traced to the input jack on his amp being a bit dirty-- apparently the crud was enough to cause the connection to act as a rectifier (remember the old single diode am radio kits? where you tie one end to the radiator in your house, the other to an antennae wire, and strap an earphone across it?), and the amp did well to amplify that in his case.
The good news is, since it is a passive pot type pedal, the most expensive thing to replace woudl be the pot (about $20), jacks are about $1 each (most cases, the good switchcraft type that Goodrich uses almsot NEVER go bad... I think I've seen maybe 2 in my life that have ever went 'bad' and couldnt be cleaned/retensioned), and the small amount of wiring/solder would be practically free.. The way I see it, one good thing about pot type pedals is the simplicity-- less to go wrong, and if you are like me, I've tried some of the 'potless' types out there, and yes, they sound great and are built like a tank, it may be all psychological, but I'm used to how the pot type feels and responds, and somehting just don't feel 'right' to me... (then again, it's probably in my head.. if I did a 'blind test' I'd probably NOT notice the difference)..
ok, it's official, I ramble on tooo much
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