Getting ready to order a couple from Mammoth...
http://www.mammothelectronics.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=3pdt
Is it worth paying a buck or two more for teh better(?) ones?
These (http://www.pedalpartsplus.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PPP&Product_Code=9015&Category_Code=SWI) alphas are my current favorites
I hate 3PDT stomps with a passion. Unreliable pieces of shit.
Quote from: juansolo on February 17, 2015, 10:28:09 AM
I hate 3PDT stomps with a passion. Unreliable pieces of shit.
Don't hold back, let us know how you really feel. HAHA!
Quote from: flanagan0718 on February 17, 2015, 01:54:19 PM
Quote from: juansolo on February 17, 2015, 10:28:09 AM
I hate 3PDT stomps with a passion. Unreliable pieces of shit.
Don't hold back, let us know how you really feel. HAHA!
I'm starting to agree. I've put them in every build out of convention and I've never put one on the floor and stepped on it. EVER. And they still fail. I think I'm going to start using a nice toggle for bypass from now on.
Quote from: juansolo on February 17, 2015, 10:28:09 AM
I hate 3PDT stomps with a passion. Unreliable pieces of shit.
Hmmm. I've never had a problem. Is there a particular brand that you have had problems with?
I reckon 4 out of 5 of pedals I've ever had come back to me for repair has been due to 3PDT stomp failure (the other 1 is usually user error involving the wrong PSU). I've tried different ones and in the end I just came to the conclusion that any failures looks bad on me, so I'd rather spend the money on a better, more robust switching solution wherever possible as they're an inherently poor design.
FWIW in scale terms, I've built hundreds of pedals and the ones fitted with the 3PDT are now a few years old, so that might be why I'm seeing more. I dropped one of Thomas's relay switches into a ZPSDX that came back last week with 3PDT failure, and I've got a 1590A Egghead (yeah screwed on that one) coming back this week for a swap out.
I've had one DOA since switching to Alpha DPDT and Josh's Optotrons. That was likely a manufacturing error. I've never had a single one fail. I'm fairly sure I've used way over 150 of them.
I'm really digging the mini "industrial" switches. I've only ever had one 3PDT problem and it was a China Blue that I hit too hard with the iron and the inside melted.
(http://cdn3.volusion.com/scund.bojht/v/vspfiles/photos/800-1006-2.jpg?1398344390)
Here's the link:
http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4SFS3PDT-LS-I-p/800-1006.htm
I got some similar ones off ebay. Not minis, but none more black - and the lug holes are nearly too narrow to fit tinned wire through.
I really do feel like the full size Alpha 3PDT is a substantially better switch than the China blues that I've used.
- The plastic housing is a different material. Phenolic maybe?
- I think it's a bonus that they come with a snazzy thin metal trim washer and split lock washer instead of the white plastic shim and pointless internal tooth lock washer.
- The lugs are beefier and seem to possibly be of better material than any other 3PDT I've used to date. Solder whets to them pretty much instantly, and that is potentially the biggest factor in the reliability of these: getting in and out quick with the iron.
- The epoxy is done differently on these. I assume it's good high-temp stuff, but it is a big assumption.
There is also the question of what metals and contact platings are being used for the lugs and teeter-totter contacts. At least with the Alpha, there's probably a data sheet available with that kind of info as well as how many switching cycles it's rated for.
I've thought about taking one of the Alphas apart to compare to ol' blue, but I hate to sacrifice a good switch. Maybe I should stop being so stingy and sacrifice the $3.50 :) Stomptown and I discussed taking apart a few different stomp switches to compare guts. We were thinking the Alpha, China blue, and Mammoth pro and premium, or whatever they're called. It wouldn't probably be very scientific, but it could potentially reveal some of the more obvious stuff. Any interest?
I really like how "china blue" sounds like drug slang.
Quote from: Leevibe on February 18, 2015, 04:42:05 PM
I've thought about taking one of the Alphas apart to compare to ol' blue, but I hate to sacrifice a good switch. Maybe I should stop being so stingy and sacrifice the $3.50 :) Stomptown and I discussed taking apart a few different stomp switches to compare guts. We were thinking the Alpha, China blue, and Mammoth pro and premium, or whatever they're called. It wouldn't probably be very scientific, but it could potentially reveal some of the more obvious stuff. Any interest?
You could quite possibly get that switch back together with success. Mark Hammer has a video on dismantling and rescuing faulty stomp switches.
Quote from: davent on February 18, 2015, 07:27:42 PM
Quote from: Leevibe on February 18, 2015, 04:42:05 PM
I've thought about taking one of the Alphas apart to compare to ol' blue, but I hate to sacrifice a good switch. Maybe I should stop being so stingy and sacrifice the $3.50 :) Stomptown and I discussed taking apart a few different stomp switches to compare guts. We were thinking the Alpha, China blue, and Mammoth pro and premium, or whatever they're called. It wouldn't probably be very scientific, but it could potentially reveal some of the more obvious stuff. Any interest?
You could quite possibly get that switch back together with success. Mark Hammer has a video on dismantling and rescuing faulty stomp switches.
Yeah. I've had a couple apart before. I just wouldn't want to necessarily trust it for reliability after reassembly. Maybe for a personal project or something to use at my workbench.
I ordered some of the Mammoth 'Pro' (http://www.mammothelectronics.com/3PDT-True-Bypass-Footswitch-PRO-p/800-1005p.htm) ones recently after the same 'blue' issues. They are rated for 16000 cycles or somethiing, more than twice what the blue ones are, so here's hoping they are more betterer :P
I like the Mammoth Pro switches better than most of the 3PDT but I'll be shocked and amazed if they get anywhere near 16k actuation in real life.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: juansolo on February 17, 2015, 10:28:09 AM
I hate 3PDT stomps with a passion. Unreliable pieces of shit.
John, I have a feeling they are all made in a few Chinese factories.. They change the color of the plastic but how are we supposed to know which are better? If you know please pass it on...
Daniel S.
Quote from: nzCdog on February 18, 2015, 08:15:41 PM
I ordered some of the Mammoth 'Pro' (http://www.mammothelectronics.com/3PDT-True-Bypass-Footswitch-PRO-p/800-1005p.htm) ones recently after the same 'blue' issues. They are rated for 16000 cycles or somethiing, more than twice what the blue ones are, so here's hoping they are more betterer :P
Same Here.
For what it's worth, I've used a couple of the Mammoth Pro switches and I thought that the actuation on them felt much smoother and more solid than the regular blue guys.
Quote from: lincolnic on February 23, 2015, 05:17:46 AM
For what it's worth, I've used a couple of the Mammoth Pro switches and I thought that the actuation on them felt much smoother and more solid than the regular blue guys.
Same here. At least for the first few batches I got. Then they went back to the familiar loud kachunk
tm when pressed. They still seem to be a bit nicer than the regular blue ones, however. I have a few earlier ones I am saving for special occasions as well as comparison.
Quote from: pickdropper on February 23, 2015, 06:00:59 AM
Quote from: lincolnic on February 23, 2015, 05:17:46 AM
For what it's worth, I've used a couple of the Mammoth Pro switches and I thought that the actuation on them felt much smoother and more solid than the regular blue guys.
Same here. At least for the first few batches I got. Then they went back to the familiar loud kachunktm when pressed. They still seem to be a bit nicer than the regular blue ones, however. I have a few earlier ones I am saving for special occasions as well as comparison.
Oh, bummer about that. I guess I should mention that the ones I had were also from a couple of years ago, so YMMV at this point.
I've started getting some pedals to fail on the 3pdt switches. I'm in Europe and usually I get the Taiwan 3pdt version from Banzai. I realize that they also have Alpha, Belton and Electro-Harmonix. Is any of these three a better stomp switch?
I just ordered one of the "low profile" switches from BLMS. I'll let you know my thoughts once I get it.
I thought about a test set up for stomp switches, then I remembered this:
Quote from: blearyeyes on February 23, 2015, 03:17:57 AM
Quote from: juansolo on February 17, 2015, 10:28:09 AM
I hate 3PDT stomps with a passion. Unreliable pieces of shit.
John, I have a feeling they are all made in a few Chinese factories.. They change the color of the plastic but how are we supposed to know which are better? If you know please pass it on...
Daniel S.
Use DPDT Alphas or the soft touch momentaries that Tayda of all places do in conjunction with your switching solution of choice (relay/optical).
It's the biggest turn off for me in any pedal, opening it up and seeing any 3PDT. They might have been reliable back in the day when Fulltone came up with it, but they're really not now.
Quote from: deafbutpicky on February 25, 2015, 05:48:10 PM
I thought about a test set up for stomp switches, then I remembered this:
Ah, the useless box. I have one of those on my desk at work.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have never wired a box without using the 3pdt truebypass method, so I wouldn't know better!!!
Quote from: juansolo on February 25, 2015, 05:52:47 PM
Quote from: blearyeyes on February 23, 2015, 03:17:57 AM
Quote from: juansolo on February 17, 2015, 10:28:09 AM
I hate 3PDT stomps with a passion. Unreliable pieces of shit.
John, I have a feeling they are all made in a few Chinese factories.. They change the color of the plastic but how are we supposed to know which are better? If you know please pass it on...
Daniel S.
Use DPDT Alphas or the soft touch momentaries that Tayda of all places do in conjunction with your switching solution of choice (relay/optical).
It's the biggest turn off for me in any pedal, opening it up and seeing any 3PDT. They might have been reliable back in the day when Fulltone came up with it, but they're really not now.
Agreed about Alphas, but I think the Tayda switches are pretty bad. I wouldn't get those with an expectation of higher quality.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk