EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

[LoFiBrian]

So most people who own a NYC RI Small Stone have noticed the massive drop in output and clarity when they stomp on this pedal. I picked one up on ebay after deciding that I liked the tone better than the Phase 90 and true bypass was a huge plus.

But running it after spending time with it the switching in and out of effect made me remove it from my pedal rig. So today I spent time trying to get the unit to work with the loop on the B-52 and I can get a transparent bypass tone through the loop but even adjusting the loops levels i still get a solid drop in effect volume.

I know analogman does a trimpot mod to fix this mostly. Does anyone do it cheaper? I love my SS! but i need my phase tones to be as loud or louder than my bypassed tones.

Ideas? reviews of the AM mod?

 

[millsart]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

Get the nano version, smaller, cheaper, true bypass which I dont think the NYC one is and it doesn't have the annoying volume drop

Sounds every bit as good, nice small form factor and the price is right, definatly cheaper to buy one new than the cost of paying Mike or someone to mod it

 

[Tibbonds]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

There is a mod you can do yourself somewhere on the net.... but if you were looking at getting someone else to do it for you, might it be cheaper to get a Boss Line Selector? You could run it in one of the loops on that and compensate for the volume drop with the volume control on the Boss. I used to do this with a couple of other pedals and it worked great.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

Get the AM mods...you'll be very happy.

 

[LoFiBrian]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

There is a mod you can do yourself somewhere on the net.... but if you were looking at getting someone else to do it for you, might it be cheaper to get a Boss Line Selector? You could run it in one of the loops on that and compensate for the volume drop with the volume control on the Boss. I used to do this with a couple of other pedals and it worked great.

I have put a clean boost after it in the loop and i got close but just ended up distorting the return of the tube buffered loop.
I really dont want to drop money on another phaser. But if i can find someone to add the trimpot for me that wont charge me as much as AM then i will.

FYI guys: post 2002 or so EHX SS NYC effects are true bypass. i looked at mine and it has the proper switch inside.

can anyone find details on the entire AM mod?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

can anyone find details on the entire AM mod?

What do you want to know?

 

[LoFiBrian]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

just the overal changes and if it will make the SS unstable?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

just the overal changes and if it will make the SS unstable?

They correct the volume drop and you will have a trim pot on the inside, if you crank the trim pot way up it might get unstable but I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that.

 

[LoFiBrian]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

part of me thinks i should sell it for $55-$65 and grab a retrosonic phaser used...

would be just as expensive as sending out my SS for the mod @AM. And i would get a more controllable pedal.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

part of me thinks i should sell it for $55-$65 and grab a retrosonic phaser used...
would be just as expensive as sending out my SS for the mod @AM. And i would get a more controllable pedal.

The retro sonic is a Phase 90 style phaser...completely different from a SS style phaser...

It's all up to you but they are just 2 very different pedals...

 

[LoFiBrian]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

thats what im afraid of...

i really do prefer the thicker sound of the SS. Choices...

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

thats what im afraid of...

i really do prefer the thicker sound of the SS. Choices...

Just get the SS modded...problem solved!

 

[LoFiBrian]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

I just reread over the AM site. I read that if you have a newer 2004 onward true bypass SS like I own. that the mod only costs $40 and not $70! and while im there i will prob have Mike's crew change the power jack to the boss type!

thanks a million TGWIF! sorry guys if i seem scattered and annoying today. I just want to get back to actually playing where my phaser effect can be heard.I will update this thread with progress and a review
as i get around to getting the pedal sent out.

-B

 

[PVFan]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

to other interested parties who may read this thread, the Nano has zero volume drop. And, while its bypass is very good, it is not true bypass. I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as "true bypass," just good, better, bad, and worse. "True bypass" is a hyped buzzword term, a myth. There are only good and bad bypasses and buffers.

My Nano was $79 US brand new, no mods needed. Of the Stones that are small, 'twas an easy choice. Same with my EVH Phase 90. Both "script" and "block" logo sounds, zero volume drop, decent bypass, and takes an adapter.

For these models, it was an easy decision for me to get the improved, cheaper, easy-to-find units, and not to hunt down vintage units that are more expensive, noisier, have volume drops, not as good bypasses/buffers, and don't take adapters, only to have to further pay more money and wait for modifications to be done. It doesn't make any kind of sense to me why people do that. Some people say the vintage units sound better, but I don't buy that, and, from what I've gathered, of those people in stores and on forums who say they've compared old and new units of the same model, half of them say there is no difference in sound quality except for the improvements made in the newer versions, for instance, the volume drop being rectified. Of course there may be sound differences in products of the same model separated by 20 or 30 years, and here preference does enter, but the differences are miniscule and are not differences of sound quality, just tiny differences in sound, hardly noticeable, not good or bad. I doubt I would be able to tell after weeks of A/B'ing. Maybe months.

To the OP I would say sell the one ya got and get a cheaper, better, newer one.

 

[millsart]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

I just reread over the AM site. I read that if you have a newer 2004 onward true bypass SS like I own. that the mod only costs $40 and not $70! and while im there i will prob have Mike's crew change the power jack to the boss type!

thanks a million TGWIF! sorry guys if i seem scattered and annoying today. I just want to get back to actually playing where my phaser effect can be heard.I will update this thread with progress and a review
as i get around to getting the pedal sent out.

-B

Do you really like the big NYC style casing ? By the time you pay for the mod, and for the standard PS jack, and shipping both ways, you'll have spent more than what a new Nano SS cost

Nano has no volume issues, standard PS input, and the same great SS sound


Unless you like the look of the big NYC style pedals (and I realize some people do) I think the Nano's are pretty much better in every way

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

I just reread over the AM site. I read that if you have a newer 2004 onward true bypass SS like I own. that the mod only costs $40 and not $70! and while im there i will prob have Mike's crew change the power jack to the boss type!

thanks a million TGWIF! sorry guys if i seem scattered and annoying today. I just want to get back to actually playing where my phaser effect can be heard.I will update this thread with progress and a review
as i get around to getting the pedal sent out.

-B

I have an older (1977) Small Stone. I had Mike do the true-bypass mod, add an LED, and install the Boss style adapter. He also added the trim pot to compensate for the volume drop.

You may get a more satisfactory result on a newer unit, but on mine there is still a slight volume drop when engaged regardless of the trim pot setting.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

Wow...first, I hate guys that get hung up on true bypass but let's be clear, it is real, paedal makers have been using true bypass since the middle 60's.

Also, while we're at it the Nano Small Stone does have a volume drop it's just not as bad as the big box SS.

While we're at it I have to say that I prefer the tone of a older or newer NYC Small Stone to the Nano.

As for the AM mods, if you 're still has a volume drop turn up the trim pot...the one I tried belinged to a buddy of mine and he astually has his set up for a small volume boost...

Good luck Brian, let us know how it turns out!

 

[PVFan]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

Wow...first, I hate guys that get hung up on true bypass but let's be clear, it is real, paedal makers have been using true bypass since the middle 60's.

Also, while we're at it the Nano Small Stone does have a volume drop it's just not as bad as the big box SS.

Does "true bypass" mean good, or adequate bypass? Then I agree it exists. It's just a misinformative term -- it's physically impossible to stick something in a signal path and fool the signal into thinking it's not there.

I don't hear any volume drop when the pedal is engaged.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

Does "true bypass" mean good, or adequate bypass?

I have always thought that the implied meaning of "true bypass" is hard wired bypass. In other words, if you disengage the effect and disconnect the pedal from its power source the signal will still pass through.

 

[phil_104]

Re: EHX Small Stone Volume Drop.

I just went to the store and picked up a nano version of this pedal. I compared both, and the sound is almost identical. Save yourself the trouble and get the nano.