Modding Modtone Distortion for more volume?

[IbanezFreak]

I've got a modtone speedbox distortion...really nice distortion pedal imo, but it has a really big volume problem. It can only match up to my guitar amps signal with the pedal's volume at 3/4 or higher.

Is there anyway i can mod it to add more volume to it? Preferably something simple..

 

[mockingbird]

Troublesome tips:

Use a boost pedal
Use a volume pedal

Easy tip:

Bring to Sound Alchemy and see if they can help you with that.


That said, if you are using that pedal in a chain of other pedals, pedal placement would play an important part too.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Sometimes, the amp affects it too. I don't know how, I know nothing about electronics.

My Beta Aivin HM-200 matches my home amp's clean volume only when it's more than half, but when I use a different amp (like in the studio), my volume only needs to be around 1/4.

 

[lemonade93]

Troublesome tips:
Use a volume pedal

Forgive my ignorance, but... does a volume pedal... well... increase the volume or an output of the sound????

 

[EugeneSmasher]

It increases the volume. But it controls the volume of the entire signal, which means it controls everything, not just the distorted tone.

You can use a volume pedal, but when you switch to your clean tone, you not only have to switch off the distortion pedal, you have to roll back the volume pedal to lower the volume of the clean sound to match the distorted sound as well. Troublesome and inaccurate.

 

[dudelove]

Sell it and buy another pedal. The pedal probably uses smd components so it probably can't be modded unless you get a soldering robot. Not worth the money anyway.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

a volume pedal in general, other then provide a handsfree control of adjusting either volume or gain(depending on placement in effect chain), should not increase volume or gain in the way of boosting them beyond its own amount

Why?

A volume pedal is a passive device, no circuit to boost anything, its role is just to reduce whatever signal that goes into the input.

If "x" is the amount of signal strength, putting a volume pedal after it, is not going to give "x + __" increase in volume or gain.

What the volume pedal does instead is, reducing from what you have initially, aka "x". Thus with volume pedal, in general, we are getting a "x - __" and all the way to 0 volume instead.

If theres any cases of changing volume pedal and the volume seem to increase, perhaps the increase is not much of a increase but with old volume pedal, its impeding the signal amount of whats already there in the first place. In a way, the increase is not increment of the signal itself, but the path which signal flows, is already widen(, thus allowing whats all present before, to come through.)

 

[lemonade93]

a volume pedal in general, other then provide a handsfree control of adjusting either volume or gain(depending on placement in effect chain), should not increase volume or gain in the way of boosting them beyond its own amount

Why?

A volume pedal is a passive device, no circuit to boost anything, its role is just to reduce whatever signal that goes into the input.

If "x" is the amount of signal strength, putting a volume pedal after it, is not going to give "x + __" increase in volume or gain.

What the volume pedal does instead is, reducing from what you have initially, aka "x". Thus with volume pedal, in general, we are getting a "x - __" and all the way to 0 volume instead.

If theres any cases of changing volume pedal and the volume seem to increase, perhaps the increase is not much of a increase but with old volume pedal, its impeding the signal amount of whats already there in the first place. In a way, the increase is not increment of the signal itself, but the path which signal flows, is already widen(, thus allowing whats all present before, to come through.)

exactly what i was thinking... only much more simplified.... Haha thanks for the clearing up

 

[lazy3yed]

If there's still some allowance upon reaching the same volume as your clean signal, it shouldn't be much of an issue, for me at least (you still have a 1/4 turn to max output).

If it really really really bothers you, you can try turning the gain up and lowering the master volume on the amp. For some amps (esp. tube amps), it'll change the character of the clean sound somewhat, but should not be too significant. May work, may not work. Give it a shot.