New MXR Randy Rhoads pedal... GONE

[SteveGlitch]

the problem with those gut shot pics is I can't read any values on the resistors .... or the caps ...

but they look like they have the equal amount of the same type of parts ....

it's only a matter of time before a Pedal Forum of some type will have this traced and ready for tagboard .

unless someone wants to send me a really good pic of the inside so I can actually see the color bands on the resistors ... there's no need to trace

I highly doubt they manipulated that tiny circuit by just moving some components around .... so if theres a difference it will be in the values ...

I mentioned before .... when this pedal was brought up months ago .... I rersearched the shit out of " did Randy's get modded and what were those mods "

All I found was a conversation or two about the possibility of having a cap removed .... and possibly a value change on a resistor .

those A/B gutshots someone showed ..... there's an equal amount of parts .... of the same type .. so if a cap was removed in Randy's ... they didn't remove it there ...

and just to give reference of a small distortion circuit vs a big one .... that Disto + has like 16 total PCB parts .. this is the inside of my Erebos Distortion Pedal
View attachment 338151

 

[griff10672]

You don't seem to bright, sounds like you're trolling. I'll leave you with these pics, though I already know you won't understand any of it - you'll just see the similarities and none of the differences.

I'm referring to these pics you posted on page 15 of this 20 page shit show thread .... was I wrong to assume one was a RR and one was an original ??

Is what you just posted a pic with a cap circled just now the Randy Rhoads ???

you opened yours didn't you ?? post a clear pic .... so I can see the color bands on the resistors ...

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I'm referring to these pics you posted on page 15 of this 20 page shit show thread .... was I wrong to assume one was a RR and one was an original ??
View attachment 338175View attachment 338178

Is what you just posted a pic with a cap circled just now the Randy Rhoads ???

you opened yours didn't you ?? post a clear pic .... so I can see the color bands on the resistors ...

THIS - I bet they "meticulously cloned" 2 parts. Then found the equivalent value close enough off the shelf and BOOM! The RR was born. Signed and Polkadots. It does look cool though, I will give them that. So if you do a copy, make sure that the paint job is on point and you don't do a picture of anything. Then do the mod switch for the engaged EQ curve.

 

[griff10672]

THIS - I bet they "meticulously cloned" 2 parts. Then found the equivalent value close enough off the shelf and BOOM! The RR was born. Signed and Polkadots. It does look cool though, I will give them that. So if you do a copy, make sure that the paint job is on point and you don't do a picture of anything. Then do the mod switch for the engaged EQ curve.

I have no desire to do a copy of any type of this pedal ................. I've built several DOD 250's ....... Disto+'s and the like ..... they do nothing for me guitar tone wise .......
I do have a Micro Amp + coming in a few weeks that I'm building just to try ( I do enjoy building older circuits just to throw in front of my JCM 800/JEL )..... the circuit is almost identical to the Disto + ..... I'm not expecting to like it .... and will probably end up giving it away ..... or it will go on my shop's " Wall of Pedals "

 

[dcburn]

I'm referring to these pics you posted on page 15 of this 20 page shit show thread .... was I wrong to assume one was a RR and one was an original ??
View attachment 338175View attachment 338178

Is what you just posted a pic with a cap circled just now the Randy Rhoads ???

you opened yours didn't you ?? post a clear pic .... so I can see the color bands on the resistors ...

That pair together look like the magic diodes in my Tumnus Deluxe Ge.

 

[griff10672]

That pair together look like the magic diodes in my Tumnus Deluxe Ge.

Germanium Diodes come in all kinds of quirky color bands ..... it's the forward voltage that's key

 

[MusicIsLife]

And to come full circle on my part of this conversation, can anyone provide a link or a source for any conversation about Randy's personal D+(s) having been modified ? I ask because I have never read this anywhere and I actually have spent quite a bit of time over the years reading about Randy and his gear. I'm perfectly willing to accept his stuff was modded, after all, it's not that unusual, I just have never read that before. You know, until now, when someone is trying to market a "Unique" RR pedal.

Same. Randy was probably my biggest influence when I started playing. I listened to everything I could, read everything I could. I've never seen anything suggesting his D+ was modified, let alone an account by anyone of authority. It's not that there isn't detailed info about his gear by people who knew., including what actually was modded. It seems like he just wasn't into modding.

Maybe he did mod his D+, and almost no one knew. At this point though, it's just hype. He didn't really have an m.o. for modding things. People who knew Randy talk about him always having a guitar in his hands, playing. People who knew EVH also mention how much time he spent tinkering, trying different components, rewinding pickups by hand, potting his own pups. Randy's approach to tone chasing seemed to focus almost entirely on particular pieces of gear, and almost never on tinkering with things under the hood.

 

[mentoneman]

Anyone ever consider a company announcing a limited run, instantly “sells out” aka claims all units are spoken for, driving collectors mad—

then offers the pedals on the used market hyperinflated through a team of internet brokers knowing GASsers will pay out the wazoo ala Klon Centaur

 

[griff10672]

Same. Randy was probably my biggest influence when I started playing. I listened to everything I could, read everything I could. I've never seen anything suggesting his D+ was modified, let alone an account by anyone of authority. It's not that there isn't detailed info about his gear by people who knew., including what actually was modded. It seems like he just wasn't into modding.

Maybe he did mod his D+, and almost no one knew. At this point though, it's just hype. He didn't really have an m.o. for modding things. People who knew Randy talk about him always having a guitar in his hands, playing. People who knew EVH also mention how much time he spent tinkering, trying different components, rewinding pickups by hand, potting his own pups. Randy's approach to tone chasing seemed to focus almost entirely on particular pieces of gear, and almost never on tinkering with things under the hood.

there's definitely no definitive info I ran into ..... just a couple of guys on a pedal builders forum speculating on " what could have been done "

they mentioned changing value on the input cap ....... which makes sense if you wanted to increase or decrease the amount of lows getting into the circuit

I don't think I found anything solid ........... or I would have bookmarked it on my browser

 

[mentoneman]

there's definitely no definitive info I ran into ..... just a couple of guys on a pedal builders forum speculating on " what could have been done "

they mentioned changing value on the input cap ....... which makes sense if you wanted to increase or decrease the amount of lows getting into the circuit

I don't think I found anything solid ........... or I would have bookmarked it on my browser

i’m certain your version of the RR would blow away mxr.

 

[griff10672]

i’m certain your version of the RR would blow away mxr.

I would just re-lay out the board ....
Then just implement any popular mod done to it ... or at least the ones I like and that can be made switchable .....
Or because it has 16 parts ... I could just do one with high end axial parts that would sound a shit ton better than a original
Like my Dallas rangemaster clone

 

[Speeddemon]

Griff, not to shit on your parade, -and tone wise it will probably not matter (much)- but the main cap in the original Rangemaster circuit is a very uncommon 5nF value. Not the more common 4.7nF or 5.6nF. I see you went for a 4.7nF Mallory cap.

I built a few myself back in the day, sourced actual NOS 5nFs and used orange drops for 2 other values, so you could switch between 3 modes of boost (Full/Mid/Treble).

By the way, totally agree with your response to Steve regarding the two images he posted. That's no proof whatsoever.
The 'NORMAL' and the 'RR' have the same amount and same TYPE (e.g. tantalum and ceramic caps) of components. It is a really simple circuit and very closely related to the DOD 250 and MXR Micro Amp.
The DOD 250 (a 90's reissue) was my first venture in modding pedals; replacing the stock 10nF input cap with different values (and NOT the shitty 1nF that the DOD YJM308 pedal used..."ALL YOUR LOWS ARE BELONG TO US".... ), swapping around the diodes, swapping IC's, adding a Boss 9V power socket (instead of that stupid center positive mini-jack) and ofcourse, true bypass switching and a 3mm blue LED.
Later on, I added a toggle switch for the input cap; I think it switches between 15nF and 33nF. 33nF is great with single coils and the gain low, so it acts more like a colourful, full-range, almost-clean boost.

Notice Steve, I haven't called you stupid in this post. But as a fellow (former?) pedal modder/builder and MXR collector (see *proof* below ;-) ), I fail to see the actual proof that some folks asked for; if Randy's PERSONAL D+ was modded yes or no.
And perhaps it was as simple as swapping C1 (input cap) from 10nF to possibly a lower value, to make it less flubby at higher gain positions.

Circuit of the D+ is explained here. 1N34A are (pretty low forward voltage) germanium diodes. The DOD 250 used silicon diodes with a higher forward voltage; meaning, more possible volume before distortion appears AND a different character of gain structure. You can replace those with green or yellow LEDs (even higher forward voltage; red LEDs have a lower forward voltage usually) and you get even more volume from the pedal.
Something that on one hand the D+ could've used, since you have to crank it at least to 3 'o clock volume wise to even reach unity gain.

 

[griff10672]

Griff, not to shit on your parade, -and tone wise it will probably not matter (much)- but the main cap in the original Rangemaster circuit is a very uncommon 5nF value. Not the more common 4.7nF or 5.6nF. I see you went for a 4.7nF Mallory cap.

I built a few myself back in the day, sourced actual NOS 5nFs and used orange drops for 2 other values, so you could switch between 3 modes of boost (Full/Mid/Treble).

By the way, totally agree with your response to Steve regarding the two images he posted. That's no proof whatsoever.
The 'NORMAL' and the 'RR' have the same amount and same TYPE (e.g. tantalum and ceramic caps) of components. It is a really simple circuit and very closely related to the DOD 250 and MXR Micro Amp.
The DOD 250 (a 90's reissue) was my first venture in modding pedals; replacing the stock 10nF input cap with different values (and NOT the shitty 1nF that the DOD YJM308 pedal used..."ALL YOUR LOWS ARE BELONG TO US".... ), swapping around the diodes, swapping IC's, adding a Boss 9V power socket (instead of that stupid center positive mini-jack) and ofcourse, true bypass switching and a 3mm blue LED.
Later on, I added a toggle switch for the input cap; I think it switches between 15nF and 33nF. 33nF is great with single coils and the gain low, so it acts more like a colourful, full-range, almost-clean boost.

Notice Steve, I haven't called you stupid in this post. But as a fellow (former?) pedal modder/builder and MXR collector (see *proof* below ;-) ), I fail to see the actual proof that some folks asked for; if Randy's PERSONAL D+ was modded yes or no.
And perhaps it was as simple as swapping C1 (input cap) from 10nF to possibly a lower value, to make it less flubby at higher gain positions.

Circuit of the D+ is explained here. 1N34A are (pretty low forward voltage) germanium diodes. The DOD 250 used silicon diodes with a higher forward voltage; meaning, more possible volume before distortion appears AND a different character of gain structure. You can replace those with green or yellow LEDs (even higher forward voltage; red LEDs have a lower forward voltage usually) and you get even more volume from the pedal.
Something that on one hand the D+ could've used, since you have to crank it at least to 3 'o clock volume wise to even reach unity gain.

not shitting on my parade ...... my Rangemaster has the simple 3 way input cap switch ..... but yes ..... I couldn't find a 5nF to save my life if I remember right .... so I went with the 4.7nF

 

[DanTravis62]

I have no desire to do a copy of any type of this pedal ................. I've built several DOD 250's ....... Disto+'s and the like ..... they do nothing for me guitar tone wise .......
I do have a Micro Amp + coming in a few weeks that I'm building just to try ( I do enjoy building older circuits just to throw in front of my JCM 800/JEL )..... the circuit is almost identical to the Disto + ..... I'm not expecting to like it .... and will probably end up giving it away ..... or it will go on my shop's " Wall of Pedals "

I love micro amps, for some reason they seem to tickle my pecker quite a bit better than D+, which I only like with strats or other single coils

 

[Speeddemon]

not shitting on my parade ...... my Rangemaster has the simple 3 way input cap switch ..... but yes ..... I couldn't find a 5nF to save my life if I remember right .... so I went with the 4.7nF

Same here (3 way switch)...If I recall correctly, I found those 5nF's in Russia back in 2005 or 2006...paper in oil, nice little silver barrels.. Together with some NOS OC44 trannies (maybe those came from Steve @ Small Bear).
Although I'm not really a fuzz user myself, I built a bunch of classic pedals (Rangemaster, Fuzz Face, DOD 250, Micro Amp, etc.) to as much as original specs as I could, including (NOS) period correct parts, just to learn what everything does, how it interacts and how or where you could change or add improvements...For instance, I found out that a simple resistor change made the available volume in a Fuzz Face circuit a lot better.

At some point, a friend of mine wanted me to build him a true original spec DOD 250 Greybox clone...so I collected a shit-ton of pictures online with gut-shots, trying to gauge a proper feeling of what TYPE of components were used. And finally came up with the PCB below; with a nice vintage LM741CN, ceramic disk capacitors, etc. The Excel sheet is not my work though. I forgot who, but I found it online.

But my own DOD 250 sounds different; the Greybox stuff was nice to dive into, to see what the fuss is about. Later on I found a '81 yellow one in original box and that one I keep stock. I like it for boosting, not for its drive.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Needs the altecs but this guy is a proper fan who can play the licks and leads so nice to see this pedal made it to someone who plans to use it.

 

[SteveGlitch]

Nice to see this pedal made it to someone who plans to use it.

Yeah, I forgot to tell you that I did open it and threw it on the board, I'll use it tomorrow at church and if I don't care for it, I guess I'll trade it in or whatever. If I do like it, itll stay on. I can't argue with the fact that I'm not a true fan, to be honest I've never cared for Randy or Black Sabbath. The pedal never stood out to me, it's not the typical pedal that I would go for from the MXR line.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Yeah, I forgot to tell you that I did open it and threw it on the board, I'll use it tomorrow at church and if I don't care for it, I guess I'll trade it in or whatever. If I do like it, itll stay on. I can't argue with the fact that I'm not a true fan, to be honest I've never cared for Randy or Black Sabbath. The pedal never stood out to me, it's not the typical pedal that I would go for from the MXR line.

ok, if you hate it, how about you sell it to me for the cost you paid? I will pay shipping to Canada. Consider it charity, you will feel especially happy at Church once you do this. Spread that sense of community rather than the gluttonous greedy dark side that exists inside of you..and all of us.., trying to convince you to gain and do the WRONG thing. This is a battle between good and evil.. don't think it is just " business". That's what the bad part of you wants you to believe. Eroding your character one transaction at a time. Next it will be " just this once" when hiring a prostitute or drinking and driving. See where I am going with this? I'm here to help you.

 

[SteveGlitch]

ok, if you hate it, how about you sell it to me for the cost you paid?

I didn't pay anything for it and I don't hate it. MXR sent it to me, I already showed a screenshot of the email from MXR in another thread but deleted it since members jumped to call it fake.

I will pay shipping to Canada. Consider it charity, you will feel especially happy at Church once you do this. Spread that sense of community rather than the gluttonous greedy dark side that exists inside of you..and all of us.., trying to convince you to gain and do the WRONG thing. This is a battle between good and evil.. don't think it is just " business". That's what the bad part of you wants you to say. Next it will be " just this once" when hiring a prostitute or drinking and driving. See where I am going with this? I'm here to help you.

You don't need to convince me. If I don't like it, I will sell it to you for a fair used price, which would be a fraction of the original new price. I was tempted to sell it and make a profit but I think, realistically, it would take alot for me to sell it at something crazy like $400-600. Regardless of what the trolls here say ("He needs the money so he scams", I already know I have more money than them so there's nothing there to prove).

Anyways, I'll let you know how it goes

 

[Code001]

Quickly skimmed through and didn't see any gut shots of this. I might have missed it, but here are some gut shots of the new MXR RR Dist+ that are floating around. Apologies if these are reposted: