I did an outdoor gig on the weekend (Happy Canada Day!) at which the main pedal misbehaved a bit. The switch on the main pedal did not respond to long presses (transition) consistently, and occasionally ignored short presses (fills). I thought for a while that it was me/user error, but, with my partner singing a song, I watched while I stood on the pedal and I got a fill instead of a transition.
Here’s some background…
We’ve put about 50 3-set gigs on the device, and maybe 65 rehearsals, so it is well worn-in. And this show was outdoors in roughly 85 degree weather with about 95% humidity – damp enough that there was often a noticeable film on the metal cases of my pedals, so this may be an isolated, environment-related failure (I think it probably is).
My question: Is it worth it to try to clean and lubricate the switch? If so, how do I access it? I feel like if I can remove the tread to access the pedal, I should be able to hit it with contact cleaner and sort out the problem (if that’s the problem).
Next, how do I access the switch to replace it if necessary? Is there a replacement part available? And can I buy it from you? Or, better, do you offer a clean-and-replace service? Maybe you should (oh look! A new SKU!).
I would first just try some standard electrical contact cleaner such as DeOxit, which you would use on any guitar pedal switch . You spray it in the gap/cracks of the switch so it gets down into the components and then engage the switch multiple times right away. It evaporates pretty quickly so you need to work the switch right after spraying. Try that first and then go from there.
I haven’t looked at it but I thought you might be able to do it without removing the Tread since the contact cleaners use a straw to spray in hard to reach spaces. Maybe Tech support will chime in.
I’m not Support so they have the ultimate say. I don’t believe there are any user serviceable parts in the device.
If you are using f/w 2.0.4, I would try rolling back to the previous version that worked for you (1.8.5?). If it works, please let me know. If you were using 1.8.5, I’m thinking that maybe the humidity affected the pedal. With that in mind, try to dry the pedal out by placing it in uncooked white rice to help it dry out. Place masking tape over the holes. Let it sit for a day. When done, carefully remove all the rice grains and test it. If it’s still erratic, contact Support.
Good luck Joe - I’ll follow this closely. Not so much that I have the problem (at least not yet) but we similarly rely heavily on our BB - 30 gigs a year and some unavoidably in heat/humidity. Realizing how dependent we are I bought, keep updated and carry a backup. Failures so far - one of the two push button switches failed and Singular kindly sent a replacement foot switch. Persist listed a site and part description for that as well.
I’m a newer user to the BeatBuddy - Just got mine a few weeks ago. The first thing I noticed when I got it is how odd the footswitch feels/sounds when engaged - I have guitar pedalboard full of various stomp boxes, and the Beatbuddy seemed to go a completely different route when it came to the switch. I am sure there was a reasoning behind it, but my first thought is this is a fragile switch(At first I thought I got a bad pedal) and will probably be the first thing to fail. It also appears to not be something repairable with a standard easy to find switch. I sure do hope I am wrong about the durability.
Yeah, I own two as well, because we rely on it totally. We COULD do a gig without it, but, especially for the party we played on Saturday, we don’t WANT to. Big stages tend to want us to skew more towards “sweaty rock band,” rather than “clever acoustic duo.”
Joe
Hey Guitar 1969!
I bought my original (the one we’re gigging with) pedal as part of the kickstarter way back when. From what I can see peering into the tiny crack between the treadle and the main body of the pedal, the pedal feels different because they’re using a treadle over top of a regular heavy-duty momentary switch, so it doesn’t have the “click” of most pedals, and it doesn’t have quite the same feel as the Boss pedals because it uses a much lighter spring. But I can tell you, after almost 200 nights of heavy mixed use (3x14 song sets at gigs and 30-song rehearsals), the pedal is rock-solid.
The issue here, I’m pretty sure, is humidity, which plays havoc on all pedals eventually, not to mention all instruments. I don’t worry very much about it failing (although I do keep a spare – it’s that important to the identity of my duo), but I do worry about its (and all my other gear’s) susceptibility to the environment. A regular cleaning usually resolves any issues with my other pedals, and I’m hoping to apply the same preemptive maintenance to my BB.
[SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT! SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT!]
If you’re interested in how we use it (on every song we do) you can check out our playlist on YouTube, here.
It’s not a firmware problem, the pedal was fine before and after the show, I really think it’s an environmental issue – one that could (possibly) have been preempted by a cleaning before the show. As for contacting Support, I thought that’s what I was doing…
I have exchanged emails with Support, who have said they’re not sure it’s possible to get at the button for cleaning without a lot of effort. They are looking into it. If they offer anything really helpful, I’ll repost here.
It’s official, the switch is dead. Halfway through the first set, my BeatBuddy stopped responding to any pedal pushes. Luckily, I own a backup, and the show went on. But now I REALLY need to know how to access the switch, what exactly it is, and where I can get a replacement for it.
Bonus question: Does Beat Buddy offer a refurb service?
I want to commend BeatBuddy Support – they are amazing!
Jay from Support responded to my email this morning with three offers:
[LIST=1]
[]If it’s still under warranty (it’s not) a free replacement.
[]Instructions for accessing and replacing the switch myself.
[*]A VERY generous trade offer if I want to send them the broken pedal in exchange for a brand-new unit.
[/LIST]
So BIG KUDOS to Jay and BeatBuddy support!
