Current Affairs: Why Mod Your Pedal?
Something that’s come up quite a few times in conversations with clients is about why they should have their pedals modded. And it’s a good question. If you’re perfectly happy with how your pedal sounds and operates as it is and how the original manufacturers intended, then why should you?
“The good part about it is that you can take a very inexpensive pedal and turn it into something that you may love with your own hands and there is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
I think this encapsulates what I intend to put across with this post. Brian is, as a number of you will know, an expert on the subject and a bit of a legend in our industry these days. He’s self-published a number of guides on pedal modding.
So without further ado, why should you mod your pedal?
Well, firstly, IT’S FUN!
And after all, if something isn’t fun then is it really worth doing at all? Although learning how to mod pedals can be a frustrating process, these skills can even lead to you building your own pedals. It doesn’t stop there – the opportunities are endless!
It’s cheaper than buying a new pedal
Buying a used pedal with the intention of modding it certainly undercuts the price of buying a new model. And doing so might just unlock what you’ve been missing in your rig/set-up. Also, since nearly all guitarists and gear enthusiasts love options, it’s a great way to create even more of them! What’s not to like?
You’ll learn about your pedals
The more you tinker with effects and pedals, the more you’ll get to know how they work! Then in time, you’ll be able to identify the “building blocks” of certain effects and what each part does. In doing so, you’ll start learning what you like about certain effects and then ultimately be able to define your sound!
You can get more functionality from your pedals
Modifications don’t just need to be of the effect’s circuit but could also be practical. Not happy with the buffer? Convert it to true bypass. Change the soft switch out to something more solid, add a mids pot to your big muff so as not to get it lost in the mix, or stick a boost in the battery compartment of your overdrive pedal. Not too long ago I really went to town on a client’s DL-4 to give an already utility pedal even more functions. There are more options than you think to mods.
On this note, I should point out some drawbacks of modifying your pedals… Not that there are many, there are just some things that you ought to realise before you reach for your soldering iron.
You could destroy your pedal…
Desoldering can take a bit of practice to get right, and sometimes traces and solder pads on some older pedals can be a tad fragile. That being said, if you take your time and are careful, you should be fine. There are always workarounds for these sorts of things.
Don’t worry this was before a successful mod attempt!
You only change the nature of the pedal’s circuit
I mention this as a tale of caution: when you’re modifying your pedal, the circuit will still operate in the same way (unless you’re drastically modifying or even circuit-bending it.), Just remember that modifying your DS-1 isn’t going to make it sound like a Big Muff!
A lot of new pedals are just modified versions of pre-existing circuits
While this is true (it seems every time I blink there are 10 new Tube Screamer pedals), and admittedly my own Szczur pedal is a modified RAT, that is the beauty of modding analog circuits! You might tweak something just right and really want to share it with the world!
If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve hopefully got an idea of why modding pedals is or isn’t for you. If it’s something you think you’d like to give a try, by all means drop me a line and I can give you some tips and recommend some further reading. And if firing up your soldering iron seems too risky but you fancy getting an old pedal modded, then drop me a line too. I love a challenge!
