Hello, primativ;

Unfortunately, you're certainly [u]not[/u] the first person to have this problem! Asssuming that your [u]cables[/u] aren't the source of this problem (they frequently [u]are[/u]), it sounds like your Tonebender pedal has one of three possible issues:

(1) You have a problem with the footswitch itself - this can only be truly 'fixed' by replacing the footswitch itself, but you may be able to temporarily alleviate the symptoms with a quick spurt of CAIG Industies 'D5" spray - this will lubricate and de-oxidize the switch, which may 'fix' the problem, as well as confirming that the switch is failing.

(2) The footswitch is working properly, but not grounded correctly to the chassis of the pedal, because the mechanical connection to the pedal's housing is flakey. This can be corrected by opening the pedal, loosening the mounting-nut that holds the footswittch in place, spritzing the area where the threaded mounting-shaft of the switch passes through the housing with D5, and re-tightening the mounting-nut, so the switch is aligned correctly and solidly 'tight' against the housing.

(3) The problem may not actually be with the footswitch itself, but be with another component (such as, either the input or output jack), which is 'disturbed' every time you 'click' the footswitch. This is more common than you might think... If this is the problem, you should also get the problem to occur, by wiggling or tapping on either of the cables pluged into the pedal. The fact that touching the footswitch with your hand causes the problem to stop, just means that connecting yourself to the pedal's ground-plane interferes with the problem - by itself, this does not prove (although it does strongly suggest) that the problem is related to grounding...

I hope this helps - please feel free to get back in touch, after you've checked out these possibilities.

Stephen White