Caps can be tricky to ID and cheap cap meters don't do well in pf ranges.
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Pork Loin mod
- Thread starter johnk_10
- Start date
It just takes some experience... like soldering. We are lucky now to have so many guides to look stuff up on the web. You're smart enough to ask questions before doing the mod; your smart enough to figure out what you need to do what you want with elecronal stuffEven harder for someone like me who hasn’t a clue
Got mine the other day... time to track down some caps and perform the mod myself.... it does sound really good stock though, especially running through a Quilter BB800.
Im still in two minds about mine. I really liked it before, and although i can hear a difference since the mod im not sure i feel its any better. I must admit ive not really used it much since doing the mod though.
I have Pork Loin for a year now and every now and then I look at this thread and started thinking about doing a mod. Although I don't use it as a drive pedal, more like a always-on preamp because I really like the sound of the British preamp side of the pedal... I dial in drive depending on the band and situation.
Always, other than once when i was using it with a battery. I run it off my Cioks DC5 using the 18v output.Have you ran it at 18v yet though.......
Dont get me wrong, im not saying it doesn't sound good, i still love it, only i found myself dialling back in the original tone as i think that was perfect for me.
Yeah I got you @dave_bass5 . The PL is perfection for those who want that warmer pushed tubes sounds. I love it both ways. I’m more on the side of wanting vibrant, chimy OD tones most times so the mod was perfect for me. But it’s awesome I can dial it back and get some Motown spank with my P bass sometimes.
I used to think the PL was not all that diverse. But after playing with it at home and really digging in to it, I realize now that it is quite diverse. It can do quite a lot of tones. And I dig the 18v option it gives that I didn’t even know was there the first year I had it.
I used to think the PL was not all that diverse. But after playing with it at home and really digging in to it, I realize now that it is quite diverse. It can do quite a lot of tones. And I dig the 18v option it gives that I didn’t even know was there the first year I had it.
So ive read, but having a BDDI and a pre amp in my amp im not sure i would ever need a 3rd.
Thats the thing. For me it does everything i expected before the mod. Im happy that i do have a bit more openness on top now, so i wouldn't go back to pre mod, but it seems i was lucky to find a pedal that was exactly what i was looking for.
Had i stuck to my original plan and replaced the BDDI maybe i would be thinking differently, but now i have used both together im glad i got the PL.
For sure! The PL sounds glorious through my preamp "system". Or on it's own. I prefer it with my preamp coatings though haha
Heads up Canadian shoppers - L&M are still selling old versions....got mine a month ago new, but didn’t check the cap until tonight. Just changed it out, off to a gig wish me luck. Did test it for 11 seconds before putting on my board lol.
There is only one version of the circuit the factory cap change is a myth.
I kept hearing the thing about the cap value being changed at the factory but had yet to hear of anyone who actually received one that way. I was hoping someone would come along and put that myth to bed, so thanks for that. I must admit though, I had been wondering for quite a while if there was any validity to it.
I posted earlier this year that I got mine new, and it also had the old cap in it.
Reading back in the thread, one or two users ask if you can clip the cap where the legs begin, and solder the new cap to the old legs. The answer is resoundingly YES absolutely, it makes the job WAY (HUGELY) easier. I did it last night - I have lots of experience building pedals, so I decided to do it at 7:30 when I had to leave for a gig at 8, and I was done and tested with time to spare. Wish I would have taken a couple of snaps, but let me describe the process:
-I did (almost, see next bullet point) completely disassemble the pedal. There are 3 sub assemblies inside, I had to remove the jack assembly to get the big board out, so unscrewed the jack receptacles and pulled the (I didn't count 8? 10?) pin connector from the jack assembly to the main board. Remember to plug this back in later. Same with the 4 pin connector from the stomp switch, they just lift straight off the main board end. The knobs just pop off (I used a straight screwdriver and twisted it, not elegant but slow firm pressure and they slide right up), then undo the nuts under the knobs, and everything should slide out - you'll have to wiggle things around a bit, but not bad at all.
-you don't have to remove the stomp switch to get the main board out, just pull the 4 pin connector
-I snipped the 102J cap right below the body ((see the very first pic on page 1 of this thread, shows exactly which cap it is)), leaving as much 'leg' as I could. The legs have slight angled bends in them, this comes in handy as a good spot for the new cap to attach
-the new cap had very long legs. I folded them just about in half, then used them as hooks or catches against the angled bend I referenced above. Sorta like guides for a cutlery drawer. Once snug, bend the wire on the cap end until it's tight, using the smallest needle nosed pliers you have on hand. Almost looks like a simple knot.
-if you've done the above as I tried to describe it, the new cap will hold itself in place, no need for a third hand. The 'knot' doesn't have to be super tight, just bending the new cap wire around the existing wire on one side will create enough holding force for the cap not to move while you solder it.
-I did one at a time, ie, bent the first one and soldered, then bent the other one tight and soldered.
-When soldering, no need to touch the board, just the wires where they meet. IF THE WIRE FROM THE BOARD POPS OUT OF IT'S HOLE YOU'VE DONE IT WRONG, TAKE IT TO SOMEONE MORE EXPERIENCED BEFORE YOU COOK THE BOARD. Keep in mind, you are heating the wires, not the solder. Just touch the wires for a second or two with the iron, then put the solder on the wires NOT ON THE IRON. A little dab'll do ya.
-clipped off the excess leftover wire.
-reassemble, remembering to reinstall the connectors from the inputs and stomp switch back onto the main board. They just push on. When pushing on, don't push TOO hard, they will seat with firm but easy pressure. There's no 'click' to tell you they're there. If you push too hard, you could crack the main board, firm but easy.
-when putting the knobs back on, there are little clips on the ends of the shafts of the knobs, that may have got stuck inside the knob(s) when you pulled them off. I had 2 in knobs that I couldn't see and only 1 on a pot shaft, which was confusing until I looked in the knobs and confirmed the clips had just stayed inside the knobs when I pulled them off. No big deal
-when putting the knobs back on, you CAN use a fair amount of pressure to get them to fully seat. The nut on the pot shaft prevents excess pressure going down to the main board.
-go test it and see how much more open it sounds, excellent mod!
-I did (almost, see next bullet point) completely disassemble the pedal. There are 3 sub assemblies inside, I had to remove the jack assembly to get the big board out, so unscrewed the jack receptacles and pulled the (I didn't count 8? 10?) pin connector from the jack assembly to the main board. Remember to plug this back in later. Same with the 4 pin connector from the stomp switch, they just lift straight off the main board end. The knobs just pop off (I used a straight screwdriver and twisted it, not elegant but slow firm pressure and they slide right up), then undo the nuts under the knobs, and everything should slide out - you'll have to wiggle things around a bit, but not bad at all.
-you don't have to remove the stomp switch to get the main board out, just pull the 4 pin connector
-I snipped the 102J cap right below the body ((see the very first pic on page 1 of this thread, shows exactly which cap it is)), leaving as much 'leg' as I could. The legs have slight angled bends in them, this comes in handy as a good spot for the new cap to attach
-the new cap had very long legs. I folded them just about in half, then used them as hooks or catches against the angled bend I referenced above. Sorta like guides for a cutlery drawer. Once snug, bend the wire on the cap end until it's tight, using the smallest needle nosed pliers you have on hand. Almost looks like a simple knot.
-if you've done the above as I tried to describe it, the new cap will hold itself in place, no need for a third hand. The 'knot' doesn't have to be super tight, just bending the new cap wire around the existing wire on one side will create enough holding force for the cap not to move while you solder it.
-I did one at a time, ie, bent the first one and soldered, then bent the other one tight and soldered.
-When soldering, no need to touch the board, just the wires where they meet. IF THE WIRE FROM THE BOARD POPS OUT OF IT'S HOLE YOU'VE DONE IT WRONG, TAKE IT TO SOMEONE MORE EXPERIENCED BEFORE YOU COOK THE BOARD. Keep in mind, you are heating the wires, not the solder. Just touch the wires for a second or two with the iron, then put the solder on the wires NOT ON THE IRON. A little dab'll do ya.
-clipped off the excess leftover wire.
-reassemble, remembering to reinstall the connectors from the inputs and stomp switch back onto the main board. They just push on. When pushing on, don't push TOO hard, they will seat with firm but easy pressure. There's no 'click' to tell you they're there. If you push too hard, you could crack the main board, firm but easy.
-when putting the knobs back on, there are little clips on the ends of the shafts of the knobs, that may have got stuck inside the knob(s) when you pulled them off. I had 2 in knobs that I couldn't see and only 1 on a pot shaft, which was confusing until I looked in the knobs and confirmed the clips had just stayed inside the knobs when I pulled them off. No big deal
-when putting the knobs back on, you CAN use a fair amount of pressure to get them to fully seat. The nut on the pot shaft prevents excess pressure going down to the main board.
-go test it and see how much more open it sounds, excellent mod!
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