BITMO 2BO Mod Kit-Behringer VT911 VintageTube Overdrive

A forum devoted to mod, tips and suggestions for upgrading and rehousing your VERY CHEAP commercial stompbox to near boutique excellence.
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StellarBin
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Post by StellarBin »

hey guys, tried the mod as spec'd by ValveLover.. now my raspy pedal sounds so freaking good. sweet sweet pedal. although i changed the 50pF Cap to 47pF, since i couldn't find an exact 50pF value here in Melbourne, but yeah... makes my wife angry because i can't get my hands off my guitar(s) for almost a week now. :)

Thanks ValveLover for the very cool info.. Cheers!

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dzello
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Post by dzello »

Cool! I'm doing it next week! :horsey: :thumbsup

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Ronsonic
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Post by Ronsonic »

wildschwein wrote:
I think I mentioned in my post exactly what you say in points a) and b) - I don't admit to being able to come up with the mod and the pedal is definitely better. The world is full of sweet and sour though - I'm not going to write some smiley, cheery-eyed post that's all positive just for the sake of not sounding like I'm complaining - I gave credit where it was due and I also pointed out the astronomical profit margin on the kit - and to be honest I'd love to run the same kind of scam myself. Because there are plenty idiots around like me who will fork out for them.
Dude, you aren't an idiot and it isn't a scam. Nobody here had these mods to help you out. And by the time the guys who sold you the kit had worked up the mods; wrote and drew it up in a way anyone could understand; purchased, sorted, packaged and shipped the parts; paid taxes and overhead it was a square deal all around.

At the same time, yeah, it looks like good work if you can get it.
My Pedals, Products, Services and DIY Blog: http://ronbalesfx.blogspot.com/

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valvelover27
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Post by valvelover27 »

That's awesome! I'm glad it's working well for you.

I'm about to attempt the 2BO mod to save an otherwise useless VT991 from the garbage can. Seriously, it's unbelievable that Behringer could put out a pedal that sounds this bad out of the box. I don't just mean it sounds a little bad... it sounds REALLY F'N BAD!

It's garbled, saggy, noisy, buzzy fuzz. For a player with any experience and skill, it's useless. I'm actually offended that Behringer could put something on the market that sounds so bad.

The VT999, out of the box, wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination, but you could get by with it if you had to. The 991, without any modification, is a paperweight.

The VT999 with the BitMo Monstrosity kit friggin rocks! It's as close to a tube amp as anyone can put inside a pedal. I'm hoping the 991 is a close second.

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eddieod
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Post by eddieod »

Hi All,

I've still got a little question concerning the 50 pf ceramic axial cap thats put across the gain pot. Are you sure this a 50 PICO farad cap? I ask this for two reasons:
1. 50 pf caps don't exist in my opinion. It's either 47 pf or 51 pf...
2. Looking at the cap, it looks more like a axial multi layer cap. You can't get these caps in the pf-range. The smallest value I've ever come across was 1 nf...

It would be great if anyone could confirm the exact value and type of this capacitor. BTW. the caps that are used on the switch look like very old ones (maybe except the 470N). I don't see those anymore at any supplier...

Kind regards and a very merry christmas for everyone and a happy succesfull 2009!

Edwin

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dzello
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Post by dzello »

ValveLover: Did you check on the back of the valve socket for capacitor and resistor?

Check out the picture I found:

Image

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emux2
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Post by emux2 »

Hello all. My first post here. I just wanted to pass along some info. I recently did this mod (VT999 -monstroity) and the instructions state that the resistor and cap on the bottom of the tube socket are from the bitmo 2BM mod (if previously accomplished) and should be removed when doing the monstrosity mod. Also the parts list calls the cap across the gain knob 50pF but is also marked as 47 with question marks after it. I hope this helps somebody.
dzello wrote:ValveLover: Did you check on the back of the valve socket for capacitor and resistor?

Check out the picture I found:

Image

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Frv100
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Post by Frv100 »

valvelover27 wrote:I just bought one of these pedals that someone had already modified with the bitmo kit. I can tell where they soldered in the new components and it looks like these are the parts:

-50 picofarad ceramic axial capacitor (small and tan)
-.47 microfarad polypropylene capacitor (big and yellow)
-.0047 microfarad capacitor (red little resistor-looking thingy)-
-.022 microfarad polyester capacitor (red and other colors)
-Four wires (color coordinated)
-3 way switch
First, thanks for the pictures and the parts ! :applause:

What voltage de capacitor should be ? and what type of capacitor must I choose for the
".0047 microfarad capacitor (red little resistor-looking thingy)" ?

Sorry for my poor english and thank you for your help :wink:

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shooto
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Post by shooto »

Frv100 wrote:
valvelover27 wrote:I just bought one of these pedals that someone had already modified with the bitmo kit. I can tell where they soldered in the new components and it looks like these are the parts:

-50 picofarad ceramic axial capacitor (small and tan)
-.47 microfarad polypropylene capacitor (big and yellow)
-.0047 microfarad capacitor (red little resistor-looking thingy)-
-.022 microfarad polyester capacitor (red and other colors)
-Four wires (color coordinated)
-3 way switch
First, thanks for the pictures and the parts ! :applause:

What voltage de capacitor should be ? and what type of capacitor must I choose for the
".0047 microfarad capacitor (red little resistor-looking thingy)" ?

Sorry for my poor english and thank you for your help :wink:
^ let me add...anyone know where the best place to get the components?..I've looked at Small Bear and a couple others I've used and have'nt found these specific parts-

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Frv100
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Post by Frv100 »

I'm in france and found all the components but I'm don't know what is the voltage for the capacitor....

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TWANG
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Post by TWANG »

get a sprague orange drop.. 715p or 716p
600V

will be fine.

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mictester
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Post by mictester »

Ronsonic wrote:
Dude, you aren't an idiot and it isn't a scam.
Of course it's a scam. Selling a couple of sheets of paper and a handful of components that cost pennies for that amount of money is tantamount to theft! The mods are trivial for anyone with half a brain to work out for themselves, particularly as the circuit diagram is easily available on the 'net. The mods were widely circulated, too.

All these "mod kits" are scams. They are selling cheap components to the ignorant at outrageous prices. Just like all the Tubescreamer clones that the clueless on TGP think are wonderful, these ought to be exposed for what they are.

Also, don't whine about the "research" that these Boutique Boobs have done - they've done f**k all. All they've done is substitute a couple of components into an effect until it sounds "better". That's not research, and most of them wouldn't actually understand what they'd done. The briefest technical enquiry of the Boutique morons shows that they know exactly nothing about electronics at all. Also, don't go on about the Taxes they pay - we all pay Taxes.

The more we can expose these frauds, the better for the working musician.

The stuff I build isn't cheap - I value my time, skills and abilities highly - but the purchasers get high build quality, effects that aren't clones of other products, lifetime warranty (I mended a 32-year-old build of mine last week!), and the custom service that they just can't get elsewhere. However, despite me being a Chartered Engineer, I still charge less for my gear than the Boutique Boobs who know nothing! There's something wrong here....
"Why is it humming?" "Because it doesn't know the words!"

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TWANG
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Post by TWANG »

My two cents.

when I first started I used alnicomagnets cd for my first vj.

then I discovered sewatt.

but. having never done anything but tear all my shot electronics apart for no apparent reason..
alnicos deal was great.
a nice walkthrough with plenty of information and support.

your mileage may vary.

but for a beginner it was a good deal.

Bitmo also makes kits.. and guitarpcbs makes pcbs.. and jack orman has pcbs and kits and so on..

each of these people takes the time to learn, to print, to stock parts, to advertise, to answer emails,
to ship, to have shipping material, to pay taxes, and LOTS more.

You can NEVER look at any business and say.. well that product is ovepriced, without taking the whole into view.

ebay shows currently a vj modded stock board..
it's pretty much a wreck. lots of 1/2 resistors still in there, and the rest of the choices don't really add up.
20.00 plus shipping current bid situation.

I can say. oh look it's not perfect he hasn't much in it, the parts he has don't cost all that much, the tubes he's offering are used who knows how good they are. etc..
but it's just some guy trying to recoup some money who was modding.
For someone who wants a different sound and doesn't know a hell of a lot about it, it may be just the thing.

Now.. that all being said.. sure. some kits are overpriced. You see that on ebay as well, handful of parts and a piece of paper is a good way to describe it.
capitalism never was very kindhearted, fair, etc., as any reader of Rand can discern just by her absurd worship of railroad
barons.
But I still think trying to make a buck is ok and I dont' know the complete details.. how many kits. how many parts to stock. where to put them.how long to assemble the kits..
all of that counts.
then. how many actually sold..

Me, I'll go with you guys. sewatt. wattkins. et al.. but at first.. I didnt' know where to look and those kits led me to
all the good information.

twelve epi vjs later.I'm still loving it, so I can't be too hard on who helped me get started.

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TWANG
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Post by TWANG »

knock knock.


who's there.

nobody.


nobody who.


shut up.

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theleftfoot
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Post by theleftfoot »

great mod guys...did it! really like it!

raffa

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theleftfoot
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Post by theleftfoot »

forgot the pictures...
Attachments
2010-09-07 20.24.49.jpg

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prettyfly
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Post by prettyfly »

so how exactly does each switch position change the sound. I assume that having the switch in the centre position is the same as unmodified except for the cap across the gain dial. how do the other two switch positions differ?

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prettyfly
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Post by prettyfly »

^

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DrNomis
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Post by DrNomis »

eddieod wrote:Hi All,

I've still got a little question concerning the 50 pf ceramic axial cap thats put across the gain pot. Are you sure this a 50 PICO farad cap? I ask this for two reasons:
1. 50 pf caps don't exist in my opinion. It's either 47 pf or 51 pf...
2. Looking at the cap, it looks more like a axial multi layer cap. You can't get these caps in the pf-range. The smallest value I've ever come across was 1 nf...

It would be great if anyone could confirm the exact value and type of this capacitor. BTW. the caps that are used on the switch look like very old ones (maybe except the 470N). I don't see those anymore at any supplier...

Kind regards and a very merry christmas for everyone and a happy succesfull 2009!

Edwin


I just had a look at the pics,I'm going to assume that you are talking about the capacitor on the switch marked .47... :)


The value of a capacitor marked .47 is not marked in picofarads,it is marked in microfarads,so .47 means .47uF (microfarads),or 470nF(nano farads).... :)


You can use a 47pF capacitor instead of a 50pF capacitor since all capacitor have what is called "tolerance",this means that the actual value of the capacitor can be anywhere within a certain percentage plus or minus the marked value on the capacitor,in this case that capacitor across the gain control probably has a tolerance range of + or - 5 to 10% of the marked value.... :)


Hope that clears that up... :)
Genius is not all about 99% perspiration, and 1% inspiration - sometimes the solution is staring you right in the face.-Frequencycentral.

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map70
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Post by map70 »

Hi, I am trying to order parts but I need to know the voltages for them.. any ideas??

Thnaks!

Mark

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