Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Other Stuff => Effects => Topic started by: jennings on September 13, 2009, 10:36:38 am
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Hi folks...it's been bugging me that a great sounding Fuzz Face clone I got hold of sounds so great, but when I hit the footswitch to bypass it (it's true bypass, by the way) the volume of the guitar into the amp through the bypassed pedal is about two thirds or even a half what it is if I run the guitar direct into the amp. I don't get this with my other pedals, and the leads are good quality 20ft Planet Waves ones. I therefore concluded it must be something to do with the true bypass wiring. Does this sound likely?! If so I'll see if I can get some good visuals somewhere of how it should look and trace the fault
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Greetings!
Get out your brightest light and best magnifying glass and look REALLY closely at the wiring/solder joints on and around the 3PDT footswitch and input/output jacks. If it is one of the commercially available DIY clones, the kit likely included stranded wire. Even a couple of "loose" strands hitting the wrong place can cause exactly what you are describing.
Been there a few times myself!!
Likewise, poor solder joints making partial contact even in the right places in those areas can cause the same issue.
A healthy true-bypass configuration in a single pedal system should not be causing any noticeable drop in input signal at the amp.
Good luck,
Dave O.
P.S. Here is a link to a visual that shows a typical true bypass plan using a 3PDT switch.
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_ff5_sc_pnp.pdf