The ultimate Fender style footswitch

[Milkmansound]

I don't know about you guys but its been really frustrating getting a decent quality footswitch assembly for fender style amps lately. Seems like they are always noisy and the tremolo pops through the reverb. 9/10 of the ones I order do this.

On top of that, sometimes the pins of the RCA connector break off in the amp. Not good!

Anyway, I have decided to share my bullet proof footswitch solution with you folks, because I find that it makes a cheap pedal into a pretty good one.

First I start with one of these:

http://www.tubesandmore.com/products/P-H271-A

I get them from CE but this way everyone can see the link.

Now this is a real cheapo POS pedal - but its very easy to modify into a good one.

First thing to do is hack off the RCA connectors and put these good ones on:

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Swi ... iSeyDRY%3d

these connectors have a proper strain relief, and will handle many good yanks or pulls before failing unlike the cheap plastic molded ones which are now in your trash can.

Second step - make sure the reverb shield is grounded to the switch enclosure. Often times its not, and this turns your reverb circuit into a radio station or worse. (sometimes it is grounded, but you should check and make sure its a good ground contact)

Ground a piece of bus wire just like you do to an amp chassis: score it, heat it and put a wire on there. Then attach it to the cable shield.

Last step - solder a 47k Resistor to the tremolo switch and heat shrink it so that it stays together. No more reverb pop. You might need to adjust this value if your tremolo no longer turns all the way off, I find that over 100k the trem might keep going. 47k is enough to kill the pop.

And thats it! Now you have a pretty decent replacement for a vintage Fender or new amp that uses the same circuit and you spent less than the Fender replacement (which is just a more expensive version of the same POS)

[JazzGuitarGimp]

Great info. Thanks for sharing, Milkman.

[martin manning]

Good stuff, Milkman, thanks for sharing. How are the switches themselves in that pedal? Do they hold up over time? I've used the Marshall-style box from AES, and the switches supplied with it are serviceable, but they don't feel any too sturdy.

[Cantplay]

Loop the cable through the amp handle before you plug it in, similar to how you loop your guitar cable through your sling.

You might need a little more wire to do this, but it won't pull out.

John

[NickC]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing!

[Milkmansound]

Good stuff, Milkman, thanks for sharing. How are the switches themselves in that pedal? Do they hold up over time? I've used the Marshall-style box from AES, and the switches supplied with it are serviceable, but they don't feel any too sturdy.

oh I am sure they will break over time. I suppose you could put carling switches in there as a next level of bomb-proofing.

Most folks that buy my amps seem to leave reverb on the whole time and use tremolo sparingly, so the footswitches last surprisingly long. However, the assembly is usually plugged in and tucked into the back of the amp where noise can be a problem.

[ToneMerc]

Thanks Milkman

TM

[Blackburn]

How about this one?

http://www.cedist.com/products/P-H477

I know you guys are talking about a two button footswitch, but I've been meaning to build a trem amp and want to use this for switching. Anyone used it?

Also wondering if it says 'Peavey' on it anywhere...

[Milkmansound]

thats probably fine for tremolo - its when reverb is involved that thing get complicated

[M Fowler]

I bought four of those reverb/vib switches but I have to admit they don't get much use so chance of breaking is slim but for those guys hauling these from stage to stage I can see where your upgrade would really be beneficial. Thanks Tim.

Mark

[vibratoking]

I don't own or use a footswitch on any of my Fender amps, but I'll be sure to build what you suggest if/when I do. Looks like a good mod. I hate broken things...they waste my time.

[Cantplay]

http://slipperyskip.com/page17.html

This was my inspiration.

John

[Randall]

Last step - solder a 47k Resistor to the tremolo switch

which side?

[M Fowler]

http://slipperyskip.com/page17.html

This was my inspiration.

John

Sweet I really like that art deco style.

[Milkmansound]

Last step - solder a 47k Resistor to the tremolo switch

which side?

on most of those switches its just a single wire, and the ground jumpers over. Do it on the side that isn't gounded