Support and Troubleshooting
One of the most valuable parts of purchasing your controllers here is that they come with SUPPORT. That means months or years after purchase, when your dash dances don’t quite feel the same, and you’re not sure if your thumb is degrading or the controller, you have someone to talk to and figure things out. That means when an issue pops up a week before the big one, you don’t need to panic. Even if it takes hours over the phone, we are here for you! If further work is needed, there’s send in repairs available. Having an advisor on controller tech in your pocket is HUGE for improving your game unimpeded.
Best hours for a timely response are weekdays 9 am – 5 pm MST ideally over discord.
Common troubleshooting questions will be laid out here eventually 🙂
Phobs, OEM, Goomwave and other nonsense words – What should I get?
There are many options for the motherboard of the controller and plenty of misinfo spouted around out there. Here’s some rules of thumb to figure out what may be best for you:
– OEM or refurbished stock motherboards are the cheapest, straightforward option. If you are new to modded controllers or smash in general, start here. These come with heartbeat modules installed to extend electrical performance, eliminate snapback, and tune PODE. Perfect for competitors with simple expectations of their controller.
– PHOB refers to an opensource project motherboard that comes with many more settings to tune inputs exactly how you want, and hall effect sensors on the sticks to perform exactly to those preferences without degrading over time. This is the most expensive option, but excels at consistency and provides tools like notch calibration, button remapping, trigger settings, and mouse click upgrades. There are two versions offered, the default, cheaper option is Phob 2.0, but Phob 1.2 offers marginally greater performance tuning at a higher cost upon request. Not recommended for Ultimate due to a Switch software patch in January of 2023 breaking rumble in some reported cases. Overall most powerful option for competitors that want to get the most out of their controller, especially in tandem with notches.
– Goomwave are not offered here but still an option to consider when looking for a controller. The main use case they excel in is if you are used to playing with high amounts of PODE or capacitance and need it to ledgedash with a single diagonal motion. Otherwise not recommended, a Phob will likely do it better, with less maintenance. Heartbeat modules can be installed to further improve these boards.
Peoples preferences can be complicated and conflicting though, so if you’re unsure feel free to ask!
Caring for your Controller
All controllers will need routine maintenance to keep up best performance and get the longest functional life span out of them. Recommended intervals will vary depending on how much game time you put in. Stickboxes need to be replaced about once a year regardless of motherboard type; plastic wearing down, getting loose and wobbly is inevitable. Rubber sticks and pads can vary a lot but are often replaced around the one year mark as well. This is usually the point where people send in their controller for a total refresh, but it can be done on your own if you’re handy.
Ideally, open up your controller to clean out once a month.
– Soak the rubber sticks in hot (<170F) soapy water and then scrub to release hand oils.
– Compressed air is great for clear dust off of the motherboard and stickboxes, otherwise a dry microfiber rag or even a vacuum can work.
– Wipe off any gunk on the shell with a sanitary wipe or soapy rag, but be careful to not get the trigger mechanism or motherboard wet. You can use a q-tip with isopropyl to scrub off gunk buildup in tight crevices and button wells.
– If you want to disassemble the trigger mechanism to clean it out, afterwards you will need to reapply lube (krytox 205g is ideal) and carefully seat the spring to get back to the same performance it had before disassembly. PTFE tape is very good about staying adhered through a hot soapy water soak, just be careful while scrubbing not to budge the tape.
– To clean paracords, you can detach from the motherboard and scrub the fabric with a hot soapy sponge to remove dirt, but let it dry thoroughly, ideally hung in front of a fan overnight. The built in cable ties can be used to wrap up a small section of the cable, just enough to keep it from dragging on the ground and collecting dirt during play.
OEM controllers will need their modules adjusted about every 6 months as the stick and potentiometers wear down, and need different adjustments depending on which is happening faster. If the stick gets wobblier, snapback capacitance needs to be increased. If the potentiometers build up PODE, the heartbeat resistance needs to be increased, or snapback capacitance decreased depending on personal preference.
Phobs need stick recalibration about every 6 months to keep values pristine.
Goomwaves need the potentiometers replaced often to prevent their software from malfunctioning. We can supply new Noble potentiometers from Kadano.
Quality Grade
Items on this site will often be labelled “Grade A” and similar terms, and it may mean different things depending on the context of the part.
Functionality is always valued over aesthetics.
– S Grade is near new out of the box, minimal if any signs of wear and may cost a premium. Usually only relevant for shells.
– A Grade is the default if not otherwise mentioned. May have some mild wear or imperfections that do not impede function, overall great condition.
– B grade usually has a significant visual defect or moderate wear and offered as a budget option. In the context of resin cast buttons, B grade sets function up to performance standards but not aesthetic standards.
– C grade or worse aren’t sold but may be included in packages as a free gift, such as the nunchuck sticks.
International Shipping
We do offer international shipping, generally at $28. Australia increased to $46 in 2022. If you want to check other shipping options feel free to reach out before buying.
Warranty and Repairs
Refurbished Gamecube controllers are complicated machines, put under unique repetitive strain, with many moving parts that can go wrong for many different reasons.
We strive to send products out in the best working condition possible, but cannot be held liable for damage that occurs during shipping via third parties. We will do our best to resolve any damages occurring during shipping in a fair way, ie by splitting the cost for the round trip shipping and doing basic repair maintenance free, but it may not always be possible for me to do so. Same idea applies if function break downs earlier than expected through regular use. Typically you can expect a controller to last around a year before needing routine maintenance. This will always vary by the use and care of the user.
We offer lifetime repair service on all controllers purchased. Associated costs will always vary on a case by case basis. You can typically expect regular repairs to cost you less than $30 and take less than a month.
If you get your Good Company Controller serviced by a third party, ie at a tournament, the no-cost warranty may be voided but I will still offer paid repair services. Often times third parties work has not been up to proper standards which causes issues not immediately apparent and may make future repair more difficult.
Returns
I accept reasonable return requests, but reserve the right to decline. Unused, clean items may be returned within 14 days of delivery. If returned due to an error in our assembly, a full refund may be approved after received and inspected. If being returned due to user preferences or purchasing error a restock fee may apply, and associated shipping or Paypal fees will not be refunded. With international shipping, returns may not be economical, and we can work out a partial refund, store credit, or another solution to your satisfaction. Please keep in mind that this is a small operation, mistakes can happen, and that I will do my best to correct any errors, so please always contact us before smacking the charge back button.
Disclaimer
This website is a one man operation currently, with helpers in training. I do my best to keep information on this website up to date and accurate but errors will inevitably occur. It is intended to work as an extension to my twitter account. It is far form perfect, constantly changing and I always appreciate feedback, please send it to us either via twitter – discord – email at Inbox@GCConch.shop
At the end of the day I’d like to serve the smash community to the best of my abilities, and eventually expand operations to let others be fulfilled by this job as much as I have and provide an ever improving service to the scene. The terms outlined are to protect that mission from unreasonable roadblocks.
“Selling to people is loving people. If your service is beneficial and helps people to solve their problems, why wouldn’t you want to offer it? It’s an act of love, kindness. Promote yourself with pride and help as many people as possible.”