Boss digital delay DD-5 seeming to distort

Alan Pagliere · From: Ann Arbor, MI, USA

I have a DD-5 that I recently noticed was distorting (I could play two high notes and hear a third, low pitched, fuzzy tone underneath. Ugh). I took it out of the loop and my steel sounds clear and wonderful.

Mind you, this thing never has a battery in it; it runs plugged in and only plugged in with the power adapter. I never noticed this before.

Has anyone ever heard of a Boss DD-5 ... "going bad"?

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Alan Pagliere
MSA Millennium S12 Universal

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

There's always the chance of the DD5 developing a problem but it really sounds like a power issue.

"Wall Warts" do go bad. Put a new 9V battery in it and try it with the battery instead of the AC power supply and see if you still have the distortion.

Also, don't overlook a bad cable.

Alan Pagliere · From: Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Jack,

Thanks for the troubleshooting ideas. It seems unlikely to me too that the thing itself would "go bad" somehow. But it never really occurred to me that it could be a power issue such as a bad adapter, that thin wire to the adapter.... I don't think it's the cable, but I'll check that too.

I'll report back, for the record.

Thanks again.

Alan

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Alan Pagliere
MSA Millennium S12 Universal

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

I had the same thing happen to mine and it didn't go away when using batteries so I pitched it and bought another which solved the problem.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

Did you change the volume level of the input to the Boss recently? Some of these things are pretty finicky about what signal they prefer - stompboxes are generally built to work with six-string pickups, and you have to back off the signal volume to get them to work well for steel.

Ernie Renn · From: Brainerd, Minnesota USA

Not saying there's not something else wrong, but: I used to use an Ibanez Stereo Chorus that used two 9 volt batteries. It ate them in about 4 days. I used a wall wart, but it added a very light Bb tone to everything. Without the batteries, no Bb tone. Beings it was 18 volt, I never tracked down another power supply, it might have been bad. However, it was that was the day I bought it. Best of luck finding the problem!

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My best,
Ernie

www.buddyemmons.com

[This message was edited by Ernie Renn on 01 July 2005 at 08:09 AM.]

Alan Pagliere · From: Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Okay, I replaced the battery and there was little difference (even with, as always, the AC adapter plugged in). One thing that helped some was to turn down the pre-gain on the Nashville 400. If I turned that pretty far down (to about 9 o'clock) and turned the post-gain up to get my usual home practice volume, it seemed okay, no real distortion. However, if I turned the pre-gain up any more than that, it started to distort again. I haven't really tried, but with the pre-gain never above 9 o'clock, would I be able to get the needed volume (via the post-gain) for a large venue?

In any case, doesn't it seem strange that it should behave this way?

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Alan Pagliere
MSA Millennium S12 Universal

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Have you taken the DD-5 out of the circuit and just went straight to the amp from the volume pedal? Make sure it's not something else causing you problems.

A cord, the volume pedal, etc could also be a potential problem area (also the steel) and it could even be the amp.

The fact you can turn the pre-gain down and you don't hear it or it's not as obvious would lead me to take a look at everything, not just the DD-5.

Alan Pagliere · From: Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Thanks much Jack. Will do.

Ray Uhl · From: Riverside, Missouri, USA

I have a DD3 that does the same thing with either my Emmons or Carter.....like an overdrive distortion. Turning the gain on the unit down helps, BUT, changes your delays and reduces the reverb sound. I've tried it with both pot and my Hilton; same results.

Anyone tried any other brand of similar effects... I have the rack mount units, but I want the small size to carry in my pack seat.

Ron Randall · From: Dallas, Texas, USA

FWIW the DD6 has a distortion setting! It is called a Hard Riff Sound and is described as "a hard distortion sound perfect for playing riffs".

Settings are
Eff Lvl 10 oclock
Fback 10 oclock
D time 3 oclock
mode set on 80ms

I know from experience that the unit will sound distorted on any setting with a weak battery.

hope this helps

Ron
FWIW put in a fresh battery

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

Most of these kinds of boxes are designed to be used with electric guitar, and steel pickups often put out twice the signal of guitar pickups or more. This can sometimes trigger distortion inside the stompbox in the very first input stage, so turning down the initial level knob on the box won't help. I have had some success in taming steel guitar output levels by adding a graphic EQ stompbox before the delay, compressor, envelope follower etc., because these EQs have circuitry that is specifically designed to boost OR cut their own initial input. There are many other ways of attenuating a signal - why DON'T pedal steel guitars have a frigging volume knob? - but you can pick up little EQs pretty cheap, and it works. I just bought another one here off the Forum for $20, specifically for this purpose. These little fellows are also real useful for taming and modulating shrieky wah-wahs and fuzzboxes.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I have a DD-5. It doesn't distort or overload like a lot of the guitar "stomp boxes" do. One of the plusses of the Boss DD-5 units.

I don't use it much since I got a POD XT, but when I did use it, I either ran it between the volume pedal and the amp or I would put it in the low level effects loop of a Peavey amp.

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

I just noticed the same thing occuring with my brand new DD3 pedal.

I noticed that when I was playing my Telecaster through it with my Boss DD-3 delay pedal hooked up in through the effects loop, I was getting a nasty distortion on the slapback of certain notes being played via the DD3. When I turned the Delay off, I was OK. To make sure it wasn't the pedal, I took the pedal out of the EFX loop and instead routed my guitar into it, and then the pedal straight into the Steel King. With the Delay on, there was no distortion. I checked my cables, and all is OK there, too. So, when I put the pedal back in the EFX loop, the distortion occurred again.

This distortion only occurs when I play the high E and B strings. I never even noticed it when I had my steel in through it. Maybe this is normal when routing the pedal through an effects loop??? Maybe it's causing a slight delay on a delay?!?

Jerry Erickson · From: Atlanta,IL 61723

As David said earlier, steel pickups are hot. If you're putting the delay pedal in the fx loop. it's going to be getting a hot signal there also. I would put the delay pedal after the volume pedal and then go into your regular guitar input. But then again YMMV.

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

Yes, but I was playing my Tele when I noticed it....

Thom Ferman · From: Las Vegas, NV, USA

Jack, I'm not sure how similar the DD-3 is to your DD-5 but I just recently discovered on my DD3 that if I set the Mode switch to M (medium delay times), and the D.Time is max'd, you get a really ugly digital sounding ping at the leading edge of the delay sound. I set the Mode to L and turned the D.Time down and the ping went away. I especially heard it with my Telecaster. You might want to make sure your delay time pot is not at min. or max. and see what happens. Good luck and happy holidays!

Thom

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