No Response Yet From Big Ear N.Y.C. About My Dead Loaf Fuzz (Maybe I can Fix It)

[switched on]

I have tried to contact Big Ear NYC almost 2 weeks ago about my Dead Loaf Fuzz (comes with a lifetime warranty) and haven't gotten a response yet. 

Maybe I can fix it myself even though I've never soldered in my life? I'll try to explain what's happening with My Loaf:)

When I power it on with either my one spot or a battery it gives me a boosted / powered clean signal that's damp and muffled, and either louder / quieter depending on there the volume knob is at.

The tone knob appears to work as well as the volume knob, but the overall tone of this powered clean sound is muffled more than usual.

The problem is the fuzz knob. It's totally clean until the knob is maxed and then suddenly it goes from totally clean to fully maxed fuzz.

Here's a photo of the pedal in question below and thanks to anyone reading this.

Cheers.

[sonnyboy27]

I would check and see if they've been uploading anything to instagram. Facebook allows you to schedule posts way in advance (which they've probably done with NAMM around the corner) but instagram doesn't. It's probably taking a while since they're prepping for NAMM right now and they have a pretty small team. Grant is good people so he'll take care of you (especially if you have to wait). How long ago did you contact them?

[m-Kresol]

especially if you're inexperienced, I wouldn't forfeit the warranty by doing something yourself. Do you have a multimeter to check the voltages from your one spot or battery?

[midwayfair]

If you don't solder, only do the things you should do are those that don't require you to physically alter the circuit:

1) Tape off your battery clip if you aren't using it so that it doesn't short against something. They sell covers for these things if you want it to look pretty, but electrical tape is fine.

2) See how the board is shoved forward in the enclosure, hear the plastic bit inside of the power plug? Good way for something to short. You can affix the board to the back of the potentiometers with double-sided sticky tape or bluetack. If you find that the circuit comes back to life when you do this, toss it around a bit just to be sure and to make sure your sticky tape is holding. Then tell Grant that if he's going to use wire leads instead of board-mounted pots (despite using the board-mounted pot-sized pads on his PCB) that he needs a way to keep the board from moving around in the enclosure, especially in a 125B with short caps, and especially when his power supply jack location is so close to multiple ground pads.

[switched on]

If you don't solder, only do the things you should do are those that don't require you to physically alter the circuit:

1) Tape off your battery clip if you aren't using it so that it doesn't short against something. They sell covers for these things if you want it to look pretty, but electrical tape is fine.

2) See how the board is shoved forward in the enclosure, hear the plastic bit inside of the power plug? Good way for something to short. You can affix the board to the back of the potentiometers with double-sided sticky tape or bluetack. If you find that the circuit comes back to life when you do this, toss it around a bit just to be sure and to make sure your sticky tape is holding. Then tell Grant that if he's going to use wire leads instead of board-mounted pots (despite using the board-mounted pot-sized pads on his PCB) that he needs a way to keep the board from moving around in the enclosure, especially in a 125B with short caps, and especially when his power supply jack location is so close to multiple ground pads.

Thanks Midway.  I think you'll be interested to know that when the back plate is screwed on, it pushes against the circuit and probably holds it in place.  I'm not sure if this will maintain safety in the circuit, it's just a fact.  Upon first open one of the components was bent, probably due to this, so I just gently bent it back.

I still check in on your youtube from time to time BTW.  We need some new videos. 

[electrosonic]

1) Tape off your battery clip if you aren't using it so that it doesn't short against something. They sell covers for these things if you want it to look pretty, but electrical tape is fine.

I don't think that is necessary - when a wall wart is plugged in, the dc power jack disengages the battery clip so it can't possibly short.

Andrew.

[m-Kresol]

1) Tape off your battery clip if you aren't using it so that it doesn't short against something. They sell covers for these things if you want it to look pretty, but electrical tape is fine.

I don't think that is necessary - when a wall wart is plugged in, the dc power jack disengages the battery clip so it can't possibly short.

Andrew.

I think Jon meant, that if the battery jack touches to adjacent solder joints, it will short those. It is just dangling around in there so it is possible, but not very likely.