Anyone know some common mods that are done to stompboxes? Like more gain in a distortion, or a different sound to a chorus. What about voltage mods? Like 9 to 18 volts? Thanks.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Stomp box mods?
- Thread starter Stu L.
- Start date
Adding an expression pedal to *anything* is popular in Edinburgh, especially with digital delays, flangers, and phasers. Attach it across the "speed" dial, and you can get lots of cool sounds.
I'm thinking about doing it across the tone pot of a distortion, so I can get some cool sweeps.
This is probably the only city in the world where Bespeco volume and wah pedals are worth anything......
I'm thinking about doing it across the tone pot of a distortion, so I can get some cool sweeps.
This is probably the only city in the world where Bespeco volume and wah pedals are worth anything......
Benjamin Strange
Commercial User
- Dec 25, 2002
- 9,737
- 310
- 49
- Disclosures
- Owner / Tech: Strange Guitarworks
An expression on a delay, eh ?... That's very interesting.
How would one achieve that ?
(How do you mean exactly by "attaching it across the speed dial" ?)
This is just about impossible to successfully explain using text (i've spent 15 mins trying now) and I can't use the paint program on this machine......
I'll try and get some kind of picture drawn up later
Benjamin Strange
Commercial User
- Dec 25, 2002
- 9,737
- 310
- 49
- Disclosures
- Owner / Tech: Strange Guitarworks
Lots of pedals have expression pedal inputs. Look for those on alot of Boss pedals, especially delays, modulation FX, etc. No mods necessary.
Aye, but where's the fun in that?
Anyway, Boss are expensive, the stuff you pick up in junk shops ins't, and sometimes sounds better too.
I already have a Boss delay (DD-2) with which I like to mess around : I hook it to another musician's instrument, or a drum machine, and fiddle with the knobs while they're playing.
It gives fun results.
If I could control it by foot, I could do that while playing the bass.
But it doesn't have an expression pedal input.
Thanks Parrot if you can find a way to explain.
It gives fun results.
If I could control it by foot, I could do that while playing the bass.
But it doesn't have an expression pedal input.
Thanks Parrot if you can find a way to explain.
When I said "speed" knob, on a delay, that's the rate, or on mine, the "delay" knob - the one that controls the speed of the delay. Now on any digital delay, by turning that while it's already doing it's thing results in cool sounds. What you're doing is adding another pot across that by adding the exp. pot to the connectors to the first pot, so when the one on the pedal is in one position, by changing the expression pedal, you get one sound, doing it a different way you get a different noise.
The way it usually seems to be done (I'm not sure how it's wired, I'm gonna ask my mate about that tomorrow) is that with the rate at it's highest setting, by moving the expression, you get a kinda divebomb sound, and vise-versa.
To be honest, I've not done this mod to a delay - I've not got a cheap delay to do it to, only a really nice delay bought off a TBer - I've only done similar things to flangers, etc. Much easier - remove said pot and mount it in expression pedal.
Though, seen as this mod to a delay doesn't involve much hacking up of the original pedal (only a way out for the new wires is needed), I just recommend getting an expression pedal, some wires and some crocodile clips, and just experimenting. You could just mount the rate pot in the expression pedal, or have two expression pedals...... or anything.
The way it usually seems to be done (I'm not sure how it's wired, I'm gonna ask my mate about that tomorrow) is that with the rate at it's highest setting, by moving the expression, you get a kinda divebomb sound, and vise-versa.
To be honest, I've not done this mod to a delay - I've not got a cheap delay to do it to, only a really nice delay bought off a TBer - I've only done similar things to flangers, etc. Much easier - remove said pot and mount it in expression pedal.
Though, seen as this mod to a delay doesn't involve much hacking up of the original pedal (only a way out for the new wires is needed), I just recommend getting an expression pedal, some wires and some crocodile clips, and just experimenting. You could just mount the rate pot in the expression pedal, or have two expression pedals...... or anything.
Benjamin Strange
Commercial User
- Dec 25, 2002
- 9,737
- 310
- 49
- Disclosures
- Owner / Tech: Strange Guitarworks
EH used to make a pedal ages ago that would do that without taking the original pedal apart. You mounted a lead of some sort on whatever pot you want to control, and you could actually rotate the pot on your pedal in real time! Cool! Too bad I can't remember what it's called, and even too-er bad-er it's probably super expensive if you were to find one.
I'm sure that can be done pretty easy...just can't imagine it working 100% considering the footpedal would be in parallel to the pot. Unless you disconnect the pot on the stompbox, I'm sure it's only around 50% effective.
My favorite mod of course is to pop in a higher value cap for more bass.
Originally posted by tplyons
My favorite mod of course is to pop in a higher value cap for more bass.
When you say higher value, do the #'s go up or down? (like 10ga wire is bigger than 18ga, etc)
And would that be a way to keep bass-sucking distortion pedals on track?
Replace a 1uF (Micro-farad) capacitor with a 2.2uF or a 4.7uF. Bigger the value, the bigger the capacitance.
I'll have to look into that. What I'll prolly do, as I'm not extremely familiar with electronics, is ask some tech guy I know what he thinks can be done, based on your explanation.
I have a DD-2 which I like to play with. But have been toying with the idea of getting one of the newer models which feature a reverse delay.
Whenever I do that, I guess I can sacrifice the DD-2 to some experimenting.
I find this actually quite exciting, because I was recently trying to figure out a way to control the knobs by foot. Although I was looking at some mechanical device : Like building a casing for the Boss, in which I'd include 1 or 2 expression type foot controllers directly linked to the knobs by a strap of some sort.
I know it sounds crazy (and not very elegant), but I really do have a lot of fun playing with this unit as described above.
Now if I could only play the bass at the same time, it'd be pure bliss.
Benjamin Strange
Commercial User
- Dec 25, 2002
- 9,737
- 310
- 49
- Disclosures
- Owner / Tech: Strange Guitarworks
Eureka! It's the EH Hot Foot. I couldn't find a good picture of it, but here you go:
The line that come off it is physically controlled by the pedal, kind of like a cable hi-hat, or the brakes on your bicycle. It rotates a mechanism at the end that's attached to the pot on the effect. Ta-da! Instant control over any parameter.
The line that come off it is physically controlled by the pedal, kind of like a cable hi-hat, or the brakes on your bicycle. It rotates a mechanism at the end that's attached to the pot on the effect. Ta-da! Instant control over any parameter.
Wow I want like five of those!Originally posted by basstriaxis
Eureka! It's the EH Hot Foot. I couldn't find a good picture of it, but here you go:
The line that come off it is physically controlled by the pedal, kind of like a cable hi-hat, or the brakes on your bicycle. It rotates a mechanism at the end that's attached to the pot on the effect. Ta-da! Instant control over any parameter.
Originally posted by basstriaxis
Eureka! It's the EH Hot Foot. I couldn't find a good picture of it, but here you go:
The line that come off it is physically controlled by the pedal, kind of like a cable hi-hat, or the brakes on your bicycle. It rotates a mechanism at the end that's attached to the pot on the effect. Ta-da! Instant control over any parameter.
"Dear Santa,....."
well, depending on how it works in the circuit, you can basically replace the any knob you want with an expression pedal. you just have to know how to jack into the circuit and give it the same results it expects from the stock part.
due to the many different ways effects can be designed in both the analog and digital domains, it's impossible to give one method or one description of how.
basically you're replacing one part with another one which does all the same thing electrically, but interfaces with the human user in a different way.
robb.
