Noisy old Boss ME-6B ...could it be the caps?

[brad]

I own an old Boss ME-6B bass multi-effects board from '92, and the only problem I can fault it with is that it's a bit noisy!  I'm pretty sure it's just my unit too...because these things have appeared on some BIG albums.  I took some shots while repairing a broken 1/4" socket pad, and this is what the interior looks like:



High tech for something that came out when Sega and NES were all the rage!  This is the component side of the input/output daughter-board:



The power looks like it's filtered by a 1000uF 25v electro (Sanyo brand! ), and there are a few other smaller value electros and an inline opamp on the board too, for -I assume- the input/output buffers.  Considering it's 15 years old, could the noise be from the aging electro caps?  And another thing, what's that strange looking brown component on the far right that looks like a ceramic cap with two cylinders at the bottom?

[brad]

uh...Tubescreamers!  Klon schematics! 

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

And another thing, what's that strange looking brown component on the far right that looks like a ceramic cap with two cylinders at the bottom?

That might be a power rail filter, consisting of two inductors in series (the cylinders) and a cap from their junction to ground. Similar devices are mass produced for mains RF filters.

And yes, a bad (leaky) cap can be a very annoying source of noise, unfortunately they are usually coupling caps! and there are plenty in that machine..
(disclaimer: I havn't been inside THIS particular FX!)

[brad]

Thanks for replying Paul!  I'll replace the electros and see how it goes.  There are no surface mount electro caps as far as I can tell, so that will save some eye strain!  I was thinking of replacing the 1/4" jacks too, but I've never seen that narrow type before.

Believe it or not, this multieffect unit has the fattest envelope filter and synth sounds I've heard for bass ...it's hard to believe it's coming from an "ancient" digital unit!

[brad]

Does anyone know where I could get 1/4" sockets like the ones in the picture?  I'm beginning to think one of them is actually mechanically broken somehow.