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Mods for Bad Monkey?
Mods for Bad Monkey?
Hello gearheads,
are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
sound as good, as the first one. Although I compared them both
using the same AC adaptor, I accidently had left the original shipped
batteries in the pedal. After removing the batteries, the units sounded
much more similar! So far, I wasn't aware
that a battery used in conjunction with an AC adaptor
can have such a huge influence on the sound of a pedal, tzz. (can
someone second that?)
Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
(9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really). Both have a huge impact on
the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
prefer.
But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
significant ...
... and that I just can't go to the next store and buy an identical
other, i my beloved first unit should die :-/
Just FYI
Hello gearheads,
are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
sound as good, as the first one. Although I compared them both
using the same AC adaptor, I accidently had left the original shipped
batteries in the pedal. After removing the batteries, the units sounded
much more similar! So far, I wasn't aware
that a battery used in conjunction with an AC adaptor
can have such a huge influence on the sound of a pedal, tzz. (can
someone second that?)
Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
(9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really). Both have a huge impact on
the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
prefer.
But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
significant ...
... and that I just can't go to the next store and buy an identical
other, i my beloved first unit should die :-/
Just FYI
Re: Mods for Bad Monkey?
On Sun, 1 Apr 2007 18:35:52 +0200, oz <oz@bluemonk.de> wrote:
>Hello gearheads,
>
>are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
>
>I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
>because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
>monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
>with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
>sound as good, as the first one. Although I compared them both
>using the same AC adaptor, I accidently had left the original shipped
>batteries in the pedal. After removing the batteries, the units sounded
>much more similar! So far, I wasn't aware
>that a battery used in conjunction with an AC adaptor
>can have such a huge influence on the sound of a pedal, tzz. (can
>someone second that?)
>
>Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
>units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
>thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
>it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
>
>Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
>swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
>(9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really). Both have a huge impact on
>the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
>more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
>prefer.
>
>But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
>comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
>modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
>already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
>significant ...
>
>... and that I just can't go to the next store and buy an identical
>other, i my beloved first unit should die :-/
A couple of thoughts ... Most common mod for pedals like that is rehousing with
higher quality, true bypass switching and more solid pots. Everything affects
the tone. Try this, set a block of wood next to the pedal, just a chunk of 2x4
or whatever's handy. Play, hold a chord, pick up the pedal and set it on the
block of wood while sustaining that chord. Listen for the difference when your
fingers release it. Set it back on the floor or table, listening for the
difference. It's subtle, but it's there.
The battery is electrically out of the circuit when you plug in the adaptor. But
like I said, everything, including the mass and materials used makes a
difference.
Ron
Effect pedal demo's up at * w w w .soundclick . com /ronsonicpedalry
On Sun, 1 Apr 2007 18:35:52 +0200, oz <oz@bluemonk.de> wrote:
>Hello gearheads,
>
>are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
>
>I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
>because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
>monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
>with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
>sound as good, as the first one. Although I compared them both
>using the same AC adaptor, I accidently had left the original shipped
>batteries in the pedal. After removing the batteries, the units sounded
>much more similar! So far, I wasn't aware
>that a battery used in conjunction with an AC adaptor
>can have such a huge influence on the sound of a pedal, tzz. (can
>someone second that?)
>
>Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
>units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
>thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
>it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
>
>Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
>swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
>(9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really). Both have a huge impact on
>the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
>more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
>prefer.
>
>But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
>comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
>modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
>already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
>significant ...
>
>... and that I just can't go to the next store and buy an identical
>other, i my beloved first unit should die :-/
A couple of thoughts ... Most common mod for pedals like that is rehousing with
higher quality, true bypass switching and more solid pots. Everything affects
the tone. Try this, set a block of wood next to the pedal, just a chunk of 2x4
or whatever's handy. Play, hold a chord, pick up the pedal and set it on the
block of wood while sustaining that chord. Listen for the difference when your
fingers release it. Set it back on the floor or table, listening for the
difference. It's subtle, but it's there.
The battery is electrically out of the circuit when you plug in the adaptor. But
like I said, everything, including the mass and materials used makes a
difference.
Ron
Effect pedal demo's up at * w w w .soundclick . com /ronsonicpedalry
Re: Mods for Bad Monkey?
On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:06:55 -0400
RonSonic <ronsonic@tampabay.rr . com > wrote:
> A couple of thoughts ... Most common mod for pedals like that is rehousing with
> higher quality, true bypass switching and more solid pots. Everything affects
> the tone. Try this, set a block of wood next to the pedal, just a chunk of 2x4
> or whatever's handy. Play, hold a chord, pick up the pedal and set it on the
> block of wood while sustaining that chord. Listen for the difference when your
> fingers release it. Set it back on the floor or table, listening for the
> difference. It's subtle, but it's there.
Very interesting, must be some kind of "microphonic" effect - will try
that sometime.
> The battery is electrically out of the circuit when you plug in the adaptor. But
> like I said, everything, including the mass and materials used makes a
> difference.
I repeated it a few times this evening. Played thru the monkey with only
AC adaptor and the other time with AC adapter *plus* alkaline
batterie. With the last setup it sounds definitely else (and
degraded). - Ok, it is no double blind test, but it's too significant
for being psycho-acoustics :-)
Is the battery not(!) disconnected from the circuit in the bad
monkey? ... that would be strange, indeed. Mass and materials should
not matter here imho.
thx oz
On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:06:55 -0400
RonSonic <ronsonic@tampabay.rr . com > wrote:
> A couple of thoughts ... Most common mod for pedals like that is rehousing with
> higher quality, true bypass switching and more solid pots. Everything affects
> the tone. Try this, set a block of wood next to the pedal, just a chunk of 2x4
> or whatever's handy. Play, hold a chord, pick up the pedal and set it on the
> block of wood while sustaining that chord. Listen for the difference when your
> fingers release it. Set it back on the floor or table, listening for the
> difference. It's subtle, but it's there.
Very interesting, must be some kind of "microphonic" effect - will try
that sometime.
> The battery is electrically out of the circuit when you plug in the adaptor. But
> like I said, everything, including the mass and materials used makes a
> difference.
I repeated it a few times this evening. Played thru the monkey with only
AC adaptor and the other time with AC adapter *plus* alkaline
batterie. With the last setup it sounds definitely else (and
degraded). - Ok, it is no double blind test, but it's too significant
for being psycho-acoustics :-)
Is the battery not(!) disconnected from the circuit in the bad
monkey? ... that would be strange, indeed. Mass and materials should
not matter here imho.
thx oz
Re: Mods for Bad Monkey?
On Tue, 3 Apr 2007 21:22:21 +0200, oz <oz@bluemonk.de> wrote:
>On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:06:55 -0400
>RonSonic <ronsonic@tampabay.rr . com > wrote:
>> A couple of thoughts ... Most common mod for pedals like that is rehousing with
>> higher quality, true bypass switching and more solid pots. Everything affects
>> the tone. Try this, set a block of wood next to the pedal, just a chunk of 2x4
>> or whatever's handy. Play, hold a chord, pick up the pedal and set it on the
>> block of wood while sustaining that chord. Listen for the difference when your
>> fingers release it. Set it back on the floor or table, listening for the
>> difference. It's subtle, but it's there.
>
>Very interesting, must be some kind of "microphonic" effect - will try
>that sometime.
>
>> The battery is electrically out of the circuit when you plug in the adaptor. But
>> like I said, everything, including the mass and materials used makes a
>> difference.
>
>I repeated it a few times this evening. Played thru the monkey with only
>AC adaptor and the other time with AC adapter *plus* alkaline
>batterie. With the last setup it sounds definitely else (and
>degraded). - Ok, it is no double blind test, but it's too significant
>for being psycho-acoustics :-)
>
>Is the battery not(!) disconnected from the circuit in the bad
>monkey? ... that would be strange, indeed. Mass and materials should
>not matter here imho.
That's what I keep thinking too. Until I build the same circuit two different
ways and they sound different. It'd be easier if it weren't so.
Ron
Ron
Effect pedal demo's up at * w w w .soundclick . com /ronsonicpedalry
On Tue, 3 Apr 2007 21:22:21 +0200, oz <oz@bluemonk.de> wrote:
>On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:06:55 -0400
>RonSonic <ronsonic@tampabay.rr . com > wrote:
>> A couple of thoughts ... Most common mod for pedals like that is rehousing with
>> higher quality, true bypass switching and more solid pots. Everything affects
>> the tone. Try this, set a block of wood next to the pedal, just a chunk of 2x4
>> or whatever's handy. Play, hold a chord, pick up the pedal and set it on the
>> block of wood while sustaining that chord. Listen for the difference when your
>> fingers release it. Set it back on the floor or table, listening for the
>> difference. It's subtle, but it's there.
>
>Very interesting, must be some kind of "microphonic" effect - will try
>that sometime.
>
>> The battery is electrically out of the circuit when you plug in the adaptor. But
>> like I said, everything, including the mass and materials used makes a
>> difference.
>
>I repeated it a few times this evening. Played thru the monkey with only
>AC adaptor and the other time with AC adapter *plus* alkaline
>batterie. With the last setup it sounds definitely else (and
>degraded). - Ok, it is no double blind test, but it's too significant
>for being psycho-acoustics :-)
>
>Is the battery not(!) disconnected from the circuit in the bad
>monkey? ... that would be strange, indeed. Mass and materials should
>not matter here imho.
That's what I keep thinking too. Until I build the same circuit two different
ways and they sound different. It'd be easier if it weren't so.
Ron
Ron
Effect pedal demo's up at * w w w .soundclick . com /ronsonicpedalry
Re: Mods for Bad Monkey?
oz wrote:
> Hello gearheads,
>
> are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
What don't you like about it? It's not quite as smooth as an 808, but
you can set it so that you don't lose the bottom.
>
> I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
> because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
> monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
> with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
> sound as good, as the first one.
Same result if you swap the two units? Could be the difference in
impedance. The output of the first is sending low impedance to the
second. A passive guitar is high impedance. You can hear differences
in tone depending on the input stage of the particular pedal.
Although I compared them both
> using the same AC adaptor, I accidently had left the original shipped
> batteries in the pedal. After removing the batteries, the units sounded
> much more similar!
I don't think that should make a difference. Batteries should be out of
the circuit when you plug in the wallwart.
> So far, I wasn't aware
> that a battery used in conjunction with an AC adaptor
> can have such a huge influence on the sound of a pedal, tzz. (can
> someone second that?)
>
> Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
> units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
> thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
> it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
Uh, yeah, because the batteries should be out of the circuit.
>
> Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
> swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
> (9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really).
14.5 even with a load on it? Or with nothing being driven? What
matters is the voltage when the units are on and running.
> Both have a huge impact on
> the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
> more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
> prefer.
I'd expect it to clean up a bit with higher voltage. More headroom and
perhaps more gain. SRV is gain without too much buzz, so I guess that
makes sense.
>
> But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
> comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
> modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
> already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
> significant ...
They have decent tone stacks in them, so I assume your problem is not
with that. I haven't pulled one apart. I've owned two briefly, before
giving to both of my nephews. I think it's about the best "bang for the
buck" OD out there. I suspect that you can swap opamps and play with
gain and negative feedback fairly easily. You could also swap in LEDs
for diodes.
I modify the Death Metal pedal (not to expensive for donors, very
reactive tone stack). My mods include switches for asymmetric diodes,
two different color LEDs, clipping in the feedback loop for compression,
resistors to change negative feedback levels and calm down the excessive
NOISE in the death metal, and caps to round off distortion... You can
probably think of dozens of mods for any of these types of pedals.
>
> ... and that I just can't go to the next store and buy an identical
> other, i my beloved first unit should die :-/
>
> Just FYI
oz wrote:
> Hello gearheads,
>
> are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
What don't you like about it? It's not quite as smooth as an 808, but
you can set it so that you don't lose the bottom.
>
> I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
> because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
> monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
> with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
> sound as good, as the first one.
Same result if you swap the two units? Could be the difference in
impedance. The output of the first is sending low impedance to the
second. A passive guitar is high impedance. You can hear differences
in tone depending on the input stage of the particular pedal.
Although I compared them both
> using the same AC adaptor, I accidently had left the original shipped
> batteries in the pedal. After removing the batteries, the units sounded
> much more similar!
I don't think that should make a difference. Batteries should be out of
the circuit when you plug in the wallwart.
> So far, I wasn't aware
> that a battery used in conjunction with an AC adaptor
> can have such a huge influence on the sound of a pedal, tzz. (can
> someone second that?)
>
> Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
> units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
> thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
> it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
Uh, yeah, because the batteries should be out of the circuit.
>
> Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
> swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
> (9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really).
14.5 even with a load on it? Or with nothing being driven? What
matters is the voltage when the units are on and running.
> Both have a huge impact on
> the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
> more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
> prefer.
I'd expect it to clean up a bit with higher voltage. More headroom and
perhaps more gain. SRV is gain without too much buzz, so I guess that
makes sense.
>
> But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
> comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
> modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
> already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
> significant ...
They have decent tone stacks in them, so I assume your problem is not
with that. I haven't pulled one apart. I've owned two briefly, before
giving to both of my nephews. I think it's about the best "bang for the
buck" OD out there. I suspect that you can swap opamps and play with
gain and negative feedback fairly easily. You could also swap in LEDs
for diodes.
I modify the Death Metal pedal (not to expensive for donors, very
reactive tone stack). My mods include switches for asymmetric diodes,
two different color LEDs, clipping in the feedback loop for compression,
resistors to change negative feedback levels and calm down the excessive
NOISE in the death metal, and caps to round off distortion... You can
probably think of dozens of mods for any of these types of pedals.
>
> ... and that I just can't go to the next store and buy an identical
> other, i my beloved first unit should die :-/
>
> Just FYI
Re: Mods for Bad Monkey?
On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:52:55 -0700
Jim <askme@beforeyousend . com > wrote:
> oz wrote:
>
> > Hello gearheads,
> >
> > are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
>
> What don't you like about it? It's not quite as smooth as an 808, but
> you can set it so that you don't lose the bottom.
No no, I will never give that unit away, it is very inspiring and makes
me play better. The best tubescreamer I ever had. Nice ringing
overtones, open sound, playing two strings together gives very pleasant
harmonics - also slightly compressed at the same time - but decent,
very musical.
I just wasn't pleased by my second monkey and thought about modding it
eventually or sent it back to the store.
> > I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
> > because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
> > monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
> > with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
> > sound as good, as the first one.
>
> Same result if you swap the two units? Could be the difference in
> impedance. The output of the first is sending low impedance to the
> second. A passive guitar is high impedance. You can hear differences
> in tone depending on the input stage of the particular pedal.
Yes, you're right. But I did all comparisons under identical
conditions (plugged one unit between amp, guitar and ac adaptor for
example and then swapped the pedal completely).
> I don't think that should make a difference. Batteries should be out of
> the circuit when you plug in the wallwart.
That's my thinking also, but what makes the sound-difference then, when
batterie and ac adaptor are plugged in at the same time?
> > Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
> > units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
> > thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
> > it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
>
> Uh, yeah, because the batteries should be out of the circuit.
I think I wasn't clear enough. Using power supply and battery together
makes a difference. So much, that someone might prefer the one or
the other - call it "mod".
> > Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
> > swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
> > (9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really).
>
> 14.5 even with a load on it? Or with nothing being driven? What
> matters is the voltage when the units are on and running.
I measure this values without load:
Ibanez AC-109 8,99 V
Alkaline Batt. 9,29 V
Boss ACA-230G 14,10 V
The bad monkey expects a regulated power supply, which always supplies
~9V, even under load. So the BM should have no own regulation. So it
should get the full voltage of 14,10 V to the circuit (maybe a little
smaller because of the "load"). I can see that the pedal gets more
power from the ACA-230G, because the LED glows brighter. The best thing
is, the pedal sounds more overdriven then, nearly SRV out of the box!
(ok ok, big words ;-).
> > Both have a huge impact on
> > the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
> > more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
> > prefer.
>
> I'd expect it to clean up a bit with higher voltage. More headroom and
> perhaps more gain. SRV is gain without too much buzz, so I guess that
> makes sense.
>
> >
> > But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
> > comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
> > modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
> > already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
> > significant ...
>
> They have decent tone stacks in them, so I assume your problem is not
> with that. I haven't pulled one apart. I've owned two briefly, before
> giving to both of my nephews. I think it's about the best "bang for the
> buck" OD out there. I suspect that you can swap opamps and play with
> gain and negative feedback fairly easily. You could also swap in LEDs
> for diodes.
Yes, or maybe there are just tolerances in the used parts. Or the
second unit is just defect (I hope so, because it would be a shame,
if one BM sounds so great and another flat and average). Are there
really no documented mods on the internet? I modded my Ibanez TS7 to 808
specs with great success and think about something similar (not too
much effort).
Thanks for your input!
On Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:52:55 -0700
Jim <askme@beforeyousend . com > wrote:
> oz wrote:
>
> > Hello gearheads,
> >
> > are there any known mods for the digitech bad monkey overdrive?
>
> What don't you like about it? It's not quite as smooth as an 808, but
> you can set it so that you don't lose the bottom.
No no, I will never give that unit away, it is very inspiring and makes
me play better. The best tubescreamer I ever had. Nice ringing
overtones, open sound, playing two strings together gives very pleasant
harmonics - also slightly compressed at the same time - but decent,
very musical.
I just wasn't pleased by my second monkey and thought about modding it
eventually or sent it back to the store.
> > I searched the web, but couldn't find anything. I became curious,
> > because I made some interesting observations; I bought a second bad
> > monkey, because I absolutely loved my first and wanted to experiment
> > with two units in row. But then I was surprised, that the second doesn't
> > sound as good, as the first one.
>
> Same result if you swap the two units? Could be the difference in
> impedance. The output of the first is sending low impedance to the
> second. A passive guitar is high impedance. You can hear differences
> in tone depending on the input stage of the particular pedal.
Yes, you're right. But I did all comparisons under identical
conditions (plugged one unit between amp, guitar and ac adaptor for
example and then swapped the pedal completely).
> I don't think that should make a difference. Batteries should be out of
> the circuit when you plug in the wallwart.
That's my thinking also, but what makes the sound-difference then, when
batterie and ac adaptor are plugged in at the same time?
> > Using the AC adaptor exclusively also changed the character of both
> > units significantly. More transparent and breathing. But the strange
> > thing is, I liked the special sound of my first monkey the most, when
> > it has the battery AND the AC adaptor in - crazy, isn't it? :-)
>
> Uh, yeah, because the batteries should be out of the circuit.
I think I wasn't clear enough. Using power supply and battery together
makes a difference. So much, that someone might prefer the one or
the other - call it "mod".
> > Irritated by that I started experimenting with the power supply. I
> > swapped an Ibanez AC-109 (9V regulated) and an Boss ACA-230G
> > (9V unregulated, which means 14,5V really).
>
> 14.5 even with a load on it? Or with nothing being driven? What
> matters is the voltage when the units are on and running.
I measure this values without load:
Ibanez AC-109 8,99 V
Alkaline Batt. 9,29 V
Boss ACA-230G 14,10 V
The bad monkey expects a regulated power supply, which always supplies
~9V, even under load. So the BM should have no own regulation. So it
should get the full voltage of 14,10 V to the circuit (maybe a little
smaller because of the "load"). I can see that the pedal gets more
power from the ACA-230G, because the LED glows brighter. The best thing
is, the pedal sounds more overdriven then, nearly SRV out of the box!
(ok ok, big words ;-).
> > Both have a huge impact on
> > the sound. The higher voltage Boss adaptor makes the monkey sound
> > more "overdriven", SRV like. At the moment, I'm undecided which to
> > prefer.
>
> I'd expect it to clean up a bit with higher voltage. More headroom and
> perhaps more gain. SRV is gain without too much buzz, so I guess that
> makes sense.
>
> >
> > But in summary, the first unit I bought was always better in direct
> > comparison to the second. So my conclusion is, that with little
> > modifications the bad monkey can be made to an even better pedal, when
> > already normal production tolerances and power supplies are so
> > significant ...
>
> They have decent tone stacks in them, so I assume your problem is not
> with that. I haven't pulled one apart. I've owned two briefly, before
> giving to both of my nephews. I think it's about the best "bang for the
> buck" OD out there. I suspect that you can swap opamps and play with
> gain and negative feedback fairly easily. You could also swap in LEDs
> for diodes.
Yes, or maybe there are just tolerances in the used parts. Or the
second unit is just defect (I hope so, because it would be a shame,
if one BM sounds so great and another flat and average). Are there
really no documented mods on the internet? I modded my Ibanez TS7 to 808
specs with great success and think about something similar (not too
much effort).
Thanks for your input!
