Category: Effects Pedal

EXEF PSE 1000 M

Exef was a German manufacturer of electronic music equipment. This is a preamp with a programable effects foot controller, the EXEF PSE 1000 M. Three dedicated programable, pan-able effects options A,B & C. They can be saved in any combination as recallable, each with a send & return. There are 3 additional send & returns controllable as inserts. The Sidekick foot controller has a large floor display and can manage easily.

I dug this up from an auction sellers description and AI translated it.


World famous and good quality such as Bogner and Diesel
Germany is also known for its many guitar amplifier brands.
This is the famous machine "PSE 1000 M MK2 by EXEF" from Germany. This product integrates a programmable preamplifier and switching system. It's unique, and I don't think I've ever seen a product with this kind of concept. It was released in the early 1990s, and at that time it was expensive at about 400,000 yen, and it had a strong image of being a professional device. I don't think there are many people who know this brand because it disappeared without being popular with general users. It is also known that Mr. Hiroshi Shibasaki of WANDS at that time used the 1000 M MK2 during the WANDS era. In addition, Mr. Tomoyasu Hotei used the company's switching system LOOPER in the early 90's. ... apparently ...

If I find a manual or get a peek inside I will post additional information. I found this option, the mk2 exchange module in the gallery below. This would be nice to hook it up to a stereo tube amp. A long cable can send the controller front stage and back stage you have your rack.

Below is a list of products by Exef.

  • PSE 1000 M (preamp effects controller)
  • B300PR (300w bass amp)
  • VP-42 (guitar preamp)
  • VPA-260 (stereo tube amp 2x60w)
  • Concrete 260 (solid state amp)
  • 6 Shot (midi programmable guitar preamp)
  • Triton (3 channel tube guitar preamp)
  • 4 Tune (4 channel tube guitar preamp)
  • Jambird (guitar amp)
  • Looper (loop programmer for preamp effects)
  • MSW4 (midi programmable switching system)
  • Switcher (function audio combi switcher)
  • Micro Switcher

4 Tune

Sidekick, Switcher, Microswitcher, VP-42, Jambird & PSE 1000M

Looper, Mapper Plus, 4 Tune, & Additional Photos

Wah Booster Mod Kick Pedal Dunlop & Duncan

If you have a Wah in your rig and you want quick boost in the same pedal. Here we used a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster pedal’s insides and stuffed them into a Dunlop Crybaby Wah. By placing the button on the front face of the wah base, the switch is engaged by kicking. Holes were cut in the wah to accommodate the in/out from the booster. You can see in the photos, a 1/4″ patch was made between the two internal pedals from the wah right side. Then just place the wah anywhere in the front edge of your pedal board.

duncan_pickup_boosterDownload
crybaby_manualDownload

ON-THE-SIDE: There is a project underway to create a new pedal board. It is an electronic flat board/case of lexan single side frosted with a pcb inlay, patch point top, momentary/latch switch bottom, onboard power supply and inner electronic mounting center. Four groups will allow the builder to utilize header to pin custom modules and project mount areas for installing other manufactures internal components. Think of it as a giant breadboard for pedal hackers. The case has a translucent core, frosted exterior when closed and the project base’s pcb illuminates the board’s bottom panel. You can control color and brightness from the tactile pad on the top. 1/4″ Stereo In/Out and operates AC or DC.

Well for all of the DIY’ers out there you can get up and running quickly with a similar concept design that looks very clean and to the point. With the Protis 1 by Mimmotronics Effects you can prototype out circuits and test in real time. Here is a link to their website. https://mimmotronics.com/protis1/ I am still awaiting their release of modular prototyping boards which could really spark further interest for new beginner designers. Also a design book of test circuits would be helpful if that doesn’t already exist.

I actually ended up picking up a Knight ML2010 for $80 online and has a similar idea for prototyping. take a look at the picture below and you will see all of the built in functions within this little suitcase. What’s nice about the Protis 1 is that you can plug your guitar right into it mimicking an effects pedal.


Alesis Nano Modules

So apparently there has been a lot of buzz around these modules lately. I fully remember when they came out and no one cared back in 1997. This was the same year Antares launched Auto-Tune. In my opinion, other full rack mount units back then were pretty awesome comparatively and that was the better choice. Small is in now and the sounds within these units are usable. If you want them in a rack, you wont have that flush rack mount look but can fit three side by side. I believe they will have to be adhered to a rack or you can drill custom holes in through a 1u shelf. They were really geared for the small desk user that probably had a USB audio box interface. If I order a few for testing or modification I will open them up and post. Below is the compiled resource for quick reference.

Nano-Bass-ManualDownload
Nano-Comp-ManualDownload
Nano-Piano-ManualDownload
Nano-Synth-ManualDownload
Nano-Verb-ManualDownload

Deluxe Electric Mistress

Well, I’ve had and tried a few of these through the years. Hands down of my favorite pedal in terms of diversity. Be warned though not all versions perform the same. And yes that is the case with many component parts from different periods. High quality parts are still being manufactured today but some combinations seem to provide a unique magic. This post is just to be quick and tell you my favorite version, why and link to all the information I have in my folder. Below you will find some real useful guides and photos by Ralf Metzger. His site is www.metzgerralf.de and the links on deluxe electric mistress versions below are his, thanks Ralf.

 

Version Prod. Range Identifying Feature
V1 1978 – 1980 Two conductor power cord without earth ground*
V2 1980 – 1981 Two conductor power cord without earth ground *
V3 1981 – 1984 green printing
V4 2002 – 200? “Sandpaper” surface backplate, missing i-dot on most of the models, but not all
three conductor power cord with earth ground *
V5 200? – today 24 V adapter – no main power cord,
“Sandpaper” surface backplate

My favorite version is the V4 Deluxe Electric Mistress. While the older versions have a fatter tone on guitar I was looking for a strong mid-range to high tone. The V4 version offers a nice pocket of adjustment thus delivering an organic natural sound for guitar picking and rhythm. The V5 is too bright and tin sounding. I bet the older versions would be cool for synths.  Take the time to adjust the pots inside. You will be surprised to see how they react and give you what you need. Take a few photos before you do so.

Word Document EH Electric MistressDownload
Deluxe-Electric-MistressDownload

Vintage Wall of Sound (500W Tube + 260W Solid)

Here is a nice pic of my war machine. Believe it or not, in the center a Bloc 100G by Traynor/Yorkville and the Fender Stage 100 DSP head (same as the Fender DSP Stage 160…depending on the ohm load) has plenty to play a stage. Then you have the other tube monsters that were in other posts. All tube Peavey Mace, Peavey MX VTX, Ampeg V-7 & Ampeg VT-120. This is a general showcase pic of some other posts I had made. On the ground is the Ibanez soundtanks.

Carvin Quad X-Amp Guitar Preamp

I have now had a chance to dive into the Carvin Quad X. I have provided some photos I noticed that no one has been showing, that elusive bottom board. The unit I picked up had alot of scratchy pots. They are all coming from the cheap pots on the bottom board. I disassembled the entire unit and cleaned all the connections and pots. This helped dramatically but ultimately I would like to replace all the pots on the bottom board. After I do that the unit is ready for another 15 yrs. or so. From what I have read it is a common problem on this amp.
I connected this pre-amp into a Marshall stack right into it’s input. I kept all the setting on the amp neutral but ideally I wish I could have tested this on a plain stereo tube amp. So my first take was quite disastrous. I had a very hard time getting the sound to be fat crisp and properly distorted. I didn’t want to give up on this pre-amp. I removed the unit and tried just guitar and headphones plugged in. Actually this was a great move, it gave me a chance to tweak the knobs such that I can see where all the break points are for the tubes. I found that most of the best settings were when the main volume knobs were between 3-4 or 5-6 and the drives between 6-7 or 7-8. From there I adjusted the stereo out listening for bad distortion (like tonal loss) and lastly the cloaking if using those channels.

Overall I believe I may be able to coax so great sounds out of this preamp. Understanding the sweet spots is really key and not have any external sound influence other than the Quad X. Once dialed in then I would add effects. Please see below for additional documents.

quad-x-schematics-allDownload
quad_x-fx_mod_pre-to-postDownload
Year and Version

Eurorack-Modular for Guitarists and Beyond

For the longest time I’ve always been a traditional effect pedal fanatic for guitar, keyboard, bass and vocal rig setups. Recently I was intrigued by my friend Tada at BPNYC, explaining to me the flexibility, compact size and capabilities found in today’s modern eurorack-modular options. For a list all all boutique gear across the board including eurorack-modular please visit http://www.boutiquepedalnyc.us/ As a pedal board layout enthusiast, I was always faced with the problem of manufacturers custom sizing their brands of effects pedals. This always became challenging to find the correct layout for transport and live situations. For many years we have used standard 19″ racks in studios to stack our expanding collections of gear. The Eurorack format calls for modules of 128.5mm (slightly over 5″) height. Horizontal width is measured in “horizontal pitch”, where 1 HP = 5.08mm (exactly 0.2″). 3.5mm mono phone jacks are used for interconnection.

The physical specification is based on the Eurocard standard of:

  • 3U (133.4mm), where height “U” is measured in rack units, rounded for a lip.
  • 1HP (5.08mm), where width “HP” is measured in horizontal pitch units, rounded down. A card width is integer multiples of 1HP.

Eurorack modules may be further characterized by depth: shallow modules (2.5cm to 4cm[1]) can fit into “skiff” cases.

So through the past couple of years, musicians have been migrating away from laptops on stage using VST plugins to complex stompbox pedals in various shapes and sizes. Now that Eurorack-modular suppliers have grown and the new smaller standard has been adopted + quadrupled in complexity will we soon see musicians wearing their controls for live gigs into the expanse of this ever changing music technological period?

Below is a video clip of Tada from BPNYC demonstrating the possibilities of a eurorack-modular guitar rig setup. It was exciting to see the ranges and depths with just a few of the possible units that one can aquire to expand their musical inspiration. http://www.boutiquepedalnyc.us/eurorack-modular/

Yamaha PSE Effector Series

Here are more photos from the vintage Yamaha Sb-200 & SB-100 Effects Product Line. I also posted some of the manuals I had acquired. Unfortunately they are in Japanese since this product line was never released as a USA product.

AD-10 Analog DelayNG-01 Noise Gate
CH-01 ChorusOC-01 Octaver
CO-01 CompressorPE-01 Parametric EQ
DS-01 DistortionPH-01 Phaser
FL-01 FlangerTB-01 Tone Booster
LI-01 LimiterLS-01 Line Selector
MP-01 Mini PedalSB-40 System Board
SB-100 System BoardSB-200 System Board

Here are the PDF files of some manuals

sb200_jaDownload
pse_jaDownload
Yamaha SB-200Download

Below are some more images that I had in my folder from auction sites.

Ibanez Soundtank Effects Pedal Board

Next up is the Ibanez SoundTank Pedal Board design. I refined the layout so that more flexibility is available.  Instead of the rectangular back to back design, I arched the sections which works better for live performance.  Same setup as before, sketch, layout, drill paint & mount.  I found these Dinosaur Power supply’s that work great for this application and bought them new for $20 on eBay. The SoundTank series is very similar to the Arion line but they all seem to have very unique sounds which make sense when having so many. The pedals themselves are very cheap used. I split the board sides to have distortion on one half with a bolting back to back design. When side by side a magnet holds them together.

  • Magnet Locked
  • Sketch Markup
  • Layout on Board
  • Demo
  • Closed Finished Product
  • Split Option
  • Bolted With Handle For Easy Carry
  • Ibanez AW5 Auto Wah
  • Ibanez BC5 Bass Chorus
  • Ibanez BN5 Black Noise
  • Ibanez BP5 Bass Comp
  • Ibanez CD5 Cyberdrive
  • Ibanez CM5 Classic Metal
  • Ibanez CP5 Compressor
  • Ibanez CR5 Crunchy Rhythm
  • Ibanez CS5 Super Chorus
  • Ibanez DL5 Digital Delay
  • Ibanez EM5 Echo Machine
  • Ibanez FL5 Flanger
  • Ibanez FZ5 60’s Fuzz
  • Ibanez MF5 Modern Fusion
  • Ibanez PH5 Phaser
  • Ibanez PL5 Powerlead
  • Ibanez SP5 Slam Punk
  • Ibanez TL5 Tremolo
  • Ibanez TM5 Thrashmetal
  • Ibanez TS5 Tubescreamer
Ibanez_5series_1989_folderDownload

The most likely component to fail on these vintage units is the momentary switch under the pedal. It is an easy replacement and switches can be found online in various locations

Noise KICK FX Reagan Fuzz

TRUMP KUATO LIVES

The new Regan Fuzz with artwork by Alex Fine Illustration.

3 knob controls (volume, tone, gain) allow you to dial in everything from a dirty boost, to distortion, to thick fuzz!

The Reagan fuzz is based of the “Civil War” Version of the big muff.
It has all the classic sound but with with some modern upgrades. Including new components, 9v plug (standard 2.1mm), and true bypass switching.

Original illustration by Baltimore based artist Alex Fine.

Here is a video from the site where you can purchase this pedal.
https://www.noisekickfx.com/listing/noisekick-fx-reagan-fuzz/1939002