Pedals are an integral component of many guitarist’s rigs. They can be used to alter the tone of an amp, add more or different types of dirt and create new effects.
They are often the subject of heated discussion and disdained by hipsters who buy only home made pedals enclosed in hand painted tobacco tins.
1. You have the wrong polarity
When your pedal doesn’t deliver what it should, that can really disrupt your groove. Don’t panic though–most pedal issues can usually be resolved with some simple troubleshooting and soldering iron work. From loose jacks to broken LEDs, here are five of the most frequently occurring power issues which can be fixed without opening up your stompbox (and risking its contents)
Although this should go without saying, it bears repeating: Always use a high-grade power supply rated for the current required by your device and check that its polarity matches that of the pedal – either center positive or center negative (if using multiple-outlet DC supplies check each outlet to ensure correct polarity.).
If your pedal features a negative ground design (where its negative potential sits 9 volts below ground), avoid sharing it with PNP/positive ground designs as these could short out your power supply and short it out altogether. Thankfully, handwired/boutique pedals make this easy to identify.
Overly noisy pedals, whether they emit white noise or high-pitched squealing sounds, are another major source of issues. Most pedals will produce some white noise as part of their normal functioning; if it seems excessive it could be an indicator that components require replacing or calibration is needed. Also look out for wires not lying perfectly parallel as these may create feedback oscillations and other unwanted sounds that need addressing immediately.
Make sure your cable is securely inserted into the pedal’s jack, with all ends inserted fully into its socket. Most pedals accept standard 1/4-inch unbalanced guitar cables while some require balanced (TRS) cables. When daisy-chaining multiple pedals together, check that their combined amperage exceeds or meets or equals that of your power supply by adding up each individual amperage rating or using an amperage meter – for any questions please reach out directly to manufacturer/user manual for additional info.
2. You have the wrong cable
Whenever using pedals that require specific voltage levels to function properly, it’s critical that their power source meets these specifications exactly. Otherwise, any sudden change in current draw could cause sudden voltage changes that cause spikes or drops which cause pops from your pedal. A digital voltage meter is an easy way to easily identify whether the problem lies with you or elsewhere in your chain; simply measure DC on both input and output jacks of the pedal when not bypassed by using it as a simple test method.
Usually when DC is present, the pedal that is responsible is likely responsible. But to be safe it’s still worthwhile checking other pedals in your signal chain to see if any might be causing issues as well as checking their voltage output levels against whatever power source is being used.
Your pedal may also be having issues internally, like a malfunctioning switch or capacitor. These problems are easy to repair; just disconnect the 1/4” cable so it doesn’t drain batteries while opening up the pedal, and take note of any loose solder joints or poor connections between components like jacks and switches.
If a component on your pedal is broken, replacing it is usually not too complicated of a task – although in more complex pedals professional repair may be needed for repair purposes. Before replacing any batteries make sure you test with fresh ones first as well as discard any dead batteries properly.
3. You have the wrong input
Guitarists don’t want to deal with pedals that won’t turn on or start buzzing or popping, wasting precious practice time on stage. Luckily, these issues tend to be easy to identify and rectify.
First and foremost, ensure you’re using a suitable power supply – this includes both voltage and amperage requirements of an adapter. If chaining multiple pedals together, be sure they all comply with identical voltage specifications to avoid damaging any one pedal individually. When using wall warts as power sources, ensure they meet specifications so as to prevent voltage drops which might cause one of them to reset or switch off completely.
Be sure to secure the jacks. Certain pedals require a balanced cable or special wiring to prevent polarity issues, so check carefully for this before connecting them.
Another frequent cause of pedal jerkiness is DC voltage leakage. Although capacitors are designed to block DC voltage, a small amount can leak out over time and accumulate on input and output jacks – when triggered, this voltage shift can result in either a pop sound or even an audible thud depending on how quickly bypass is switched on and off.
In most cases, the easiest solution is usually switching power supplies or cables and seeing if that solves the issue. If not, then opening up and probing may be necessary – this may reveal bad solder joints, broken switch contacts or potentially defective components on its circuit board that need attention.
Once this step has been completed, try plugging your pedal directly into a power source with no other effects or power supplies attached – if it passes this test successfully then you can begin looking into other factors which might be contributing to its jerkiness by means of trial-and-error.
4. You have the wrong output
Some pedals require an abundance of current to function effectively, and failure to provide it could result in strange sounds or no functioning at all. To test it safely and ensure its proper operation, ensure your power source meets requirements as well as using cables of quality (check all cables connected from guitar to pedal for working order as well). Finding your ideal tone with any new pedal could take some trial-and-error; once found it will certainly pay dividends!
Sometimes when using pedals that contain ground loop issues, strange noises such as humming or buzzing may come from them. This could be caused by anything from bad solder joints and contacts in your pedal to other issues within its construction that create the noise source. Once bypassed, open up your pedal while it remains unbypassed and inspect its interior with non-conductive objects to find where exactly the problem lies.
Noise produced by true bypass pedals that use switches to quickly fade in and out the audio can be distracting; pedals with Jfet electronic switching won’t produce this problem due to taking longer for their on/off cycles to switch on and off.
Pop sounds can also occur if the voltage being fed into a pedal is too high or different from what it needs for proper functioning. This issue can easily be rectified using an approved power source and reading through your pedal’s manual to see if it requires specific voltage or polarity specifications.
If your pedal is newer and acting strange, check its website or FAQ page to determine its voltage requirements. Assume it can’t handle more than 18 volts; exceeding this figure could damage or destroy it completely, possibly leading to strange side-effects or unexpected consequences.