Dan's Top 5 Guitar Effect Pedal Hacks, Tips and Tricks

Here are 5 easy guitar effect pedal hacks, tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your effect pedals, and keep your pedalboard working and sounding great.
Life too short for long KZbin videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.
Hi everyone, and welcome to the vlog. I've been meaning to do this vid for the longest time, finally got around to it. These are 5 tips I use all the time, they're easy and only the last tip uses a soldering iron.
Enjoy the episode!
Interesting bits and go-to sections…
- What are we doing here?: 00:00
- Tip 1 - TRS Battery Check : 00:10
- TRS socket explained: 00:39
- What happens when we plug our guitar into the pedal: 01:05
- Connecting the battery to the circuit: 01:26
- Measuring the voltage using a TRS cable: 02:12
- Tip 2 - Flip the base on your BOSS pedals to help you attach Velcro: 02:23
- Tip 3 - Turn your stereo pedal into 2 delays in series: 03:50
- Tip 4 - Fix your scratchy pots
- Anatomy of a potentiometer: 06:32
- Servisol Super 10: 06:50
- Tip 5 - Stereo to TRS mod
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[@robertconnor7911]

Flip the base. Oh. For. Fuchs. Sake. 35 years I’ve been waiting for that. I’m in tears.

[@seescojo844]

Haha no sh*t, me too...

[@nicolasbeine913]

Same for me... What a revelation... Truly never thought about doing that, yet so obvious!!

[@randa4382]

32 years here. In my defense i just started using pedals at all in the past four years or so.

[@henkehakansson2004]

Being doing that for at least 15-20 years but mostly with wah pedals since there's ample room inside any of them, to flip the base. And it gives immediate resistance when toe-engaging them. Just a third of the Boss pedals works with this trick, the others you have to remove the rubber feet, and then it defeats its purpose, or defies... or whatever it's called

[@miahorg]

Oh man, I had never even thought about turning Boss backplates over, that is so obvious and a great tip.

[@shauncabrita9269]

On the three BOSS pedals that I checked I never felt there was enough space - was too worried about damaging the circuit board when tightening the screws.

[@JoaoMarcelo_1]

About fixing pedals to the board using velcro. I use the pedal's screws to fix a non-adhesive velcro to the bottom. Just two strips is enough. If you wigle the pedal to ensure that the velcro really grips, you will have a stable pedal. Never had a problem with this approach.

[@ThePositiveAutism]

Normally if I see a video with “hack” in the title I will immediately skip it. Glad I watched this one. A lot of great tips. Thanks, Dan!

[@danielbeaumont-thomas6923]

Dan, once again your humble and simple approach to explaining things is perfect! You don't assume the viewer has vast knowledge, but neither do you express your ideas in a way that is condescending or boring! Please Please please post more of these simple BUT USEFUL hacks...without the usual fluff that others feel compelled to add to their videos. You rock mate.

[@TechnoRiff]

Very cool hacks, Dan! For "Tip 1 - TRS Battery Check", I stumbled into just half inserting a regular 1/4" guitar cable into an effects input jack, and measuring the battery that way. Saves on having to have extra TRS hardware.

[@lonnyhandwork422]

And by "get your meter and measure across it" I assume you mean "stick your tongue on it and see how much it hurts"?

[@ThatPedalShow]

Bingo

[@robotcunning508]

The last tip is genius!

[@tpdorsey]

Flipping the backplate! Brilliant! Great explanation of the stereo hack as well. Thanks Dan. Good stuff.

[@Penryhigginbottom]

I love these hacks! I got into electronics in 1988 after building a wahwah pedal that just picked up the shipping forecast. I studied through to degree level.... still couldn’t make a decent wah and probably learned as much from the pedal show in a couple of episodes as I did in 6 years formal education. Keep up the good work and keep rockin 👍

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

In North America Deoxit is a great choice for cleaning pots.

[@ntimkovich]

Any Electronic Contact Cleaner should work fine. It's basically a non-conductive cleaning agent.

[@MatthewPherigo]

To anyone that doesn't know: "Deoxit" is a brand with several different formulas meant for different things. Make sure you have the right one for the job, or you can damage what you're trying to clean. Some repair shops have sworn off Deoxit entirely, because of damage done by putting the wrong kind of Deoxit on a rare part. Take care out there!

[@fredleimberger4512]

Bought mine on ebay from u.k. only $18 US including shipping.

[@Jamie_kemp]

I personally use the WD40 contact cleaner, a bit cheaper than Deoxit I think

[@electricwhiterabbit]

Jamie Kemp don’t use WD40. It is not meant for cleaning pots and jacks.

[@mathoumba9126]

Very clever and good to know. Encore!!! More of Dan's hacks, tips and tricks please!

[@edparker3549]

Loving the makeshift mic stand Dan! So many uses for pedals we can’t fit on our boards...think that’s another episode title 😝

[@drbalchin1]

The battery checking tip has saved me so much time and hassle! I really wanted to see how that fuzz face sounded into the purple plexi

[@TheSmithguitars]

Brilliant, Dan! The battery level check hack a keeper! Thanks for you insight.

[@veerchasm1]

Great hacks. I love this format of explaining things efficiently versus the regular videos you do

[@surfreverbguy7364]

Great job on the video Dan and crew!

[@BlattidaeKimiKon]

Awesome! Very usefull tips! Thanks, Dan!!

[@clivemcdaid8817]

Fab video, Dan. I appreciate these ever more now we know what a ball ache they are to make. Thanks.

[@davidburke2132]

IPA170? How ironic that something that contains alcohol is an IPA! 😋🤣🤣🤣 Really interesting stuff Dan... love the battery hack especially.

[@mattsnyder4754]

One more tip. Before you break out the soldering Iron, try plugging a TRS jack into both jacks first. A LOT of pedal manufacturers are doing this already. It’s far from universal, but I wouldn’t call it uncommon to have this capability right out of the box.

[@lyellw571]

Strymons?

[@mattsnyder4754]

Lyell W not sure about Strymons. I know Neunaber does this, and I think some of the new TC stuff does. If I had to guess I would say no on Strymon, but that’s based off of some pretty random logic floating in my head.

[@lyellw571]

Matt Snyder haha thanks. I can always check for myself 👍

[@mattgilbert7347]

Sorry, maybe a stupid question, but what exactly do you mean? A TRS> TRS cable into..um which jacks? Output? Input? Both?

[@Messier31NGC224]

Great video! Very handy tips there

[@JoKerTheFirst]

super clever tips, thanks!

[@buzzcrumhunger7114]

Oh my goodness. As soon as you said what #1 was, I knew where you were going and I thought, "How have I not noticed this all these years?" Brilliant!

[@vinny5004]

Because a lot of pedals have asymmetric hole patterns or countersunk screws that don’t fit right when flipped (even BOSS will have a gap), so if you don’t care about neatness or flat bottom, fine.

[@nairanvac79]

These were all worthwhile tricks. Thank you for sharing. I'm enjoying your solo content. I like to hear you get into the electronics aspects of things.

[@michelmoe]

loved the mic stands that look like good pedals. it is that pedal show after all XD tks for the tips!

[@therewasascene]

Love the TRS mod. Playing w/d/w opens a big ol’ box of thoughts when it comes to manipulating the signal path. I’ll almost surely use this trick at some point. Thanks so much, Dan!

[@RobCabreraCh]

I loved the series Delay tip! I have no idea why I never thought of that. I will definitely give it a try with my stereo pedals later today.

[@joshuafreedman7703]

Rob Cabrera & @DanSteinman: is this a hack applicable to *any* stereo pedal/device?

[@patrickellington4116]

Pedal hack #6- pedals make great mic stands. Great vid and excellent playing as usual! Thanks Dan!

[@petermapstone9684]

Great Hacks! Dan, many thanks for the tips! Beautiful Day here in Brissy! Thanks Again!

[@davemorales6035]

Amazing... thank you for the knowledge givin.

[@martynkentfrancis]

Thanks dan, these little tips are like gold dust. I will think about the solder mod for my 15 year old dl4, and was also thinking a wetter box might spice things up somewhat 🧐😄

[@isaacjohnson.]

great tips Dan, thanks!

[@ted_splitter]

Life changing video, thank you! Solid gold tips 👍

[@thjamaica09]

Danny, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE write a book with all your little tidbits of knowledge like this. You will be a gigagozillionaire, I promise. Todd from Kentucky, USA

[@mattelder9147]

Like the TRS check for batteries. Thanks for the info and the effort.

[@tmitz73]

Very Cool Dan Man!!! Stay well, stay healthy and be Groovy!!!

[@PepeRubio77]

Very nice tricks. Thank you so much Dan.

[@fredleimberger4512]

Thank you Dan the man! You've just made my '73 Chicago Thomas Organ wah, my '98 J-bass deluxe, my Fender kbsfx 200 amp, and my '63 Vox Hollowbody useable again! You roxxors!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ohhhh nice!!!! You’re most welcome 🤓🙏

[@MrBallynally2]

Need an episode like this every week, Dan!

[@shadowgolem9158]

Great Content! Thank You!

[@patromo]

Great video Dan. I love feeding the stereo delay back in on its self

[@williambrotherton9388]

I used to design circuit boards for DOD/Digitech. This piece is very helpful!

[@kester30]

Great tip on the Boss pedals, I've got an ancient BF2 that drives me mad but I don't want to mess up the back. I'm an electronic incompetent, but that was great. I've been plugging in a jack for 30 years without once ever knowing how it worked, but now I'm educated - cheers Dan.

[@marshsticks992]

What a great pedal, waiting on a waza version to replace my ancient one...

[@greentaichi]

Thank you 🙏 Fascinating as always ☯️🙂

[@TheQhope]

Dan, you always bring happiness to my day!! Cheers!!!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ah, cheers Q 🤓🙏

[@MrApprobatur]

Great playing man! Absolutely LOVE that you have the fuzz on for the cleans - do the same ALL the time! And also - of course - thanks for the tips!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers mate, you’re so welcome

[@MAXDECAY]

The TRS hack gave me a huge sense of relief. I've been making cumbersome TRS to TS Y cables and I can't wait to simplify by doing this.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Did you make it work? I didn't understand it. Can't solder anyway, so it's basically a moot point.

[@MAXDECAY]

@@mattgilbert7347 Haven't gotten around to it yet!

[@rebluecrow]

Great mods. Thanks!

[@astewart9410]

Bookmarking! Thanks, Dan!

[@ohkee]

Cool! Great hacks!

[@ctimlock]

Dan, I love your playing whenever you're using a delay sound. Ended up buying a Diamond Memory Lane Jr off the back of your playing in that Pedal Jams episode you did with it. Also struggling to not pull the trigger on a wet/dry rig after hearing the sound you managed to get out of two lunchbox Yamahas...

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers Charlie, yes the little Yamaha amps are great for playing at home. Very immersive

[@MarkPritchardGuitar]

Dan is just full of Knowledge. Thanks Dan!

[@ThatPedalShow]

You’re welcome Mark

[@RustyStrings1]

Great vid Dan, worth mentioning that Servisol can react with nitro on guitars. I used it on my Les Paul and it leaked out from the shaft and left streaks across the body, Luckily I cleaned it up before it did any lasting damage

[@peichmen]

Clever, brilliant, easy and usefull. Dan, you are the Master of Universe. Thanks

[@ThatPedalShow]

By the Power of Grey-skull!!!!!

[@saskfarm]

Dan you absolute beauty! Love the TRS hack thanks!

[@ThatPedalShow]

You’re welcome 🤓👍

[@pierre-claudemeriot6562]

I searched for #5 for a while now. Thanks!

[@jonbradbury3843]

What a great show, thank you so much.

[@ThatPedalShow]

You’re welcome Jon 🤓👍

[@periloustemple8290]

Missed opportunity: pedals for mic stands. Killing me. Just love it.

[@RobCarleton]

OMG that battery tip is the best thing I've heard all year.

[@alecalfaras5936]

You’re the man Dan! Thank you 🤟😎🍻

[@FendCore]

Brilliant!!

[@palfrensis]

This is gold!

[@TheToneLounge]

Absolutely fantastic video Dan! Every singly tips was great. Cheers

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers mate

[@MarioSouzaLima]

Tip #2 changed my life!

[@dep1001]

Good stuff, Dan! Thank you

[@ThatPedalShow]

You’re welcome

[@salvadorsolis3948]

You are great, Dan!

[@classicraceruk1337]

That delay trick was cool

[@bilalq1]

The stereo trick is a lifesaver. Was using this time to build a motherboard and brings a potential idea for a show and would be great to know some hacks. Interesting tricks and combos to let you use all your pedals when you have more of them than switchers in your loop (some pedals with effects loop etc. Would be interesting to know more)

[@toneydavis9802]

Good stuff Dan!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers mate 🤓👍

[@peterwelsh1932]

What a great vid, THX

[@ThatPedalShow]

🤓🙏

[@samsonthecurrent]

This is amazing. Thank you.

[@ThatPedalShow]

You’re most welcome Sam 🤓👍

[@Grindian]

No more trying to put velcro in that little recess of a boss pedal, only for the sticker and Velcro to pop off! I had heard you mention this stereo pedal hack in a previous episode, but thanks for spelling it out!... Genius Danno!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers mate, you’re welcome

[@fauxmmercials8716]

Satisfying little velcro design.

[@alexsharpe7659]

The stereo to mono in series is a great fix, would have rescued me at my last gig! I run in stereo but had ground loop issues and went down to one amp instead of stereo then lost half my delay. Next time I’ll know what to do, with one patch cable, easy peasy 👍🙏

[@JCs-Music]

worth way more than the price for admission, thanks for up loading

[@ThatPedalShow]

You’re welcome Jeff 🤓👍

[@distortion_plus]

Love the pedals as desktop mic stands!

[@MG_____]

Thank you Dan! This helped me out with cleaning the pots on an older Big Muff.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Great!

[@MG_____]

@@ThatPedalShow Thanks so much for the reply. Made my day! I'm a long time fan and owner of a D&M Drive and multiple shirts and TPS accessories. TPS has been a huge inspiration and taught me a lot over the years. Keep it up guys and stay safe!

[@SpedSpedding]

Adore this channel. Such a cool video. 🖤

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers Sped 🤓👍

[@andresilva8444]

Thanks Dan! That’s clever!

[@ThatPedalShow]

🤓👍

[@Hickdog27]

I just used the stereo mod on the Keeley Eccos. Oh my!! Thanks Dan. This will keep me occupied for days.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Awesome!!

[@gcvrsa]

OMG, all this time, I thought they used switching jacks to switch the power. That is brilliant, Dan! Thank you! I'd actually forgotten about the Boss pedal flip, since my Boss pedals are only used in Boss BCB-3 boxes, for my bass, and I have no Boss pedals on my guitar board. Way back in the 1990s, I built my first wooden pedalboard, and immediately discovered the Velcro problem. As it turned out, back then, I engaged in quite a bit of re-patching my signal chain during sets, so I stopped using pedalboards altogether and put my pedals on the floor, loose. I used all Boss pedals, and because of the rubber on the bottom, they generally stayed in place fairly well. I've never heard of Servisol. Here in the US, my experience has been with CAIG Laboratories products, particularly their Deoxit line of products.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yes, Deoxit in the US is great

[@pedalgazer7109]

Dan- this is an amazing video. Watching it actually makes me feel guilty- you are just giving away excellent knowledge here- I feel like i should be paying for this kind of thing.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ah, cheers PG 🤓👍

[@LaurenceHendersonBand]

Love the creative mic stands

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

The TRS cable trick is also good for checking the output of your pickups, instead of taking the back plate off. 😬👍

[@Ottophil]

Been checking my emgs this way for years. Even made a ts to bananna plugs plug the fluke into my guitars and check it right away

[@coldacre]

Burnt Gerbil you can use a regular guitar cable for this; doesn’t need to be TRS

[@peterjessop1878]

Love tip no 1. Never new that

[@NFMorley]

+1 on Servisol Super 10 (or Deoxit as some have suggested for the US) - had to replace pots on a few pedals for friends where they've just ruined the pots trying to use WD-40 because a lot t of people just think it's a universal thing! (gums then up with residue)

[@alexanderwebb3032]

About Boss pedals, there are a number of sellers on eBay that sell replacement backs that you can get and switch out. One eBay seller out Australia has some easy to use plates (mc-fx) and SmallBear electronics has ones you use as well. What’s great is that the original backplate remains untouched and it’s easy to swap them out as needed. I’ve also seen some for Ibanez 9 series pedals.

[@MatoMisik]

I appreciate your mic pedal-stands 👌 + thanks for the battery measurement hack.

[@luizdiaz5196]

The rubber flip did the trick. Thanks

[@ThatPedalShow]

👍

[@symetry96]

Loved the "mic stand"

[@dv318]

Ahh, the TRS jumper is killer! Way easier than making custom Y cables, thanks man!

[@vinny5004]

Of course it only works if those TS mono outputs actually use TRS jacks, which does not seem universal.

[@CastToVoid]

Love the pedal mic stand

[@Orion28296]

12:50 Hack #6, use a pedal as a mic stand :)

[@soundlyadam]

Yes! Hahaha

[@stefanbirkmosemeier]

I've used Behringer pedals as doorstopper. Oops....

[@kyleallen4849]

I love the mic stands 🤓

[@martinpre7572]

You haven't spoke about the last hacks repair your glasses with pink masking tape ;) Great thanks again for hack and videos

[@TheRflynn]

Martin Pré guitars are the priority! Glasses can wait....or check out That Glasses Show

[@mal2ksc]

I can understand having to tape some glasses together, but seriously, he doesn't own any black tape?

[@michaeldorn5925]

Hi Dan, Analog Mike used to have a modified Keith McMillen battery tester (with an additional toggle switch to change polarity), but unfortunately analogman no longer sells them. Bought one a couple of years ago and (in addition to your hack) this thing is really great.

[@GGRetroRally]

Didn't know about the flipping the base on Boss Pedals. What i do and it does work, is heat the velcro up with a hairdryer first so the glue is really runny and sticky. Then rub it on the base and it sticks to the rubber every time.

[@TauRiOneill]

What a Godly sound @12:12 . Amazing.

[@timeagan893]

WE NEED MORE OF THESE.....HOW ABOUT "Dan's top 5 pedal hacks: Episode #2? Dan I'm sure you have more tricks up your sleeve