Members Zeopold Posted April 3, 2021 Members Share Posted April 3, 2021 It's on, albeit with low output, even when the 'on' light is off, and makes an ear splitting high pitched whistling sound which gets louder when I unplug the input. To say it is not helping with my tone is something of an understatement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 3, 2021 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2021 It sounds, from your description, like there may be an internal short, and/or the switch is defective. How old is the unit, and is this a standard or the 'mini'? I would suggest not unplugging the input unless you unplug the output first. Is this used stand-alone or on a multi-unit pedal board, and how are you supplying power? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr.Grumpy Posted April 3, 2021 Members Share Posted April 3, 2021 2 hours ago, Zeopold said: It's on, albeit with low output, even when the 'on' light is off, and makes an ear splitting high pitched whistling sound which gets louder when I unplug the input. Sound like an issue with the electronic bypass, which is pretty rare, in my experience. Unless you have a sentimental attachment to this pedal, I suggest you just get a new one. They're like Dixie cups! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 4, 2021 Moderators Share Posted April 4, 2021 12 hours ago, Mr.Grumpy said: Sound like an issue with the electronic bypass, which is pretty rare, in my experience. Unless you have a sentimental attachment to this pedal, I suggest you just get a new one. They're like Dixie cups! Good point...and there are a zillion clones out there as well...https://happybluesman.com/tube-screamer-clones-alternatives/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted April 6, 2021 Members Share Posted April 6, 2021 Try this: Unplug pedal, take it off your board and firmly grasp your pedal and slam it on the floor a couple of times Then plug it back in and check if it is sounding normal again. If not, then try opening it up and see if anything might short out against the metal housing of the pedal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 7, 2021 Moderators Share Posted April 7, 2021 22 hours ago, bieke said: Try this: Unplug pedal, take it off your board and firmly grasp your pedal and slam it on the floor a couple of times Then plug it back in and check if it is sounding normal again. If not, then try opening it up and see if anything might short out against the metal housing of the pedal. Personally, I would reverse the order..it might help preclude the slamming thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted April 7, 2021 Members Share Posted April 7, 2021 53 minutes ago, daddymack said: Personally, I would reverse the order..it might help preclude the slamming thing... I've "fixed" a couple of Boss and Ibanez pedals with the slamming method💪 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 7, 2021 Moderators Share Posted April 7, 2021 3 minutes ago, bieke said: I've "fixed" a couple of Boss and Ibanez pedals with the slamming method💪 certainly plausible, it just would not be my 'go to' solution before a careful examination of the device... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeopold Posted April 7, 2021 Author Members Share Posted April 7, 2021 On 4/3/2021 at 11:39 PM, daddymack said: How old is the unit, and is this a standard or the 'mini'? Standard 'reissue', bought new around 2005 in Canada. As soon as I got home (UK) it started playing up. Level pot has a pronounced kick around the 3 o clock position, too. I'm thinking there might be a solder fault somewhere, or the switch needs replacing. 'Mr Grumpy' says buy a new one, not sure about that. I've lost count of the pedals I've had since 1975 when I started playing. This is the only one that has gone wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 7, 2021 Moderators Share Posted April 7, 2021 If you have a VOM, it is simple to check the switch function and for shorts in the circuit. The switch is not going to last forever [typically the first part of a pedal to fail, being the most used part] so when I hear people complain, I point them to the switch first, as the likely culprit. Do let us know what you find...or don't find. Repairing pedals like TS8/9 is rarely something worth paying for. Mini units sell around US$80 new...less for used. Oh, and you did not answer my earlier query: how are you powering the pedal? Battery, isolated PS, standard wallwart...? Using a standard wall outlet or do you have a power conditioner in the line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr.Grumpy Posted April 8, 2021 Members Share Posted April 8, 2021 4 hours ago, Zeopold said: I'm thinking there might be a solder fault somewhere, or the switch needs replacing. Of course it's possible to repair your TS9, it's just not often done because it's not economical to have a professional technician fix it. But the circuits are reasonably simple and very well documented. And the PCB is probably a simple single sided type and most likely it also uses DIY friendly through-hole components. A lot of the troubleshooting could be done with VOM, but you could get in a situation that requires a signal tracer to troubleshoot. The TS-9 uses electronic bypass so the switch is a single pole momentary switch, no audio signal passes through the footswitch. The switch causes a flip-flop circuit to change states, and the outputs from the flip-flop are used to switch three JFET that route the signals between the input and output jacks. If the footswitch is defective it won't turn the pedal on or off consistently. I don't see any situation where the circuit is "stuck halfway" on because flip-flops don't work like that. If you're not already familiar with electronics and electronic components, tracking down the fault could be a frustrating exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeopold Posted April 8, 2021 Author Members Share Posted April 8, 2021 A happy ending! I removed the Level pot, sprayed some contact cleaner in it, resoldered the connections and voila! TONE! Thanks for the input, guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 8, 2021 Moderators Share Posted April 8, 2021 Well done! A positive outcome is always best! Do you think it was 'pot crud' or faulty soldering? Or a combination? Or do you care now that it is working?😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeopold Posted April 8, 2021 Author Members Share Posted April 8, 2021 2 hours ago, daddymack said: Do you think it was 'pot crud' or faulty soldering? Or a combination? Not sure, but having wiggled the pot around a bit I thought it wouldn't hurt to strip the wire and freshen up the connections Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted April 8, 2021 Moderators Share Posted April 8, 2021 Re-soldering is never a bad idea if you have reason to suspect the connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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