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ununtrium
Bronze Member
Germany
84 Posts |
 Posted - 08/21/2006 : 16:50:54
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Hi there!
I plan to buy a chorus and a tremolo pedal. My idea is to get a CE-2 and a TR-2. So far so good. 
My question: Is it worthwhile to have them modded?
In the case of the TR-2 the web is full of stories of a volume drop problem, which modifiers, such as Robert Keeley or stinkfoot, claim to have solved. Do you think these mods would be worth the extra costs? If so, which mod (Keeley or stinkfoot) would you prefer? Or am I missing another pedal or mod that is much better than the one(s) mentioned? 
My only experience with chorus pedals was a digital CH-1 which sounded awful.  The CE-2 on the other hand seems to be held in high esteem over here. Would this be a good first chorus-pedal or should I rather get another model? Also, Robert Keeley offers a mod for this pedal. Does anyone have any experience with this? Does this mod deliver or would the pedal be mutilated sound-wise beyond the point of recognition?
I would be grateful for any input. Thanks.
Cheers!  |
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Leeroyfunk
Silver Member
United Kingdom
400 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 17:13:05
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| The CE-2 sounds great straight out of the box! |
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stahlhart
Platinum Member
1318 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 17:20:32
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The CE-2 doesn't require modifications. I could potentially see replacement of electrolytics due to age, but not beyond that -- and I have some serious reservations about these:
* Pair of electrolytics swapped out for Metal Film to reduce 3rd order harmonics and distortion.
* Maximum performance, Gold-Socket Burr Brown (same company that brings you the finest D/A converters) op-amp used to decrease noise and increase fidelity.
* Power supply filter modded so that standard power supplies work better. Higher voltage leads to better headroom.
...unless Robert shows us some test data to back the claims up (and would you really hear such differences through your complete signal chain anyway?).
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ununtrium
Bronze Member
Germany
84 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 18:05:07
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You never really know beforehand. It would be so great, if there was some sort of sample compilation CD/DVD, where you could find the stock version and all mods of certain pedals side by side. Then, you could get a kind of impression of what these modifications sound like compared to each other.
There is this book about sound effects by Dave Hunter, which has a CD that provides sound samples of a lot of different effects and brands. That helped me a lot in choosing the right pedals for me. And this is a lot cheaper than actually getting both stock and modified versions of the pedal first and selling off the one you like less later.
I managed to do this once with a BD-2 and its Keeley Phat Mod. The changes were very subtle, but noticeable. Still, it was a lot of trouble to do and strained me financially.
I guess, modding a pedal will, to some extent, remain a risk, just like swapping your pick-ups or your speakers in you combo or cab. |
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lightburst
Silver Member
Germany
158 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 18:09:28
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I modded a few TR-2 wich my customers like a lot. I did the volume compensation mod and some other things. Itīs a great pedal for modding.
Concerning the CE-2 there is no mod that would help the CE-2 sound better. Just my opinion. Iīve tried some modifications only to realize that the stock circuit is almost perfect. If you donīt like the CE-2 buy another one  |
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Dingus
Silver Member
USA
472 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 19:18:00
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You guys are missing a couple of Robert Keeley's bullet points about his mod. His main mod is the Speedy mod, which gives you a new range for your Rate Knob.
Here are some bullet-points that stahlhart left out:
* SPEEDY CE-2 has much increased rate control. Get crazy pitch-bending effects like the Clone Chorus!
* The SPEEDY CE-2 still gets super slow rates, so nothing is is lost, just speed to gain!
* In the Speed mod, you get all of the hi-fi mods, plus we make a circuit board with additional upgrades and a small potentiometer to have a MASTER speed control. This allows you to have full control, from slower than stock speeds, to zanny pitch-bending weirdness! All with a super fine tone of the Hi-fi modification.
Now don't get me wrong, I totally agree that most "Hi-Fi" mods are absolute crap and they just drop in film caps in place of electrolytics, but the man sells the Hi-Fi mod for $60 and the Hi-Fi + Speedy mod for $70. So it's more like he's just charging you a good amount for the high quality components that he's using which have a greater base cost to him. And what's that crazy bit in the last one about adding a Circuit Board with Additional Upgrades and a Small Pot for a Master Speed Control? If that's part of that whole Speedy mod bit than $70 seems like a rather normal price to me.
But I agree the stock CE-2 is probably the closest Boss came to a masterpiece. I love all the pedals, but the CE-2 pretty much defines what a Chorus is, and what it should sound like.
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stahlhart
Platinum Member
1318 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 20:18:08
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I left those points out on purpose, because I didn't have an issue with them (as I also didn't with the electrolytic replacement) -- more than likely the "speed" modification will do what it was intended to.
It was specifically the "fidelity" mods that I was taking issue with -- because I see that as quite a bit of cost for at best an extremely marginal improvement, if any (and, again, if it would even show up, taking the remainder of one's signal chain into account).
And besides, from what I read there you can't get the "speed" modification by itself -- you have to take it as an add-on to the "fidelity upgrades". So you're paying the bulk of the cost for the most questionable of the changes.
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 23:54:18
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| hi ununtrium.. from reading on the TR-2 at harmony-central, i saw a do-it-yourself mod called the "C4 mod." all you have to do is unsolder the C4 capacitor from the board, and apparantly it makes the pedal way better. ive never tried this, but everyone that has done this says they love it. check out the TR-2 on harmony-central.com in the user reviews section. |
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lightburst
Silver Member
Germany
158 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2006 : 11:35:05
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| I donīt remove C4 but C7. This mod lets more highs come through. |
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bosshog
Silver Member
Canada
493 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2008 : 03:59:43
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quote:
Originally posted by StratoSphere
hi ununtrium.. from reading on the TR-2 at harmony-central, i saw a do-it-yourself mod called the "C4 mod." all you have to do is unsolder the C4 capacitor from the board, and apparantly it makes the pedal way better. ive never tried this, but everyone that has done this says they love it. check out the TR-2 on harmony-central.com in the user reviews section.
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ChristoMephisto
Platinum Member
Canada
1288 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2008 : 13:17:22
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quote:
Originally posted by lightburst
I donīt remove C4 but C7. This mod lets more highs come through.
Think he meant C4 for the volume drop mod,
but yeah, removing c7 on the tr2 removes a band pass filter.
Man i really need a tremolo...
Curious what is on the mini pcb?
Far as i know, there are two methods to adjust the speed on the ce2, lower either r32 or c19. This can be done on the ce3 at the same locations, not reference points. I gave my Tokai chorus the speedy mod, all it does is top off the rate.
Save your ce2, and get a chorrral chorus from tonepad, its a exact clone of the ce2, plus tons of mod options like wet bass, effect knob... |
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kittenface
Bronze Member
USA
90 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2008 : 15:26:27
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| my .02 - it's perfect as is |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2008 : 15:32:44
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Hi Guys
I know I've said this a hundred times before.
The Engineers got it just right, when they designed the CE-2.
Regards Dr. Bob
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stinkfoot
Silver Member
Sweden
181 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2008 : 23:51:52
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The CE-2 IMHO is just about right as is. No need for modifications there, unless you want it to do things it wasn't designed to do originally (which I assume the "speedy" mod is partly about). If you just want a good, slightly mellow chorus, you won't have to change a thing.
The latest version (RoHS compliant/lead-free) TR-2 has no noticeable volume drop, so again if you are happy with it they way it is, there's no need to mod it. Some of the later ones may even have trimpots in them for level control (I've seen at least one of these, but don't know if it was a one-off or a lasting change). The older (mid 2006 and earlier) pedals will appear to have a volume drop when active, which can be fixed. Removing C4 will not add any signal level, though - it is part of the LFO circuit, and may change the way the tremolo behaves (which in turn may change the perceived loss a little). But if you want to raise the volume, that's not it.
Robert adds a level knob to the pedal, while I've gone for a three-way switch. I find a switch to be much easier to set-and-forget, and (more importantly) get back to where I was, should it get accidentally bumped. But it's mostly a matter of taste.
But before you consider any mods, make sure to try the pedals as is. Chances are you just might like them the way they are...
/Andreas |
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Caliban
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
145 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2008 : 00:15:37
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The CE-2 IMHO is just about right as is. No need for modifications there, unless you want it to do things it wasn't designed to do originally (which I assume the "speedy" mod is partly about). If you just want a good, slightly mellow chorus, you won't have to change a thing.
100% in agreement with this. The CE-2 doesn't do detuning, and it doesn't do fast Leslie-type warbles. If you want that, there are lots of alternatives: buy a CE-5, a Small Clone, a Sound City SC-01, or an Arion SCH-1. The CE-2 is a fabulous thing and it shouldn't be mucked around with.
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ChristoMephisto
Platinum Member
Canada
1288 Posts |
Posted - 03/30/2008 : 00:55:54
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| Almost think the CE-2B is a 'upgraded' version with an Effect knob. The non-unity is sometimes too much with some pedals, but perfect with others. |
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Topic |
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Should I have a CE-2 and/or a TR-2 modded?
