madbeanpedals::forum

Projects => Tech Help - Projects Page => Topic started by: Cortexturizer on December 16, 2014, 12:29:53 AM

Title: Weird tone suckage on an old TB colorsound pedal
Post by: Cortexturizer on December 16, 2014, 12:29:53 AM
Hi guys, I've come into possession, well..shortly before I send it to a buddy, of an old Colorsound Wah Fuzz Straight pedal. It has a very interesting fuzz and a fantastic, incredible wah. The thing is, I've followed the signal path and both pieces of this pedal are wired in true bypass. Still, there's incredible amount of tone suckage when in bypass. I mean, I haven't ever encountered something worse.

This is not the swell version that I personally have where the signal goes through a potentiometer at all times - that would've suggested an incorrect pot position or something, and I could explain the tone suck that way. But no, this is not that pedal. It has two switches that are TB.

this is the pedal - http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/colorsound/wahfuzzstraight

any ideas to why this would happen?

here's what I mean - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B--6F_4JB7SYQ1lOdC1lV3BOY1E/view?usp=sharing
first I play without the pedal in the chain, then I connect it.
Title: Re: Weird tone suckage on an old TB colorsound pedal
Post by: mgwhit on December 16, 2014, 04:25:58 AM
Man, that is a weird one.  The gut shot sure looks like true bypass.  Have you tested the main bypass DPDT with a multimeter to make sure one of the poles isn't shorting across the throws?
Title: Re: Weird tone suckage on an old TB colorsound pedal
Post by: the3secondrule on December 16, 2014, 04:26:12 AM
Haven't checked out the clip, but that kind of tone suckage in bypass would suggest that either the jacks are oxidised/tarnished, the switches aren't switching properly and need replacing, or maybe there's a solder joint needs reflowing somewhere between the jacks and switches...
Title: Re: Weird tone suckage on an old TB colorsound pedal
Post by: morganp on December 16, 2014, 04:47:07 AM
I might even go so far as to assume the jacks are oxidized, on an effect that ol... er, vintage.
Title: Re: Weird tone suckage on an old TB colorsound pedal
Post by: Cortexturizer on December 16, 2014, 11:02:05 AM
thank you for the suggestions guys, will be trying new jacks today for sure :)