NPD! Pigdog Professional Mk II

wellsyboy

So - I finally managed to find a mark 2 - got it home today and it didn't sound great - petty sure it's the heat and the transistor combination - it was a hot day today and I used the pedal upstairs in my den - upstairs stays hot in the evening after a hot day - probably got close to 30 degrees - the pedal sounded intermittently spitty and faded on held chords/notes - battery tested fine - because I'm new to fuzz I haven't experienced heat effects on transistors so am a little concerned - I believe from what I read that steve's pedals are really stable - just wondered what kind of temperatures would normally cause this?

Winny_Pooh

The spitty thing on fading out chords is a typical fuzz thing depending where the bias of the transistor is set and if its a bit too low. Is it adjustable? If its a Germ fuzz then let it cool before trying again, might be worth sending an email if it then still sounds off.  

If you are new to fuzz then you might also be trying to use it too moderately. Fuzzes sound best with the gain past 1 o clock, when you learn to use it with that level of gain then your brain "gets" that it's how you are supposed to use it and it adjusts accordingly and starts sounding sounding normal.

wellsyboy

thanks for the info - just tried it again now room is cooler - just the same cuts in and out quite badly - got a new 1.8 solid state by the same builder and didn't do it at all even earlier when it was hotter - think I ay have a problem with the pedal 

ThorpyFX

Put it in the fridge for an hour and try it again. This'll confirm if it's temperature that's causing the bias to shift. 

wellsyboy

Good thinking batman

jacksparrow

Yeah put it in fridge for a bit. I have found my mk11 tonebenders are usually ok with british summertime only time i had a problem was with a mk1.5 straight from a hot delivery van, popped it in the fridge for a bit and voila.

wellsyboy

So thanks guys - Steve Williams also suggested putting in the fridge - seems to have fixed it (until it gets hot again!) Lesson learned - keep pedals in the fridge during the hot summer months!! that'll please the missus - probably won't get as much grief as putting maggots in the fridge prior to a fishing trip! Maybe I'll use that as a bargaining chip!

glynes

Does this pedal have OC75 transistors? I've found that my original with OC75's is extremely sensitive to the temperature as well. The fridge tactic works but there was a photo floating around a few years ago of a totally fucked electrolytic in a pedal that had been sitting in a fridge too long so I've been reluctant...
Keeping the pedal in a drawer out of the light overnight seems to work fine cooling it down during these random British summers.

wellsyboy

Thanks for the tip - Steve (Williams) recommended 20 minutes to revive it. I guess if its hot its hot! Cant have everything!!!

Fez

ThorpyFX said:

Put it in the fridge for an hour and try it again. This'll confirm if it's temperature that's causing the bias to shift. 

This will make it sound cool at least. Lol

Teetonetal

Isn't a pedal that requires fridging in Britain pretty much unusable? 

Moe_Zambeek

Boutique innit. That's why they're so expensive

i suppose it it is very much true to the originals.

Heartfeltdawn

Extreme cold also has an effect. Years ago I bought an MJM London fuzz on eBay. It was shipped from the US to me in Toronto via UPS. As it was January, you can imagine what the Canadian weather was like. Spending all that time in a cold warehouse then a cold UPS truck, the pedal arrived with me and did nothing but horrible sounds until I went online (click click, dial up) and found that I needed to let it get to room temperature. So +30 C and -30 C doesn't help germanium transistors

ThorpyFX

Teetonetal said:

Isn't a pedal that requires fridging in Britain pretty much unusable? 

That's germanium transistors for you. An old technology that's been replaced because of the requirements for greater thermal stability and consistency..... But if you want THAT sound, you have to put up with its foibles to certain extent. 

Anyway, on the whole they don't require fridging, just when it gets into the extremes of our temp range for a prolonged period. Btw germaniums are that sensitive that if you hold them whilst measuring their gains, you can see them go up as they absorb heat from your fingers. 

wellsyboy

I love this place - so helpful - thanks to everyone for they input and advice