H9 Replacement Switches?

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- April 9, 2019 at 5:41 pm #115269
  snakle
  Member
  I’m having big problems with the (left) active & (right) tap switches on my H9 max. The problem is a lot worse on the left/active switch than the right, however.
  1. (minor) The switches are hard to hit while singing because they aren’t very tall compared to the encoder/wheel
  2. (major) The switch sorta feels like I’m grinding two pieces of sandpaper together. It’s hard to push unless you get the perfect angle, which is hard to do while moving/singing.
  3. (even more major) Often when I hit the left switch to activate or bypass a preset many times it will either not activate/bypass at all or it will act like I hit the switch 2 times effectively doing the same thing (nothing) and the pedal remaining on when I needed to turn it off.
  I also get (1) – (3) above with the right switch.
  
  I thought that I could solve these problems with barefoot buttons, but I got mixed results and overall they did not help much. The buttons did make it much easier to hit while singing, but they did not solve problems (2) or (3).
  
  Compared to something like the EHX 720 that has similar (but bigger) switches the 720 feels smooth as butter and has never given me problem (3). Haven’t had this problem with any other of my pedals either.
  
  Are there any smoother / higher quality switches that I could use instead of the default ones that come with the H9? Is switch replacement pretty easy or is there a high chance of failure with the H9? I can’t solder myself, so I was either thinking about taking it to the local guitar shop (they’ve replaced switches on my analog pedals a few times without issue) or sending it in to Eventide… I just worry about how long that process will take.
  
  Either way, without some sort of solution this pedal is often making me sound worse. I need to be able to hit the pedal on/off when I need to and I don’t have this problem with any other pedals.
- April 9, 2019 at 6:22 pm #151672
  
  bohan
  Moderator
  Eventide Staff
  
  You may email support@eventide.com and send it in. Or you may get new switches here: https://store.eventideaudio.com/collections/accessories/products/h9-replacement-footswitch
- April 9, 2019 at 8:21 pm #151675
  
  snakle
  Member
  
  Thanks. I was hoping to hear if there were any higher quality switches than the default ones, but I just emailed support so hopefully they will get back to me with recommendations. My unit is older than 1 year so I think it’s out of warranty. Not sure if I should send it in or take it to a local shop for quicker turnaround.
- April 10, 2019 at 1:12 am #151676
  
  nickrose
  Moderator
  Eventide Staff
  
  I'm sorry you are having trouble.
  
  But, I have to say that these are very standard parts, much the same as you will find on any other pedal.
  
  We have had next to no problems with these switches.
  
  If your unit has been used in a gritty environment, or has been submerged, your experience might be different.
  
  You don't say if you bought it new. If your H9 is still under warranty, you should send it in.
  
  If not, you could consider replacing the switches. Not sure that I could suggest a better switch – if I could, we would use them.
  
  Sorry to be so unhelpful.
  - April 10, 2019 at 4:18 pm #151678
    snakle
    Member
    nickrose wrote:
    
    I’m sorry you are having trouble.
    
    But, I have to say that these are very standard parts, much the same as you will find on any other pedal.
    
    We have had next to no problems with these switches.
    
    If your unit has been used in a gritty environment, or has been submerged, your experience might be different.
    
    You don’t say if you bought it new. If your H9 is still under warranty, you should send it in.
    
    If not, you could consider replacing the switches. Not sure that I could suggest a better switch – if I could, we would use them.
    
    Sorry to be so unhelpful.
    
    I bought it new, but like I said I’ve had it for longer than a year so it’s no longer under warranty. Just got an email back from Eventide… yeah I’m not going to give you guys $100 and wait a few months to replace two shitty switches. Not sure what you mean by a gritty environment, but it certainly hasn’t been submerged. It’s only used in my bedroom, at practice, and shows. I’ve never brought it to a woodshop or a steel mill if that’s what you’re asking.
    
    I found some similar switches on Mammoth Electronics. Think these might work https://www.mammothelectronics.com/collections/switches/products/4sfsspst-m?
    
    I just want something that
    
    is easy to press
    
    actually turns on/off when pressed
    
    works fine with barefoot buttons
  - April 10, 2019 at 8:17 pm #151680
    bohan
    Moderator
    Eventide Staff
    snakle wrote:
    
    I bought it new, but like I said I've had it for longer than a year so it's no longer under warranty. Just got an email back from Eventide… yeah I'm not going to give you guys $100 and wait a few months to replace two shitty switches. Not sure what you mean by a gritty environment, but it certainly hasn't been submerged. It's only used in my bedroom, at practice, and shows. I've never brought it to a woodshop or a steel mill if that's what you're asking.
    
    I found some similar switches on Mammoth Electronics. Think these might work https://www.mammothelectronics.com/collections/switches/products/4sfsspst-m?
    
    I just want something that
    
    is easy to press
    
    actually turns on/off when pressed
    
    works fine with barefoot buttons
    
    Yeah, I would still recommand our footswitches (https://store.eventideaudio.com/collections/accessories/products/h9-replacement-footswitch) cause they are very durable based on my use experience, and we have been using these switches for so many years. However, you may use whatever footswitches you like, as long as they work properly.
- April 10, 2019 at 10:27 am #151677
  
  llemtt
  Participant
  
  I agree that footswitches are too low relative to the dial, but if your H9 is out of warranty you should have no problem opening it and raise them a bit.
  
  H9’s are momentary “soft” switches, if you prefer those with a standard “click” feeling you can shop around because there are some of the exact same sizes.
- April 21, 2019 at 8:09 pm #151770
  
  camn
  Participant
  
  Having built a lot of pedals, and been in and out of my h9 half a dozen times….. I would encourage you to change those switches yourself. They are easy to access and user replaceable…just learn to solder. A real Jedi makes their own shit.
  
  As far as which ones? I have always loved the stuff from BitchsLoveMySwitches.
  https://lovemyswitches.com/super-premium-spdt-momentary-foot-switch-soft-click/
  
  Let us know how it goes!
  - April 24, 2019 at 4:04 pm #151790
    
    snakle
    Member
    
    camn wrote:
    
    Having built a lot of pedals, and been in and out of my h9 half a dozen times….. I would encourage you to change those switches yourself. They are easy to access and user replaceable…just learn to solder. A real Jedi makes their own shit. As far as which ones? I have always loved the stuff from BitchsLoveMySwitches. https://lovemyswitches.com/super-premium-spdt-momentary-foot-switch-soft-click/ Let us know how it goes!
    
    I should learn to solder but I don’t want to learn how to do it on my H9 lol. I ordered a pair of the Eventide switches and a pair of these Mammoth Electronic switches and told my guy to try the Mammoth ones first and if those don’t work to use the Eventide ones. Well, the Mammoth switches worked! They are taller than the Eventide ones and seem easier to press. Certainly easier than the pair I was using before. Not sure if a new set of Eventide switches would have solved my problem too, but I’m happy with these.
- January 29, 2020 at 8:25 pm #153944
  
  riffanucci
  Member
  
  I have the exact same issues with my H9 Max purchased new too! I just(yesterday) attempted the Barefoot button solution because I thought it was my boot sole that wasn’t activating the switches right. Nope. Switch is failing. I had the same grit feelling in them right out of the box…seems very suspect that we have had exatly the same problems. Also, most importantly I treat all my gear very well and none of it is ever abused or beat hard. It’s great the Eventide replacement switch is cheap…..but man help us out! $700 for a unit that can’t even handle that?? I think there hasn’t been a ton of these observations because people mostly run switchers and midi.
- January 29, 2020 at 9:10 pm #153947
  
  nickrose
  Moderator
  Eventide Staff
  
  Could anyone who has replaced the original switches send the old one(s) to Eventide, marked for my attention so we can look at them ? Thanks – don't forget your address.
  
  nickrose
  
  Eventide Inc
  
  One Alsan Way
  
  Little Ferry
  
  NJ 07643
- February 5, 2020 at 9:38 pm #154010
  
  jkadlecik
  Participant
  
  Long time H9 owner, purchased around 2010-2011, used it for performances from Alaska to Key West, and a couple of years ago the swithes started acting up. I tried DeOxit, no luck. I have ordered replacement switches from Eventide and will be installing them tonight.
  
  Happy to ship the old ones in to NJ for testing/research.
- February 5, 2020 at 9:44 pm #154011
  
  jkadlecik
  Participant
  
  Hi. I started getting the same problem with the switches on my H9 a couple years ago, tried DeOxit to no avail.
  
  I just received replacement switches from Eventide and will be installing them tonight. I’ll let you know how it goes…
  
  And I’d be happy to ship the old ones back to NJ for forensics.
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