New OC-2 Pedal :)

phangtonpower · #1 01-04-2013, 02:58 AM

Just got a pretty much brand new MIT OC-2 pedal for about 56 bucks, or 4900 yen. There is not a scratch on the pedal.

I've found the tracking to be excellent. On my active PJ strung with DR sunbeams it kinda tracks my G string pretty bad, but on my fretless it's fine. What surprised me is that on either bass it tracks pretty good all the way down to the low E. I've read that tracking is usually not that good down to an A.

I've also read that the Taiwanese versions track better, but after opening it up, it actually has the Japanese PCB.

I was thinking about doing the synth mod, but now am kinda hesitant since it's a MIT MIJ hybrid, tracks well, and is in pretty much mint condition!

rimbaud · #2 01-04-2013, 03:18 AM

You don't own an hybrid, and Taïwanese are as good as Japanese. The PCB has always been the same, 99 % of MIT and MIJ components are strictly the same.

... but I won't talk about this stupid MIJ OC-2 hype again, it's just a pretext for pussies to sell same at an unreasonnable price "hey built in the 80's only between 82 and 86 it's the must have go for it !!" that's how you build.... ahem... reputations yeah, for better or worse....

phangtonpower · #3 01-04-2013, 03:24 AM

I know it's not really a hybrid. I'm sure it was just left over Japanese PCB's sent to Taiwan and assembled there. And honestly I wanted a MIT one to mod, but the condition it's in and for how old it might be(around 89???) and how good it sounds, I may just keep it the way it is instead of modding it, or at least wait until it's all dinged up.

rimbaud · #4 01-04-2013, 03:28 AM

Buy another one for the same price and mod it

I think that would be cool to have 2 octavers in a pedalboard for different use... It's cheapy, you can re-sell it easily, so... no risk !!

phangtonpower · #5 01-04-2013, 03:31 AM

I would, but I'm super poor and that was actually really cheap for the pedal here in Japan

I thought the PCB's were different between the MIT and MIJ? I mean layout wise.

rimbaud · #6 01-04-2013, 03:37 AM

This has been discussed many times there, I've asked some elctronics guys about this too, in Europe, USA, Asia.

PCB's are the same, only some few components differ but they seem to not alter the sound.

edit: the main difference is how it is powered, and that can change the pcb layout of course, but it doesn't alter the sound for sure.

Skrogh · #7 01-04-2013, 03:38 AM

Actually he is right, when the production moved to taiwan, they had some pcb's left and used those up. The newer taiwanese pcb has dropped the voltageregulator and runs on a 9v psu instead of a 9.6v psu. The power jack is boardmounted on the new one to

I did the synthmod on my mit with jap. Pcb. But mine was pretty beaten-up. It migt not be good to it's resell value, but will be good to the sound.

Mine track fine on the e-string too, but sounds like crap. Low e an octave down is ~21 hz, and goes flapflapflapflapflapflap

rimbaud · #8 01-04-2013, 03:42 AM

Of course he is right, but the powering changes did not alter the sound in any case, that's what I'm also saying

phangtonpower · #9 01-04-2013, 04:08 AM

I wasn't gonna be picky at this price point and I'm sure even if there was difference in sound, I wouldn't have picked it up :P I really was looking for an MIT anyway because they're out there cheaper.

Skorgh do you think the mod was worth it? and would you do it to a pretty much brand new looking pedal? I'm hoarder, so I probably wouldn't sell it anyway ><

P.S. Even though it can track down to a low E, it doesn't sound very good.

Skrogh · #10 01-05-2013, 02:48 AM

Some people might find it "offensive" to do it to a mint MIT, J pcb "for the collector value", but it's not a japanese with the "Octaver" text; so it's not that bad.

I'd do it, I love my synth-mod, I'm not using the stock mode at all now.
-But putting in the gate, I have in mine really does add up too.

But please, put the switches on the top (well the side really, but the part that points erhm... north?), mines are next to the I/O-jacks and gets a bit in the way.

phangtonpower · #11 01-05-2013, 03:32 AM

Just to make sure, to do this mod I need 2 spdt on/on switches?

Skrogh · #12 01-05-2013, 05:06 AM

Depends on what you want

There is a whole thread about OC-2 modding here somewhere. I've posted some instructions there for what I did, Gastric has some posts there too, and soudclips.

If you want it with gate, you'd need at least one dpdt

phangtonpower · #13 01-05-2013, 05:32 AM

Went through the thread but maybe missed what switches I needed. I wanted to have a switch for oct1 and 2. Just wanted to make sure it's an on/on switch