Questions about PCB's and durability

I just got a MXR Phase 90 Script reissue (killer!). I know this one has a PCB while the originals had all the real resistors and so on soldered on. Some reviews I've read say the switch and jacks are part of the PCB which would make future repairs virtually impossible. Is this true? I would think the PCB might be longer-lasting since there's nothing flopping around in there held in only by foam. Wouldn't it be possible to remove and replace the switch and jacks if it was ever neccessary? And wouldn't it possibly just be a matter of slapping in another PCB for mere dollars?

As a side question...I was supposed to get a Phase 90 with a LED but got one without. The guy is going to send me the correct one but I've heard the ones without LED's supposedly sound better. Anyone know the facts on that?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just loving my new toy!

PCB construction is kind of a bugaboo topic. It is indeed possible to build something that's more durable with a PCB design than with a nest of components, but the biggest reason that manufacturers use PCB is to save money, so they are almost always built cheaply.

I haven't opened up a new MXR but I suspect that they're built the same as my new Dunlop wah, which is not going to win awards for extreme durability.

That said, as long as you just use it and don't abuse it, you'll probably have no problems at all.

I just got a MXR Phase 90 Script reissue (killer!). I know this one has a PCB while the originals had all the real resistors and so on soldered on. Some reviews I've read say the switch and jacks are part of the PCB which would make future repairs virtually impossible. Is this true?

Nothing is impossible :-) BUT...some things are closer to impossible than others..lol. I think the MXR reissues lean toward this catagory.


I would think the PCB might be longer-lasting since there's nothing flopping around in there held in only by foam. Wouldn't it be possible to remove and replace the switch and jacks if it was ever neccessary? And wouldn't it possibly just be a matter of slapping in another PCB for mere dollars?

Not really. If you had a technician repair the pedal I imagine the repair bill would be close to the cost of a new pedal in the case of the MXR reissues. The jacks and switch would probably have to be specially ordered from Dunlop. It wouldn't be like grabbing a few switchcraft jacks or an off the shelf footswitch and slapping them in.

But honestly....I wouldn't really sweat it. I haven't looked real close inside the MXR reissues but they look pretty sturdy. The only problems I might see from having the jacks and footswitch attached to the PCB is potential solder joint problems and those could be fixed without removing the PCB assembly from what I remember.

As a side question...I was supposed to get a Phase 90 with a LED but got one without. The guy is going to send me the correct one but I've heard the ones without LED's supposedly sound better. Anyone know the facts on that?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just loving my new toy!

I haven't heard if one sounds better than the other but for the price I wouldn't worry too much about future repair issues. A lot of guys use the MXR reissues and love them. I used a MXR reissue Dynacomp for years and never had any issues.

hope this helps,
Robbie Wallace
RGW Electronics

well, the problem is that (i dunno about the phase 90's) but many PCB-using gadgets have jacks and pots mounted directly onto the PCB. This makes fixing or modifying trickier, but not impossible.

well, the problem is that (i dunno about the phase 90's) but many PCB-using gadgets have jacks and pots mounted directly onto the PCB. This makes fixing or modifying trickier, but not impossible.

The real issue is whether or not the jacks and switches are attached firmly to the case. Usually they are, so this reduces the stress on the solder joint almost tot he point that it's not an issue.

Boss pedals, for instance, hve been PCBs for a long time, with lots of micro switches and micro pots and nobody seems to complain about their durability.

The real issue is whether or not the jacks and switches are attached firmly to the case. Usually they are, so this reduces the stress on the solder joint almost tot he point that it's not an issue.

Boss pedals, for instance, hve been PCBs for a long time, with lots of micro switches and micro pots and nobody seems to complain about their durability.

cool, didn't know that! But I guess if reviews of the script 90 have been commenting on the pcb design it may be a problem.

Like others have said, the problem is those plastic jacks that are subject to repeated mechanical stress. Nothing wrong with putting components on a PCB. With amps, it's a little different, because the components are stressed harder under high voltages... but pedal parts can burn out too. My Rat fell victim to an underrated resistor in the power supply section.

cool, didn't know that! But I guess if reviews of the script 90 have been commenting on the pcb design it may be a problem.

Take reviews with a grain of salt. Most of the people who write them (especially on Harmony Central) have no idea what they're talking about and simply jump on whatever critical bandwagon they can. Take a look at the pedal for yourself. If there are nuts on the jacks, switches, and pots that attach them to the case, it'll be fine.

Bottom line is that for everay pedal that is not hand-made (everything but expensive boutique pedals), PCBs will be used. Even Fulltone uses them, but they also use quality components and design for durability.

As a side question...I was supposed to get a Phase 90 with a LED but got one without. The guy is going to send me the correct one but I've heard the ones without LED's supposedly sound better. Anyone know the facts on that?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just loving my new toy!

That depends on the color of the LED. Blue seems to have more haunting mids while red has more treble. :lol:

Enjoy! I love my phase 90, but I am a child of the 70's so to me that's a "normal" sound!

I think that all of the Boss, DOD, Ibanez, etc. pedals that have survived world tours (or even semi-local ones) are a testament to durability in a mass-produced, cost effective (cheap) design.

Vendors that are proclaiming to make a pedal bulletproof (or offer one touted as being) are typically parting a gullible guitarist of precious money.

Unless you imitate Godzilla onstage, or wear steel toes, most boxes will last for a very long time.

Even the Ibanez Soundtanks are fairly rugged, even though everyone puts them down. What they don't realize is that in this case, they see the plastic case, but not the actual guts of the pedal. I've seen pedals that had a much more delicate switch design than the Soundtanks, but you just don't know until it breaks.

For some guitarists, every pedal is breakable. I chalk this up to operator error. It's a guitar pedal, not a roach, or bop-a-mole.

Some fall in between, and break a few. This is to be considered. Some folks are heavy handed (and footed), and that's okay.

And some, like me, could do a decade of world tours with nothing more than Dano minis, and other than scratches, the pedals would be fine.