Modding the ibanez ts 7

[morbe]

I'm not sure if this is an old thread I did a search on it and couldn't find a thread for it. There are tons of web sites out there committed to pedal mods. If I'm starting a redundant thread I apologize up front. I recently purchased a used ibanez ts 7 tube screamer, after tons of trial and error and did I mentioned I'm out of my amp and guitar phase in my request for the perfect tone.

Currently I have the dunlop original cry baby, digitech main squeeze (i will post about this in a minute), delta labs metal distortion pedal, danelectro also echo, and now an ibanez ts 7. Though it does sound great, I have been searching the web fast and wide about modding this pedal. it appears that this pedal is very reasy to mod and very forgiving. You change out two resistors and presto, you have a reissue ts 808! I have ben to youtube and listened to the differences between the two in comparison. I like the mod and want to do it, but this wouldn't be a true "morbe" post if I didnt ask a question or two. I really enjoy the diversity and knowledge of this forum.

I just need two resistors easy enough right? Erm....well come to find out, I have to choose (suggested from a web site) 1/4 or 1/8 watt resistors. I think the original wattage of the ts 7 is 1/8 so I plan to stay with that detail, or should I?

Also, whats the difference between carbon film and metal film and does it make a difference?

I feel stupid asking this one, but can you install these backwards?

I know it sounds like I have just enough knowledge to get my self in trouble but I dont mind that, I dont hold anybody accountable for my own actions or decisions.

[ashcatlt]

Sept 14, 2011 9:18:32 GMT -5 morbe said:

I just need two resistors easy enough right? Erm....well come to find out, I have to choose (suggested from a web site) 1/4 or 1/8 watt resistors. I think the original wattage of the ts 7 is 1/8 so I plan to stay with that detail, or should I?

Doesn't make any real difference. The 1/8W will be smaller and easier to fit.

Also, whats the difference between carbon film and metal film and does it make a difference?

I think the metal films impart a bit less noise(?), but not enough where you can probably tell the difference in this instance. Metal films also are generally available in tighter tolerance. Since the price difference is negligible I almost always use the metal.

I feel stupid asking this one, but can you install these backwards?

Nope.

[morbe]

Thanks for the advice, and knowledge. I recorded a little bit with it stock, one I get the mod finished hopefuly by this week end i should also have sound clips of the modded version.

[morbe]

Went on my lunch break to get all the stuff, those bands on the resistors are hard to read. Any how they had some that were the right size, right right watts, but the tolerance was 5%. I asked if they were metal film and he said noso the metal film resistors I was forced to buy were 1% tolerance what the helldoes that mean and does it make it better or worse or niether? Im having some second thoughts about this, but the other half of me is saying I will only be outa total of 45 bucks.

[JohnH]

If you got 1% tolerance metal film, then you are fine - carry on!

Metal film create slightly less noise than carbon resistors, but this is a tiny difference only noticeable in certain very sensitive circuits. Depending what parts you are modding, there could be a tad less noise if you use metal film. As to tolerance, when I'm fiddling with values for ciruits to make them sound good, I usually find that even a 20% step between standard values (eg changing from 1k to 1.2k) often makes not much difference, so probably 1% and 5% are both fine. For power rating, in a stomp box, theres no large currents being passed and very little power draw overall, so any power rating is fine, 1/4W or even 1/8W, but you can use higher rating if its convenient

And resistors can be installed either way round, as can most capacitors other than electrolytic and tantalum.

John.

[ashcatlt]

The tolerance is the % deviation from the nominal value that the manufacturer allows out the door. It's a plus or minus type thing - IE a 100K 5% resistor could actually be anywhere between 95K and 105K. So the 1% is more likely to be closer to the "correct" value.

Will it sound better/worse? It is possible that some of the mojo in those older pedals comes from (accidentally) having components with real values at the extremes of the tolerance range. Generally, though, I think the 10% rule applies: no deviation less than 10% is considered significant except in the most demanding applications.

OTOH, like I said the price difference is negligible. I buy the 1% metal films because I've been building such things as balanced filters and differential amplifiers where I want a pretty close match for purposes of noise cancellation and whatnot. Even here it's probably overkill, but it's cheap insurance. The TS doesn't have anything that needs matched that closely.

If you mess it up real bad, you can probably replace the whole thing with a True Bypass 808 clone for like $10 since you've already got pots, jacks, enclosure, and soldering iron.


Edit - ninja'd by JohnH, but I think our posts are complementary.

[morbe]

Well, I just said the hell with it, it was only 40 bucks, plus another 5 for the mod parts including copper braid and better solder. I went ahead and did the mod took about an hour LOL im a noob! Well I replaced the resistors (cant say that I made a few fixable mistakes) but i put it all together said a prayer (mainly that i don't electrocute my self playing this thing). and it seems to work. So I guess all is safe.
Now shall I say about the mod. The change is very subtle, but its there, I recorded the pedal prior to the mod. If fairies modded this thing over night with out me knowing, I would have never know the difference, but since I recorded the pedal both before and after modification, I can tell that the pedal tone is a bit tighter not so loose. almost more of a compressed sound. Ehh it was something to do and now I have a "Ts 808 reissue" so to speak.

By the way it i screwed somthing up in there which im sure I didnt, and if two traces no meet or something, what are the ods of this thing being dangerous? Im not asking for any ones safety inspection or post mod safty rating or approval. but just what are the ods. I figure the pedal would fry itself before it did harm to guitar player.

Right now its just connected to my computer via a Line 6 guitar port. so I can record it.

[thetragichero]

i'm far from an EE as some folks here, but i believe, even if you screw something up royally, the only consequence is a dead pedal
now if it were some with much higher voltage like a tube amp, you could end up turning yourself into a kentucky friend morbe
but with most pedals, even if you dump the full 9v supply to yourself, i think you'll be okay (i'm sure i'm not the only one who has used the 'tongue test' to see if a 9v battery is dead or not before)

[newey]

if two traces no meet or something, what are the ods of this thing being dangerous? Im not asking for any ones safety inspection or post mod safty rating or approval. but just what are the ods. I figure the pedal would fry itself before it did harm to guitar player.

The odds are near zilch. While it is theoretically possible to fry oneself with a 9V battery (say, maybe, beer-soaked socks on a concrete floor, by a guitarist who's had 4 coronary bypass surgeries), I wouldn't lose any sleep over the possibility.

The only real risk from a fault is that the pedal won't work.

It is also possible that a fault on the mains power or in your amp could put a big 'ol pile 'o AC volts into the pedal, and that could really hurt someone- but that would be a separate problem, unrelated to anything you did.

[morbe]

That makes me feel better. I was worried before I started putting the pedal back to together that I could have caused some strange cross of polarities or something that would transfer to the amp and then kill me. I really have to stop watching 1,000 ways to die.
I tested it with my Fender hot rod and I'm still here to post about it so I guess I'm okay. Two traces did connect, not sure if they were on the same trace or not but I tried to clean it up the best I could with soldering iron and a little bit of copper braid but my it still looked to close for comfort, my eyes arn't as good as they used to be and I have no magnifying glasses.
Thanks for the support.

[morbe]

Are all tube screamers noisy how do I cut out the loud hum, do I have to get a noise filter now?

[ashcatlt]

You're not going to hurt yourself bad at 9V unless you manage to start a fire. Even there, the chances are slim.

Is this noisier than your other distorters with all other things being equal?

[morbe]

Eh its equal I guess, im not a big pedal fanatic. yet!

[morbe]

No, I have another distortion pedal that throws out a lot of noise, you know that soft static noise. I'm used to using the drive channel on the amp, it doesn't give that much noise, is there an inexpensive way to reduce extra noise with out having to by extra pedals? I'm connecting from guitar to pedals to amp input.

[thetragichero]

are the guitar and pedal shielded?
any noise introduced before/during what amounts to a simple preamp will of course be amplified

[ashcatlt]

Ah, but it's not a simple preamp, it's a distortion device!

It does what it does by squashing down the loudest parts of the signal so that they are closer to the quietest. This means that even a small amount of noise will be that much louder in comparison to the guitar signal itself.

Does the noise go away when you turn the guitar's volume all the way down?

[morbe]

Sept 16, 2011 15:38:47 GMT -5 ashcatlt said:

Ah, but it's not a simple preamp, it's a distortion device!

It does what it does by squashing down the loudest parts of the signal so that they are closer to the quietest. This means that even a small amount of noise will be that much louder in comparison to the guitar signal itself.

Does the noise go away when you turn the guitar's volume all the way down?

Another interesting finding was that I used a volume pedal (ernie ball volume pedal) My connections where as follows:

Guitar -> Wah -> Tube Screamer -> Volume pedal -> amp.

I also got brand new batteries (Sorry guys I use batteries) the noise was almost completely eliminated! not sure if it was the new batteries or the volume pedal or the combination of both but I did something right.

Any opinions? That's for the import and advise in advance. again I love the down to earth atmosphere of every one here. Other guitar forums are filled with arrogant duche bags IMHO. Keep on RocKin guitar nutz!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cynical1]

Well, at least we're not arrogant...

Normally, and this is not cast in stone, the boost\overdrive would come at the head of the line. You could argue that a wah is a type of EQ device, which then would put it at the very front, or that it's a modulation device, so it should come after the overdrive, but if it works for you, then do it.

Modifying gospel pedal order can produce some very interesting effects...or it can produce some God awful ones.

The batteries make a difference, but I would tend to believe it's your order that it cleaned it up.

HTC1

[morbe]

The order never changed, the only thing I did was add a volume pedal. I can get a daisy chain plug for all these pedals right? I know they sell them. I just don't know if they are universal or not. I'm using an array of pedals not from the same brand.