🍀 Lucked Out

The official definition of "lucked out" is a positive one, but if you read it literally, it means out of luck. That was exactly what happened to me on stage on 19th December 2021. My Zvex Distortron pedal lucked out and broke down.

So halfway through rehearsal, the Distortron began hissing very loudly and my guitar signal diminished. A few minutes later, the hiss died, and so did my guitar signal. When the pedal was off, true bypass still works and my signal went through.

However, when the pedal is switched on, no sound. Turning every knob to the maximum will result in a very faint clean signal passing through. This caused me to not use that pedal on set that day. A quick Google search online indicates that my problem is not unique. A few others have experienced the same thing too.

I could have sent the pedal in to some shop and get it fixed, probably a burnt capacitor or resistor. But I was rather lazy so I ordered a brand new Zvex Distortron from Swee Lee. The pedal arrived the next day and I replaced the old Distortron.

 

Today is when I saw the positive side of lucking out. As the pedal works normally within the first 10 minutes of firing it up, I traded the old Distortron with my very first pedal in life, the Boss Overdrive/Distortion OS-2. Found it by luck on Carousell and the guy was willing to make the trade.

The OS-2 that I received in this trade is literally mint condition. I can't believe my eyes. I will probably leave this pedal on display since the Boss OS-2 is a pretty significant pedal in my music journey. I remember clearly the first instance I stepped into the pedal world and didn't know the difference between overdrive and distortion. The Boss OS-2 was the perfect pedal to try.

After such a long journey, I'm heartened to revisit my roots and appreciate Boss pedals. Boss makes real solid pedals and it's just such a vintage and classic pedal brand. Maybe I might wanna start collecting Boss pedals! 

Edwin Ang

*As of 3rd August 2022, the Boss OS-2 has been sold for $80.