Hi, I saw your post in the other thread, but I was hoping someone who had one would answer…but it seems not so I’ll offer what advice I can!

it sounds like maybe the digital circuit is ‘clipping’ ie being overdriven, which it shouldn’t be….either that or the ‘clean’ setting as you might know doesn’t actually remove the drive circuit it just ‘turns it down’ when I did own mine, I could get the ‘clean’ setting to overdrive quite a lot with high output pickups….but from what you’ve said it doesn’t sound like this is what you are hearing.

if you believe that the unit ‘has a serious problem’ then I’d probably suggest returning it to the shop for a refund, the Holy Stain is a pretty complicated unit and I wouldn’t recommend poking around inside unless you know what you are doing.

ok, a few questions just to see if we can find out exactly what’s happening….are you using any other pedals before the unit? have you tried it just on it own? if you turn the volume down on your guitar does it stop? Have you contacted the shop you bought it from? Is it possible to try the Stain with another guitar? (a friends or something if you don’t have one) do you have any way or recording the sound it’s making?…sorry if this all sounds a bit lame, I’m just trying to understand what’s happening….but I will say I didn’t ever have this problem so maybe the unit is damaged in some way?

ah, like a crackle?

well it’s definatly not normal as far as I know.