Why Modify?

I wish I could give you a detailed history of how this whole “modifying guitar pedal” started but even my partnership with Google has yielded limited info. Somewhere along the line though someone realized… “Boutique pedals are expensive and store bought pedals don’t sound very good--- I wonder if there is a way to get the best of both worlds.” What really contributes to the sound of a pedal? Why do some pedals have the beauty of sounding like an extension of the amp and others sound like a vomiting cat?
One thing that really impacts the tone is the design of the tone stack. This is the sequence of components put together to achieve a certain tone. This is the hardest thing to overcome because you can’t do a lot to change this when modding pedals. If the tone stack is just really bad… it’s pretty hard to overcome.
The other main contributor is quality of components used. For example: Even a wonderfully designed pedal like the TS808 (or TS-9) isn’t the most beautiful right off the shelf. Because, if you are a company trying to make the most profit possible you are probably going to find out the cheapest way to make as good a product is necessary. Most pedals are pretty much made up of resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, and op amps. If you are Ibanez making a run of 100,000 TS-9s you probably are going to spend 12 cents on a ceramic capacitor instead of 50 cents on a metal film or silver mica one. That cost isn’t huge for you or I working on the few pedals we own but it’s a difference of $38,000 on a run of 100,000 pedals. That is why boutique pedal companies charge $180 to $400 for a circuit that is alarmingly similar to the $89 TS-9. I know that is a bit of an over simplification but it at least paints the picture for you.
I have personally had an absolute blast hearing a once sucky pedal come to life. I recently finished a Boss SD-1 which sounded gritty and harsh. Now with the change of just ten components I’ve got a warm and rich pedal I would be proud to play anywhere.
So how do you enter this brave new world? The easiest way is to sit down with someone who has a bit of experience and learn a trick or too… that is always the best way to learn something. But, if that isn’t a luxury afforded to you I would recommend this great book which has also taught me a lot in learning to walk this hobby out. http://www.indy-guitarist.com/inc/sdetail/102
This book has several examples to practice with and learn how to start working on this kind of thing.

Closing thought:
I’m always annoyed that the only people who can afford the best gear are usually guys who are to busy making money to actually play the stuff they buy. So, a lot of my motivation in this stuff is getting the best sounds for the lowest price. I hope this kind of thinking and some of what I’ve been through in the last couple years is helpful to someone.

Here is a list of a few pedals I’ve gotten great results from when I’ve modified them.
Ibanez TS-9, Boss SD-1, Boss BD-2, Boss OD-1, Boss DS-1, Boss OS-2, ProCo Rat with Serial # under 300,000.

Here are a few I’ve done and they didn’t even sound that good with a Mod.
MXR Distortion+, Marshall Drive Master, Danelectro Daddy-O, ProCo Rat over serial # 300,000, and I’m not having much luck with the Electra 500d I’m working on right now… so we’ll see.

OK- That’s all for now.