CAE Pedal Mod - recommendations?

[Ventura]

Aloha...

So I picked up the Boost/OD MXR/CAE MC-402 a while ago as I was super impressed with the Boost/Linedriver unit, and thought a little OD in front of my Clyde Deluxe could come in handy. Well, granted, it does, but the OD on this pedal IMHO stinks. Anyone out there know of some good hands to send this to in order for a mod to be done on it to get 'er rippin' nicely? I find it thin, hissy and fizzy. Albeit I wasn't too concerned about this being in front of my wah, it does suck even when going through a sweeper like the Clyde. If I'm going to have it on the board, it may as well sound good.

Any info - super appreciated.

V.

 

[ericsabbath]

I'm about to get a new cantrell wah and a new cae boost/od by this weekened
I have no idea what to expect, though

what you don't like about it? (for boosting purposes)
does the overdrive section sucks for boosting or you're describing the drive itself?

I guess it's SMD, so it might be a pain in the ass to mod

 

[Ventura]

No, the boost is awesome. I picked up the Boost/Linedriver months ago and I wouldn't play without it anymore - just a perfect, clear, neutral boost that's seamless in the signal path. LOVE it.

I wanted some dirt before my wah, and seeing as I have a lot of pedals on my board, I decided another boost wouldn't hurt (as I could use it in a separate loop from my current boost or what not) and the OD could be the dirt I'm looking for. Well, maybe I haven't had enough time with it - but I find it a bit thin and weak. It's tinny sounding...not tiny, tinny. Like scrap sheet metal. I am certain with some adjustments to my rig, I could incorporate it more easily as an OD pedal in front of my wah, but what I didn't want - and won't do - is go meandering back to my rig every time I need to step on my OD in a song or a solo. No dice. I'm using it primarily on clean channels and dirty channels. Not gain or high gain channels. I wanted just that little bit of grit, you know?? But with the amp I use it on primarily (20thA XTC), it takes that rich, lush, brit grit tone of the blue channel and thins it out, rather than fattens it up. No biggy as I like the boost that the amp itself offers as well, but for added grit, I find it subtracts rather than adds.

Maybe it's just me. The boost - rocks The overdrive? Kinda weak And the reason I want to see if there's a mod for it is it's built well, the boost rocks, the adjustments are awesome, and overall - the pedal is very well put together. I just want to keep it while maybe changing out some caps or the like in it to smooth it out and make it more rich.

V.

 

[ericsabbath]

Maybe it's just me. The boost - rocks The overdrive? Kinda weak And the reason I want to see if there's a mod for it is it's built well, the boost rocks, the adjustments are awesome, and overall - the pedal is very well put together. I just want to keep it while maybe changing out some caps or the like in it to smooth it out and make it more rich.

my custom Zambelli amp is also xtc-like voiced, but more aggressive
if the pedal doesn't fit, I'll see if my friend Zambelli can reverse engineer it and figure out some mod
his ts808 clone sounds much better and thicker than an original one (he doesn't even know why, since he didn't change anything)
I bought the CAE OD intending to have the boost channel always turned on and the overdrive only for solos or heavier chorus parts

 

[Ventura]

Ya man, try it out and let me/us know what you think. For shitz'n'giggles, I've been playing mine tonight and it's just not panning out for me... Been trying different adjustments and everything, it's either too dark or too bright - no in between; the dirt is either too weak or ends up being this high-gain AM-radio-station-cranked to the tits sound... I'm playing it through my boutiquey 30W combo just to try something different.

If your friend can mod it - I'm in!!

V.

 

[steve_k]

The CAE OD pedal is buffered. Generally, buffers in front of wah pedals don't go down to well. Did you try running the CAE after the wah?

Steve

 

[JDouglee]

The OD in the 402 is a little quirky. I like it going into a dirty amp. Depending on where your guitar volume is set, it behaves differently...
Going from 8 to 10 are almost completely different sounds. It's great for guys that ride their volumes (like me). I don't use it into a clean
amp, you have to REALLY find that sweet spot to use it like that.