Boss CE-2 & CE-2B Chorus Cap Upgrade Mod Kit

monteallums — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 23:08:42 +0000

Electrolytic caps in tube amps, over a period of time, start to leak, loose their tolerance and go bad. It’s just the nature of Electrolytic caps. Sometimes the leaking is actually visible. But Electrolytic caps can look okay and still be faulty. By replacing Electrolytic caps in older pedals you can actually improve the overall effect of that pedal. Honestly I was skeptical until I received an email from a client that was having issues after he modded his Boss BF-2 with one of my kits. He said the flange effect was barely noticeable. A couple of weeks later I received another email from the same client. The client said he had solved the issue by replacing all the Electrolytic caps in his BF-2. This peaked my interest so I started experimenting.

I was astonished how some of my older pedals benefited from the cap upgrade! Noise seemed to be reduced and clarity and presence of the effect were enhanced. I am now offering these Cap Upgrade Kits for many of the pedals I offer kits for. In some cases some of these caps are already upgraded in the kits that I offer. But I am offering kits that replace all the Electrolytic caps for those that have not purchased my kits. They will benefit from upgrading the Electrolytic caps that I do not replace in my kits. You’ll find that some of these same caps are already replaced in the kits I offer. It’s a win win all around for those that want the maximum benefit when upgrading their pedals. But I didn’t stop there, when possible I have upgraded these Electrolytics with Metal Film and Tantalum. Not only do these caps have tighter tolerances but they will also last the life of the pedal.

Boss CE-2 & CE-2B DIY Pedal Mod Kits

monteallums — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 22:49:06 +0000

WARNING! — The OPA2134PA opamp, of which are included in many of my kits, is currently extremely hard to find. Mouser and Digikey are currently out of stock with none expected until 2023. I have hundreds in stock. BE CAREFUL BUYING THE OPA2134PA ON EBAY. THE MAJORITY ARE FAKE! Manufacturers in China are rebranding cheaper opamps and selling them as OPA2134PA opamps. I test all my OPA2134PA opamps I buy. You can easily test whether a OPA2134PA has been rebranded. Do this, take some Acetone on a Q-tip and rub across the lettering of the opamp. If it is Fake the ink used to print the labeling will dissolve into the Q-tip.

– This mod also works for the Bass Version CE-2B that has a circuit board that looks like this. This is, by far, the best analog chorus pedal I have ever played. Even though it’s no longer in production there are tens of thousands of these pedals being used by pros all over the world. What I have done with this mod is improve several areas in the circuit. First, we have modified the voltage giving the pedal more headroom and improving the quality of the effect. The pedal can now be used with a standard Boss PSA power 9V adapter. We also replace the main opamp with a OPA2134PA Burr Brown opamp. This is a very Hi-Fi Low Noise opamp and will add clarity and fullness to the effect.

We have also upgraded several key components in the circuit with higher quality components. This will add clarity, fullness and a much more focused tone to the circuit. We also modify a resistor increasing the brightness of the LED. We also supply you with a 3mm Bi-Color LED that flashes with the rate of the effect. We modify a capacitor that doubles the rate of the chorus effect to give you a super fast chorus effect while preserving the slow rate. The richness of the actual chorus effect has also been enhanced. If you are looking for an absolutely beautiful, rich, smooth and lush chorus effect this is the mod for you. A great sounding analog chorus just got 10X better!

Now With Flashing Rate BiColor LED Mod — I have added a new feature to my CE-2 & CE-2B mods. I have added a BiColor LED that will possess 2 functions. One will blink at the Rate the Chorus effect is set to by the Rate knob and the other will show when the effect is engaged. You can purchase the BiColor LEDs here. Based on the availability of the Bi-Color LEDs I will include either a Blue/Red or Green/Red Bi-Color LED.

Hear For Yourself! (.mp3s)

Sean_Borton.mp3

Sean Borton mp3s – These mp3s were graciously supplied by Sean Borton. The clips are from Sean’s latest album “What a Party”. Sean is playing a Strat w/EMG SA (Vintage) pups through a Vox AC30 set to a clean setting. You can visit Sean’s band here http://www.fostermartinband.com. Thank you Sean for letting me use these clips. Man, what great tone Sean, Awesome!