FEA Dual Band Distortion help/thoughts

dharmashawn · #1 07-31-2011, 09:22 AM

I have this great sounding pedal with their stock knobs. The knobs, however, are not so great and seemingly invisible.

It is a small task and medium $$ investment to change/upgrade all TEN, but damn I can't see these things when I meditate (in full Lotus position, of course) in front of my board, let alone standing and playing!!

Any thoughts or suggestions from y'all that have this pedal? Anyone who has this pedal knows that they are Small and Close together and I am trying not to buy one knob try it> then order 9 more.
That may get old with trial and error.

Thanks Much in Advance for yr anticipated help....
and sarcasm/lol random one liners that I have grown to Love. I am new (to posting) around here, but have enjoyed for years.

Mingus Addict · #2 07-31-2011, 12:58 PM

I have the same problem with that pedal. The knobs are pretty attractive in my opinion, but you can't see the position marker. I was thinking about just coloring in the line with something to make it stand out on the existing knobs. You could try a sharpie, or a wax pencil, or maybe one of those paint pens with a metallic color (other than silver). Maybe even paint or nail polish would work if you were careful. Depending on your "artistic" ability and the medium you chose, it could turn out pretty sharp, and you wouldn't have to worry about trying a bunch different knobs.

Dark Barn · #3 07-31-2011, 01:10 PM

I think the owner of FEA suggests to paint a black line onto the stock knobs. I own one of their pedals and just deal with it but one of these days I'll get around to painting some lines on them. I think the shiny aluminum knobs sort of complete the look, aesthetically FEA pedals are some of the coolest out there, sort of a 1960's nerd-chic elegance. I think aftermarket knobs might kill the vibe even if they made it easier to use.

I GAS for the Dual Band Distortion, let me know just how awesome it is please dharmashawn so I can justify it to myself when they are back in stock.

RickenBoogie · #4 07-31-2011, 01:24 PM

+1 to the Sharpie or paint pen advice.

dharmashawn · #5 08-01-2011, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Barn

I think the owner of FEA suggests to paint a black line onto the stock knobs. I own one of their pedals and just deal with it but one of these days I'll get around to painting some lines on them. I think the shiny aluminum knobs sort of complete the look, aesthetically FEA pedals are some of the coolest out there, sort of a 1960's nerd-chic elegance. I think aftermarket knobs might kill the vibe even if they made it easier to use.

I GAS for the Dual Band Distortion, let me know just how awesome it is please dharmashawn so I can justify it to myself when they are back in stock.

I totally agree that changing the knobs would do some serious damage to the ultra cool vibe this pedal has going for it. The black line fill in (or maybe eggplant to match the pedal) is the route I am going to go with. I have some friends in the art/tattoo scene that I will ask some questions re: what type of paint or pen I should use. OF course I will post some pics.

This pedal is cool as hell!! I have the chain now running:
Bass>Tunner>GR2>Octron in GR2 effects loop>FEA DBD>Rusty Box>Daring Audio Phat Beam
The FEA does take some time to get familiar with considering it is only a distortion. I mean, sh*t there are ten knobs!! But the sound is Sick!It was a present from my better half and I will not be flipping this.

Mark Latimour · #6 08-01-2011, 07:29 AM

Ask your girlfriend to borow some of her brightest nail polish and use that to make the line more visible. As it works like a laquer it will fill the line better and more brightly than a sharpie.

THat said, if you are a bassist into using effects, you probably don't have a girlfriend!

Dark Barn · #7 08-01-2011, 12:28 PM

So, I got inspired today and went ahead and painted my knobs. I used a fine point black Sharpie Paint marker. I recommend anyone trying this pick up an extra-fine point instead. The fine point was too large and I ended up with a fair amount of excess paint on the top surface of the knobs. No matter, I waited 20 minutes and then went at them with an old t-shirt and some rubbing alcohol to get the excess paint off the knobs, came out looking great. I need to redo two of the knobs which I rubbed too much off of but all the rest came out looking like they could be stock. If I had a decent camera I'd share with you guys.

I think in low light conditions these might still be hard to see but at least now they are plainly visible in good light where as before even with good light it could sometimes be iffy.

The guy at the art supply store suggested that Sharpie was fine for black but for other colors to get a more expensive brand, Krink. Sharpies were under $3 and Krinks were under $7.

Mingus Addict · #8 08-02-2011, 11:21 AM

I don't know if the gold would stand out well enough against the silver but this could potentially look awesome: Amazon.com: Sanfrd Permanent Paint Marker, Extra Fine Point, Metallic Gold: Office Products

dharmashawn · #9 08-09-2011, 05:42 AM

This was done with an ,Ultra-Fine tip, Opaque Acrylic Painters Pen (made by Elmer's of all people).
I tried a nicer Black Permanent Artists Marker, but even after a day of drying it was easily smudged.