Original Guv’nor - slightly broken

rico · January 2018

I picked up this awesome original Guv’nor for a steal and finally got it on my board and it sounds great and is built like a tank! The only thing is, the input jack ‘collar’ has all but broken - I can solder so is there a replacement I can buy?

Broken jack aside, any love for this classic?

Modulus_Amps · January 2018

I have one, but I don't play it much these days

rico · January 2018

Modulus_Amps said:

I have one, but I don't play it much these days

Being in a related trade, have you any advice re the broken jack?

ICBM · January 2018

You can replace the jack, they're still available - not a big job, the jacks are on a separate small PCB. If you're always going to use it on a pedalboard then the original type is good enough, and easiest to fit.

If you want to use it off the board I would replace both the input and output jacks with proper Cliff/Re-An 'Marshall amp type' jacks, which need to be connected to the board with wires. You can do this on the Guv'nor because the FX loop jack will still support the PCB and the power jack - it's more difficult on the other pedals of the series.

rico · January 2018

Thanks as always @ICBM where would I look for an original type jack? Allparts?

ICBM · January 2018

No, Ebay probably. Have a look at the old one, then you’ll know what to get. Check the number of pins on the underneath too, it’s either three or four from memory - and the layout of them - there’s more than one type.

If you get stuck, let me know - I may have one.

Jonathangus · January 2018

I got mine (UK model) repaired recently by Mick Johnson (mickjohnsonguitars.com) - he got new sockets from Marshall.

These are the old ones - they're 9-pin jobs (L-R Input - Loop - Output):

Image: https://s19.postimg.org/55m3kjib7/P1020858.jpg

The loop socket is obviously knackered, and the input had been a bit loose for a while - but I think the output one is still OK. If you don't mind an old one, I could pop it in the post.

ICBM · January 2018

Odd, I was sure the in and out ones were simpler! The loop I knew was a 9-pin. They are all actually the same general footprint, it’s just that some varieties don’t have all the pins.

Most companies use the simplest variety that does whatever job they need, since it saves money - the difference is only pennies, but across a production run it matters.

If that was a UK-made Guv’nor, it might not be the same on a Korean one. They’re very similar but that might be a difference.

Jonathangus · January 2018

Well, actually the input has 5 pins - I don't know if the others have broken off, or if they were never there in the first place.

ICBM · January 2018

Jonathangus said:

Well, actually the input has 5 pins - I don't know if the others have broken off, or if they were never there in the first place.

Never there.

I was nearly right

.

What's the layout - one in the middle nearest the panel, and four in a square off to one side? If so I have one here.

You may be better buying a brand new one though, the plastic on these is brittle as you already know, and gets worse over time.

rico · January 2018

I’ll take mine apart and have a look.

paulphoenix · January 2018

Hi @rico ;;, before I sold this pedal to you (for a steal!) I spoke to my local tech about replacing the jack and switch and modding to true bypass which he said would cost around £25 in total.

I asked him about the jack socket and he said he kept in stock a fender (though possibly not fender branded) 9 pin replacement that he'd used successfully on previous fixes for this pedal.

Probably this? http://www.hotroxuk.com/fender-pc-mount-jack-1988-1999-stereo-9-pin-bj107.html?utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=organic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyIXZvNrP2AIVChbTCh2DfwMOEAQYASABEgJ5QPD_BwE

The part itself isn't very expensive - but it is mounted on a mini PCB.

Hope this helps.

Phil_aka_Pip · January 2018

Original Guv'nor = huge fun

The plastic jacks on mine broke and the nice people at Marshall fixed it for me. I can't remember what the fee was but it wasn't huge.

ChuckManual · January 2018

rico said:

I picked up this awesome original Guv’nor for a steal and finally got it on my board and it sounds great and is built like a tank! The only thing is, the input jack ‘collar’ has all but broken - I can solder so is there a replacement I can buy?

Broken jack aside, any love for this classic?

Tons of love!

I've had one more-or-less since they first came out. I got it secondhand, but they'd only been available for a few months at the time. It fell out of favour over the years and spent the thick-end of two decades just sitting in a chest of drawers I use for pedals, cables, picks and whatnot. Then, during a (VERY rare) chuck-out session a couple of years ago, I stumbled across it again and gave it a quick run out. It was brilliant! A one trick, 80's Brit Blues/Rock pony for sure (in my hands, at least), but a damn fine one! It sounds astonishingly good with P90's too ...not something I ever knew back in the day.

Needless to say, it's not in the drawer anymore!

randella · January 2018

Oh God yes - I borrowed one years ago and had to have it prised from my fingers by the owner.

I bought the Guv'nor 2 as a replacement and, whilst it's not quite the ugly duckling some suggest it is, it doesn't really do it the same way as the tankproof original.

vasselmeyer · January 2018

I have my original one from the early 1990s on my board. It was displaced for a while by a Catalinbread DLS Mk2 and eventually I got @juansolo to look at the Guv'nor for me as it was playing up and sounding a bit lame. He and Cleggy replaced a noisy op-amp and swapped the cap and it was back to its full glory.

It's a marvellous pedal and I can't think why Marshall haven't reissued it in its original form (or close to it, get rid of the crappy jacks). They would sell like hotcakes.

ICBM · January 2018

randella said:

I bought the Guv'nor 2 as a replacement and, whilst it's not quite the ugly duckling some suggest it is, it doesn't really do it the same way as the tankproof original.

It's the other way round - the new Guv'nor is sturdier than the original despite being smaller and lighter. The original not only has these crap jacks, it also has the pots in a very exposed place where they're prone to damage, and a worse footswitch - although that can be replaced.

They do sound different though - the original is a better 'overdrive' pedal and works better into a crunchy amp; the new one is better as a 'preamp' pedal and works best into a clean amp. The 'Deep' control on the new one is especially good for emulating the thump of a 4x12" like that, but too much when it's going into more dirt.

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Original Guv’nor - slightly broken

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