Flashes of Panic

For two or three moves, I’ve been toting a small white box labeled “GUITAR JUNK”. Inside is a bunch of music, six or seven 1/4” audio cables, and three effects pedals. Before tonight, none of the three functioned; now two of them do.

All three use 9V batteries, and all three had, at some point, corroded the contacts and ripped one (usually the positive) off the battery connector. I’ve carried them around figuring some day I’d fix them, and today I determined that I would. I stopped at Radio Shack this evening, got a packet of five connectors for $2, and after dinner I clipped off the old connectors, stripped a little wire on the new ones, and twisted them on.

For the chorus pedal (“sound like the ’80s!”) and the delay (“any echo you want!”) that was all that was needed. Unfortunately, new power didn’t revive the Fuzz Face, which stifles all sound when it’s on. I think I need to go at it with the multi-meter later. I’m interested in making this one work again because (a) it’s a great sound, a crunchy distortion effect as you might expect from the name, and (b) the new ones go for $150. If this one hasn’t had it’s 30th birthday, it’s coming soon.

I tested them sitting in the basement with my little 15W Gorilla practice amp. For all the years I’ve had that amp, I’ve never ceased to be amused by the fact that all the dials do in fact go to 11. I can’t tell if this was done unironically or if it is actually dripping with irony.

(I’ll explain what an “effects pedal” is if anyone wants to know, but if I get into that now, this will be twice as long as it is.)

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