Arfa Daily wrote in message
...
"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
just found this concerning Carling switches
http://www.tonefrenzy.com/articles/Boost_Pedal.html
Featured Article :: A comparison of boost pedals :: by Ken Nossardi
Footswitches
One of the first things to go out in a pedal, as many can attest to, is
the
footswitch - often, the weak link in the chain. This would appear to be
worth some attention especially considering the prices some of these
units
command.
The SD, like many other pedals using the same Carling footswitches, had
footswitch operation problems. Oddly enough, another Z Vex unit this
user
tested recently which used the same Carling switch, also had footswitch
operation problems. One manufacturer stated that ever since Carling
moved
the production of their footswitches to Mexico (the Z Vex units had
Carling
Mexico-produced switches), it appeared the quality of their footswitch
deteriorated. Geoffrey Teese of Real McCoy Custom wahs believes the move
to
Mexico was more coincidental and might have more to do with the Carling
workforce knowing how to manipulate the proper manufacturing of a switch
with the machinery used. When Teese was using the Carlings in his wahs
(he
is now currently using a switch from CIC), he reported that out of 10
wahs
produced he would have 6 replaced before shipping and over time the
other
wahs with Carlings in them are being replaced one-by-one. Zachary Vex of
Z
Vex commented, "The tooling they use to make them is getting worn out.
Many
of us pedal-makers have complained, but it falls on deaf ears at
Carlingswitch. They just don't care... They know they have the corner on
the
market and I've heard they refuse to improve the tooling, which is over
35
[40+] years old. I throw away about 10 per 100 as it is." Yet another
pedal-maker commented, "Out of 1000 switches about 50 were dead right
out
of
the box and another 50 failed after a short use. I sent them back and
will
never buy or recommend them again." This would appear to be a rather
high
failure rate for switches to encounter at the production stage not to
mention failures that occur in the field thereafter. A rather disturbing
thought and a frustrating experience when one is on stage in the middle
of
a
performance and the footswitch decides to act up. Recently, this user
auditioned a fuzz unit by an upcoming boutique pedal-maker that also
used
Carling footswitches with operation problems. After reporting the switch
problem to the maker, he mentioned that out of 100 fuzz units produced
this
was the only reported problem. However, for reasons unrelated to
reliability, this maker has changed footswitches to one used by many of
the
other pedal-makers.
--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/
That's all very interesting, but if the switch really is crappily made in
the first place, how is your pulling it to bits and 'remanufacturing' the
defectively made internal parts, going to help ? FWIW, the Maplin
switches
are made by Alpha. I've used a few, and not had a problem with them. I
have
to say that the music shop that I get most of that sort of work from,
doesn't send me a whole lot of pedals with failed switches. I need to
speak
to the owner today. I'll ask him if he has a lot of trouble with the ones
he
sells, and if so, is it soon enough in their life, for them to be returned
to his supplier, under warranty.
Arfa
This particular one is Cry Baby GCB 95.
The poor bypass is also a common problem according to someone known to the
owner, a knowledgable source of such info. Ask him about poor bypass issues.
If there is non-conductive grease in other , otherwise 240V rated switches,
then that could be a generic problem with all switch makes, used for low V,
low A purposes.
--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/