Footswitch malfunction on Krank Rev 1 amp

[Shreddy kreuger]

I bought a used Krank Rev 1 off ebay back in January and the footswitch has been an issue from the jump.

It's not the f/s, I got two directly from Krank and same with both.

If I short the TRS cable I can switch channels and masters fine so I think the amp is fine, I think it's a connection issue of some sort. Possibly even just needs some contact cleaner inside the 1/4 inch jack.

The way it will switch, I can hear the click sound come from inside the amp and if I manipulate the TRS cable, like completely randomly, the connection will go in and out.

When the connection isn't made the footswitch led doesn't light up and the amp stays in the same state as if there was nothing at all connected to the f/s jack, which is master 2. On a side note, that's another issue. When I first got the f/s the master switch would work to change from 1 to 2. Now even when I get the channel side to work on it, pressing the master switch has no effect.

When I can Jerry rig the cable in the right position by luck, the channel side led will work and it will give me Krank when lit and Kleen when not. I'd be good with just that working, I don't even care about having two masters but... it doesn't.

I'm not sure it might be as simple as replacing the footswitch 1/4 inch jack on the back of the amp but I don't know.

This is my first stack I've always played solid state, I've come to really appreciate the definition and response I get from different picking dynamics outta the tubes. An entirely different entity from solid state.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions, appreciate cha...

 

Alix-

Shechter C-1 Elite PRS Torero SE

 

Line 6 Spider II 210 combo Krank Rev1 100 watt head

FBV Exp Preset/pedal board W. F/S

 

Krank custom 4x12 cab (pine) loaded with eminence Legends.

 

Boss BCB60 with:

RC3-->RV6-->DD7-->ISP DecimatorII-->Fulltone OCD(Ver.5)-->TU3-->CS3-->Digitech WhammyIV--> Vox Wah(V847)

[Mikeo]

http://www.krankamps.com/PARTS

 

http://www.krankamps.com/contact

 

There's a ton of stuff that could go wrong. Take a Digital Volt Meter and check out the simple stuff first, like the cable and the switches on the fx box.

 

 

 

 

[WRGKMC]

The jack may have cracked solder joints. Those plastic jacks aren't the best quality either. The contacts tend to flatten out and make poor contacts.

I don't normally recommend cleaning them either. Never use lubricating contact cleaner designed for pots on plastic jacks. Reason being is the metal contacts are melted into place using plastic rivets. Lubricant will loosen these rivets and make the connection problem worse.

 

What I normally do is use a spring hook and go inside and bend the connection so they make a tighter connection. Otherwise I replace the entire jack with a new one.

 

Your foot pedal needs to be the right tube as well as the right brand. They usually list the exact pedal type in the manual. Some have momentary switch connections and some are hard latches. The most common switches are SPST switches for units that don't contain LED's and Dpst for units that have LED's. The wiring configuration between many are the same. If the matching switch you have is just a pile of junk you may be able to use something like a Marshall switch or clone which are built with high quality Carlton stomp switches.

 

Since you're having issues with two different switches I'd put my money on a cracked solder joint to the connector. This is a very common problem with plastic PC mount plugs. The nuts that hold them in place get loose then a singe tug on a cord can crack the solder. Re-soldering it is simple but getting to the solder joint often takes allot of disassembly. If your amp looks like this one inside you probably have to remove all the tubes, remove the nuts and wedge the board loose so you can flip it over. There's likely screws that hold the board in place too. Note where thay are again with a felt marker and make sure the screw lengths for the proper holes are correctly laid out then revers the removal order putting them back in.

 

 

 

 

Be sure you number the tubes with a felt marker so you can put them back in where you removed them. If the tubes are biased you want to pit them back in the same sockets so you don't cause a balance issue.