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Pork Loin mod

#361
keto said:
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!
Click to expand...

dave_bass5 said:
Yep, i did the mod without removing the legs, or anything else other than the cover and battery holder.
Click to expand...

That’s cool guys. I would’ve never done it that way. Would think it’s too risky or maybe sloppy. Not sure that’s the right word. Pretty cool it worked. Thanks for sharing!!!
 
#362
Hi all - just picked up a new PL and I think it sounds fantastic - but man is it touch sensitive. Probably the most touch sensitive pedal I have ever tried.

I tend to be a bit of a hard hitter at times and so when I dig in I am getting some pretty harsh clipping that really doesn't sound good.

I am running at 9V. Would running at 18V help prevent that harsh clipping? Any other suggestions?
 
#363
SickAura said:
Hi all - just picked up a new PL and I think it sounds fantastic - but man is it touch sensitive. Probably the most touch sensitive pedal I have ever tried.

I tend to be a bit of a hard hitter at times and so when I dig in I am getting some pretty harsh clipping that really doesn't sound good.

I am running at 9V. Would running at 18V help prevent that harsh clipping? Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

Yes, running at 18v will help. Also try rolling the right hand little knob (forget what it’s called atm) way forward, almost fully and dialing in more clean. That will def help. Also pay attention where your gain is at. It can really start to breakup around noon to 1. Especially if you’re a heavy hitter.
 
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#364
Just got a PL and saw this! Wow, this thread has been going on for a while and the recordings of the modded PL sound amazing!

I’ve been searching around and the only place I could find that has anything close to what I need is at Microcenter. Except it’s a 500pf 1000V 10% Radial lead. I figured this would work well and maybe just give me a very slightly less bright tone than the 470pf. Could anyone confirm this for me?

I’m hoping to get this done tomorrow.
 
#365
KansasCityBassDude said:
Just got a PL and saw this! Wow, this thread has been going on for a while and the recordings of the modded PL sound amazing!

I’ve been searching around and the only place I could find that has anything close to what I need is at Microcenter. Except it’s a 500pf 1000V 10% Radial lead. I figured this would work well and maybe just give me a very slightly less bright tone than the 470pf. Could anyone confirm this for me?

I’m hoping to get this done tomorrow.
Click to expand...

See if @johnk_10 can confirm this...
 
#368
Did the mod today. Wow! I really liked this pedal before but this has given it a whole new life. It can still get dark but can also now go bright. I haven’t messed with the internal knobs yet so I don’t know the full extent of the changes but I like what I hear so far.

I went about this the easy way since I’m not that awesome yet at soldering. I just clipped the old one as high as I could and attached the new one to the legs. Here’s a pic:
 

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#374
Not even closely related but it is, in my limited experience, a much more open and "healthy" overdrive sound.

Needs more testing before it kicks out the pork loin.

For reference, some dirt that can do OD I went trough: odb-3, modded the odb-3, od-3, ibby bb-9, mxr bass dist, modded mxr bass fuzz, mxr di+, bddi, bb-1x, few screamers, rat, revelator, mxr bass compressor, ice9, screamin blues, ...
 
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#375
Ok, ideas here? I have 2 Pork Loins, both modded per this thread. Love them! Had them for a few years now. Recently, I’ve begun using my amp’s pad, turning it off and on. When the pad is off, it would make my amp quieter than when I used other dirt pedals. I could adjust the volume to make it up, but that messed up envelope filter settings, which were set to work with ALL my dirt (which now it doesn’t...). Anyway, put a buffered pedal between my Pork Loin and envelope filter, and the problem is gone! Works perfectly again! Filter responds like it should, the volume stays consistent (relative to all other dirt etc.), and I’m happy.

So, two questions:
1. That sounds like an impedance issue, right? The pad change caused an impedance mismatch which resulted in lower volume.

2. Is there a way to permanently fix that without using a buffered pedal between them? This is my only dirt pedal that does this. Can I just mod something else on my Pork Loin to fix it? I much preferred my arrangement of pedals before this, though could live with this if necessary.

For reference, my dirt is B3K, Pork Loin, GK Rails Pedal, and Pharaoh Supreme. My envelope filter is a Proton, and my amp is a GK700RB-II. The buffered pedal is just my old Boss TU-3. Thanks everyone!
 
#376
Looks like you know your sh** bu I gotta ask a stupid question, is there a drop when PL is on, or off?
Placing a buffer in between, would draw to a conclusion that this drop happens only when PL is off, but...hence the stupid question.
I mean, when it is on, it would be, just turn up the volume on pedal. But, since it is true bypass, when off, it connects the amp to evnvelope directly. There, only a buffer helps to keep the impedances consistent, and I would not recommend adding a buffer to pork loin (on the account of: its just wrong).
 
#377
It is quieter when the PL is on. The buffer makes everything work fine so far. I put my tuner between PL and filter. I don’t want to have to adjust my PL level because it messes with the filter, which is set to react with my other dirt as well. The changing level of the PL made it impossible for the filter to react properly with all of my dirt pedals.
 

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