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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
 Posted - 01/14/2009 : 16:19:36
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Hi Guys
Some months ago, I was telling Laurie about an Ibanez DE7 Delay/Echo Pedal, that I have here.
Well it was in the Lab......
It seems the Plastic that the ToneLok pots are made from, is one of the new smelly synthetics, coming out of Asian countries.
I told Laurie the story about "The Worlds Smelliest Pedal"
Well you can imagine, he laughed so hard, I think he had to go, & change his underwear.
But I managed to convinced him, that this was a true story.
And Now, finally, I can return to my little Lab in the late afternoons.
He dared me to publish my story & findings...
The rest of the main story is here, in the Pedal Internals thread:
http://www.bossarea.com/forum/topic.asp?whichpage=13&TOPIC_ID=4147#51616
Regards Dr. Bob 
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pawnshop_trash
Gold Member
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2009 : 16:53:14
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| thank you for the scoop, Dr. Bob! not that I needed a reason to stay away from Ibanez 7-series pedals, but now I'll definitely avoid them. I had a few pedals that smelled like damp basements or nicotine smoke, but they usually cleaned up easily. what is the name of this smelly plastic resin, anyway? |
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The_Doc
Gold Member
United Kingdom
509 Posts |
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DarrinPA
Silver Member
USA
221 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2009 : 23:44:58
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I own DE7 Delay, SM7 Smashbox [great distortion], and a TS7 TubeScreamer. I bought them in 2004-2005 and do not have them same problem. It sucks if all the pedals are smelling like that. They are worth the low price, but not if the smell fills a room.
I have a similar problem. My Boss SD-1 smells like... urine. I have taken the internals out of the caseing [to do a mod] and the case is what kept smelling bad. I'm pretty sure it's on or coming from the paint. I'm thinking about sanding it down. I'm just hopeing it was a bad batch of paint and not a disgruntled employee. 
PAWNSHOP TRASH "not that I needed a reason to stay away from Ibanez 7-series pedals"
You're actually missing out on a few great pedals that have even better prices. The Delay, when on sale can be found for less then half of a new Boss DD-3, and it's just as good - if not better if you're into the echo sound.
DR. Bob what's your thoughts on the the delay besides the smell? |
Edited by - DarrinPA on 01/14/2009 23:52:02 |
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pawnshop_trash
Gold Member
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2009 : 00:59:43
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thank you for the counterpoint, DarrinPA... if the problem is not endemic to all 7-series pedals, then maybe there's a SmashBox in my future? (never tried it, but have heard good things.)
and regarding your SD-1, my experience with anything that's been exposed to urine (from living next door to a frat house -- they once had an unloaded 4x12 guitar cab in their dumpster, but I left it alone -- and from living with a territorial cat) is that the smell will never completely go away. you might try removing the internals and letting it soak in boiling water, but that could destroy the casing. good luck! |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2009 : 14:21:07
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quote:
Originally posted by DarrinPA
I own DE7 Delay, SM7 Smashbox [great distortion], and a TS7 TubeScreamer.
DR. Bob what's your thoughts on the the delay besides the smell?
Hii DarrinPA
The sound quality of the DE7 is very good, in both Delay & Echo modes.
The sample settings on the owners guide, are very usable, & a good starting point to tweak from.
The Delay has a Max setting of 2600mS (2.6 seconds).
The pedal seems to work OK with other pedals, irrespective of the brands that I have here.
I was really pleased when I first received this pedal;
It was, 1 of 5, faulty in box - sold as is, off evilbay.
The fault was an absolute head spinner  -- It had a flat Battery..
So I fixed it & ran it for a few weeks, I then put it away on the corner of the Lab bench.
And I guess you have read the rest of the story, about the smelly plastic.
I haven't seen another 7 series, so I can't honestly make a positive comment, if they Iban(smell)ez come to their senses & used a different plastic.
God. I hope someone over at Ibanez reads this forum, & offers me a replacement.
I'm keen to find another one, or any other 7 series, to have a sniff.
The build quaility, is as you can see in the internals thread.
Double sided composite, surface mount. & discrete components.
The solder is shinny, & looks like they were still using LEAD based solders.
I have become sensitive to this smelly plastic, as I keep finding it in more & more products.
Just a few days ago, I purchased some of the plastic type Chinese take-away plastic containers, with the snap lids.
So the family can take some leftovers to work.
(You would to, my wife's cooking is superb)
Well you guessed it, when I unwrapped the clear shrink wrap, Same smell.
No way I was going to let my family eat out of those.
So back they went for a $3 refund.
I hate to think about it, being a collector, but long term I will probably sell/swap this pedal, out of my collection.
Now a Urine smelling SD-1 or burnt rubber PH-1 pedal, is starting to sound like luxury....
Regards Dr. Bob |
Edited by - Dr. Bob on 01/15/2009 14:23:02 |
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starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2009 : 08:53:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Dr. Bob
Ibanez DE7 Delay/Echo with ToneLok pots
This pedal can now officially be named:
Worlds Smelliest Pedal:
To keep this thread mainly filled with pictures;
Please post any comments regarding this here:
http://www.bossarea.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6245
The plastic used in the ToneLok pots, is the new stuff that seems to be coming pout of Various Asian countries, & smells like wet musty old socks.
Or think of "old wet Gym towels", that you forgot about in the boot/trunk of your car.
It's really foul, & worse on hot days.
As Lurie knows, it took me months, to figure out what the foul smell in my Lab was, I literally pulled everything out of he room piece by piece.
The smell in the warmer part of the late afternoon was overpowering.
I even had to start using a small cooling fan, to move some of the air out of the room.
When I finally found out what it was:
I put this pedal outside, pulled apart for over 4 months, & the smell just doesn't go away.
I washed it with various PCB & other cleaners, & the smell still persists.
It seems that more & more stuff, is being made out of this smelly plastic material.
My daughter bought a new & expensive hair brush, the handle was made of the same smelly plastic,
If you held onto the handle, for even just a few seconds, the smell transferred itself to your hand/s & skin, & you really had to scrub your hands hard with soap, to get rid of the transferred smell.
It went back to the store for a refund.
The bank note acceptors on some newer vending/gambling machines, is also made of this smelly plastic.
The soles of some women's shoes, are also made from this plastic.
NO! This is not a Joke, but it's funny in a strange way.
Sound wise, It is a really great pedal,
Dr. Bob: Not only does your passion about the boss pedals shine in your advise and suggestions ... but your passion about smelly plastic had me howling!
I absolutely HATE detecting 'odd smells' in my house, and I too, go on a rampage hunting them down.
4 months outdoors and it wouldn't go away ... that is some fine nasty plastic! |
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hateandwar
Gold Member
Australia
524 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2009 : 12:23:25
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| On a different note, about a year ago i got a Ibanez Ds7 Distortion from a pawn shop real cheap. At the time thinking it was a good pedal, it sucked, i tested it again tonight....it still sucks. Any one else got one of these ? Im pretty sure it would work good for hitting some one in the head with ! |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2009 : 15:02:53
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quote:
Originally posted by hateandwar
On a different note, about a year ago i got a Ibanez Ds7 Distortion from a pawn shop real cheap. At the time thinking it was a good pedal, it sucked, i tested it again tonight....it still sucks. Any one else got one of these ? Im pretty sure it would work good for hitting some one in the head with !
Hi hateandwar
If you're going to get rid of it.
mail it to me, I'll pay the $7 postage.
I was thinking of making a smelly pedal graveyard.
It's strange the DS7 sounds Crap, as it's a clone of the Tubescreamer.
But I did here, that they had some CRAPPY replacement opamp in them, not the JRC4558, but something like a 7xxxx which did sound crap.
Remanber they are about 60% surface mount parts.
hateandwar -- Any chance of some internal pics?
If you take it apart, smell the area where the tonelok pots are inside, PCB side.
See the pics of my DE7 in the internals thread.
It's the tonelok pots that stink.
Mine is still bad, I was thinking of replacing the PCB insulator, with one of those cardboard-y nice smelling car air fresheners.
I like the DE7 heaps, 2.6 seconds of delay & Echo-Delay mode switch, but it just stinks.
Regards Dr. Bob
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hateandwar
Gold Member
Australia
524 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2009 : 06:19:31
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I think ill hang onto it for a bit haha. And it may just be me, but i cant seem to dial in a useable tone out of it, i have two pics that i took awhile ago, ill try post them up.
Interesting story by the way 
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World Smelliest Pedal - This is Not a Joke
