Biyang Fuzz Star FZ-10 Repair

I did this one for squeaks and gigs. I knew it would not be worth much even after I fixed it.

It was quite a mess when I opened it. The six pins that connect the two boards were not even in the holes, and several solder pads were missing, most likely the result of the previous repair attempt.

I did the following: 

• Removed the six pins and replaced them with wire
• Used a razor to expose some of the copper traces adjacent to the missing pads and placed mini-jumpers from the wire to the exposed copper
• Put two longer jumpers where there was no room to expose the adjacent copper trace

Ugly, but it works and the connections are solid. Again, it’s not worth much, but because I often repair pedals that someone has already tried to repair, I see a lot of lifted pads and traces, so the practice was good. 

Biyang PH-10 Phase Adjustment

I recently purchased a Biyang PH-10 Phase Pro on eBay. I noticed that in eBay's stock photo of this pedal, SPEED is spelled SEEPED (seriously), so I wasn't sure what to expect. This one's not too bad.

The PH-10, like MXR's M-101 Phase 90 (the natural comparison in this price range), did not sound that great out of the box. I took it apart to see if there was an easily accessible trimpot inside, and there was indeed.

The stock sound was over-pronounced for me. I made careful note of the stock position of the trimpot screw and turned it little by little until it sounded good to me. You may end up with different results if you try this, but I ended up about 270 degrees counter-clockwise from the original position (see pic below). The pedal now sounds much creamier. If I don't sell it first, I will a/b it with an Custom Shop Phase 90 and a 74 Script Phase 90. One thing at a time, though.

The yellow dot indicates the stock (top) and adjusted (bottom) position of that end of the slot.