# Best Pedal Repair in Toronto?



## 59burst (May 27, 2010)

My Dunlop 535Q wah just stopped working after having been in the box for a couple years. I couldn't see any obvious breaks in wires or anything, so I guess I need to see if it can be repaired for a cost far less than replacement. 

Any recommendations for a high quality, fast turnaround pedal/fx repair place in Toronto?

Thanks!


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## bduguay (Jul 15, 2009)

This is not a direct answer to your question but, I'm in Burlington and I fix pedals if you're interested.
B.


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

When I lived in Toronto, Tim at Songbird Music (now gone) fixed some of my pedals. Good work. He now runs his own shop:
http://www.superfuzzaudio.com/

Incidently, Greg of Solidgold FX has just finished modding my GCB-95 wah. I will pick it up tomorrow.


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## RobC (Dec 21, 2014)

Try cleaning the input jack. It has a set of contacts for power. Next, rewarm solder joints.


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## RepairGuy (Apr 20, 2015)

I repair pedals from home ( Richmond Hill ) as a hobby. If I can't fix it, you pay nothing.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

RepairGuy said:


> I repair pedals from home ( Richmond Hill ) as a hobby. If I can't fix it, you pay nothing.



Could you PM your contact info, so I can keep it handy - (website or email or whatever is best). Thanks.

I'll PM you as well.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

1) I'll give a nod of confidenceto Brian/BDuguay.

2) "Best" depends on what it is one is aiming for. If it is an obscure pedal with a complex circuit and an ill-defined problem, then "best" is someone with the expertise and trouble-shooting skills to figure out what's wrong. If it is a simple problem to spot, but the device requires electronic surgery, then "best" will mean someone who can get into tricky places, and leave little trace that they were there (i.e., best = clean). For others, "best" may mean lightning-fast turnaround time (as in best service).

A 535Q is not that old a pedal, so it clearly can't be aging capacitors, or any of the sorts of things we might expect from an original from 1968. What happened to it before it was sent to the penalty box for several years? Was there a battery in it...of the sort that could leak over that period?


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## 59burst (May 27, 2010)

No battery leaks or anything. It was simply stored in its box for a few years while I didn't really play effected electric guitar. My travel and work schedule has been killing me and I haven't had time to even do something as simple as get this pedal looked at!

Fair point about "best"! For me it is a combination of price, turnaround time, and quality. For example, I seem to have zero "extra" time, so somewhere where I could take it and they look at it and fix it while I'm there would be incredible, since it would save me a trip.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions and to the people who responded that they do it - I appreciate it, and hope I can carve out the time soon to get this done!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Take the cover plate off, post a picture or two, and maybe we can narrow down the problem enough that either you can fix it yourself, or you can come to a repair bench with enough infor that you can say "I need you to do X for me", and walk out 40min later with a functioning pedal.

Maybe a silly and somewhat insulting question, but even the cleverest of us overlook the obvious sometimes: are you assuming the battery is still good, several years later, or have you tried it with proper power supplied?


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## 59burst (May 27, 2010)

No such thing as an insulting question! It's all good!

I tried fresh batteries, as well as a power supply. I used to assemble guitars (never cut the wood myself, so I don't feel comfortable saying "built"), and used to be handy with a soldering iron, but at this point in my life, I have zero bandwidth for tinkering, unfortunately. I looked inside and didn't find anything obviously wrong, but I didn't use any meters to check.

Thanks everyone for your responses and input! I have some good options here for when I finally am in town for a weekend.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Boogieman said:


> When I lived in Toronto, Tim at Songbird Music (now gone) fixed some of my pedals. Good work. He now runs his own shop:
> http://www.superfuzzaudio.com/


I tried to contact them about a month ago for something unrelated. No answer on the phone. I emailed them at the address they provided on their website. I STILL haven't heard back.

- - - Updated - - -



RepairGuy said:


> I repair pedals from home ( Richmond Hill ) as a hobby. If I can't fix it, you pay nothing.


I would also like your contact info please. I have a pedal with a bad switch I wouldn't mind getting repaired for a sensible price.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

JBFairthorne said:


> I would also like your contact info please. I have a pedal with a bad switch I wouldn't mind getting repaired for a sensible price.


If it's a stompswitch, you may find your solution to repair in here:

[video=youtube;6uhDKFhqYnw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uhDKFhqYnw[/video]


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

The switch itself probably isn't an issue replacing. The problem is, it's a Visual Sound chorus and VS have their own weird sized special button which appears to be glued in or something. I assume that buying a replacement button from them would be cost prohibitive so I'm looking for someone handy that can possibly jerry a regular standard switch in it's place, or possibly fix the existing one. The problem seems to be the locking mechanism when you depress the switch. I haven't seen the switch before it broke, but I assume there's some kind of locking pin that broke.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

You could try contacting them. They're actually pretty good about service and answering questions. I don't know if he's still there, but in 2009, the guy handling service inquiries was a decent guy named Dana.

The VS switches and switching system were the result of a LOT of R&D work, and intended to provide dependable service for a long time. Due to consumer pressure, they've changed to a different _cosmetic_ style of actuator in recent years, that looks like a stompswitch, but I gather the underlying mechanism and circuit is still the same. The question is, if something about the actuator needs replacing, do they still have any left? Ask them and see.


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

59burst said:


> I tried fresh batteries, as well as a power supply. I used to assemble guitars (never cut the wood myself, so I don't feel comfortable saying "built"), and used to be handy with a soldering iron, but at this point in my life, I have zero bandwidth for tinkering, unfortunately. I looked inside and didn't find anything obviously wrong, but I didn't use any meters to check.


I had a similar experience:

When I took my GCB-95 wah to [email protected] FX, it had been dead for years (could not pass the signal whether on or off, battery or wallwart). The pedal itself was in mint condition. I had opened up the bottom plate and found nothing out of the ordinary (no blown parts, no dull-looking solder joints). When I showed Greg the pedal, it took him literally a minute or so and the pedal worked again. IIRC, it was a loose connection.

I hope Tim and Zak are still running Superfuzz Audio. They are good guys and Tim was very good at fixing my vintage EHX pedals.


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## Caryoyyz (Aug 30, 2021)

RobC said:


> Try cleaning the input jack. It has a set of contacts for power. Next, rewarm solder joints.


Can you fix my beatbuddy v.01. Output lost sound everything else lights up.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Caryoyyz said:


> Can you fix my beatbuddy v.01. Output lost sound everything else lights up.


On that members profile, it states - Last seen Mar 17, 2015 

They haven't been around for years now.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Have you tried powering up with both battery and wall wart? Do you know for sure your wall wart is good?

Next I would get some Deoxit 5 spray. I would spray the jacks and insert / reinsert the jacks 20 times.

Then I would carefully spray the pot with the Deoxit and move it back and forth a bunch of times. 

Wipe up excess spray with a paper towel or Q-tip or swab.

Then using a magnifier I would look at the capacitors to see if there are any bulges or leaks around the base.

Then...


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Also click the switch 20 times on / off / on / off...

M Hammer showed me years ago how the 3dpt switches have a blob of grease on the switch that can leak to the contacts and cause it to malfunction. I take the switch appart and use Deoxit to clean the contacts and inspect for that clear grease.


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## Seratone (Dec 16, 2013)

Answering the OP's question - sometimes just a really good electronics repair guy will be better than a guy who advertises that they fix pedals - I had a couple of musical related repairs - a Darkglass ULTRA X bass distortion pedal with an intermittent power supply socket - and an Ibanez bass that arrived damaged from Ebay. A few leads had been knocked off the pre-amp. I have soldering skills - but not for work this fine. Long and McQuade wouldn't touch the DG because I bought it at Cosmo - they said the bass would have a 3 month turnaround. CASK Music wanted a 6 week turnaround. I approached a couple independent guys advertising the skills on facebook and Kijiji - only 1 out of 4 got back to me.

I recalled seeing a small appliance repair store on Shuter St. called AMI Electronics First Aid. Wow, what a great find. His name's Oscar, wonderful gracious guy. He fixed both in about 30 minutes while I waited - $89 total.


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