Fender two-button footswitch: convert to socket instead of hard wire?

I have the original footswitch for my 70s Pro Reverb and I really want to have it on my pedal board but the captive lead is a bit inconvenient.

I looked inside and it seems as though they used a stereo jack socket but hard wired the lead to it. I disconnected the lead and plugged in a lead with a stereo 1/4 inch plug on one end and two RCAs on the other end but this doesn't work.

Has anyone converted their footswitch to have a socket instead of the hard wire, and if so does it need some kind of special socket to work?

Never done it but if I rember right the footswitch only grounds on one plug at the amp.
So if I'm getting this right your using a Y cable that may conect the grounds and screw things up.
I believe you'd have to make your own Y cable to make this work.

Don't the dual footswitches use a TRS plug? You can't just put it into the pedal chain, it has to go directly to the footswitch input jack.

Don't the dual footswitches use a TRS plug? You can't just put it into the pedal chain, it has to go directly to the footswitch input jack.

This footswitch doesn't use a plug as it stands - that's what I'm trying to achieve, but yes, it looks like Fender used a TRS socket in the switch but hard wired the cable to it.

Not sure what you mean by pedal chain...the amp has separate RCA inputs for reverb and vibrato switching.

Is this an export thing? The footswitches I've seen on this side of the pond use Heyco strain relief bushings where the cable enters the pedal.

At the typical Fender 2-button footswitch you need:

Ground - provided by the reverb cable's shield, common to both switches.

Reverb switch return - the signal wire in the shielded cable.

Vibrato switch return - the separate (white) wire inside the cable jacket.

A stereo jack and plug should work. Might make funny, loud noises if it's ever plugged or unplugged while the amp is on...

Simple to understand, once you examine a schematic.

To imagine it. First, imagine a TRS 1/4" jack. It has three connectors. Tip, Ring, and Sleeve. Tip connects to the tip of the plug. Ring connects to the second signal wire on the plug (the "ring" of material right behind the tip, but not the sleeve portion). Sleeve is the main body of the jack, which is the functional chassis ground.

So, to wire your Fender two button switch to a 1/4 TRS connector, connect it this way;

First, remove the original wire, noting which color goes to each of the two switches. (e.g. "black goes to tremolo, white to reverb" or whatever)

To remove the cable, cut all the leads, leaving enough wire so that you can identify which went where. Now, grasp the back side of the stress relief button and compress it with a small pair of pliers. Now, push it out the front side of the pedal. This will remove the stress relieve button and the wire from the pedal. Examine the hole. If your button hole is "D" shaped, you'll have to drill it out with a 27/64th drill bit to accommodate the 1/4" TRS jack you're going to install. I recommend a Switchcraft jack. They are sturdy and compact.

Once you've gotten your jack in there, wire up that 1/4 TRS Jack like this;

As you recall from your careful examination before you disassembled the stock wiring (you did that, right?) the COMMON or CHASSIS connection on the footswitch in the stock switch daisy chained between one terminal on BOTH switches. It is usually braided wire without insulation. This connection will become the "sleeve" of your TRS. It will be common to one terminal on BOTH switches. Run a piece of wire from those same "common" or daisy-chained terminals on your switches to the "SLEEVE" terminal on the TRS jack.

Now, the other two wires you removed were connected one on each switch, right? These were analogous to what will become the tip and ring connections of your TRS jack. Note their colors. One is probably black, the other probably white. Note which is which - tremolo white, reverb black, etc. Whatever it is note it. Again, these wires in stock configuration are connected, one to each, of to the dual RCA plugs on the other end of the cable.

In the switch terminal locations where those two wires were, install two new pieces of wire, one connecting to the tip and the other to the ring of the 1/4 TRS JACK you've already put in the pedal body. Again, connect one to the ring and the other to the tip of the TRS jack, noting which is which for either tremolo or reverb.

Now, you'll have to take your original wire which you disconnected from the footswitch and simply solder a TRS male plug on there. Shield to Sleeve, and tremolo and reverb to either tip or ring, depending on how you wired the jumpers above. Follow your color codes. Plug it in your TRS JACK on your pedal...you're good to go. IF you happen to get them backwards, swap them at the amp.

There you go. You now have another cable to coil up.

Cheers,

CBG

Thanks CBG. That's pretty much how I thought to do it - I guess I thought that the socket that's already in there would work without modification apart from disconnecting the cable to the amp, so when that didn't work I wondered whether the mod was possible. Anyway, tomorrow I'll swap in a new TRS socket and I'll report back.

I don't mind having another cable to coil up - it'll be easier than coiling up the hard wired one with the switch and in any case after 35+ years that one is pretty near the end of its life - and too short.

Oh and just to confirm this doesn't have just a stress relief thing - it is actually a TRS socket, but with the cable soldered to the terminals and a cable tie on the cable to stop it pulling through from the outside. Seems odd that they would do it that way...or maybe it was done by someone afterwards.

Has anyone converted their footswitch to have a socket instead of the hard wire, and if so does it need some kind of special socket to work?

A good friend of mine built one for me:

http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb435/peter_ball1961/Deluxe%20Reverb%20switch/DRswitch6.jpg

More pictures here:

http://s1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb435/peter_ball1961/Deluxe%20Reverb%20switch/

Sits on my pedalboard and has LEDs to indicate what's on. It's excellent.

Let me know if you're interested and I'll put you in touch.

:smile: Peter

Cheers Peter - that looks great. I think I can knock up a unit like that but wanted to maintain the existing switch if possible. I'll bear yours in mind though.

Yeah, must have been an aftermarket mod...that someone gave up on because they couldn't make it work either. :-)

Cheers,

CBG