Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
- MrShake
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Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
I was re-organizing and doing some maintenance and cleaning of my gear recently and appreciating some of the little things that can be done to basic, classic pedals to give them a little something extra. I have a few that I'd find myself cranky without, and they were fun steps in learning some basic DIY skills. The ones I tend to love the most generally retain the character of the pedal but give extended functionality, such as:
Rat - Clipping Diodes Switch
Straightforward enough to do with the right instructions. My choices are usually Classic and Turbo on a 2-way switch, but if I use an on/off/on, the Clean Rat is pretty neat. But for gigs or recording, if the EQ isn't cutting it, having a Turbo Rat just a flick of a switch away is awesome. The Ruetz mod has never done it for me, sorta de-Rattifies what I like about the Rat in the first place. That bite. Bonus points for socketing the IC chip, but that's sorta different. And for face-mounting the flickering Turbo LEDs next to the stomp switch.
Big Muff - Tone Bypass Switch
Made stompable on my NYC Muff after discovering it on my Tone Wicker. The boosted mids make for a bulldozer tone. May you never be lost in the mix again.
Fender Blender RI - Vintage Spec Mod
Remove one component, replace another with a jumper, and swap two wire positions on the boost switch poles. Turned a cool sounding pedal with anemic volume into destruction-breathing monster. I also didn't realize until recently how bonkers the market was for these reissues right now. The mod makes a valuable pedal invaluable.
The only thing I've ever sent away for modding was an 18v Electric Mistress, and that was to repair it, though I had the volume drop fixed while I was at it, which is great, but not cool and fun and flashy like those 3 up there. People seem to love their JHS/Keeley/etc modded pedals. Then there's bias knobs on Fuzz Faces, DS-1 and BD-2 rebuilds, etc. I'm even thinking about getting out the drill and "Swervedrivering" my DF-2 once I find a switch I approve of.
Are there any mods to classic pedals that you just can't live without?
Rat - Clipping Diodes Switch
Straightforward enough to do with the right instructions. My choices are usually Classic and Turbo on a 2-way switch, but if I use an on/off/on, the Clean Rat is pretty neat. But for gigs or recording, if the EQ isn't cutting it, having a Turbo Rat just a flick of a switch away is awesome. The Ruetz mod has never done it for me, sorta de-Rattifies what I like about the Rat in the first place. That bite. Bonus points for socketing the IC chip, but that's sorta different. And for face-mounting the flickering Turbo LEDs next to the stomp switch.
Big Muff - Tone Bypass Switch
Made stompable on my NYC Muff after discovering it on my Tone Wicker. The boosted mids make for a bulldozer tone. May you never be lost in the mix again.
Fender Blender RI - Vintage Spec Mod
Remove one component, replace another with a jumper, and swap two wire positions on the boost switch poles. Turned a cool sounding pedal with anemic volume into destruction-breathing monster. I also didn't realize until recently how bonkers the market was for these reissues right now. The mod makes a valuable pedal invaluable.
The only thing I've ever sent away for modding was an 18v Electric Mistress, and that was to repair it, though I had the volume drop fixed while I was at it, which is great, but not cool and fun and flashy like those 3 up there. People seem to love their JHS/Keeley/etc modded pedals. Then there's bias knobs on Fuzz Faces, DS-1 and BD-2 rebuilds, etc. I'm even thinking about getting out the drill and "Swervedrivering" my DF-2 once I find a switch I approve of.
Are there any mods to classic pedals that you just can't live without?
- mackerelmint
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Yanking C6 from the Boss SD-1. Just snip it outta there, and get a bit more of an open sound with more bottom end.
This is an excellent rectangle
- August
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Behringer UV300 slow mod.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cs1aRrFUyE
Edit: definitely not a classic, but makes it a great vibrato option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cs1aRrFUyE
Edit: definitely not a classic, but makes it a great vibrato option.
- jorri
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Yes the Rat clipping mods are great. Got a couple of combined germanium, LED, mosfet as well as none in mine.
Volume mod for superfuzz. Almost essential! Octave off and a tone control would be cool too.
Less cheap now, but a while back i did the resistor mid to make a TS7 a TS808, then added an assymetrical diode because i dont know if i even like a stock TS!
Volume mod for superfuzz. Almost essential! Octave off and a tone control would be cool too.
Less cheap now, but a while back i did the resistor mid to make a TS7 a TS808, then added an assymetrical diode because i dont know if i even like a stock TS!
- JackFawkes
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
It might be the bass player in me, but I always appreciate it when a good Blend knob is added to a pedal.
In my opinion, it can give a good pedal what it needs to become a great pedal.
(I do really enjoy extra clipping selections on a RAT, the only "RAT"-style pedal I own is Black Mass' 1312, which is almost overwhelming with options )
Jack
In my opinion, it can give a good pedal what it needs to become a great pedal.
(I do really enjoy extra clipping selections on a RAT, the only "RAT"-style pedal I own is Black Mass' 1312, which is almost overwhelming with options )
Jack
Last edited by JackFawkes on Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
- MayTheFuzzBeWithYou
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Infinity feedback mod on a delay!
- sessylU
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- Zork
- PAT. # 2.972.923
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
The synth mod on a OC-2 is genius. It removes the envolope follower and low pass filter from the octave path and offers a crazy glitchy gated squarewave fuzztone madness. It's the shit.
- hulakatt
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
I have a lot of modded pedals.
I've built a fair number of pedals.
I've repaired a handful of pedals.
I've built a fair number of amps.
For some reason, I've never sat down and modded any pedal or amp myself. I think if something's working, I don't want it to stop working because of something I did.
I've built a fair number of pedals.
I've repaired a handful of pedals.
I've built a fair number of amps.
For some reason, I've never sat down and modded any pedal or amp myself. I think if something's working, I don't want it to stop working because of something I did.
Last edited by hulakatt on Mon Feb 21, 2022 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
She/Her
- ctu
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Similar to this mod, I have modified TC Electronic Tailspin vibrato with 1 μF capacitor, without the switch (I don't need it). It is basically the same effect, with TCE being in a metal enclosure but without the "rise" pot. The effect is much, much subtler now with ultra slow mod and therefore much more usable for me.August wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2022 7:33 pmBehringer UV300 slow mod.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cs1aRrFUyE
Edit: definitely not a classic, but makes it a great vibrato option.
- higgsblossom
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Danelectro Spring King Delay mod:
https://jacobkorn.de/studio/danelectro- ... g-mod.html
I regret selling mine, I had no idea this was possible. It makes the Spring King a way better garage rock pedal than it already is.
https://jacobkorn.de/studio/danelectro- ... g-mod.html
I regret selling mine, I had no idea this was possible. It makes the Spring King a way better garage rock pedal than it already is.
"500€? That's the price of a J Mascis Jazzmaster!"
- Zork
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Oh, cool, my Tailspin is gathering dust because it's too fast. Do you have details on the mod?ctu wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 1:23 amSimilar to this mod, I have modified TC Electronic Tailspin vibrato with 1 μF capacitor, without the switch (I don't need it). It is basically the same effect, with TCE being in a metal enclosure but without the "rise" pot. The effect is much, much subtler now with ultra slow mod and therefore much more usable for me.August wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2022 7:33 pmBehringer UV300 slow mod.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cs1aRrFUyE
Edit: definitely not a classic, but makes it a great vibrato option.
- JSett
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Lol, this is my favourite mod. I've done it to almost every Rat I've ever owned.
Actually, now I think about it, my favourite mod is a universal one....putting an LED in any pedal that doesn't already have one. The single most useful modification you can do. Easy, cheap and endlessly functional...I can't think of a single non-LED pedal that isn't instantly improved by it.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?
- ctu
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
Sorry, just saw your post now:
https://www.reddit.com/r/diypedals/comm ... _slow_mod/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMvRlsd62PI
You don't have to use film cap, I used multi-layer capacitor and it worked just fine. I use only (ultra) slow mode so I ditched the switch, it was difficult to solder the cap as it is.
- jvin248
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Re: Your Favorite Pedal Mods?
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Boss MT--2 Metalzone Waza Mod
Stack a pair of Boss DS-1s, keeping them both below 50% distortion. Many use a DS-1 and TS like this but I got a couple of DS-1s as throw ins on guitar trades. Also how I got more than one MT-2...
Fuzz Face from scratch build. May mod with the JHS FF mod.
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Boss MT--2 Metalzone Waza Mod
Stack a pair of Boss DS-1s, keeping them both below 50% distortion. Many use a DS-1 and TS like this but I got a couple of DS-1s as throw ins on guitar trades. Also how I got more than one MT-2...
Fuzz Face from scratch build. May mod with the JHS FF mod.
.