This Pedal is LITERAL GARBAGE

Hashtag NOT CLICKBAIT! In this video I talk about my efforts to get my TC Electronic Alter Ego x4 echo pedal fixed, and the wider cost of equipment so affordable it's not worth repairing.
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#tcelectronic #delaypedal #repair

[@mortonwilson795]

So, let me get this straight. You bought it second hand, 'cheap' and it already had a plainly visible fault. It then packed up and the manufacturer did, at least, point you to a 'recommended repair outfit' given it was out of warranty. The repair place asked for a fee to diagnose the problem, refundable if you proceed to employ them to fix it and est. quote was around USD 100. All told I would say this is not too bad given the circumstances and the fact that even getting an intelligent and even remotely helpful reply back from a manufacturer in this day and age is worthy of singing from the rooftops. Chuck it out if you must but seems a shame, I have this model and the Flashback and they are both excellent in the studio. If it were me I'd have a crack at getting it fixed - including the original fault that it came with! Good luck . . .

[@mobydick3895]

this pedal was broken when you bought it.

[@megaalibear]

I do not want to get too political in the comments (Max did a good job avoiding it in the video). However, this is a classic example of why right-to-repair and design-to-repair is essential; these basic philosophies do not add significant production costs and they have huge benefits to both the user and the environment.

[@kebab_boi]

Exactly. As someone who has studied product design, this whole concept puts me to shame. I am ashamed of studying something where my work can later be used to destroy the planet, (via avoiding right to repair by the company). I realized that what I’m doing is contributing to more landfills, a bigger carbon footprint, and also encourages more consumerism. We’re consuming our planet to death. Modern capitalism is making me hate product design, something which I once used to love as a kid.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

You shouldn't hate product design. It's also an interest of mine and I believe that product design can be done in sympathy with both the environment and the real needs of people - what spoils it is commercialism and the pressure to make products as profitable as possible at the expense of the planet and the end user. The key, I believe, is a combination of educating people properly about the impact of their product choices, and enforcing legislation that requires businesses to prioritise real sustainability.

[@kebab_boi]

@@MaxRossellMusic that’s a really good insight. Thank you. I hope we can change the current situation of product design, into a more ethical field of work.

[@johnw5734]

I hear your frustration. I repair back-line gear which usually means expensive amps and keyboards well worth the time and money to fix. On inexpensive non-supported items, (no schematics, no part source) I give them a couple quick checks before they become shelf decorations. You can open the unit, plug in a working supply and whatever else necessary to run, like an input plug. Grab the power connector and give it a wiggle. People step on those and break them alot. You can wiggle the internal wiring, flex the circuit boards looking for a simple break. Don't worry about getting shocked unless you're using your tongue to probe around.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

Excellent comment. Thanks for watching!

[@mattyrichardson7239]

I owned one of these many moons ago. Nice sounding pedal. Have you tried seeing if a software reflash does anything?

[@MaxRossellMusic]

I've tried everything, it's 100% bricked.

[@broda769]

Great points. I try to buy more things that are servicable and hopefully will last longer. I got tired real quick of buying something cheap only to quickly discard it. We as a world need to keep more things out of landfills in my opinion, and i would like to see more products at the very least be servicable. Even if some cheaper parts are used, make them easly replaced so that you only get rid of that and not the whole product.

[@ralphashford9022]

I've had the odd rack unit and the odd pedal that required service. A local repair guy has always done my service and his hourly rate - working from a home shop - is around $40/hr Cdn (so maybe $30/hr US), plus parts. If it costs more to repair than replace, well...replace with what? Another used unit? (I never buy anything new.) I opt to repair something that I thought I needed or wanted in the first place. At least then, it has some resale value, should I no longer want it. As for being asked, did you try another power supply, sadly many people don't. Just read the customer reviews on Amazon about what is wrong with their purchase...

[@ofbullet]

One of our Maccie PA speakers has blown. Amongst other things, we've tried replacing fuses (blew straight away), checking capacitors and checking the circuit board for obvious visual faults. Nothing obvious. The cost of repair is higher than the cost of a new unit. It's nonsensical and extremely frustrating, as there's absolutely nothing wrong with the cones. Your vid highlights a very important concern.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

Thanks for watching and commenting. It's true, and having made this video I'm more and more asking the question about stuff I own, and stuff I'm going to buy - if it broke, would I get it fixed or just replace it because the repair would cost more?

[@chrisradzion2148]

I just bought the smaller version of this pedal. It sucks that there’s no recourse for anything like this purchased 2nd hand. I think it is the price we pay for access to incredible tones that are normally hard to acquire, be it because of scarcity or price. Unfortunately, planned obsolescence is part of most products, from televisions to phones to guitar pedals. I’ve gone through a similar experience with a Boss M50. It’s such a great multi effects pedal, with an incredible library of effects. But when mine died long after warranty, it was impossible to get fixed. I could either buy another, used, at close to the same price I paid for it used, and risk the same experience, or buy the newer, more expensive (and not as user friendly) version of the pedal. I went a different way, and downsized, building a board of my own methodically with single effects units. It’s a shame. I have a tube amp from the late 50s I inherited, and I’m thankful these old amplifiers still have people that can repair them.

[@robsthedon]

Thanks for sharing this.

[@iwantagoodnameplease]

"Not reading what you wrote and replying with canned, generic answers" is support line 101. It requires 0 effort from them, scales well, and often solves a bunch of problems. The problem is it annoys all of the users it doesn't help. re: The trend towards disposable, non-repairable products. I think everyone would like their stuff repaired, but in the past the cost of human labour was cheaper than the cost of stuff, so you would have people who were willing to repair your stuff. But now, due to technological innovation, a lot of that stuff is so absurdly cheap that almost no human near where you live is willing to repair it, except for learning or for fun. A double whammy is that this technological innovation means a lot of highly integrated devices cannot be repaired, and sometimes are specifically designed that way as it makes them even cheaper to produce. I imagine if you open up their TC pedal then sure, there will be some discrete physical electronic components on there, but there will also be a bunch of mystery black blobs. If any of those ICs are faulty you're completely out of luck. I feel we just have to put up with it, otherwise your goods will start costing 10x as much and perhaps not perform as well. But that's not a choice a single individual can make, as it has no effect. This is where music can step in: a bunch of music artists can definitely influence entire generations into changing their mind on this sort of thing.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

Thanks for a great comment. I do slightly disagree with the idea of putting up with it - I think the population is made up of single individuals and if one by one we all start refusing to buy stuff that's "not worth fixing" then trends will change. But overall you're right, it's a big and tough nut to crack.

[@theyearoftherat]

the way our society makes things that are later simply disposed of is actually quite grotesque. but, back to pedals: this is what makes boss so good in that their stuff never breaks - and also what makes companies like eqd so exceptional as they will back their products for as long as they are in business.

[@KrachWerke]

That my friend is a good video.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

[@MrSimonscuba]

It probably just has a dry joint on the DC socket. Which would be a 5 min fix.

[@tacdoc8736]

TC used to make good pedals. For the last 4-5 years they've used increasingly lower quality parts, likely sharing suppliers with Behringer, which they also own. They also have garbage customer service.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

I tend to agree with you there. The last few pedals of theirs I've owned have been good but not great, and I feel this is a result of making them affordable, but the sacrifice has been quality. And yes, their service was just nonexistent really. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@511132123211356]

Gear what I keep from TC, only 2 tuners and the old G-Force, never liked their new stuff

[@MaxRossellMusic]

I've had a few bits of their new stuff but TBH after this experience I'm not rushing to buy any more of it. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@MuriMorello]

i believe you open the pedal to see for yourself if there was something wrong that was clearly visible, right?

[@MaxRossellMusic]

Yeah man, nothing that I could see. These pedals aren't designed to be user-serviceable (unless you're an electronics expert in which case you could probably fix it anyway) so it's hard to get a good look at all of the parts without dismantling layers of PCBs. But no blown caps, no burnt traces, no dry solders, nothing obviously wrong.

[@Justaguy11199]

They always awnser with the same sh*t. Like the avarage musician does not think of trying different power supplys🤦‍♂️

[@fluentpiffle]

Welcome to capitalism!

[@MaxRossellMusic]

Ain't that the truth.

[@jpdenk]

This is the most ridiculous video I’ve ever seen. You bought a faulty pedal, you always take a risk when you buy used. You got a lemon, which is a very rare thing with TC Electronic stuff. Grow up and get over it.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

I invite you to rewatch the video and consider whether it's still as "ridiculous" once you've understood the point of it, which you don't seem to have on first viewing.

[@jpdenk]

@@MaxRossellMusic I stand by my stated opinion, and I fully understand your point, which, in my opinion, is not a valid point. A fact of modern life is that our digital audio wonders are not easy to repair. To keep the size as well as price down, we sacrifice the ability to repair them easily or cheaply. Regardless of what company we're talking about, they are all in the business of selling new items. Repairing their used items makes it harder for them to sell new ones to you. Do I like this new way of making things? No, of course not, but it's the way that things are now. Also, in my opinion, the manner in which you titled your video makes it look as if you're singling out TC Electronic for doing what all the manufacturers do now. It does indeed seem very click-baitish to me. I can commiserate with you over getting burned on buying a used pedal, but buying anything used carries that risk. It sucks when it happens, but I don't blame the company that made it. The problem could easily be that someone that owned the pedal before you mistreated or misused it, and its premature end may be due to that.

[@MaxRossellMusic]

Obviously sometimes any gear from any company fails. That's not the problem. The problem is, as I stated quite clearly in the video, is that companies such as (but not exclusively) TC Electronic don't have a satisfactory mechanism in place to repair their gear affordably for the end user so as to keep it in use as opposed to creating waste. I get that you don't think that's a problem, however "it's the way things are now" (not to mention "grow up and get over it") doesn't make for a particularly compelling argument. Perhaps you could have another stab at explaining why we should all be fine with companies not supporting their products beyond a nominal period. As for the way I titled my video singling out TC Electronic, I don't know if you noticed but the title doesn't name the brand. And while it may be attention-grabbing, it's 100% accurate so doesn't qualify as clickbait.

[@jpdenk]

@@MaxRossellMusic Yes, I'll agree that I was a bit brusque in my original comment, and I apologize for that. Chalk it up to hot, humid weather here in America and a lack of sleep lately, also perhaps a slight case of an old man yelling at clouds. Rather than saying that I don't think it's a problem, it's more accurate to say that I'm a realist. Given how the world works now, I feel that it's unrealistic to expect companies to do what you're asking them to do. I'm sure there are the rare exceptions, but not many.