Good points on common sense stuff that anybody could easily overlook that I don't see talked about. Seems like your next video should be not about how to take care of your pedals but how to work safe in the kitchen. ;)
I’ve been working in electronics manufacturing for 15 years. I prefer when things break. Thats when they are most fun for me. I enjoy troubleshooting. I solder about 30 hours a week, so I’m pretty good. I fix everybodys things, and everyone knows me as the repair guy.
Just when I thought I couldn’t like your channel any more, you give us this. Love it. And while I’m usually overly careful with my gear, I’m still perfectly capable of being a clutzy doofus. I’ve always been paranoid that I’ll accidentally feed a 9V pedal with more than it needs. So I’ll be labeling my 18V lines. Thanks for that. Also, I’ve got the Strobostomp, and I bought a screen protector for it but never installed it. Guess what I’m doing today. Great video, man! RESPECT ALL EFFECTS! Cheers!
Awesome video, and I appreciate your talking to these important points on pedal use ... important points that are seldom covered on other channels. This was great, and I look forward to more pedal reviews as your hand heals !
Great advice! Might be over the top but I’d add: power up all your pedals at least once a year to get some juice in the electrolytic capacitors, in theory helps prolong life. More of an issue with amps, but a good habit.
We've all blown out a pedal with the wrong voltage. Even Dan and Mick from the Pedal Show each had a story! It made me feel a little less stupid. Lol Great episode, good info.
I didn’t know… I pretty much need delay. DE7 died (for the time being - it works when it wants to these days) so my buddy let me borrow his soundtank. Fried it with 24v. Now I have a proper power supply and you’d better beLIEVE the 12v leads have tape on em. Felt so bad. It only takes one time.
Because I am an old I have old stuff and I still use it. So far I have not fried a pedal thankfully but I am also very careful. I bought most of my early boxes broken and fixed them and was always particular about the amps and volts right from the start. I can also recommend a loop switcher so you can use the old stompboxes you don't want to stomp on anymore.
i belong to several geeky music gear discords. the geekiest, however, features our 'house band' called Thirteen Flangers. as the public face for 13F (think: less Mick Jagger and more Blixa Bargeld), i, and we, endorse the Flanger Statement at the end of this video package. thank you.
Ah Skitch you wore the shirt! Pro tip you can put your germanium fuzz in the freezer for some cool transistor gating but you can't put it in the microwave and expect the opposite result. You have to actually turn on the microwave for it to work.
Good video, and important to send the message once in a while !! Some of those warning, like the leaky battery trouble also go for guitars / basses with active elements / builtin preamp’s !
I killed a Memory Toy adjusting the trimpots. The blend control was all out of whack so I tried fixing it. Instead of I broke it harder. Broke the trimpot right off. Gave it to my neighbor for free, and he had fixed it in like 15 minutes or less. Haven't adjusted one since. On the flip side, I got a spare ME-50 for super cheap because someone had left batteries in it and they thought the expression pedal was broken, but it just needed cleaned and recalibrated. Good as new.
If you do, try and get the Extended Cut version. It helps round out the story a little bit, but the movie still moves along at a good clip. One of my favorites.
Always very conscious of matching the correct voltage on anything. I once plugged in a power adaptor that was from the US, into the Australian 240v system. Smoked it instantly. It literally gave a puff of smoke and died. Also a good idea to have your devices plugged in to an outlet with surge protection. About 15 years ago I had a lightning strike that caused a power spike that took out both my pedal power station and also my Phaser pedal. Could have saved a couple hundred bucks if I had invested maybe ten bucks on a surge protected power board.
With the Electro Harmonic pedals that take 24v, they make the plug slightly larger, and center-negative. Not sure if it's to stop inadvertent over-powering, but it definitely saved me at least once.
Just a few weeks ago I found that my 80’s crybaby no longer wahs after it sitting on the shelf for a couple years. It’s not a fun feeling. Going to attempt to fix it next week after I finish repairing my CE-3 and modding my DM-2 to 9v
I've done the 18V cable into a 9V distortion pedal and got very lucky. I'm guessing the caps were rated for 16V, like boss pedals. It sounded terrible until I diagnosed the problem but at least it survived. I've also underpowered a 15V tube OD with a 9V. Nothing broke that week except my intelligence.
I push my luck all the time by powered my all pedals off a 12V camera battery. I tried switching to an actual guitar power supply and kept accidentally plugging the 18v into the wrong pedals until I just switched back to the battery. Amazingly, I only managed to fry one pedal ever by plugging in 18V. New pedals are surprisingly robust.
They sell a Strobo Stomp display protector. For others, those displays only come in a handful of sizes, and can be found on Amazon and eBay by searching for the correct dimension.
I have a pedal that makes a popping sound when I press the engage button. It's kind of a snappy popping sound. The noise is louder when engaging, but still present when disengaging. Other than that, the pedal seems to work fine and it sounds amazing. That popping sound is so annoying. I know very little about electronics and fixing things. I'm sure it's a simple fix. I'd hate to spend too much $ to have it repaired and it seems silly to buy a new one. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
What stomp box patch cables would you recommending using that last very long and are very flat? I think they make these Ribbon cable types that are flat but not sure how long they last on the road
The Ernie Ball 3" Flat Ribbon Patch Cables are good, I haven't had one fail on me yet. Also, the shape of the heads lets them fit next to other cables where other angled cables might not fit. I'll also add that I haven't been on the road with any of my gear (in a long time, at least) so I'm generally just speaking of everyday wear and tear.
@@StompboxBreakdown Yes I was thinking about those Ernie Balls ribbon patch cables because they have Life Time Warranty? I'm looking for patch cables that have warranty also which I think the ernie ball have.
I adjusted the two trimpots inside my Ibanez DPL 10 ping pong delay to get longer delay times. I was also a total ding dong and forgot to mark or take a pic of the original settings. What each pot was actually adjusting wasn’t entirely clear as I turned them (it wasn’t like oh this this time and this is vol) - any advice on getting back to the OG settings? :(
Ooh, tough situation. It's a digital pedal, so probably not something you need an oscilloscope for. I'd probably start by asking around Ibanez groups seeing if anyone can share a gut shot with their settings, or a multimeter reading. If not, might just be worth spending time making micro-adjustments and seeing if you like it more or less, like going to the eye doctor.
I have been asking this question for years but no one answers. Goes something like this: I like collecting pedals & there are a bunch that I have doubles. Am I doing them any favor by not using? Or does sitting around actually cause problems? Well it seems that periodically you should run them. Someone below suggests at least once/year will help prevent capacitor leakage?
I've heard it said that powering up amps and pedals is good for them, and helps keep capacitors from completely discharging... I've also heard that keeping them cooler and in proper humidity does far more good. I don't know if anyone has actually done a proper A/B test over the course of 20+ years to test any theories. I kinda think of them as cars with tires and fuel lines and all that; taking them out every once in a while can do no harm, and it'll also help you catch any small problems before they become big problems.
Good points on common sense stuff that anybody could easily overlook that I don't see talked about. Seems like your next video should be not about how to take care of your pedals but how to work safe in the kitchen. ;)
Ha, got me
I’ve been working in electronics manufacturing for 15 years. I prefer when things break. Thats when they are most fun for me. I enjoy troubleshooting. I solder about 30 hours a week, so I’m pretty good. I fix everybodys things, and everyone knows me as the repair guy.
Well said! There's a satisfaction in getting something back to "better than new" shape
Honestly, can’t like or recommend this video enough. Errrrrrbody needs to hear/see this. Great job!
Just when I thought I couldn’t like your channel any more, you give us this. Love it. And while I’m usually overly careful with my gear, I’m still perfectly capable of being a clutzy doofus. I’ve always been paranoid that I’ll accidentally feed a 9V pedal with more than it needs. So I’ll be labeling my 18V lines. Thanks for that. Also, I’ve got the Strobostomp, and I bought a screen protector for it but never installed it. Guess what I’m doing today. Great video, man! RESPECT ALL EFFECTS! Cheers!
Aww, thank you so much!! Yeah, slap that protector on there. It doesn’t make it harder to read or anything. Also a great tuner, I love that thing
Much needed (at least to me) video. Mend till next time.
Awesome video, and I appreciate your talking to these important points on pedal use ... important points that are seldom covered on other channels. This was great, and I look forward to more pedal reviews as your hand heals !
Great advice! Might be over the top but I’d add: power up all your pedals at least once a year to get some juice in the electrolytic capacitors, in theory helps prolong life. More of an issue with amps, but a good habit.
Ooh, that is a good idea. And a good reminder to go power up my amps for a little life-extending jam session
Thanks for the reminder of the batteries.
I'm amazed at how many used pedals show up with 9v batteries in them.
Once had 230V AC on a Boss pedal...😂
Now I use an att. 😎
We've all blown out a pedal with the wrong voltage. Even Dan and Mick from the Pedal Show each had a story! It made me feel a little less stupid. Lol Great episode, good info.
Thank you so much! Yeah, the Small Stone that I threw into the snow got fried by an errant 18v cable last year. No one to blame but myself there.
I didn’t know…
I pretty much need delay. DE7 died (for the time being - it works when it wants to these days) so my buddy let me borrow his soundtank. Fried it with 24v.
Now I have a proper power supply and you’d better beLIEVE the 12v leads have tape on em.
Felt so bad. It only takes one time.
Because I am an old I have old stuff and I still use it. So far I have not fried a pedal thankfully but I am also very careful. I bought most of my early boxes broken and fixed them and was always particular about the amps and volts right from the start. I can also recommend a loop switcher so you can use the old stompboxes you don't want to stomp on anymore.
Hey I resent that flanger remark...... all told excellent advice.
i belong to several geeky music gear discords. the geekiest, however, features our 'house band' called Thirteen Flangers.
as the public face for 13F (think: less Mick Jagger and more Blixa Bargeld), i, and we, endorse the Flanger Statement at the end of this video package.
thank you.
BF-2 was my first pedal. Thank you for your endorsement, sounds like a good group of people
Ah Skitch you wore the shirt!
Pro tip you can put your germanium fuzz in the freezer for some cool transistor gating but you can't put it in the microwave and expect the opposite result. You have to actually turn on the microwave for it to work.
Your comment on voltage is well made, I would add labelling centre positive sockets/Jack's as well
Yeah, good point. Basically anything to give me a moments pause so I don’t plug release the magic smoke
I've done the 18v thing. Fried my Japanese Guyatone Zoom Box Distortion shortly after getting it.
Good video, and important to send the message once in a while !!
Some of those warning, like the leaky battery trouble also go for guitars / basses with active elements / builtin preamp’s !
I killed a Memory Toy adjusting the trimpots. The blend control was all out of whack so I tried fixing it. Instead of I broke it harder. Broke the trimpot right off. Gave it to my neighbor for free, and he had fixed it in like 15 minutes or less. Haven't adjusted one since.
On the flip side, I got a spare ME-50 for super cheap because someone had left batteries in it and they thought the expression pedal was broken, but it just needed cleaned and recalibrated. Good as new.
Great shirt!! I need to rewatch that movie!
If you do, try and get the Extended Cut version. It helps round out the story a little bit, but the movie still moves along at a good clip. One of my favorites.
Always very conscious of matching the correct voltage on anything. I once plugged in a power adaptor that was from the US, into the Australian 240v system. Smoked it instantly. It literally gave a puff of smoke and died. Also a good idea to have your devices plugged in to an outlet with surge protection. About 15 years ago I had a lightning strike that caused a power spike that took out both my pedal power station and also my Phaser pedal. Could have saved a couple hundred bucks if I had invested maybe ten bucks on a surge protected power board.
Going to mark my 18V cables now with some gaffers tape. Thanks! Also, nice touch using that JHS Superbolt for the outlet explosion scene.
Hopefully one day they'll come out with a different jack for 18v. Pedals that take either could feature both.
With the Electro Harmonic pedals that take 24v, they make the plug slightly larger, and center-negative. Not sure if it's to stop inadvertent over-powering, but it definitely saved me at least once.
I fried one of my beloved Ibanez TC7 Chorus with a 12V cable. The pain is REAL folks.
Old batteries left in are the worst, I’ll always ask for a battery compartment pic if buying 2nd hand online.
Solid idea
I'm subscribing to your channel simply because of your T-shirt! Best ever! I haven't even watched your video yet ha ha :)
I hope the video lives up to the shirt!
Hahaha @ 1:32-1:42
Saucy
Just a few weeks ago I found that my 80’s crybaby no longer wahs after it sitting on the shelf for a couple years. It’s not a fun feeling. Going to attempt to fix it next week after I finish repairing my CE-3 and modding my DM-2 to 9v
Yea I'm guilty of too much Velcro....
I've done the 18V cable into a 9V distortion pedal and got very lucky. I'm guessing the caps were rated for 16V, like boss pedals. It sounded terrible until I diagnosed the problem but at least it survived.
I've also underpowered a 15V tube OD with a 9V. Nothing broke that week except my intelligence.
I push my luck all the time by powered my all pedals off a 12V camera battery. I tried switching to an actual guitar power supply and kept accidentally plugging the 18v into the wrong pedals until I just switched back to the battery. Amazingly, I only managed to fry one pedal ever by plugging in 18V. New pedals are surprisingly robust.
I've got a rechargeable pedalboard that's pretty handy. I just have to keep remembering to charge it between practices. Camera battery is a good idea
Great 👍 information but what do you recommend to protect the display from cracking? Thx
They sell a Strobo Stomp display protector. For others, those displays only come in a handful of sizes, and can be found on Amazon and eBay by searching for the correct dimension.
I can't believe those solid plugs, and i haven't put a pedal on the floor since 95
The whole world should mourn a broken flanger. 😢
Seriously!
@@StompboxBreakdown 😅😅
I recently bought a Turbo Rat I thought was broken because it was cutting out - turns out the battery clip was shorting on the footswitch!
I have a pedal that makes a popping sound when I press the engage button. It's kind of a snappy popping sound. The noise is louder when engaging, but still present when disengaging. Other than that, the pedal seems to work fine and it sounds amazing. That popping sound is so annoying. I know very little about electronics and fixing things. I'm sure it's a simple fix. I'd hate to spend too much $ to have it repaired and it seems silly to buy a new one. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
What stomp box patch cables would you recommending using that last very long and are very flat? I think they make these Ribbon cable types that are flat but not sure how long they last on the road
The Ernie Ball 3" Flat Ribbon Patch Cables are good, I haven't had one fail on me yet. Also, the shape of the heads lets them fit next to other cables where other angled cables might not fit. I'll also add that I haven't been on the road with any of my gear (in a long time, at least) so I'm generally just speaking of everyday wear and tear.
@@StompboxBreakdown Yes I was thinking about those Ernie Balls ribbon patch cables because they have Life Time Warranty? I'm looking for patch cables that have warranty also which I think the ernie ball have.
Yeah, I need to go through and label my 18v and 40v at both ends. Noted, thank you.
I've definitely lost at least 2 pedals to frying them with random EHX cables. Labels are a good thing.
I adjusted the two trimpots inside my Ibanez DPL 10 ping pong delay to get longer delay times. I was also a total ding dong and forgot to mark or take a pic of the original settings.
What each pot was actually adjusting wasn’t entirely clear as I turned them (it wasn’t like oh this this time and this is vol) - any advice on getting back to the OG settings? :(
Ooh, tough situation. It's a digital pedal, so probably not something you need an oscilloscope for. I'd probably start by asking around Ibanez groups seeing if anyone can share a gut shot with their settings, or a multimeter reading. If not, might just be worth spending time making micro-adjustments and seeing if you like it more or less, like going to the eye doctor.
You’re the best, man. Good idea.
I have been asking this question for years but no one answers. Goes something like this: I like collecting pedals & there are a bunch that I have doubles. Am I doing them any favor by not using? Or does sitting around actually cause problems? Well it seems that periodically you should run them. Someone below suggests at least once/year will help prevent capacitor leakage?
I've heard it said that powering up amps and pedals is good for them, and helps keep capacitors from completely discharging... I've also heard that keeping them cooler and in proper humidity does far more good. I don't know if anyone has actually done a proper A/B test over the course of 20+ years to test any theories. I kinda think of them as cars with tires and fuel lines and all that; taking them out every once in a while can do no harm, and it'll also help you catch any small problems before they become big problems.
How did you go about screen protecting your HD Strobostomp? Do they sell that stuff in trimable sheets? Is trimable even a word? Hmm.
I just got mine from Peterson but it may be a standard size that can be ordered
Do you actually record yourself washing up or was that a re-enactment?
It was a dramatic re-enactment
@StompboxBreakdown an overly dramatic re-enactment perhaps? Not sure that's better or worse than recording yourself washing up though!
Play slide....
Good idea!