Pro mod kits
- Thread starter nomad100
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HughJasol
Well-known member
:lol:
Ok I am going to be the downer poster on this one.It is a cool idea. Would be cool if it could happen. With that being said, I don't think it would work out for the modders. It makes more sense for them to do the mods themselves.
1st they wouldn't be able to sell you a complete kit (stock module & all the parts). They could sell you all of the switches, caps, & resistors but not the stock module unless they bought it for that purpose (at a larger price point). Given that situation you would be paying almost the same price as you would for the donor & the modder to do the mod.
2nd they could sell you just the parts (switches, caps, resistors) for a particular mod, but the end result may not be right. We have all heard of the variances of these parts. This is where the modders experience comes in to tune the mod. They may also test the parts before install to make sure the part is at the desired value. I don't see that as an option for kits.
3rd likely less profit in this for the modders than doing a mod. Also it would be time consuming & take away from what they do best (make our amps sing).
4th there may be copywrite/legal matters that would prevent this or make it not worth the time & effort. I remember 5-10 years ago EVH was on a rampage of Cease & Desist orders to people who were making anything with the old paint jobs/tape jobs he gave his Charvels & Kramers. I even recall a Cease & Desist on selling "Space Tape". It's a cazy world.
I'm in my phone so I'll be brief. People sell mod kits for Amps all the time... Why would yiu sell the module with he kit, you wouldnt sell an amp plus the mod kit wih it would you. No there is no copy write patient issue, it would save them time thus money, in reality there is no snake oil mysticism in tweaking an amp. It is easier when not to start from scratch.
Jaded Faith
Well-known member
This is actually a more complicated issue than it may seem on the surface for several reasons.
There are multiple revisions of PCB's throughout the years. This makes it very difficult to give foolproof directions with a kit. It's would not be much fun trying to provide customer support for something like that either. There is no substitution for experience and understanding the circuits at hand.
A lot of what I do to modules requires fairly advanced soldering skills. Not easy stuff for those less experienced with an iron.
Many of the parts used are fragile. For example, switches are very easy to overheat and ruin. This could be headache waiting to happen in kits.
A lot of my mods take me 3-5 hours to build. Can you imagine what that would be like in the hands of someone who didn't design it and fully understand everything that was being done and why it's being done?
For several different reasons, I can often build a module EXACTLY to plan and it still requires several rounds of fine tuning. As a guy who has modded a lot of amps and pedals, I only wish these modules were as consistent to mod as say a Boss pedal with a Monte Allums kit.
Finally and most importantly, there are times where you can create the exact same mod for the 20th time and that one time something weird is going on that you just can't understand. For example, I have an SL+ on the shop shelf that was supposed to be a 1959RR. For reasons I have yet to figure out, it behaves exactly like a Theremin. You can move your hand all around it and make it do all the same things a Theremin does. True story! Try troubleshooting that one over the phone with and angry customer.
I love the idea, trust me. It would be such a time saver and I would gladly use that time to develop and release new products. But you are paying for our knowledge, experience, ear for fine tuning and troubleshooting skills every time you buy a mod. These things are not easy to package in a kit and ship off.
There are multiple revisions of PCB's throughout the years. This makes it very difficult to give foolproof directions with a kit. It's would not be much fun trying to provide customer support for something like that either. There is no substitution for experience and understanding the circuits at hand.
A lot of what I do to modules requires fairly advanced soldering skills. Not easy stuff for those less experienced with an iron.
Many of the parts used are fragile. For example, switches are very easy to overheat and ruin. This could be headache waiting to happen in kits.
A lot of my mods take me 3-5 hours to build. Can you imagine what that would be like in the hands of someone who didn't design it and fully understand everything that was being done and why it's being done?
For several different reasons, I can often build a module EXACTLY to plan and it still requires several rounds of fine tuning. As a guy who has modded a lot of amps and pedals, I only wish these modules were as consistent to mod as say a Boss pedal with a Monte Allums kit.
Finally and most importantly, there are times where you can create the exact same mod for the 20th time and that one time something weird is going on that you just can't understand. For example, I have an SL+ on the shop shelf that was supposed to be a 1959RR. For reasons I have yet to figure out, it behaves exactly like a Theremin. You can move your hand all around it and make it do all the same things a Theremin does. True story! Try troubleshooting that one over the phone with and angry customer.
I love the idea, trust me. It would be such a time saver and I would gladly use that time to develop and release new products. But you are paying for our knowledge, experience, ear for fine tuning and troubleshooting skills every time you buy a mod. These things are not easy to package in a kit and ship off.
I agree a lot of people should not attempt to mod the modules themselves. I've done a valve junior and a Mesa nomad head, both of those I figured out what to do by comparing schematics. There a lack of schematics for the mrs stuff
Jaded Faith
Well-known member
Probably in part due to the fact there have been so many revisions. What few schematics you may find floating around are not always sure to work for the module that you have. You could always trace it out yourself though.nomad100 said:I agree a lot of people should not attempt to mod the modules themselves. I've done a valve junior and a Mesa nomad head, both of those I figured out what to do by comparing schematics. There a lack of schematics for the mrs stuff
Rod
Well-known member
Rob, I think you should sell the Therimin High Gain module
Rod
Well-known member
Rob, I think you should sell the Therimin High Gain module
Jaded Faith
Well-known member
I totally would if I could figure out how to consistently break one in that manner! :lol:Rod said:
Jaded Faith said:
As a pedal builder/modder (w/o the time due to a "real" engineering job), I'm not sure it would mean extra time for you. You might end up spending more time supporting customers and trying to troubleshoot over the phone... Just sayin'.
That said, I've got my first MTS head on the way, a RM50H, looking forward to checking it out! I know, a little late considering they are now discontinued, but that's me, always a few steps behind, wanna dance? ;-)
BigBrewtus
Well-known member
Welcome sir and if you like modding pedals then you should love tinkering with modules. The 50 is great place to start. Enjoy!devastone said:
