How To: Modify your Small Clone to sound like the ORIGINAL Vintage Small Clone
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2022
- In this video we are going to take a Small Clone reissue and modify it to sound like an original vintage Small Clone. This is a fairly simply mod that anyone with a little soldering experience can do to their Small Clone. With prices well over $500 for an original, I highly recommend this mod!
The most notable instances of the original pedal can be heard on Nirvana's "Come As You Are" and the verse as well as solo for "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Although, I'm 99% sure the Small Clone used on the recordings for Nevermind had the Reticon SAD 1024 chip, they are almost impossible to find. This mod should get you pretty much identical to the vintage pedals.
Here's the parts you'll need.
One 6.8K resistor: amzn.to/38LBtwc
One 100pf capacitor (ceramic or silver mica): amzn.to/3GEZC42
One 2.2uF Tantalum capacitor: amzn.to/3x9rQRj
If for any reason you get stuck with this mod or you simply would rather have someone else do it for you, shoot me a DM on instagram. / aaronrash
Cool idea and seems like a simple mod (for someone who knows how to do it). But how do we know it actually sounds better? A "before" and "after" sound comparison would have been helpful.
Please build a Quad Reverb from scratch. I intend to do so in the future, but as far as I can tell, there doesn't appear to be a single Quad Reverb build anywhere.
Front end of the amp is basically a Twin, just a bit more output on the power section (12 watts?) I’d be willing to bet a Twin chassis in a head box & a 4x12 would get you there. And there’s tons of Twin kits available.
If you really wanted to go all out you could get a Quad schematic & mod the Twin kit to match.
@@donewithmodernlife yeah, and I've gone through the two schematics and traced all of the changes, but being a novice, it would be nice to watch someone who knows what they are doing.
Aaron I agree!! You should do that!!
Why? The Quad is basically just a Twin.
Really the secret to the quad's sound is the cab and its speakers. The actual amp is basically just a silver face twin. There's several versions of the twin. A early silver face would be the one to get for the quads sound.
I was wondering why my new Small Clone didn't sound much like the Nevermind recording at all! I figured it was more about how they used it in the studio, but the sounds you got out of the modded version sound exact and awesome! Thanks for the video.
Just did this mod on my Small Clone -- sounds incredible. Thanks for posting this!!
Amazing that 3 small part changes can improve the sound so much. I’d be willing to pay an extra $5 or whatever for EH to make them like that from the factory.
That original song is really good Aaron. In fact all of your original music you’ve had in your videos has been really good. Any plans to release something?
Thanks!! yep I, think the future of this channel is gonna end up being a lot of my own songs in the long run
@@AaronRash i say this deep from my heart, song that you used on this video was so beautiful and so intense that i felt butterflies in my stomach
Holy sh&$. You are right on the money every time. I did the mod and my small clone is unrecognizable. It sounds like a legit 80s small clone. I remember having one in the 90s. Thank you.
Your videos are absolute gold. I get shivers down my body listening to this.
Brilliant guide, thank you. Just carried out these mods, and to my great surprise, not only did I *not* blow up my Small Clone, but it sounds amazing. Really so much closer to the vintage boxes. Great stuff.
Can’t wait to do this myself! I was really waiting for this one
You gained yourself a new fan great content don't give up man!
Bro, thank you for this. Saved me from pulling the trigger on a vintage Small Clone. Would love to see a shootout between a modded reissue and standard reissue. Would be cool to see a vintage Panasonic chip version thrown in there as well...
Keep up the awesome work homie!!!
Awesome video as always! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
thank you!!!
thank you for this! I didn't really like small clone, but after this mod it sounds GREAT!
Great mod. I discovered this years ago searching for that tone. Before EHX reissued the small clone the only chance to get that sound was to set my Electric Mistress to sounds a bit alike. Then i made my own small clone with the MN3007 chip and it was nice for a while until i bought a reissue and modified it. Great videos! since i grew up with Nirvana as well and we are chasing its sound so well. I made a rough in bloom cover using my old ds-1 and this small clone modded for the solo part that is on my youtube channel.
Mans turned into 1992 krist now! I like that hair folded hair and the jacket! Also the mods were nice they definitely bought back that vintage small clone tone, I really like that demo song thingy you did! Come as you are was most definitely done on the strat and you should try it with the strat and see how it sounds but it sounds accurate as hell anyways, that come as you are solo is on point too along with feedbacking, and it definitely really pulled off that filter matrixy "i hate myself and want to die" tone really well, Overall Great video.
haha thanks man! I never thought about it but that was totally krist in 92 🤣 The mods definitely helped for sure. I originally thought come as you are was the Strat too and its what I originally tried and it sounded really off. I used the one with the 59N in the bridge and tested all the pickup positions. The mustang really just sounded more like it for me. I tried all my guitars though. Whenever I do a tone video for come as you are I'll put the strat in there so you can see how it sounds. I currently have the original single coil in the mustang right now for the Nevermind stuff 🤘🏼
@@AaronRash I have my around 2 year old Smalll clone that I got from Sweetwater has not been used much..I want to ask...Can you do my pedal like that? I wouldn't know what I'm doing modding a effect pedal...I will p you for it Dm me!
This is great! I love tinkering with my gear! Very cool video and sounds great
Yay
My favorite TH-camr! Great video!
Wow, thanks!
@@AaronRash could you maybe release that song you put together in the Mustang bridge comparison video? I really loved it
Awesome doing this mod for sure thanks Aaron, the song was awesome too
Thanks man!
I was alerted to your page by Robert Lang who had high praise for you. Your attention to detail is something I've rarely seen outside of the military.
New to the channel. Man I totally want to jam with you dude.
I’ve sold a lot of cool vintage pedals, but have managed to hang onto my Panasonic Small Clone and early 80’s DS1.
I’ve been focused entirely on bluegrass and acoustic guitar the last few years, but definitely want to get back into this scene. Your videos are incredible man, very inspirational.
Love this. Great tutorial! Thanks!
I found an OG 1981 with the mn3007 chip on reverb about 2 years ago for $250. Worth every cent
Just finished modding my early 00s reissue with the vintage spec mods. Silver mica 100pf, tantalum 2.2uf, and the 6.8k resistor. I also swapped the red to a green LED and the power input jack from the 1/8" plug to the standard pedal jack. It's funny, I had that small clone since 2006 and never quite figured out why it didn't sound exactly right, the mods 100% nailed it. Its smoother, more organic and subtle in each setting which is great because the reissue is really pronounced and almost too gritty. Thank you very much for your contribution to our music modding community!
Hi Papinbrew, I have a query. I'm also going for the same mod to get into vintage mod. Now my issue is that I have a tantalum 2.2 uF at 25 v. Is the voltage a problem? Aaron rash used 16v as per his amazon link.
@@zkiller67 I just modified my clone, I didn't have a tantalum capacitor. I left the electrolytic one. In fact, it makes the most sense to replace a 150p ceramic capacitor with a 100p Silver Mica. The sound of the pedal has really changed, and it has changed quite noticeably. Basically, it turned out to be the same sound as Aaron's here in the video
@@objectforever were you able to make a before and after video for comparison?
@@objectforever th-cam.com/video/FgCsWBObggo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FY0nyX8vvVxGRBOp
@@zkiller67 No. I don't have the conditions for correct audio recording right now. But you can find a comparison from the "jq" user. "Small Clone: Vintage Spec Mod VS Stock Comparison | Nirvana Kurt Cobain Tone". There is a very plausible sound before and after modification
Aaron, thanks for the video. I just completed the mod and it sounds great but it wasnt easy. Ive built pedals and im comfortable populating boards and such, the challenge here is to pry those old components free,lots of careful solder sucker work here. Also, for some reason the first tantalum I installed didnt work well, the chorus would go silent as soon as I reached the end of the knob range. very strange. Swapped the tant for another tant from the same lot and now it works perfect. Your suggestion to watch some soldering videos before is key for the non initiated. Thanks again!!!
I did the mod today, it’s definitively different. I just have to get used to the much tinnier sound as you lose quite a bit of low end. However it’s so cool to get vintage specs with such easy changes! Great video
You didn't like the change in sound? I am gonna do the same tomorrow. You can always go back if you don't like how it sounds. You could also upload a video before and after mod. 🙂
@@user-zi9wg4tj4r An in between both would probably be my personal sweetspot. I do like both
@@baskah I finished the mod today. I wanted to say that the pedal is working by luck. If you guys don't have the appropriate tools just don't try it. I damaged 2 traces on the pcb and I was lucky to repair them back with the tools I had. Anyway, I totally agree with you Baskah. The one capacitor that I used it was a tantalum and the other one was ceramic type capacitor because I couldn't find a silver mica.
Yeah what you think is a easy mod turned out for me different. Also damaged the traces in the pcb and I was not able to fix it. Tried to connect the 100pf from pin 1 of the chip to the diode directly but didn’t work. Also the wiring is very fragile and breaks when you move it a little. Now I get only clean sound, no effect. Sound does gets a bit brighter when I turned the switch on but that’s all
@@user-zi9wg4tj4rI have the same problem, how were you able to repair it?
Dude stumbled on your channel, love love love it great content easy friend 👍
Awesome job! Thank you very much!
I'd love to see a short little video on your video-lighting/production setup... how you shoot in a small space etc!
Great video! Ordered myself some parts, and I went with silver Mica for the 100pf. Along with popping a clear green LED in there I am swapping the junky 1/8" power socket out for a standard guitar pedal DC socket. This is the content type that's needed for pedal mods. I would have really liked an A/B stock vs modded (vintage) but they exist already out there
I love seeing what others do with gear. I wound up building two as I was lucky to have a few Panasonic MN3007's and not enough MN3101's to pair with them (To build BOSS CE-2's). I messed with this circuit so much I had all kinds of crazy variants but the best mod (not really a mod) is to put a actual Panasonic MN3007 in it. I built so many circuits on breadboard using that one xvive IC taken out of this reissue, and compared to a real MN3007 and they are just not the same. Another thing to try is run it at 12 volts (adjust other components where necessary to do that) which results in more width and fullness overall. And although not related to the original, add another jack and op amp stage on a small board for stereo output.
that's interesting! Thanks. A complete modification should also include wiring from true bypass to Non-TB. This is a difference that greatly affects the sound, especially the rendering of low frequencies
F-ing Awesome vid bro ...
I was just watching a jq vid and saw he gave u a personal shout out & thank you for helping him with a speaker,so I checked out your channel and I'm hooked! I had to sell my beloved 1970's fender strat a few years back ( I fell on some hard times) but I'm saving up every penny to just get any Guitar. Anyways I Always wanted a Small Clone and when I eventually do get 1 I'm definitely doing this mod, I appreciate you letting people know that they sound different now and show how to get that Original sound that made me want 1 in the 1st place .
So thanks brother,I wish I much success to u and your channel.
Peace Love & Empathy -Kurt Cobain 🕉️♾️
Hey man, I love your content! it's really cool. Maybe you could also make a video about the differences between the vintage DS-1 and the new ones, that'd be fckn awsome!
love ur vids man
thank you man!!!
Thank you so much for this ❤️
You're so welcome!
Did the mod, thanks Aaron!
What it seems like it does is make the chorus effect more sensitive to gain, which is why it sounds more like Kurt’s sound. The tradeoff is that it definitely made the signal more sensitive to oscillation: It’s easier to get my rig to whistle.
Overall still worth it… as the out of the box modern smawl clone sounds nothing like the record!! And FWIW I also couldn’t find silver mica… only ceramic caps.
Hiii. I have the reissue small clone and DS1 and Ds2. Say for eg when I play smells like teens spirit, when I kick in the solo, the solo itself doesn't seem that bright and punchy, instead it gets lost in the whole music. Then I have to use a volume pedal to up the solo part... Unlike Kurt's setting, when he plays the solo you can actually hear how it comes in front and it sounds so powerful.
Is that what you mean when you said "sensitive to gain"?
Also for your mod which tantalum 2.2 uF voltage you used?
@@zkiller67the solo is played on the jag neck so it's gonna sound more grainy And punchy I think
@@JACKDAW1967 to the best of my knowledge the whole song is played in the bridge pup.
You did it!
Love it
Appreciate the video! Would have been nice with some before and after though
Hi Aaron! I love your videos! think you deserve 100.000 subscribers. I really like the picture in your videos, as well as the fact that you share tips and interesting things that I would not find on the Internet. I want to ask. Have you ever played Gibson Les Paul? What were your feelings?
Wow, thanks! I've never played a les Paul but I actually really want to. I picked one up before though and all I remember is how heavy it was 😂
Love this mod . You should start selling them, in to lazy and not hands on enough haha :% . Keep up the amazing videos
Aaron… you’re always pushing things to the next level.. thanks for showing us. I left a reply on another video about my super six reverb. I hadn’t looked at it in a while and forgot they were 10’s not 12’s in the cab. Anyway… any thoughts on how to get the most out of it and get it up to par with the super reverb 4 12’s with the GT speakers you showed us?
Totally cool!! Can do a vid on how to build an echo flanger?
I saw this posted some where what do you all think? -If you're looking for that Nirvana tone, in addiction to this mod also consider the difference due to the bypass system. The versions without true bypass (all the originals and early reissues) cut the low frequencies, which are retained in those with true bypass (most reissues). This also affects the effect sound which is more pronounced and thicker in the TBs. 100pf cap replacement + NOT true bypass give you an identical copy of the original
Awesome
Fantastico 😉! Bravo
Hey man great video as always, I really like that with the small clone you’re able to do the filter matrix affect is there anyway you’d be able to do it or achieve something close with the stock small clone, maybe you’ve experimented with that at some point and found a way to get close?
I really disliked the sound of the stock small clone reissue that I didn't really mess with it much and modded it as soon as I got it. But the filter matrix sound is just a really tight doubled delay, like maybe 50ms that creates the feedback sound. You could do it in the computer by duplicating a track and offsetting the duplicate by 50ms or so.
@@AaronRash All right, thanks for your reply that helps a lot, I’ll try to re-create that. And personally I’m not the biggest fan of the stock small clone either I’ll probably end up doing your mod
i do have to say, a before and after would be nice
holy... your videos are amazing, the test at 4:15... so sick
youre a genius
Thanks for the video Aaron! I really like the quality of your photography! And I've been asking for a long time but will you recreate Heart-Shaped Box tone?
Thanks Jessie! Yep, I'm going to do that for sure. Some of the tones on in utero are really tough. it will get done though!
HSB was an echo flanger.
Nice song.
nice one aaron! i've heard there are some differences with new and old boss distortions, maybe you could check that out too?
Ive heard some people say in a harmonic percolator (rip steve albini) using a tantalum instead of an electrolytic helps the lower harmonic come out. Not related to anything this just reminded me of that, ironically ive heard the albini schematic doesn't do that octave thing
Man, i really appreciate that info! Just ordered all those parts to vintage mod both my small clones... can i ask what setting did you have on the small clone to replicate the come as you are solo? Thanks for all the videos!
Bro, is it possible to listen to the song you are playing in the end. The one you play from 4:16 do 5:17, or is that it? I really digged that part.
Great video! Where did you get the 100pf silver mica capacitor and is it rated at 50v or 500v? Thanks!
Hi Aaron, I love your channel. I just started playing and really getting into the "Kurt's tone" thing.
You mention different versions of the small clone pedal, would a 1980's eh4600 be what I need?
Could you maybe remake the tone of aneurysm from insecticide
+Aaron Rash what settings do you use to make it do the filter matrix sound?
Holy shit, 1K for a Reticon Small Clone now?! Jeez, I wonder how much I could get for my nearly mint vintage Polychorus that has two SAD1024's inside it, lol. I'll never sell that pedal though, I've owned every version of the Poly, vintage original, the big box stereo reissue, and the small box stereo version. The original SAD1024 version blew the modern reissues out of the water. I had a Polyflange too, but had to sell it when funds were quite tight some years ago. I had hoped to collect all three versions of the original circuit, but the Echoflanger was a bit too elusive to get my hands on before I had to let the Polyflange go.
9v is not enough for small clone, that’s why it distorts using humbuckers. I use 15v power supply. Problem solved. That 100pF capacitor is for setting delay time of modulated signal. Bigger cap gives more delay and more hiss, but at some point you’ll get seasick tone similar to radio friendly unit shifter intro.
Great video, bro! I’m really impressed with your tunes. I’m guessing you have some stuff recorded. Care to do some trading? I’ve got some stuff you might dig. Anyway, my small clone was really heavily modded- knobs for depth, volume,rate, and tone. It was a early 90s one that I messed with over the years. Unfortunately the circuit board fried during lockdown. Just finally got anew board burned by a friend and I have to start over. Such a drag. It will be cool to start from vintage specs tho. Ciao
Well come on man I was waiting for you to show how to solder a reticon chip on! Is it wired the same as the panasonic? Direct swap?
how did you do the vocals? OMG its so f****** awesome!!!!
Is the bbd different though, between old and new versions? I figured it might still be the same type of chip like if it was mn3007 but surely different manufactuer by now? Are the new ones using cool audio chips?
You can still get the Japanese chips in ehx 550-tt, a couple mods to that and you are gonna have a lot of fun.
hey Aaron, what amp/speaker/cab did you use for the modded small clone demo? the sound is absolutely unbelievable, and your original sound is so so cool
do you have to solder in the tantalum capacitor, great guide!
Great mate! Tomorrow i will start searching on the local market for the capacitors and the resistor. I would love to make the mode alone but i am not sure about the polarities.
Awesome! let us know how it turns out
@@AaronRash *update. It seems kinda hard to find those components except the resistor these days at least at my town 🤣. Anyway, I managed to find all the electronics from a different town 🤯
I wanted to ask if the 100pf cap should be silver mica type or ceramic. Because on the video you mentioned about silver mica type but in the link below the video it seems that is ceramic type. Anyway, I ordered the ceramic type because it's very difficult to find the silver mica cap.
In the next days I will revert with the mod hopefully. By the way, I have to say and you should know from people like me that your music is awesome... And I mean it! So, try you best and release your work! ❤
Great work! Are you releasing the song you played and singed on in this video?
Thanks! I definitely will in the future!
What difference (if any) would a ceramic vs silver mica chip make? Which is more "authentic"?
Well, I tried to mod it and its just a buzzing noize, the tantilum capacitor seems to be working, not sure about the other 2, i'll try to fix it later.
wait how do you set i the filter matrix setting , all the way down and switch on the low setting ? great vids man x
As I saw in the video, pin 1 of the 1M ccw logarithmic potentiometer is not used. is that so? I know that one of the pins is always discriminated. But does he have a particular reason?
Mine made a clicking sound in bypass mode so I returned it. When turned up loud it made it unusable for live situations for me. Bummer
To those who have performed the mod, does using either the silver mica or ceramic disc cap effect the tone?
Hi, ive done that mod. The light turns red when i press the button but theres no sound coming out of my pedal. Does someone else have this problem?
You should do new covers with this new mod
How can I tell which version of the small clone I have without opening it up? Bought it new in the late 90s
not sure if i've done mine correctly, it works as if on the lowest setting (7 o clock) up until about 2/3 o clock then suddenly kicks in really dramatically It doesnt sound bad on that setting but doesnt seem to work uniformly throughout the range of the knob. any ideas what ive done wrong?
Hey Aaron! Thanks for the video, super helpful! Can the Tantalum be 35V or is 16V the only way to go? (not very experienced)
You should be fine with those, the voltage thing is just how much voltage the part can be exposed to before it goes boom and in pedals you'll usually only have 9v (unless it's one of those pedals that runs at like 25v or something with a tube). The only real problem you'd have with higher power rated parts is size because some are bigger (one time I bought 1 watt resistors instead of quarter watt for something and I literally couldn't fit them in the thing lol)
Now let's mod a PolyChorus! :)
Does the neo clone sound the same as the small clone
I’m pretty sure it does but the Nano doesnt
It's the closest of the neo, nanos imo. I have a nano and it's pretty terrible. If you're choosing between the two small ones go with neo. All in all Its better to get an actual small clone
@@jacksonbailey6648 id probably consider getting a small clone but for now a neo clone just for testing
So.. tried the mod... The bass cut is super agressive and in IMO it looses rons of dinamics and life.. its not for everyone.. I decided to mount both ceramic caps (the original and the mod one) on a dpdt toggle to have both options.. the switch is hidden inside screwed into the internal psrt of the battery clip
Can you recreate milk it’s tone? Especially the last chorus and outro
Yep for sure, finishing in utero is on the list
What equipment is needed to do this. Will places such as Guitar Center do it
Wait so do you recommend the panasonic or reticon chip small chorus? or which sounds to closer to what kurt used?
You need to cover come as you are now.
@aaronrash Do u think the modern small clone reissue could be modded to take the reticon sad1024, i have one to use.
Could the small clone do the filter matrix before you modded it?
Protip, a spoon is the best tool to get a knob off a pedal or guitar.
What is the “Filter Matrix” thing?? I know I’ve heard that before but I can’t remember.
The filter matrix is a setting from the echo flanger used on the in utero album. I go over it a lot in my in utero recreate the tone videos
Going to mod my small clone, should mod a new boss ds2 to the specs that Kurt had on his older one. Thanks!
6:00 I saw that Pumpkin Fuzz...
I didn't know the new EH small clone had part value changes. Try making a video about getting that nirvana territorial pissing plugged direct into the SSL console overloading harsh sound
Nevermind was recorded on a Neve console at Sound City. Go check out the Sound City doc. Also, he did that video already.
Anybody know if there’s a difference with ceramic over silver mica in this mod?
Btw, when is your album coming? 🙂
Can you do the same thing with the new PolyChorus?
that first song you played was like pixies the cure nirvana and nine inch nails together xdd
I'd like to hear a before and after clip. Does anyone have one?