# Mids control on Thermionic?



## BurntFingers (Dec 16, 2019)

The tempest board over at aion is the Friedman circuit but has a mid knob.

Is it possible to retrofit one to the Thermionic? I find the pedal as is to be a bit difficult to dial in, it goes from rumbley to thin very quickly (especially at stage volume) and I think a mid control might help.

In the past I've made a ghetto tone control by sticking a capacitor on the output volume pot but not sure how that's going to work out here... Maybe splicing a pot and cap from the out wire to the breakout board?

Any ideas?


----------



## caspercody (Dec 16, 2019)

I created a vero board for that reason, search for *I added the mid control to my Thermionic Distortion to make it a Little Debbie in this forum*


----------



## Jiuk (Dec 17, 2019)

Use BrownBetty PCB and change components value of both C9 & R13.
C9;  220p-> 100p
R13;  27k-> 10k


----------



## BurntFingers (Dec 17, 2019)

Jiuk said:


> Use BrownBetty PCB and change components value of both C9 & R13.
> C9;  220p-> 100p
> R13;  27k-> 10k



Sorry, are you saying the solution is to just make another pedal? 

That's not exactly a mod.


----------



## zgrav (Dec 17, 2019)

check out the schematic for the Little Debbie and compare it to the schematic for one of the channels on the Thermionic.  I think the suggestion was to use the two component values from the LD in place of the components in the same part of the circuit on the Thermionic.    but of course I could be mistaken.


----------



## BurntFingers (Dec 17, 2019)

zgrav said:


> check out the schematic for the Little Debbie and compare it to the schematic for one of the channels on the Thermionic.  I think the suggestion was to use the two component values from the LD in place of the components in the same part of the circuit on the Thermionic.    but of course I could be mistaken.



That just seems like changing one problem for another. There's got to be an easy way to splice a tone control somewhere on there.


----------



## zgrav (Dec 17, 2019)

The Thermionic and Thermionic Deluxe boards both have mid pots and presence controls, so theoretically it might be simpler to tweak the frequencies or ranges for those controls to get something you like better.  Practically speaking, I understand why you might want a simpler option of putting something else in-line to shape the tone instead of replacing components on the PCB.   Maybe a more helpful suggestion for you will turn up.


----------



## Jiuk (Dec 17, 2019)

BurntFingers said:


> Sorry, are you saying the solution is to just make another pedal?
> 
> That's not exactly a mod.


Mod is possible, if you can make little circuit board for mid control. Use Thermionic Deluxe schematic, make your own circuit board, but it's not easy. That's why I made Thermionic Deluxe again.


----------



## caspercody (Dec 18, 2019)

I added the mid control to my Thermionic Distortion to make it a Little Debbie by making a vero board. It works.

If anyone is interested here is the vero board. Just remove C18 and R21, and add this into your pedal.


----------



## Jiuk (Dec 20, 2019)

caspercody said:


> I added the mid control to my Thermionic Distortion to make it a Little Debbie by making a vero board. It works.
> 
> If anyone is interested here is the vero board. Just remove C18 and R21, and add this into your pedal.



Awesome !


----------



## Chuck D. Bones (Dec 21, 2019)

BurntFingers said:


> Sorry, are you saying the solution is to just make another pedal?
> 
> That's not exactly a mod.



I had the same impression: "He built the wrong pedal."  I went for the Brown Betty over the Thermionic or the Dirty Sanchez because it had the TIGHT & MID controls.


----------



## BurntFingers (Dec 21, 2019)

Chuck D. Bones said:


> I had the same impression: "He built the wrong pedal."  I went for the Brown Betty over the Thermionic or the Dirty Sanchez because it had the TIGHT & MID controls.



I wish I'd known before. This pedal is quite disappointing to be honest.


----------



## Chuck D. Bones (Dec 21, 2019)

BurntFingers said:


> The tempest board over at aion is the Friedman circuit but has a mid knob.
> 
> Is it possible to retrofit one to the Thermionic? I find the pedal as is to be a bit difficult to dial in, it goes from rumbley to thin very quickly (especially at stage volume) and I think a mid control might help.
> 
> ...



Not sure a MID control will help, but retuning the TIGHT, BASS and/or TREBLE controls might get it sounding the way you like.  Which knob(s) are you turning to get it from rumbly to thin?  How are the other knobs set?  Please be very specific so we can get a better understanding of what to modify.


----------



## BurntFingers (Dec 21, 2019)

Chuck D. Bones said:


> Not sure a MID control will help, but retuning the TIGHT, BASS and/or TREBLE controls might get it sounding the way you like.  Which knob(s) are you turning to get it from rumbly to thin?  How are the other knobs set?  Please be very specific so we can get a better understanding of what to modify.



I've played with every permutation of the eq. I don't need settings advice, it's just a pedal that works with me or what I do. And that's fine, nobodies fault, it's just not my sound.


----------



## Chuck D. Bones (Dec 21, 2019)

I wasn't offering setting advice.  By "retuning" I meant changing capacitors so the tone controls would behave differently.  You're done with this pedal, I get it.


----------



## BurntFingers (Dec 21, 2019)

Chuck D. Bones said:


> I wasn't offering setting advice.  By "retuning" I meant changing capacitors so the tone controls would behave differently.  You're done with this pedal, I get it.



Sorry man, not trying to be a dick or anything and I appreciate your offer of help. This one will live on the shelf until the time comes when it may be useful, or no doubt someone will want to borrow it.


----------

