Any mods for the Ultra Lead?

I really love the mid voicing of this module for lead tones but I wish it had a more control over the lows and highs. It needs a little more sparkle and a fatter low end and it would be perfect for more than just leads.

Any suggestions?

I have two Ultraleads, each modded differently, those are actually all I use right now ... My thoughts:

I find that Ultralead (and the Ultra too) need a lot of presence and density compared to other high gain modules. For me I have to run the "main" amp quite differenty than I do for any other module I pared them up with.

The cap mods that everyone does is a must, at least to the .0022, while it won't fatten the lows it certainly makes them tighter and you can use quite a more bass without it turning to mush.

I haven't messed with the treble response, I think it sounds great for me as long as the presence and the treble are up, both past 3 O'clock.

Besides changing the caps for the low end response, I also changed where the midrange sits on both of my modules.


I hope this helps!

Hey Lance,

Can you tell us more about these mid-range mods?

yeah,good question! ...please elaborate on your "mids" mod technique and function.

What I did to the Ultraleads (as well as the Recto, SL+,Modern, and Ultra I owned last year) is:

Instead of just the three (.0047, .0022, .001) caps to determine low response. I tried about 6 different values in between. So one of my UL's has a .001uf, but the other has a .001740uf.

I am lucky enough to live by a really nice electronics store with crudloads of parts.

The Midrange can be tweeked by changing out the resistor right behind the mid-pot, on the Ultralead I beleive it is R31. Again, I tried a ton of different values, between something like 22K and 100K. The values don't sound the same in all modules because it is just part of the tone stack, higher values roughly raise the midrange freq though... But be aware, the resistor also will affect your gain too.

So that I didn't hurt the board with repeated soldering, I put in short wires with alligator clips so I could switch really fast... It's great because you can go back and forth a ton without hassle. I could try a .001uf with a 57k, and then switch to .00189uf with a 27k in seconds. Doing the extra wires on the cap changes capactance I know, but not enough to really matter as much as the caps themselves.


I hope this makes sense, let me know if ya have any questions.

Cheers!

Lance, I bought an RM-80 Combo last year on ebay from a guy in Colorado, Was it You? If so I still have the Ultra and SL+ Modules that came with the Amp

Lance-a-not said:

The Midrange can be tweeked by changing out the resistor right behind the mid-pot, on the Ultralead I beleive it is R31. Again, I tried a ton of different values, between something like 22K and 100K. The values don't sound the same in all modules because it is just part of the tone stack, higher values roughly raise the midrange freq though... But be aware, the resistor also will affect your gain too.

Click to expand...

Hmm, me thinks a trimmer there could be pretty cool. Have it mount through the face, and mark off where the "Standard value is. Presto! Sweepable mid!

heck , thats one nice idea, sweepable mids

Scott said:

Lance, I bought an RM-80 Combo last year on ebay from a guy in Colorado, Was it You? If so I still have the Ultra and SL+ Modules that came with the Amp

Click to expand...

Yep, that was me Scott !

Although when I sold the modules I had I put all the stock midrange resistors back in.

NuSkoolTone said:

Lance-a-not said:

The Midrange can be tweeked by changing out the resistor right behind the mid-pot, on the Ultralead I beleive it is R31. Again, I tried a ton of different values, between something like 22K and 100K. The values don't sound the same in all modules because it is just part of the tone stack, higher values roughly raise the midrange freq though... But be aware, the resistor also will affect your gain too.

Click to expand...

Hmm, me thinks a trimmer there could be pretty cool. Have it mount through the face, and mark off where the "Standard value is. Presto! Sweepable mid!

Click to expand...

I actually did that, with a small pot inside... I ended up always using 1 setting, so now I just find what I like and leave it. It would be cool to put it on the front though, good idea!

Hey Lance,

I wonder if there is anyway to alter the ultralead module to emulate what you do with the density and presence controls so that we can use the ultralead alongside our other modules?

rickgk said:

Hey Lance,

I wonder if there is anyway to alter the ultralead module to emulate what you do with the density and presence controls so that we can use the ultralead alongside our other modules?

Click to expand...

I didn't find it so, but I was/am perfectly happy with the module as my only gain sound. I am sure some folks find it great alongside the other modules, of course cabs/tubes/pickups all affect it too.

Sorry it's not much help. I am happy with them so I have not been gassing/experimenting.

Let me know if you have any other questions though.

Actually if you have any clips comparing the difference between your two ultralead mods and a standard ultralead that would be awesome.

rickgk said:

Actually if you have any clips comparing the difference between your two ultralead mods and a standard ultralead that would be awesome.

Click to expand...

I don't have any clips of the stock module, way to loose on the bottom to even throw a mike on for my taste.

I'll try to do a comparisson clip these weekend of the different ones I have though.