Greetings pedal-happy tonemongers! Welcome back to Stomp School. This month, we’ll continue our discussion of basic troubleshooting and maintenance tips to help keep your pedal rig running smoothly. Most of us learn what’s required to operate our gear, but when something goes wrong, we seem to be divided—some players have a natural technical inclination, some learn through trial and error or get tips from more knowledgeable players, and then there are the rest of us. I say “us” because I didn’t begin my playing career being a pedal guru. Before working with Analog Mike, I spent many years struggling in ignorance with my gear, often discarding perfectly good pedals that only needed minor repair to work properly. It pains me to recount this but when I was 14 years old, I threw away my very first stompbox—an original Ampeg Scrambler— because I thought it was broken. I didn’t know it needed a battery to operate! I have plenty more stories, but I think you get the idea.
So Analog Mike and I have come up with list of survival tips for pedal-happy players everywhere. Before we get started, here are a few simple tools and products you should probably keep handy:
- Contact cleaner
- Small Philips-head screwdriver
- Small flathead screwdriver
- Q-tips
- Chopstick or other non-conductive probe
- Soldering iron and solder
This is one of the most common problems players have with pedals, and is usually caused by dust and dirt inside the pot. Pedal pots are way more susceptible than those in guitars and amps, as pedals by their very nature are subject to a certain amount of abuse. If a pot gets really bad, it can even make noise in certain stationary positions, as well as when being turned. You can often get a noisy pot working well enough by just turning it back and forth several times as fast as possible over the entire range of the pot. This will do in a pinch as a temporary quick fix. If the noise continues to persist, the pot needs to be cleaned.
To clean dirty pots, you will need a spray cleaner with lubricant in it. Do not use WD-40 or other types of household (or personal) lubricants. You need to get a spray cleaner specifically formulated for cleaning potentiometers and switches in electronic equipment. Radio Shack is the easiest place to find it—they have a product with the unwieldy name of TV Tuner/Control Cleaner & Lubricant. But our own personal preference is Caig DeoxIT. A short, quick shot of cleaner into the side of the pot is all that is needed, then rotate the pot back and forth to work the cleaner throughout the entire travel of the pot. Remove any excess cleaner from the case and solder lugs with a Q-tip. This routine will solve the problem in most cases. If the pot is still noisy, it should probably be replaced.
Pedal Problem #2: Intermittent signal, or sound cutting out
Assuming that you’ve already checked your cables and they’re okay, the next thing to check for is a loose connection at the power jack. Make sure you’re using the proper power supply and that the tip fits snuggly into the jack. Check the power jack itself as well, to make sure it’s not loose. Try wiggling the power cable end while it’s plugged into the pedal to be sure the connection is solid.
If the power connection checks out okay, the source of this problem is most likely with the input or output jack. The jacks need to be clean and have proper tension to work properly. To clean dirty jacks, use a bit of the contact cleaner referenced above on a Q-tip to clean the internal jack connections, especially the rim of the jack, which makes the ground contact. You can re-tension most jacks by bending the tip contact inwards to apply more pressure on the jack. The tip pressure is important, as it also determines the pressure of the rim for the ground connection. A bad switch can also cause an intermittent signal problem (except for those that use a momentary switch, such as a Boss or Ibanez type pedal). If pressing the stomp switch several times seems to cause or aggravate the problem, the switch should be replaced.
What we’ve discussed so far are some simple basic procedures that any guitarist can easily get the hang of. Next month, we’ll get into some more advanced maintenance and repair tips, including how to troubleshoot a noisy pedal, fixing loose or cold solder joints, and more. So make sure you check back with us next time. Until then, keep on stompin’!
Tom Hughes
(a.k.a. Analog Tom) is the owner and proprietor of For Musicians Only (formusiciansonly.com) and author of Analog Man’s Guide To Vintage Effects. For Musicians Only is also the home of the FMO Gear Shop. Questions or comments about this article can be sent to: stompschool@formusiciansonly.com
Analog Man
(analogman.com) is one of the largest boutique effects manufacturers and retailers in the business, established by “Analog” Mike Piera in 1993. Mike can be reached at AnalogMike@aol.com
Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.