# Pandora's Box With Bass Contour Mod



## Jovi Bon Kenobi (Oct 10, 2020)

This is an awesome Rat variant! Again, I took the advice of the friendly folks here and built this. So glad I did. It rules! Best. Rat. Ever!
The mod I did is courtesy of Chuck D Bones with help from Hamish. Photos of mod below.
What I had in a baggie labeled "LM308N" was actually UA308HC so I used those. Getting em into the sockets was a bitch. Ha. I also socketed the diodes to eventually play around with variants.
I always have a hard time coming up with label ideas for toggle switches but in this case I did something a little different. I tried coming up with a word that had c, o, d, and e so I could label it vertically and spell out what each of the switching variants do (with arrows to make it easier for me to understand). Hence, CODEX. Knobs from LMS. P-Touch gold on clear labels. Font is called Mekon.










Here's the mod from Chuck D. Bones. I also added a 430nF cap in C13 because Hamish did and I do whatever he does.  








Then I added some heat shrink to protect it from shorting


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## Nostradoomus (Oct 10, 2020)

Stellar as always my friend! Awesome integration of the switch function into the name, that’s really cool.


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## Jovi Bon Kenobi (Oct 10, 2020)

Nostradoomus said:


> Stellar as always my friend! Awesome integration of the switch function into the name, that’s really cool.


Thanks. It was rare moment of clarity for me. hehe


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## cooder (Oct 10, 2020)

Very cool, super tidy with the mods  and excellent integration of manual and graphics...


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## mjh36 (Oct 10, 2020)

Bro that's fantastic. I forgot this pedal was available. I'm a big fan of Billy Gibbon's Rhythmeen tone I think he used this during that time.


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## Jovi Bon Kenobi (Oct 10, 2020)

mjh36 said:


> Bro that's fantastic. I forgot this pedal was available. I'm a big fan of Billy Gibbon's Rhythmeen tone I think he used this during that time.


Thank you. It sounds really great. I'm a big fan of hard clipping distortion. This can sound like a Rat then go 10 times further. All the while sounding loose and nasty like a good Rat. Both switches down (Expand) is probably not for everyone. I love how it sounds like it can't take it anymore and is going to explode. Very psych/garage/lo-fi. Crunch, OD, and Distortion all sound like they should and just really useable. I built the Informant here and didn't care for it as it sounded nothing like a Rat even though is was supposed to be based off of one. The clipping was way too smooth, like freshly steamed dense cappuccino foam...versus the bubbles from sticking a straw down into a strawberry nesquick and blowing.


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## music6000 (Oct 11, 2020)

mjh36 said:


> Bro that's fantastic. I forgot this pedal was available. I'm a big fan of Billy Gibbon's Rhythmeen tone I think he used this during that time.


He has been known to use a few!!!!


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## Jovi Bon Kenobi (Oct 11, 2020)

music6000 said:


> He has been known to use a few!!!!
> 
> View attachment 6901


That is ridiculous. I love it.


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## HamishR (Oct 11, 2020)

"I also added a 430nF cap in C13 because Hamish did and I do whatever he does. "  Haha!  Oh god the pressure now!  I'd recommend following what Chuck does more! I love modifying stuff to get the sounds I like but usually have absolutely no idea what the hell I'm doing.  

I am absolutely delighted that you like the new pedal. If anything I suggest works it's because Chuck told me how to do it. And the Expandora with Chuck's bass pot mod is just awesome. Like you I love the "forbidden" setting - it's one of the most usable gated dirt sounds I have tried. I can use it with my ES-225 which is a fully hollow body guitar. The gating helps it avoid howling with feedback.

If you like hard clipping you'll probably like the Angry Charles.

This is a great forum.


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## Danbieranowski (Oct 11, 2020)

Would this mod be possible with the Muroidea too?


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## HamishR (Oct 11, 2020)

Yup. I've built a Rat with the bass pot and a few other mods and it's made it way more useful to me. I used a CA3130EZ chip.


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## music6000 (Oct 11, 2020)

HamishR said:


> Yup. I've built a Rat with the bass pot and a few other mods and it's made it way more useful to me. I used a CA3130EZ chip.


Would that make it more like a Quokka, Bigger & Fatter:


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## Mcknib (Oct 11, 2020)

That just looks fantastic all round 

I love those old tin can ICs I AB'd some 741s with their plastic brothers in a coupla script phase 90s I built and I swear they sounded better.....mind you it might have been the stuff I was smoking at the time everything sounded better even my ex wife!


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## Barry (Oct 11, 2020)

Most excellent!


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## Jovi Bon Kenobi (Oct 11, 2020)

Thanks, everyone!



HamishR said:


> "I also added a 430nF cap in C13 because Hamish did and I do whatever he does. "  Haha!  Oh god the pressure now!  I'd recommend following what Chuck does more! I love modifying stuff to get the sounds I like but usually have absolutely no idea what the hell I'm doing.


Well considering I know next to nothing about circuits nor how to read a schematic I'll read pretty much anything as it were gospel if one sounds clever enough.


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## Danbieranowski (Oct 11, 2020)

HamishR said:


> Yup. I've built a Rat with the bass pot and a few other mods and it's made it way more useful to me. I used a CA3130EZ chip.


Bookmarked!


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## HamishR (Oct 11, 2020)

"Would that make it more like a Quokka, Bigger & Fatter:"

Funny you should say that because that it exactly what I did call my version of the Rat! Quokka is a great word and even greater animal. Hilarious when photographed close up.


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## mjh36 (Oct 11, 2020)

HamishR said:


> "I also added a 430nF cap in C13 because Hamish did and I do whatever he does. "  Haha!  Oh god the pressure now!  I'd recommend following what Chuck does more! I love modifying stuff to get the sounds I like but usually have absolutely no idea what the hell I'm doing.


He's not the only one! Next build is a tagboard, probably that .45 Caliber per your recommendation that I came across, so I hope it's good hahaha. ?


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## mjh36 (Oct 12, 2020)

music6000 said:


> He has been known to use a few!!!!



Unreal! Is that your stub and photo you took?I was at that same tour with my dad. Puyallup Fairgrounds, WA '97


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## music6000 (Oct 12, 2020)

mjh36 said:


> Unreal! Is that your stub and photo you took?I was at that same tour with my dad. Puyallup Fairgrounds, WA '97


No, Off the Net.


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## mjh36 (Oct 12, 2020)

music6000 said:


> No, Off the Net.


Still cool i never saw that picture before ?


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## SYLV9ST9R (Oct 27, 2020)

HamishR said:


> Yup. I've built a Rat with the bass pot and a few other mods and it's made it way more useful to me. I used a CA3130EZ chip.


For the Muroidea, you would place it at C3+, right?


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## HamishR (Oct 27, 2020)

Yup.


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