TC Elec/SFC - Effect louder than ByPass Signal - HELP!

[The_Philth]

Hey guys, I have an old TC Elec/SFC that's been through H - E - Double Hockey Sticks and back meaning, it's been a part of countless smoke-filled rooms and beer-drenched stages since the mid 80's!

I recently had the desire to use the Chorus effect (after so many years on the shelf) so when I hooked it up to my effects chain, I noticed that the direct/bypass signal was very weak as opposed to the very loud effects signal, which created a low signal in front of my amp causing unwanted noise.

The sound coming through my amp was the same 'open circuit' sound that one would get when a guitar cable has a break in it; well, in this case, the bypass signal is constantly weak.

However, when kicked into effect mode, the effect/pedal comes to life! Yes, the effect itself is incredibly loud. The 'input gain' pot is completely counter-clockwise (zero?) and the cables being used are in excellent condition.

I was told by TCE that "some of the components used in these pedals dry up over the years"- could this be my problem?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my scenario. In the meantime, I'm going to hunt down (or build) a true bypass box and keep the device engaged. However, I'd LOVE to get this thing back into shape. It's one of my fav's!

Thanks in advance guys!
~Phil

PS- sorry for any inconvenience *mods*, I didn't know where to post this!

[aron]

They probably mean the electrolytic capacitors.

http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/fxfaq.htm