Cable stuck in pedal

Jonathangus

Went to unplug a cable from my Boss CH-1 and - this is as far as it'll come out.



So presumably I need to take it apart.  Anything I need to know before I do?

ICBM

That might be difficult. The jack is a plastic box construction, and getting far enough inside it to free the plug may not be easy. It's possible one of the contacts has got bent and is trapping the tip, in which case you will have to replace the jack anyway, so carefully destroying it might be the best solution.

Is that a Planet Waves cable or something else with a spring grip part on it? If so don't use them, they're notorious for damaging this type of jack.

Jonathangus

No, it's just a cheapy lead - not actually mine.  I'll see if I can get inside and see anything obvious, but it sounds like I need to get it to a tech.

Cheers, @ICBM.

english_bob

It's a sign from the gods of rock that your use of chorus has offended them mightily, and you need to stop it.





But seriously, hope it's a nice simple fix.

ESBlonde

4 screws removes the bottom panel, but then you need to pull off the plastic knobs and remove all the nuts on the controls and the side sockets to remove the guts in one piece. It might still require the cutting off of the dodgy plug to get it all out, leave enough length to grip with some pliers.
Before you do, does rotating the plug reveal anything (even a noise)?

Ro_S

this sort of thing often occurs after dogs have intercourse.

maybe it's a sign that you ought to have an analogue chorus.

ESBlonde

Ro_S said:

this sort of thing often occurs after dogs have intercourse

You need to keep your pedals away from the dogs!

Ro_S

ESBlonde said:

Ro_S said:

this sort of thing often occurs after dogs have intercourse

You need to keep your pedals away from the dogs!

you ought to see it after i've been daisy chaining

ICBM

ESBlonde said:

4 screws removes the bottom panel, but then you need to pull off the plastic knobs and remove all the nuts on the controls and the side sockets to remove the guts in one piece. It might still require the cutting off of the dodgy plug to get it all out, leave enough length to grip with some pliers.

No, you don't need to remove the controls. Once the bottom is off the PCB will lift up and you can get at the jacks. The controls are on a separate board.

If you undo the nut on that jack you might be able to push it into the pedal and tilt it up far enough to see what's trapping the plug, and possibly free it if you're very lucky - although I still think the jack is likely to be damaged and will probably need to be replaced. (I think these jacks are still the open-ended ones on the CH-1, not the fully-enclosed PCB-mounted ones.)

Ro_S

it's normal.

@ 2:50

Jonathangus

OK, this is weird - went to try opening it up, and the lead came out easily.  Definitely didn't want to know last night, though.

Thanks, chaps.

english_bob said:

It's a sign from the gods of rock that your use of chorus has offended them mightily, and you need to stop it.





But seriously, hope it's a nice simple fix.

The next time James Hetfield breaks out his JC-120, I'll be sure to let him know. 

ICBM

Jonathangus said:

OK, this is weird - went to try opening it up, and the lead came out easily.  Definitely didn't want to know last night, though.

Was the pedal upside down when the cable came out?

Check the tip of the plug is tight and can't move sideways. If it's loose, get rid of the cable - or at least the plug, if you can fit a new one.

x-valves4ever

Was the lead made by Excalibur?

not_the_dj

valves4ever said:

Was the lead made by Excalibur?

All hail the once and future King!

Jonathangus

ICBM said:

Jonathangus said:

OK, this is weird - went to try opening it up, and the lead came out easily.  Definitely didn't want to know last night, though.

Was the pedal upside down when the cable came out?

Check the tip of the plug is tight and can't move sideways. If it's loose, get rid of the cable - or at least the plug, if you can fit a new one.

Possibly.  The cable looks intact (and I didn't mention it before, but the pedal seems to working fine as well).  Like I said, it's not my cable - it was plugged into the amp I was using last night at the Rock Project, and I just connected it to the pedal out.  It was on the floor, so maybe managed to pick a bit of dirt or something.