STOMP SCHOOL
ANALOG TOM with ANALOG MIKE
Troubleshooting & Maintenance 101
Greetings fellow pedal lovers of the world, source of the signal loss problem, then you
welcome back to “Stomp School.” This can determine what’s causing the loss of
month we’re going back to basics with signal. It may be a bad or loose patch cord,
some simple troubleshooting and mainte- a pedal with no power, or a bad switch.
nance tips that will keep your pedals healthy
and keep you sounding your best. Most
guitarists spend the majority of their time
learning, practicing and performing with
their instrument. This is as it should be.
But if you play an electric, then a certain
amount of time and attention is required to
optimize your gear. Working all the knobs
and switches is one thing, but occasionally “…PROBLEM-SOLVING
more than basic operation will be required,
especially with a larger rig that incorporates multiple pedals and effects. IS OFTEN MORE DIFFI-
you have time to troubleshoot at your leisure. “Rehearsing” your set up, breakdown
and troubleshooting process during your
down time is a great way to make sure
you’re fool-proof under fire during a gig.
For “noise” problems, you will want to plug
the guitar directly into the input jack of the
last pedal in the chain, and then move up
one pedal at a time to find the noisy pedal
or patch cord. You should hear a normal
sound until you locate the pedal or connec-
Finally, if you don’t do so already, it’s a
good idea to put together an emergency
utility kit to bring along to your gigs. Here’s
a quick list of items you’ll want to include:
Let’s start by going through a basic procedure for troubleshooting a setup with multiple pedals. Assume you’re at a gig and you
suddenly have no sound coming from your
amp, or even worse, the sound coming from
your amp is a loud buzzing or some equally
horrifying sound. You fumble around in
sheer panic before deciding to plug directly
into your amp, foregoing the aural delight
of your effects for the evening. The problem
was likely something fairly simple, and if not
for the panic attack, you probably would
have figured it out eventually. Here’s a quick
and simple routine that will allow you to
quickly pinpoint and address the problem,
which should result in shorter down times.
CULT WITH THE ADDED
PRESSURE AND EXCITE-
MENT OF A LIVE PER-
FORMANCE THAN PRAC-
TICING IN YOUR LIVING
• Extra batteries (even if you use a power
supply, in case a power supply dies)
• An extra power supply (Boss-type 9VDC
wall wart)
• An extension cord and a power strip
• Extra guitar cables and short patch cords
• Screwdrivers (flat and Phillips head)
• Wire cutters/strippers
• Small handheld volt/ohm meter
• Duct tape (good for broken battery covers, bottom plates shutting)
• Gaffer’s tape (not the same as Duct tape;
it is easily removed. Ideal for taping down
wires, set lists, and posting notes)
• Electrical tape
• Scissors
• Cable tie wraps
ROOM OR REHEARSAL
SPACE, WHEN YOU HAVE
Check back with us next month for more
troubleshooting and repair tips. Until then,
KEEP ON STOMPIN’!
TIME TO TROUBLESHOOT
To begin with, it’s easiest to start troubleshooting backwards, from the amp rather
than from the guitar. This may seem a little
counter-intuitive to some, but since the
sound you ultimately hear comes from the
amp, that’s where you’ll want to start. Check
the amp itself by plugging your guitar cable
directly into it. If that works, then you’ve
ruled out the amp, guitar, and guitar cable
as the possible culprits. Now go ahead and
plug your pedals back in. If the problem
you’re having is that there’s no sound, pull
the output cable out of the last pedal in the
chain and touch it to see if you get a buzzing sound from the amp. If so, this indicates
that you have signal going from the last
pedal to your amp. Reconnect the cable
and move on to the next pedal in your
chain, using the same test—touch the plug
that you pull out of the next pedal’s output
jack. Keep moving up one pedal at a time
through the signal chain until you locate the
AT YOUR LEISURE.”
tion that’s making the noise. It’s often just a
cable plug that is not fully seated or a little
dirty. It could also be a sick pedal—we’ll
discuss troubleshooting noisy or malfunctioning pedals in our next segment, but if
you’re in the middle of a gig you may just
want to put the problem pedal aside and
deal with it later.
This little routine we’ve just outlined may
seem elementary to some of you, but we’re
surprised at how many pro-level players still
find themselves in the above situation—lost
as to what to do. There’s also the “firing
line factor”: problem-solving is often more
difficult with the added pressure and excitement of a live performance than practicing
in your living room or rehearsal space, when
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.
