Snap, Crackle and pop
Hi all, I’ve just read The Tone Doctor (Part Six – Slim Pickings) in issue 415 of Guitarist. An excellent article, and I was particularly at full attention when reading ‘The input socket is scratchy and crackles continuously’. However, the remedy remained a bit unclear, although the article reported towards the end,‘The jack socket is also now more positive with no crackles at all’. Is it just a case of spraying Deoxit contact cleaner or more involved than that? (I remember Deoxit fader being suggested for use on the EQ section of my Trace Elliot bass amp.)
And on a separate issue, I’ve two small bass combos (a Fender Rumble 30 and a Hartke HD25), which I use in tandem for playing my Rickenbacker 4003 bass at home, being long since retired from gigging. Both amps, but particularly the Fender, about five years old, have crackly volume pots, even though I keep a cover over the amps to keep dust off and they never go out of the house. I wouldn’t dare attempt to take the amp chassis out of either, so I guess there’s no user-friendly solution?
I’ve just purchased a copy of Bass Guitar magazine to check it out, so might be adding another subscription to that of Guitarist and Classic Rock magazines. All good reading, though we know the cost does not end with the magazines because of GAS. With this year being an expensive one on my pension because of roof maintenance costs, I have somehow not bought a guitar in 2017. I suppose there’s still time though! Dee Evans, via email Tone Doctor Simon Law replies: “Hi Dee, thanks for the question. To expand upon the article, if the socket’s just a little crackly then the best way is to spray some Deoxit or Servisol contact cleaner onto a jack plug and then work the plug in and out of the socket. This is normally enough to clear any crackles.
“If it’s a slightly more serious, corrodedsocket problem then this is how I cure most of them: get some 400-grit wetand-dry sandpaper. Roll a small piece up into something resembling a cigarette, but make it small enough to fit down inside the socket with the rough side facing out. You can then work this in and out of the socket. This should be enough
to clear any corrosion from both the positive tip terminal, and negative ring of the socket. Finish off with a light spray of cleaner down inside the socket.
“You can also use this type of cleaner for slider controls and faders on amps – but it’s best to finish off with a squirt of proper fader grease. This is available from Maplin and other electrical retailers. This will help to retain that super-smooth ‘new’ feel. Amplifiers with crackly pots can normally be cleared simply by turning the pot a few dozen times, especially if it’s just through lack of use. If it seems more than this then it may be time for a visit to an experienced amp tech. A bench charge of around £30 should get your amp singing sweetly again.”