Home › Forums › Help/Technical Questions › Electric Mistress Mods?

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  • April 17, 2009 at 10:56 pm #78087
    go2ldook
    Member

    Can anyone point me to a source for instructions to mod my Electric Mistress for true bypass, fix the tone sucking and volume drop, and any mods to make it sound more “Andy Summers-ish”?

    I already know about Howard Davis, so don’t bother telling me about his site. I have sent Howard a request to have him do work, but apparently he is very busy, as I have sent two requests with no reply.

    I am not afraid of a soldering iron, but I am impatient, so if someone knows a source for mod instructions, I will take a chance and mod it myself. Recently modded my Crybaby Wah and it sounds awesome. As along as I have good instructions I think I can do this.

    Thanks!

    April 18, 2009 at 6:54 pm #95796
    go2ldook
    Member

    For anyone reading, I owe Howard Davis an apology…he HAS been replying to my requests for info on his mods…my server was blocking e-mails from att.net domain.

    My most sincere apologies. I will probably give up on looking for mod instructions and turn it over to the master!

    December 9, 2009 at 1:08 am #105033
    petejt
    Member

    So how did it go?

    December 9, 2009 at 4:56 am #105050
    go2ldook
    Member

    Well, I did not immediately send the unit…actually just sent it before Thanksgiving. He was fast to do the mods I requested. I asked for:
    EFFECT ON LED
    VOLUME EQUALIZATION
    VINTAGE EM MOD
    NOISE REDUCTION

    My unit was newer and already had true bypass. We talked about the sweep mod and I decided it was not needed for my unit.
    I also asked him to look at an issue I had with the unit cutting out on me when bumped. Weird problem because it was doing this consistently until I decided to send it to him. Right before I sent it I had a “whacking fit” on it when I thought it had died completely (the power line had slipped out)…and after my whacking, the intermittent problem resolved. I asked Howard to look at it anyway…see if it was a loose solder joint, but he found nothing.

    He also was able to provide the VINTAGE EM MOD with a selection switch. I had read some people were unhappy with the brighter vintage sound, so he was able to allow me to select between my current sound and the vintage mod.

    Should get my unit back next week to see how it turned out, and will let you know. All told, the mods above with return shipping (and some labor for checking for that issue I had) was $135. Turn-around was fast and he communicates well (after I made sure my e-mail filter was not blobking his e-mails!)

    December 14, 2009 at 4:24 pm #105316
    go2ldook
    Member

    Got my EM back very quickly from Howard. He did an excellent job. Here is my summary:

    1) Volume EQ mod: definitely worth it. Nice to have that fixed
    2) Noise reduction: he found the noise was within normal operating limits for the unit
    3) LED: nice to have and worth it
    4) Vintage mod: Not sure how I feel about it. I am glad I had him install a little selector toggle so I could choose, although frankly, the difference is not huge. More high end, but you could fix that with your EQ pedal. He did a nice neat job installing the switch
    5) I had a problem with the unit cutting out when tapped. Howard could not reproduce it and did not find a solution. I am not surprised…I went on a whacking spree with the unit just before sending it to him, and then the problem went away, so apparently I fixed it.

    Overall with shipping the cost was $135. I have modded pedals myself, and know how to solder and can follow instructions. I do not know enough about electronics to “invent” a mod, and could not find adequate instructions to do all this myself. If I had such instructions, I would have done it myself. The LED and vintage switch would have looked sloppier than HOward’s fine work. So you get what you pay for. He does a great job, and you just have to decide if you want the mods and if they are worth the expense (which I would say is reasonable). You will NOT have your EM out of circulation long because Howard is very prompt!

    August 16, 2010 at 5:09 pm #110906
    shanike
    Member

    here’s the volume drop mod documented http://vintageamps.com/plexiboard/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=44694

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