Anyone working on any EL Distressor/Fatso mods.

[TheGuitarist]

I keep reading that there are going to be mods for both these boxes "soon" and i've been reading "soon" from things all the way back in 2003.

Obviously there is the UBK fatso overhaul and the British mode on the distressor... but there doesn't seem to be any other mods out there. The only thing i've heard is Jim Williams said, caps, opamps and PSU. But that just seems like upgrading components not a true mod.

Anyone out there working on something?

 

[dandeurloo]

Has anyone had any success modding the distressor at all? 

 

[s2udio]

A senseless waste of life.......... ???
Quote: "J Cleese"
;D

 

[emrr]

That would be starting over, I think.  Someone here reverse engineered it several years ago, and then thought better of going public.  From  their work, it's an 1176 with programmed switching and IC's everywhere possible.  So add more features to an 1176 (any flavor of 1176) and you're there. 

 

[dandeurloo]

would it be worth putting some better sounding Caps in besides the Xicon caps.  I like 1176's but don't love the distressor.  Maybe some better caps would help the sonics. Any thoughts or would that be more of an IC upgrade needed.

 

[TheGuitarist]

if the IC's are socketed, an IC upgrade should be relatively easy.

 

[radiance]

most IC info is removed from the IC's inside the Distressor.

 

[Di_Sousa]

The EL Distressor is an high end compressor.

If you don't like it, you should sell it and buy a compressor that better suits your taste,
rather than trying to modify something that probably will never sound the way you wish.

I'm sure you will easily find someone to sell it since it's an all around favourite compressor.

 

[dandeurloo]

I like the flexibility of the comp but I don't love how it makes audio sound smaller.  The sound is kinda grainy and a little bit of a zing sound.  Not sure if its components or design? I thought if it was a little time and a few bucks in parts then it may be worth a shot.  I'm surprised no one around here as tried an upgrade or mod.  If it doesn't sound better after that I will probably sell it.

As far as IC's they are all scratched off so there is no quick way to tell what they are? 

 

[QUEEF BAG]

smaller? 

ya see those knobs that say attack and release?

 

[lassoharp]

I keep reading that there are going to be mods for both these boxes "soon" and i've been reading "soon" from things all the way back in 2003.

Obviously there is the UBK fatso overhaul and the British mode on the distressor... but there doesn't seem to be any other mods out there. The only thing i've heard is Jim Williams said, caps, opamps and PSU. But that just seems like upgrading components not a true mod.

Anyone out there working on something?

I like the flexibility of the comp but I don't love how it makes audio sound smaller.  The sound is kinda grainy and a little bit of a zing sound.  Not sure if its components or design? I thought if it was a little time and a few bucks in parts then it may be worth a shot.  I'm surprised no one around here as tried an upgrade or mod.  If it doesn't sound better after that I will probably sell it.

As far as IC's they are all scratched off so there is no quick way to tell what they are? 

I would ask Jim specifically what to expect from his adverstised upgrades.  Some gear upgrades 'better' than others and he will be very forthright and tell you the low down.  Most of his upgrades feature bandwidth extension and the changes in various components are all selected for the net result which is  an overall sonic improvement - better highs, better lows, less distortion, less noise, more clarity etc..  To paraphrase Jim's own words - "For best results you need to do the entire audio path - not just a few chips here or caps there".  Jim's a nice guy - he even offered to sell me an upgrade schematic and/or parts if I wished to do it myself and save on labor.  From personal experience with his work on my Soundcraft modules I'd say the sonic difference is very audibly substantial.

As far as a "true mod" I'd start with the specific question of what is wished to be improved on and go from there.

 

[Hank Dussen]

Not sure whether this is what you’re looking for, nor is it really a mod, but here’s something I made for my Fatso:

On the back of there’s an insert point, after the input gain and before the compressor threshold. If you insert a stereo-jack with a 47K resistor between lug 2 and 3 you raise the threshold point.
This way you have to raise the input gain to achieve the same amount of compression, thus more saturation for the same amount of compression.

Like I said, not really a mod, but I really like what it does and costs about €5 for a pair of these 'insert-jacks'.

 

[s2udio]

The EL Distressor is an high end compressor.

If you don't like it, you should sell it and buy a compressor that better suits your taste,
rather than trying to modify something that probably will never sound the way you wish.

I'm sure you will easily find someone to sell it since it's an all around favourite compressor.

+1
I really can't understand this sort of gearfoolery.....More money than sense IMHO