• Registered: 2009-02-10
  • Posts: 470

Topic: Rotovibe, need help, fast!

Sorry for this being unrelated to Joe's gear but, its urgent and I know there are a lot of gear heads here.
I have a rotovibe, had it since xmas. Worked fine till tonight when it wouldn't turn on or off. Instead it just sat at whichever one it chose to when I plugged it in. The switch has no effect.
At one point, after the power running through it for at least an hour, it suddenly turned on.
Has anyone had any problem with this pedal before?
I have a gig on friday and really hope to get it fixed by then, Im in the UK and the store policy is to send it back to dunlop, way back to US. So we're talking weeks/months without the pedal.

Anyone help?

  • From: Sandy Eggo
  • Registered: 2007-04-29
  • Posts: 1,369

Re: Rotovibe, need help, fast!

Have you peaked around inside?

"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan
  • From: Manchester, UK
  • Registered: 2008-04-07
  • Posts: 136

Re: Rotovibe, need help, fast!

Hi, Just an idea but it may be worth contacting John Hornby Skewes, they are UK distributors for many imported products and list Dunlop pedals on their web site. If they are not the UK distributor for Dunlop they may be able to tell you who is. Contact details below...

John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd.,
Salem House,
Parkinson Approach,
Garforth,
Leeds LS25 2HR,
United Kingdom.

Tel: +44 (0) 1132 865 381
Fax: +44 (0) 1132 868 515

Having said that I recently had an Xotic pedal and a Digitech pedal repaired, neither left the UK, but one took 3 weeks and the other took an astonishing 2 months!!

Good Luck

Pete

  • Registered: 2009-02-10
  • Posts: 470

Re: Rotovibe, need help, fast!

Ive had a look inside yeh. Everything seems fine.
It's definately something to do with the switch.
I don't want to take it apart and try fix it if when I send it away to get repaired (failing to fix it myself) they refuse to as its been tampered with.

No doubt it will be a case of it suddenly working again.
I just don't understand why it broke, it was working before leaving my house, then I reach the studios and its broken.

Thanks a lot for the contact details Pete. Ill maybe get in touch with them. Im going to try and convince GAK to give me a new pedal if I send the broken one.

I'm thinking it could be a short along the tracks from the switch or something. But how it got there I'll never know.
Probably a spider crawled in or something rediculous.

  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Rotovibe, need help, fast!

I have a solution to the Dunlop problems...GET RID OF IT!  If you can get them to send you another one or the original one back fixed sell that thing.  I really think that Dunlop's QC has taken a hit with MXR only being marginally better.  In all honesty, for the Univibe effect the best overall value and sound is the Fulltone Mini Deja' Vibe.  I found out a while ago to buy wise (usually slightly more than originally willing to pay) saves you lots of money in the long run.  For the price of the Rotovibe ($200) now repairs and shipping you probably could have just outright got a boutique pedal.  Well I hope they get it fixed for you man and if it breaks again I would check out the Deja' Vibe.

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.

6 Reply by Jimi_lp (edited by Jimi_lp 2009-03-04 19:55:42)

  • Registered: 2009-02-10
  • Posts: 470

Re: Rotovibe, need help, fast!

Ive been told Im getting another one. Its just going to the suppliers then its getting checked and replaced if they agree its broken. (something tells me they won't even check it right and it wont be replaced)
I've never had any trouble with dunlop before. My crybaby is a few years old now, still works great.
I will check out that Fulltone pedal. I was actually going to post on here asking if anyone knew any more "vibe" pedals.
I do like the rotovibe, never use the chorus effect though, always the vibrato.
Only thing I don't like is having to try and set it at the right position everytime, too easy to put it on too fast and it sounds terrible.

(edit : checked out the fulltone...whole £100 more than I got the rotovibe for, may no be getting this one haha)