Not sure I picture what's described here. If something is stuck inside the sustain receptacle, then perhaps you could find a small/strong magnet to pull it out. Something like a pickup tool. They make smaller ones for getting into tight places. However, there is a point where DIY is not advised and letting a service center deal with this would be preferred. They would open the case and push it out from the other side (if mechanically this can be done) or replace the connector. Neither of which would require much in the way of labor. The part should not break the bank either if replacement was how they elected to go.

Thanks Jason. The outer collar which covered the 1/4” plug is what stripped off and got stuck inside the terminal. It is stuck so tight that I doubt a magnet would be able to get it out. I guess I need a tech to take a look.

One reason we highly recommend only Yamaha pedals for your Yamaha gear (we usually get all kinds of push back that sustain pedals are Sustain pedals, but... as you now know...)

If you’re not adept with needle nosed pliers, get an authorized service center to do it...

Sorry, but I don’t buy that argument for only using Yamaha pedals. I agree that it is never good to use very cheap stuff. Not sure if the M-Audio pedal is of that sort, though.

But, I use a Roland pedal because it has features which I don’t get from the Yamaha pedals (namely an extendable rubber mat which goes under my foot and prevents it from slipping away, genius stuff!). And I believe that it is not cheap and no one would claim that it is bad quality!

And by the same argument one could argue that you should only use Yamaha audio cables so that the plugs do not get stuck. Are there actually such cables from Yamaha? What about MIDI cables?

Thanks Bad Mister... Ironically, I never used the M-audio but just wanted to see if it still worked. I think I’m going to have the authorized serviced center look at it. Love my Montage and this forum.

There are, no doubt, many pedals which will work fine with Montage. Generally, Yamaha's polarity is opposite most other manufacturers - so it's best to find one with a polarity switch. I have a consumer-grade Yamaha keyboard which automatically senses the state of the pedal when you turn on the keyboard and assumes this is the pedal off state. Therefore, this keyboard is compatible with either polarity without adjusting the pedal.

My view is that it is best to use Yamaha pedals more to leverage what has been fully tested and qualified by Yamaha. If that's important to you (it doesn't have to be). This not only includes the mechanical fit of the cable - but also electrical characteristics (including polarity, impedance, etc). A switched sustain pedal has far less considerations than other accessories - but still you can have a "worry free" experience in terms of compatibility mechanically and electrically. I'm not sure the experience here has anything to do with any problem or difference of the mechanical properties of the cable itself. Other than whatever came apart seems like it was worn from years of abuse (I'm speculating) so perhaps new accessories would have worked out better.

If you're willing to participate in product/compatibility testing, then using a 3rd party accessory can be a good experience. It could go either way.

It's not clear if this thread is due to use, misuse, abuse, etc. A 1/4 TS or TRS receptacle is a standard thing and it's hard to imagine how this situation came to be. These "collars" (not solid on what is described exactly - I'm assuming the threaded shield that screws into the mating threaded part that is also part of the male plug itself) assuming as threaded do not normally just fall off. And a 1/4" plug doesn't usually get stuck inside so you couldn't pull on the cable (even without the metal shield attached) and have it slide out. It seems like something was bent either before plugging it in, as it was plugged in, or while the plug was still plugged in (extreme force event). If this is the case, just about any 1/4" TS plug would fail in about the same way.

I think having this serviced is a good route which allows your service technician to deal with any complications that may be in store. You should be back to operational in no time.