Dan's Top 5 Guitar Effect Pedal Hacks, Tips and Tricks
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- Here are 5 easy guitar effect pedal hacks, tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your effect pedals, and keep your pedalboard working and sounding great.
Life too short for long CZcams videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.
Hi everyone, and welcome to the vlog. I've been meaning to do this vid for the longest time, finally got around to it. These are 5 tips I use all the time, they're easy and only the last tip uses a soldering iron.
Enjoy the episode!
Interesting bits and go-to sections…
- What are we doing here?: 00:00
- Tip 1 - TRS Battery Check : 00:10
- TRS socket explained: 00:39
- What happens when we plug our guitar into the pedal: 01:05
- Connecting the battery to the circuit: 01:26
- Measuring the voltage using a TRS cable: 02:12
- Tip 2 - Flip the base on your BOSS pedals to help you attach Velcro: 02:23
- Tip 3 - Turn your stereo pedal into 2 delays in series: 03:50
- Tip 4 - Fix your scratchy pots
- Anatomy of a potentiometer: 06:32
- Servisol Super 10: 06:50
- Tip 5 - Stereo to TRS mod
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Flip the base. Oh. For. Fuchs. Sake. 35 years I’ve been waiting for that. I’m in tears.
Haha no sh*t, me too...
Same for me... What a revelation... Truly never thought about doing that, yet so obvious!!
32 years here. In my defense i just started using pedals at all in the past four years or so.
Being doing that for at least 15-20 years but mostly with wah pedals since there's ample room inside any of them, to flip the base. And it gives immediate resistance when toe-engaging them. Just a third of the Boss pedals works with this trick, the others you have to remove the rubber feet, and then it defeats its purpose, or defies... or whatever it's called
Oh man, I had never even thought about turning Boss backplates over, that is so obvious and a great tip.
On the three BOSS pedals that I checked I never felt there was enough space - was too worried about damaging the circuit board when tightening the screws.
And by "get your meter and measure across it" I assume you mean "stick your tongue on it and see how much it hurts"?
Bingo
About fixing pedals to the board using velcro.
I use the pedal's screws to fix a non-adhesive velcro to the bottom.
Just two strips is enough. If you wigle the pedal to ensure that the velcro really grips, you will have a stable pedal.
Never had a problem with this approach.
In North America Deoxit is a great choice for cleaning pots.
Any Electronic Contact Cleaner should work fine. It's basically a non-conductive cleaning agent.
To anyone that doesn't know: "Deoxit" is a brand with several different formulas meant for different things. Make sure you have the right one for the job, or you can damage what you're trying to clean. Some repair shops have sworn off Deoxit entirely, because of damage done by putting the wrong kind of Deoxit on a rare part. Take care out there!
Bought mine on ebay from u.k. only $18 US including shipping.
I personally use the WD40 contact cleaner, a bit cheaper than Deoxit I think
Jamie Kemp don’t use WD40. It is not meant for cleaning pots and jacks.
Normally if I see a video with “hack” in the title I will immediately skip it. Glad I watched this one. A lot of great tips. Thanks, Dan!
Dan, once again your humble and simple approach to explaining things is perfect! You don't assume the viewer has vast knowledge, but neither do you express your ideas in a way that is condescending or boring! Please Please please post more of these simple BUT USEFUL hacks...without the usual fluff that others feel compelled to add to their videos. You rock mate.
The last tip is genius!
Very cool hacks, Dan! For "Tip 1 - TRS Battery Check", I stumbled into just half inserting a regular 1/4" guitar cable into an effects input jack, and measuring the battery that way. Saves on having to have extra TRS hardware.
Flipping the backplate! Brilliant! Great explanation of the stereo hack as well. Thanks Dan. Good stuff.
Loving the makeshift mic stand Dan! So many uses for pedals we can’t fit on our boards...think that’s another episode title 😝
The battery checking tip has saved me so much time and hassle! I really wanted to see how that fuzz face sounded into the purple plexi
One more tip. Before you break out the soldering Iron, try plugging a TRS jack into both jacks first. A LOT of pedal manufacturers are doing this already. It’s far from universal, but I wouldn’t call it uncommon to have this capability right out of the box.
Strymons?
Lyell W not sure about Strymons. I know Neunaber does this, and I think some of the new TC stuff does. If I had to guess I would say no on Strymon, but that’s based off of some pretty random logic floating in my head.
Matt Snyder haha thanks. I can always check for myself 👍
Sorry, maybe a stupid question, but what exactly do you mean? A TRS> TRS cable into..um which jacks? Output? Input? Both?
Dan is just full of Knowledge. Thanks Dan!
You’re welcome Mark
Missed opportunity: pedals for mic stands. Killing me. Just love it.
Oh my goodness. As soon as you said what #1 was, I knew where you were going and I thought, "How have I not noticed this all these years?" Brilliant!
Because a lot of pedals have asymmetric hole patterns or countersunk screws that don’t fit right when flipped (even BOSS will have a gap), so if you don’t care about neatness or flat bottom, fine.
The TRS cable trick is also good for checking the output of your pickups, instead of taking the back plate off. 😬👍
Been checking my emgs this way for years. Even made a ts to bananna plugs plug the fluke into my guitars and check it right away
Burnt Gerbil you can use a regular guitar cable for this; doesn’t need to be TRS
I loved the series Delay tip! I have no idea why I never thought of that. I will definitely give it a try with my stereo pedals later today.
Rob Cabrera & @DanSteinman: is this a hack applicable to *any* stereo pedal/device?
Brilliant, Dan! The battery level check hack a keeper! Thanks for you insight.
Very clever and good to know. Encore!!! More of Dan's hacks, tips and tricks please!
The TRS hack gave me a huge sense of relief. I've been making cumbersome TRS to TS Y cables and I can't wait to simplify by doing this.
Did you make it work? I didn't understand it. Can't solder anyway, so it's basically a moot point.
@@mattgilbert7347 Haven't gotten around to it yet!
You haven't spoke about the last hacks repair your glasses with pink masking tape ;)
Great thanks again for hack and videos
Martin Pré guitars are the priority! Glasses can wait....or check out That Glasses Show
I can understand having to tape some glasses together, but seriously, he doesn't own any black tape?
Fab video, Dan. I appreciate these ever more now we know what a ball ache they are to make. Thanks.
Danny, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE write a book with all your little tidbits of knowledge like this. You will be a gigagozillionaire, I promise.
Todd from Kentucky, USA
worth way more than the price for admission, thanks for up loading
You’re welcome Jeff 🤓👍
Great job on the video Dan and crew!
I love these hacks! I got into electronics in 1988 after building a wahwah pedal that just picked up the shipping forecast. I studied through to degree level.... still couldn’t make a decent wah and probably learned as much from the pedal show in a couple of episodes as I did in 6 years formal education. Keep up the good work and keep rockin 👍
Great hacks. I love this format of explaining things efficiently versus the regular videos you do
loved the mic stands that look like good pedals. it is that pedal show after all XD tks for the tips!
12:50 Hack #6, use a pedal as a mic stand :)
Yes! Hahaha
I've used Behringer pedals as doorstopper. Oops....
super clever tips, thanks!
OMG that battery tip is the best thing I've heard all year.
These were all worthwhile tricks. Thank you for sharing. I'm enjoying your solo content. I like to hear you get into the electronics aspects of things.
Great Hacks! Dan, many thanks for the tips! Beautiful Day here in Brissy! Thanks Again!
The rubber flip did the trick. Thanks
👍
Dan, you always bring happiness to my day!!
Cheers!!!
Ah, cheers Q 🤓🙏
IPA170? How ironic that something that contains alcohol is an IPA! 😋🤣🤣🤣
Really interesting stuff Dan... love the battery hack especially.
Very nice tricks. Thank you so much Dan.
Great video! Very handy tips there
Amazing... thank you for the knowledge givin.
Awesome! Very usefull tips! Thanks, Dan!!
Life changing video, thank you! Solid gold tips 👍
Great video Dan. I love feeding the stereo delay back in on its self
Tip #2 changed my life!
great tips Dan, thanks!
Love the TRS mod.
Playing w/d/w opens a big ol’ box of thoughts when it comes to manipulating the signal path. I’ll almost surely use this trick at some point. Thanks so much, Dan!
Pedal hack #6- pedals make great mic stands. Great vid and excellent playing as usual! Thanks Dan!
Thanks dan, these little tips are like gold dust. I will think about the solder mod for my 15 year old dl4, and was also thinking a wetter box might spice things up somewhat 🧐😄
Absolutely fantastic video Dan! Every singly tips was great. Cheers
Cheers mate
Dan, I love your playing whenever you're using a delay sound. Ended up buying a Diamond Memory Lane Jr off the back of your playing in that Pedal Jams episode you did with it. Also struggling to not pull the trigger on a wet/dry rig after hearing the sound you managed to get out of two lunchbox Yamahas...
Cheers Charlie, yes the little Yamaha amps are great for playing at home. Very immersive
Great vid Dan, worth mentioning that Servisol can react with nitro on guitars. I used it on my Les Paul and it leaked out from the shaft and left streaks across the body, Luckily I cleaned it up before it did any lasting damage
I used to design circuit boards for DOD/Digitech. This piece is very helpful!
That delay trick was cool
Dan you absolute beauty! Love the TRS hack thanks!
You’re welcome 🤓👍
Thank you Dan the man! You've just made my '73 Chicago Thomas Organ wah, my '98 J-bass deluxe, my Fender kbsfx 200 amp, and my '63 Vox Hollowbody useable again! You roxxors!
Ohhhh nice!!!! You’re most welcome 🤓🙏
Bookmarking! Thanks, Dan!
Great tip on the Boss pedals, I've got an ancient BF2 that drives me mad but I don't want to mess up the back. I'm an electronic incompetent, but that was great. I've been plugging in a jack for 30 years without once ever knowing how it worked, but now I'm educated - cheers Dan.
What a great pedal, waiting on a waza version to replace my ancient one...
What a great show, thank you so much.
You’re welcome Jon 🤓👍
Thank you Dan! This helped me out with cleaning the pots on an older Big Muff.
Great!
@@ThatPedalShow Thanks so much for the reply. Made my day! I'm a long time fan and owner of a D&M Drive and multiple shirts and TPS accessories. TPS has been a huge inspiration and taught me a lot over the years. Keep it up guys and stay safe!
This is gold!
Clever, brilliant, easy and usefull. Dan, you are the Master of Universe. Thanks
By the Power of Grey-skull!!!!!
Great playing man! Absolutely LOVE that you have the fuzz on for the cleans - do the same ALL the time!
And also - of course - thanks for the tips!
Cheers mate, you’re so welcome
Great mods. Thanks!
I searched for #5 for a while now. Thanks!
Like the TRS check for batteries. Thanks for the info and the effort.
Thank you 🙏 Fascinating as always ☯️🙂
Adore this channel. Such a cool video. 🖤
Cheers Sped 🤓👍
Very Cool Dan Man!!! Stay well, stay healthy and be Groovy!!!
Great Content! Thank You!
Good stuff, Dan! Thank you
You’re welcome
Need an episode like this every week, Dan!
Cool! Great hacks!
+1 on Servisol Super 10 (or Deoxit as some have suggested for the US) - had to replace pots on a few pedals for friends where they've just ruined the pots trying to use WD-40 because a lot t of people just think it's a universal thing! (gums then up with residue)
This is amazing. Thank you.
You’re most welcome Sam 🤓👍
The stereo to mono in series is a great fix, would have rescued me at my last gig! I run in stereo but had ground loop issues and went down to one amp instead of stereo then lost half my delay. Next time I’ll know what to do, with one patch cable, easy peasy 👍🙏
You are great, Dan!
Good stuff Dan!
Cheers mate 🤓👍
What’s that whooshing sound? Oh it’s the last tip flying over my head...
I just used the stereo mod on the Keeley Eccos. Oh my!! Thanks Dan. This will keep me occupied for days.
Awesome!!
OMG, all this time, I thought they used switching jacks to switch the power. That is brilliant, Dan! Thank you! I'd actually forgotten about the Boss pedal flip, since my Boss pedals are only used in Boss BCB-3 boxes, for my bass, and I have no Boss pedals on my guitar board. Way back in the 1990s, I built my first wooden pedalboard, and immediately discovered the Velcro problem. As it turned out, back then, I engaged in quite a bit of re-patching my signal chain during sets, so I stopped using pedalboards altogether and put my pedals on the floor, loose. I used all Boss pedals, and because of the rubber on the bottom, they generally stayed in place fairly well.
I've never heard of Servisol. Here in the US, my experience has been with CAIG Laboratories products, particularly their Deoxit line of products.
Yes, Deoxit in the US is great
Brilliant!!
Love the creative mic stands
What a great vid, THX
🤓🙏
hi Dan, I have been using double sided vel-cro 3/4¨ from Harbor freight. I remove the screws, punch a small hole in the vel-cro and replace the screws threw the vel.cro back in the pedal. eliminating the sticky crap. A little time consuming but it works well for me.
You’re the man Dan! Thank you 🤟😎🍻
The stereo trick is a lifesaver. Was using this time to build a motherboard and brings a potential idea for a show and would be great to know some hacks. Interesting tricks and combos to let you use all your pedals when you have more of them than switchers in your loop (some pedals with effects loop etc. Would be interesting to know more)
Thanks Dan! That’s clever!
🤓👍
Thanks. Well done. Finally someone got this too, with flipping the bottom plate over. I've been doing this for at least 15 years now. I don't know why manufacturers takes "height" for this by making the bottom plate fit the other way around, and doing the pedal a tad taller, so the rubber feet will not touch anything when facing inwards/upwards. Very few I know of are using one sole pedal anymore on the floor. I started with WAH pedals since there are always ample room for it to be flipped. Then the more straight surface, that results from it makes the engaging and disengaging of the wah pedals more smooth and even since there's "early resistance" to the toe pressing. I do hate leaving wah pedals on any pedalboard as well if it is slanted. They have to reside on the floor next to it, because when engaging them, you just flex the board underneath and it will not turn on. It takes ages for it to turn on, and using excessive toe force.
The number of pedals that have "flippable" bottom plates are far and in between. A third of all Boss pedals, Strymons none (absolutely) etc. The best thing is, when you later on flip the bottom plate over again, the rubber feet and labels are as new should you sell the pedal. You don't forget where you put those rubber feet ... :-)
And who cares about the residue from the velcro strips inside? Frankly, since that surface is not polished the velcro sticks way better to that side of the bottom plate. I think ALL pedal manufacturers should make them pedals to facilitate for bottom plate flip over. They have to get rid of these "Hammond" boxes as they're called. One can get washers and buy longer screws, to move the bottom plate up from keeping it from touching the circuitry, but then that bottom plate may leave a gap open to the intestants of the pedal which is bad. Defeats its purpose then...
Satisfying little velcro design.
Didn't know about the flipping the base on Boss Pedals. What i do and it does work, is heat the velcro up with a hairdryer first so the glue is really runny and sticky. Then rub it on the base and it sticks to the rubber every time.
Love the pedals as desktop mic stands!
Love the pedal mic stand
About Boss pedals, there are a number of sellers on eBay that sell replacement backs that you can get and switch out. One eBay seller out Australia has some easy to use plates (mc-fx) and SmallBear electronics has ones you use as well. What’s great is that the original backplate remains untouched and it’s easy to swap them out as needed. I’ve also seen some for Ibanez 9 series pedals.
Rad to see the Timefactor get some love. Such a beast of a unit with so many great delay modes. I imagine this hack would work with the H9?
It would but check, maybe the H9 already does this
Love tip no 1. Never new that
I appreciate your mic pedal-stands 👌 + thanks for the battery measurement hack.
No more trying to put velcro in that little recess of a boss pedal, only for the sticker and Velcro to pop off! I had heard you mention this stereo pedal hack in a previous episode, but thanks for spelling it out!... Genius Danno!
Cheers mate, you’re welcome
I love the mic stands 🤓
Loved the "mic stand"
Frickin' heck! The Boss reverse plate is so simple I feel like Dwight Shrute for not knowing it!!!