Boss ES8 - dead loop

Lets all drool over your stuff :)

Moderators: Slowy, Capt. Black

Post Reply
User avatar
hercules
Squier
Posts: 338
meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
Joined: Mon May 16, 2022 11:12 am
Has liked: 76 times
Been liked: 247 times

Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by hercules »

Kia ora all.

My lifesaving Boss ES-8 has a problem - loop 7 is dead.

It works for a second, but is very noisy. Then the volume drops to almost imperceptible level; there is a tiny amount of thin, noisy signal passing through.

Every external possibility has been checked (pedals, cables) and all firmware updated, buffers changed, everything I can possibly think of.

I’ve sent it to McPherson and he at first didn’t have the issue, then found it and thought it was sorted, but I hooked everything up yesterday and it has the same problem.

Rockshop/Boss servicing said it could be 3 months or even more to get it fixed, and it’s out of warranty. Not being electronically-minded, I opened it up but was daunted by what I saw.

Does anyone here have any tips, solutions or suggestions of what it could be and how to get it fixed? I emailed McPherson again but want to keep options open. I gig frequently and really don’t want to be without it for 3 months.

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40890
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7692 times
Been liked: 4159 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by jeremyb »

Can you live without that loop?
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

User avatar
robthemac
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 8518
Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2019 3:47 pm
Has liked: 1102 times
Been liked: 1419 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by robthemac »

Sorry mate, I think that's a job for Roland. Resale on them is pretty good, maybe buy another for while yours is getting fixed and flick it after yours is back?
Jops wrote: Sun Sep 18, 2022 7:46 am Spring is the comic sans of reverbs anyway.

Delayman
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 3091
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:35 pm
Has liked: 48 times
Been liked: 227 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by Delayman »

Have you been able to isolate down if the send and return work independently? So send out of that loop direct to amp and see if signal works and then see if returning something from another preamp/effect works. It would be interesting to see if your loop issue is independent of the physical send and return

Also if you just jumper it with a lead does it work fine?
They keep telling me tone is in the fingers, but I have yet to see a "look at my fingers" thread.
Lawrence wrote: Every orchestra that comes thru here is a covers band as are most of the jazz bands...

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 40890
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 7692 times
Been liked: 4159 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by jeremyb »

robthemac wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:11 pm Sorry mate, I think that's a job for Roland. Resale on them is pretty good, maybe buy another for while yours is getting fixed and flick it after yours is back?
That was gonna be my next suggestion too if he can't live without that broken loop, 3 months is appalling to wait... maybe the RS would spin you a deal on a new one due to that?
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

User avatar
hercules
Squier
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon May 16, 2022 11:12 am
Has liked: 76 times
Been liked: 247 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by hercules »

Delayman wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:26 pm Have you been able to isolate down if the send and return work independently? So send out of that loop direct to amp and see if signal works and then see if returning something from another preamp/effect works. It would be interesting to see if your loop issue is independent of the physical send and return

Also if you just jumper it with a lead does it work fine?
Top man. I had checked the jumper lead and nope, no dice. Tested the 'direct out' and nothing. But swapping the 'return' from loop 6 into 7 works well (with both 6 & 7 selected). Doing the other way around (6 send > 7 send) doesn't.

Weirdly, if I put loop 7 in stereo, I get more signal (distorted and super thin) when using the Stereo Right return, but almost none when using left. Back in mono now and there's a bit more signal but still bad.

So...am I correct in surmising that the problem could well be with the 'Send' on loop 7?



EDIT: Just as I was about to send this, it started working normally again....and then it stopped. Something's fucky.

User avatar
hercules
Squier
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon May 16, 2022 11:12 am
Has liked: 76 times
Been liked: 247 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by hercules »

robthemac wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:11 pm Sorry mate, I think that's a job for Roland. Resale on them is pretty good, maybe buy another for while yours is getting fixed and flick it after yours is back?
Ouch though. But....yeah maybe.

User avatar
hercules
Squier
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon May 16, 2022 11:12 am
Has liked: 76 times
Been liked: 247 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by hercules »

jeremyb wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:53 pm
robthemac wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:11 pm Sorry mate, I think that's a job for Roland. Resale on them is pretty good, maybe buy another for while yours is getting fixed and flick it after yours is back?
That was gonna be my next suggestion too if he can't live without that broken loop, 3 months is appalling to wait... maybe the RS would spin you a deal on a new one due to that?
I don't blame the RS, backlogs are a crappy thing to deal with and I'm sure they're just being extra cautious with estimates.

Wouldn't say no to a deal though...

User avatar
Kris
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 4087
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:52 pm
Location: Under a bridge,somewhere in chch.
Has liked: 124 times
Been liked: 386 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by Kris »

i had a (maybe) similar issue with a krk monitor-the glue on the board breaks down and carries charge/capacitance/MAGIC GOBLIN DUST which causes shorts and wierdness.I'd say theres a bung trace somewhere shorting out when the unit heats/cools. A job for someone who knows whats up regardless.

Delayman
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 3091
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:35 pm
Has liked: 48 times
Been liked: 227 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by Delayman »

hercules wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 8:50 pm
Delayman wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:26 pm Have you been able to isolate down if the send and return work independently? So send out of that loop direct to amp and see if signal works and then see if returning something from another preamp/effect works. It would be interesting to see if your loop issue is independent of the physical send and return

Also if you just jumper it with a lead does it work fine?
Top man. I had checked the jumper lead and nope, no dice. Tested the 'direct out' and nothing. But swapping the 'return' from loop 6 into 7 works well (with both 6 & 7 selected). Doing the other way around (6 send > 7 send) doesn't.

Weirdly, if I put loop 7 in stereo, I get more signal (distorted and super thin) when using the Stereo Right return, but almost none when using left. Back in mono now and there's a bit more signal but still bad.

So...am I correct in surmising that the problem could well be with the 'Send' on loop 7?



EDIT: Just as I was about to send this, it started working normally again....and then it stopped. Something's fucky.
Does sound like the send on 7. I don’t really know anything about this stuff, but that’s what I would’ve done to at least narrow it down. If I had to guess I think that’s preferable as it might be a physical issue with the send, not a switching issue. Are these things too sophisticated to give a blast of contact cleaner into the send jack? Don’t do it on my suggestion though, see what others reckon.
They keep telling me tone is in the fingers, but I have yet to see a "look at my fingers" thread.
Lawrence wrote: Every orchestra that comes thru here is a covers band as are most of the jazz bands...

User avatar
FuzzMonkey
Gibson
Posts: 611
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 7:25 pm
Has liked: 510 times
Been liked: 407 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by FuzzMonkey »

What did Waylon say the issue was?
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

User avatar
hercules
Squier
Posts: 338
Joined: Mon May 16, 2022 11:12 am
Has liked: 76 times
Been liked: 247 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by hercules »

Delayman wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 9:19 pm Does sound like the send on 7. I don’t really know anything about this stuff, but that’s what I would’ve done to at least narrow it down. If I had to guess I think that’s preferable as it might be a physical issue with the send, not a switching issue. Are these things too sophisticated to give a blast of contact cleaner into the send jack? Don’t do it on my suggestion though, see what others reckon.
FuzzMonkey wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 9:33 pm What did Waylon say the issue was?
AFAIK he did a deep clean of it so probably not much point doing it again (I had already used contact cleaner before sending). I am guessing that since it's intermittent and a hardware thing, he tested it and drew the logical conclusion it was fixed. Hopefully these test results give him more to go on and he can fix it, otherwise, it's off to Roland...

User avatar
FuzzMonkey
Gibson
Posts: 611
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 7:25 pm
Has liked: 510 times
Been liked: 407 times

Re: Boss ES8 - dead loop

Post by FuzzMonkey »

hercules wrote: Sun Jul 17, 2022 9:51 pm AFAIK he did a deep clean of it so probably not much point doing it again (I had already used contact cleaner before sending). I am guessing that since it's intermittent and a hardware thing, he tested it and drew the logical conclusion it was fixed. Hopefully these test results give him more to go on and he can fix it, otherwise, it's off to Roland...
Intermittent issues are the worst to deal with as they always seem the disappear when sent in for repair only to reappear once the pedal is returned.
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

Post Reply