Quick MXR '74 Vintage Phase 90 Fix

I recently purchased an MXR '74 Vintage Phase 90, but it had a couple of problems when I received it. First, the back plate bulged outward in the middle. I took it off, placed one end on a piece of wood and kneeled on it until it was straight. When I placed it back on the pedal, it was a very tight fit, but the bulge was gone. However, when I tried the pedal, it didn't work. The pedal sounded normal off, but when it was engaged, there was no phase effect. It sounded like a slightly muffled version of the clean signal. I removed the backplate, checked the battery, and looked around inside for anything obvious, but did not see anything. I tried it again before putting the cover back on, and the pedal worked fine.

Based on that, I assumed that two things that shouldn't touch were touching. The only thing I saw that could be doing that was the lug on the output jack that carries the signal. It was pointed up about 60 to 70 degrees, I would guess (about where the red line is in the photo below). I think this could have been touching a solder point on the bottom of the circuit board through the foam when the cover was on. I bent it down (gently), replaced the cover, and it has worked consistently ever since.

Original position of lug is indicated by the red line. I bent it down to its current position.

I read some reviews stating that the pedal  didn't work when received. So, if this is a design flaw, and others have had this problem, I thought I should make this info available. Especially because if you buy the pedal used you often don't have the luxury of returning it if it stops working.

Anyone have any similar experiences with the '74 Vintage Phase 90?

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.