SolidGold FX 76 Fuzz....questionable workmanship?

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metalone4
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Post by metalone4 »

I didn't know where else to post this, it seems like a unique situation. My pedal does work, but as you will see, some things regarding the build are disconcerting. Basically, they tend to ship pedals that have too large of an enclosure, and being that it's soft aluminum, they tighten the jack nuts too tight, bending the case and flexing the PCB. My question is, will this impact the pedals longevity? Even though I may have improved the issue already I need to know if the damage has already been done....if it's a ticking time-bomb waiting to fail. See the attached pics, they explain it better. Please advise....I need to know if I should exchange or return.

Stock Photo: Image

The rest are my actual pedal: Image

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plush
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Post by plush »

My dead granma makes pedals better than this

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Frank_NH
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Post by Frank_NH »

I would say that's a poor design. Using board-mounted jacks will always be problematic as plugging and unplugging cords will put mechanical stress on the attachment points. Flexing the circuit board like that will also likely lead to failure at some point. I would send the photos to the manufacturer and see what they say. The pedal is not inexpensive...

Edit: It occurs to me that the bend in the circuit board is due to the fact that the sides of the enclosure are sloped. So tightening the jack nuts will inevitably bend the board.

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Post by metalone4 »

Frank_NH wrote: 07 May 2021, 15:51 I would say that's a poor design. Using board-mounted jacks will always be problematic as plugging and unplugging cords will put mechanical stress on the attachment points. Flexing the circuit board like that will also likely lead to failure at some point. I would send the photos to the manufacturer and see what they say. The pedal is not inexpensive...

Edit: It occurs to me that the bend in the circuit board is due to the fact that the sides of the enclosure are sloped. So tightening the jack nuts will inevitably bend the board.
Thanks for the response; agreed. I emailed SGFX the pics but have yet to get a reply. I'm just curious what they'll say at this point because I've decided to return the pedal to the retailer. If they admit fault then perhaps I'll consider purchasing one of their pedals in the future; if they try and justify that slipshod design and workmanship then I'll probably forever avoid their pedals.
Last edited by metalone4 on 07 May 2021, 21:45, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by metalone4 »

Greg from SGFX literally just responded while I was typing my last reply, and I don't know what to think. It's my understanding that he's a great, honest person, so I want to believe him. Thoughts on his response?

"the slight bend is nothing to be concerned about, the PCB material will flex without any damage to the traces or solder joints. We also use metal washers for the jack nuts instead of the thick plastic ones that are supplied which gives us more thread on our jacks. We have had no issues of failure related to this in the past.

I hope you enjoy your 76 and please let me know if there is anything else you need!

Have a great weekend,

Greg"

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Post by phatt »

I see 2 problems;
1/ the holes not lined up with socket, causing the PCB flex.
2/ the PCB sockets not mounted in the right place on the PCB causing excess gap, puts stress on the socket thread which bends the case.
OK they knew it would still work but it really needs a spacer to relieve stress on the solder points which will eventually crack as everything is under stress. I'd return it.
I'm not a fan of board mounted sockets,, many fail. PCB mounting saves the hard wiring of sockets which saves costs,, but not as roadworthy long term.
Phil.

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Post by metalone4 »

phatt wrote: 08 May 2021, 03:35 I see 2 problems;
1/ the holes not lined up with socket, causing the PCB flex.
2/ the PCB sockets not mounted in the right place on the PCB causing excess gap, puts stress on the socket thread which bends the case.
OK they knew it would still work but it really needs a spacer to relieve stress on the solder points which will eventually crack as everything is under stress. I'd return it.
I'm not a fan of board mounted sockets,, many fail. PCB mounting saves the hard wiring of sockets which saves costs,, but not as roadworthy long term.
Phil.
I think I'll return it then; thanks for the feedback.

EDIT: Just emailed the retailer asking them to try and find me one that doesn't have a bent enclosure. If they can't find one, then it's refund time.

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Post by plush »

metalone4 wrote: 07 May 2021, 21:41 Thoughts on his response?
Static stress in any system is not good, especially in pcbs and solder joints.
Guy is just trying to justify his fuckup and we know why.

It's a refund time, baby!

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Post by metalone4 »

plush wrote: 08 May 2021, 08:41
metalone4 wrote: 07 May 2021, 21:41 Thoughts on his response?
Static stress in any system is not good, especially in pcbs and solder joints.
Guy is just trying to justify his fuckup and we know why.

It's a refund time, baby!
Do you think I should ask for an exchange, for one that's not bent, or should I just refund altogether? The reason this is a dilemma for me is I spent weeks specing it out and feature-wise it's the only one in my price range that gives me what I need. The tone is absolutely perfect too, best Super Fuzz clone I've ever owned in that regard.

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Post by plush »

metalone4 wrote: 08 May 2021, 11:07
plush wrote: 08 May 2021, 08:41
metalone4 wrote: 07 May 2021, 21:41 Thoughts on his response?
Static stress in any system is not good, especially in pcbs and solder joints.
Guy is just trying to justify his fuckup and we know why.

It's a refund time, baby!
Do you think I should ask for an exchange, for one that's not bent, or should I just refund altogether? The reason this is a dilemma for me is I spent weeks specing it out and feature-wise it's the only one in my price range that gives me what I need. The tone is absolutely perfect too, best Super Fuzz clone I've ever owned in that regard.
I think, your question already contains the answer. If you are ok with the sound, then you should seek for a quality replacement. If replacement is not an option, then - refund.

I, myself, would choose full refund, because i don't like how this manufacturer treats his product. It packs no pride, no effort.

[typo]
Last edited by plush on 08 May 2021, 11:59, edited 2 times in total.

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Post by metalone4 »

plush wrote: 08 May 2021, 11:12
metalone4 wrote: 08 May 2021, 11:07
plush wrote: 08 May 2021, 08:41
metalone4 wrote: 07 May 2021, 21:41 Thoughts on his response?
Static stress in any system is not good, especially in pcbs and solder joints.
Guy is just trying to justify his fuckup and we know why.

It's a refund time, baby!
Do you think I should ask for an exchange, for one that's not bent, or should I just refund altogether? The reason this is a dilemma for me is I spent weeks specing it out and feature-wise it's the only one in my price range that gives me what I need. The tone is absolutely perfect too, best Super Fuzz clone I've ever owned in that regard.
I think, your question already contains the answer. If you are ok with the sound, then you should seek for a quality replacement. If replacement is not an option, then - refund.

I, myself, would chose full refund, because i don't like how this manufacturer treats his product. It packs no pride, no effort.
Yes, well said. The builder really put me in a pickle....I hate being put in positions like this. SGFX is a popular company, so I guess most people don't notice this stuff or don't care. On principle alone I should refund, but then I'm back to the drawing board, not knowing what to buy. It's a matter of budget mainly.....all other options (that I actually want) are way beyond my budget.

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Post by Frank_NH »

Overall, with the exception of the board-mounted jack design, the PCB seems well-made. I suppose if you were a DIY-er, you could desolder the jacks and replace them with jacks with wires attached to the board, thereby relieving the stress.

By the way, based on the number of transistors and what look to be 10 uF capacitors, I'm guessing that this circuit is based on the Univox Super Fuzz. I really like the Super Fuzz tone (perhaps more so than germanium fuzzes) and it's a great circuit to mod - lots of clipping options and possible tone controls. Just do a search here for "super fuzz" and you'll see what I mean! :D

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Post by Axldeziak »

If you want to keep it just use a round file to oblong the hole till it's in the right spot. Desolder the jack and reconnect using wires so it can be repositioned. That will relieve the stress on the side of the box and the board. Use an extra large thin spacer on the outside of the jack to cover the wonky shaped hole.
or
Use the money from the refund to buy the parts you need to build your own. Of course that means taking the time to draw a schematic from your existing unit.

I'm amazed no one has mentioned just how pisspoor that power jack is. That is just inexcusable low quality construction.
(Never mind, while I was typing up a response I was beat to it.)

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Post by metalone4 »

Frank_NH wrote: 08 May 2021, 13:53 Overall, with the exception of the board-mounted jack design, the PCB seems well-made. I suppose if you were a DIY-er, you could desolder the jacks and replace them with jacks with wires attached to the board, thereby relieving the stress.

By the way, based on the number of transistors and what look to be 10 uF capacitors, I'm guessing that this circuit is based on the Univox Super Fuzz. I really like the Super Fuzz tone (perhaps more so than germanium fuzzes) and it's a great circuit to mod - lots of clipping options and possible tone controls. Just do a search here for "super fuzz" and you'll see what I mean! :D
Yep, it's a Univox Super Fuzz / Ibanez Standard Fuzz clone! I've owned a few SF clones, and this one is by far the best sounding...it's shame that it's apparently of such p*ss poor build quality. I intentionally got the "best" I could within my budget with quality in mind....otherwise I would have just snapped up the Behringer for under $50 had I known how shoddy this one is.

I've soldered guitars, but I'm not a pedal builder (or even modder) and don't feel comfortable soldering that requires this type of precision. I wanted to ask you guys, the builders to compare your answers to the builder of this pedal, and unfortunately the answers do not match lol.

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Post by metalone4 »

Axldeziak wrote: 08 May 2021, 13:59 If you want to keep it just use a round file to oblong the hole till it's in the right spot. Desolder the jack and reconnect using wires so it can be repositioned. That will relieve the stress on the side of the box and the board. Use an extra large thin spacer on the outside of the jack to cover the wonky shaped hole.
or
Use the money from the refund to buy the parts you need to build your own. Of course that means taking the time to draw a schematic from your existing unit.

I'm amazed no one has mentioned just how pisspoor that power jack is. That is just inexcusable low quality construction.
(Never mind, while I was typing up a response I was beat to it.)
thanks for the tips, but I think I'll just get a refund. Based on what you guys have said I'll never have confidence in it's build, especially with me "jerry rigging" it. I've never built a pedal, would like to some day, but don't have the time right now. So now it's back to square one! No idea what to choose that's $131 shipped plus tax or under......except for perhaps the Ron Swanson Super Fuzz, but for me it's lacking the features of this one.

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Post by Mandalore_15 »

Also, doesn't the ad copy for this fuzz say that it is "germanium equipped"? Looking at the pcb here I can't see any germanium components!

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