Blog | FXdoctor Custom Effects | Custom guitar effects and modifications

Deluxe Cease.Transmission Prototype

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Main

The cease.transmission was originally developed to be a quirky noise maker for studio and DJ use. Eventually guitar players started snatching them up but quickly found that since the original model doesn’t have an input jack that it is difficult to add to their pedalboards. This prototype was designed to fix that problem. The input and output jacks are setup in the same location as most standard guitar effects. They are wired in parallel yet will not load down your guitar signal. The LED is on when the effect is switched on and pulses with the lower frequencies generated. The toggle switch was chosen over a stompswitch because the device requires your hands to “play” the touchpad. The unit is still battery only, but draws no power when off and about 11mA when on (about the same as a Boss Chorus Pedal). As of this posting, the one pictured is available for $90 on the specials page. More may be available in the near future and may lead to a deluxe model.

Posted in Prototype | Tagged Cease.transmission | Leave a comment

Danelectro Danecho Buffer Mod

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Main

This post is for you serious pedal geeks. A common mod for the Danecho is to use a better input buffer to prevent signal loading and retain the clarity. In an attempt to show visually what is actually happening I ran a white noise generator into a frequency analyzer. The image below shows the graphs of first what the white noise looks like, and second what it looks like when run through the Danecho while in bypass. You must click on the image below for it to enlarge then it cycles between two images every 5 seconds so be patient. You’ll notice a large drop off across the entire spectrum and the treble region (right side of the graph) is exceptionally weak with the Danecho in the signal path. Simply plugging the pedal into your signal chain with decrease your signal strength and clarity. The modification as well as other mods are offered on the “Modifications” page at fxdoctor.com.

Posted in Favorites, Modifications | Tagged Danelectro Danecho Buffer | Leave a comment

Manual Flanger

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Main

Here’s an old Cutec flanger which was modified to add a bypass switch for the LFO. This means instead of the swooshing sound the toggle switch allows you to stop the sweep wherever you’d like. It gives all sorts of filtered and metallic tones. The Depth, Manual, and Color switch function in both modes while the Speed control only works in the stock mode. This modification is available for all effects with a rate control (chorus, phaser, flanger, etc.).

Posted in Modifications | Tagged LFO | Leave a comment

Mini-Monster Face Organ

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Main

This is a hand held noise maker which is a smaller version of the Monster Face Organ posted a few months back. Same sound but with only 5 user selectable frequencies. Limited runs will be available at $80 each.

Posted in Custom Shop, Favorites | Tagged Monster Face Noise Maker | Leave a comment

Metatron Sample-Hold Filter

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Main

So if you saw the previous entry you may be wondering what the pedal looks like and get some more details on it. The one pictured above is the first completed prototype that will be for sale. The final controls (as of now) are Intensity (amplitude), Range, and Rate. A few advantages over some vintage Sample-Hold Filters:
1. Low noise and updated ICs.
2. Runs on a single 9V source thanks to a voltage inverting circuit.
3. True bypass.
4. The LFO is muted in bypass to prevent any ticking bleeding through when off.
5. The addition of a Range and Intensity control.

The prototype above can only be powered by a 9V adapter. The silver circuit on the right is just a hole plug.

Posted in Custom Shop, Favorites | Tagged Sample Hold Filter | Leave a comment

Dan Armstrong Purple Peaker Rehousing

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Main

These devices are certainly unique but the fact that they mount directly to your instrument isn’t acceptable for many guitarists. Here is a rehousing with the addition of a DC jack and a volume control. The layout allows room for a bypass footswitch to be added in the future if needed.

Posted in Custom Shop, Rehousings | Tagged Purple Peaker | Leave a comment

Fuzz prototype update

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Main

In an effort to improve the 8-Bit fuzz (and possibly make it Bass guitar friendly) I started working on this prototype. The knobs are as follow: thickness selector, gain, input bias, – cut, + cut, feedback recovery, volume, and a focus switch. Expect to see add-on options for the 8-Bit Fuzz in the future. Controls to adjust the amount of glitch (sonic stability control) and to increase the sustain should be available soon.

Posted in Custom Shop, Favorites, Prototype | Tagged Ultra 8-Bit Fuzz | 3 Comments

Napkin rehousing project

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Main

After speaking with a client he requested that his tone generator be rehoused from its cigar box into a steel napkin dispenser. The difficult part was fitting everything into a smaller face while clearing the internal springs of the napkin dispenser. This is what I received to work with:

A quick scan and some measurements of the internals gave me a layout that would be acceptable. This involved quite a bit of measuring to keep the components clear from any moving parts.

Once the drilling was completed it was a matter of lengthening wires to make it all fit and populating the casing.

And there we have it, a completed rehousing.

Posted in Favorites, Rehousings | Tagged Napkin synth | Leave a comment

Monster Face Organ video

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Main

Finally an update of a device posted a few weeks back.

Posted in Custom Shop | Tagged Monster Face Organ noise maker | Leave a comment