Line 6 DL4 footswitch repair

The legendary Line 6 DL4 delay modeler. Very versatile and decent sounding unit is one of the favorite delays in hard working guitarist’s rig. It doesn’t come without faults though and one of them is poor quality footswitches.

This unit had switching problems and I decided to replace the feeble actuator-activated mini pcb switches with one of the best footswitches around; Carling. They are not cheap but they are very good.

To replace the old ones you have to take the unit completely apart. Potentiometer knobs are very tight so I had to pull them out with pliers. Rest of the process is straightforward, you desolder the old switches (I like using solder wick) and mount new switches in. Carling might make different sizes of momentary switches so make sure yours fit in! I ordered mine from Musikding Germany. It’s a snug fit. Run short wires from the new switches to the pcb where you removed the old ones. You can see which pads on the pcb I used in the pics. You should test the pedal before assembly so there are no surprises when it’s all put together ;)

Solid switching for years to come!