I think the one pedal that ticks all of the above could be the DC-2 the old one. After that, we played golf with a couple of Metal Zones. It was a glorious day but the destruction itself does not have a super high science value. Other than that, I do have a couple of really cool experiments in mind to try when I get time. One word: thermite.
This could be visual, audio — anything. Not only are they among the most popular pedals of all time over 15 million units shifted! You must be logged in to post a comment. View Sam's Profile. Extensive Testing Naturally, BOSS take the time to make sure that their pedals are gig-ready and working perfectly before being shipped from the factory.
This not only ensures that they survive, but that they continue to perform as expected, regardless of conditions. Temperature test — as above, but with a broad range of temperatures. Time-tested Components It might go without saying that BOSS only use top-quality components for their pedals, which contributes to their bonkers longevity. How tough are BOSS pedals? This includes submerging them, running them over, using them as baseballs… …and our personal favourite, freezing them. Simon kindly took the time to answer a few questions about his gnarly experiments… How did it start?
Did any of the results surprise you? Abuse comes in several flavors. Heat is a biggie. As a guideline, most things "age" at a rate that doubles for every 10C rise in temperature. Hot things die first. Electrical abuse gets in there too. I smile at a lot of the posts I read where someone has discovered he likes the sound from running a 9V pedal at 12V, or 18V.
That works great unless the original pedal uses 10V electro caps. Or if it runs a resistor or LED at twice the current it's supposed to carry. Wear out is fast and real if you get things too hot. I wrote up some stuff on that at my personal web page entitled "When good opamps go bad". Electrostatic discharge is a slow poison to most inputs.
A carpet-zap is well known for killing MOS logic, but each zap, detectible or not, into a guitar cord can chisel a little life out of the delicate front end transistors. They usually respond by getting noisy. Many old pedals with hiss issues were not that noisy when they were young.
And parts are getting better with time. Back when humans really didn't know about surface passivation and hermetic packaging of semiconductors, the surfaces of transistors - usually germanium - formed intermittent conduction paths that came out in the sound as pops and hiss.
Solder can age. Solder is a very weak metal. If it's repeatedly stressed mechanically, any micro cracks or bubbles inside the joint concentrate these stresses and can make bigger cracks.
This is why remelting the solder on all the joints can rejuvenate older pedals, and why PCB mounted pots, jacks, and switches are less reliable than flying leads - the solder has to be a mechanical part. And solder wasn't always done at the right temperatures, either.
Stress makes a poor solder joint worse. Sometimes I get people complaining that they have to turn the knobs up all the way to get some sound. I tell them that it's fine. I would not have let the pot go that far if it wasn't OK to do all the time.
No competent electronic designer would. However, with the right power supply and some environmental care, no amount of ultra-mega-monstro playing will hurt them. Pedals don't age in the same way that primarily mechanical devices like automobiles do, but time leaves nothing untouched. With some care and periodic cleaning and replacement of the fungible parts like electros, pedals should last half to one century of normal use.
Messages 3, The pedals don't really see that high currents and voltages to actually wear the pedals down electrically, but obviously materials do change over time. As do solderjoints, espec. Blues Lyne Member. Jon C Silver Supporting Member. Messages 17, To avoid this from happening always disconnect every pedal from power after playing.
Right from the last item and cascading to the next, we have maintenance. Pieces of gear like guitar pedals do need maintenance. They are sturdy, well-built, and manufactured to be at our feet and be stomp on. Well, although they are tough, they need maintenance as well as your guitars, amps, and any other gear. To lower the maintenance rate of your pedals what you can do is to protect them as much as you can.
If you are a touring musician, you very likely have a pedalboard which is surfaced with Velcro to which you can attach your pedals and take them from one place to the next perfectly tidy and just plug and play. If they are not like that, safe and sound, plugged next to all their friends and ready to go, they should be in the box they came in with all the packaging.
Remember, the more you take care of them, the less maintenance they will require. Speaking of maintenance, a clear sign of a pedal that has not received a lot of love recently can very well be the fact that it has dust and moisture signs. The correct way to do it is following these pro tips:.
Well, the same principles apply to them as well. In the case of amplifiers, there are several other risks like for example someone not realizing there is a cable on the floor and stepping on it bringing that amazing valve head to the floor and making a mess. Also, the current surges can be especially harmful to the circuitry, and waking up to a blown amp is one of the worst sights you will ever have. In the case of guitars, we can divide them into two categories:.
Leaving your guitar plugged in can be as risky as with your amplifier and you might end up with a fallen guitar with a snapped headstock. Also, a power surge strong enough to go through the cord to the circuit can very well ruin your pickups.
After all, they are magnets wrapped up in copper. They follow the same principle as effects units running on battery and start draining it as soon as the tip of the plug goes all the way in. Take a look at my article 21 best accessories for guitar players. You can find it here. We covered them extensively in this article and although they might seem inexpensive and replaceable, a malfunctioning pedal in the middle of a show can truly be a headache.
Follow these tips, protect your gear and enjoy years of playing through it; always remember that in audio every chain is as strong as its weakest link. Decades ago when audio technology was in its formative stages, recording at home was nothing more than a distant dream.
Musicians would need access to high-end analog equipment, which made recording
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