CE-2 Mod

The mods done by Devil FX included: Replacing all the electrolytic caps with Elite brand caps. No values were changed. Replacing C19 in the oscillator section with a Wima .1 uF cap. The value is the same as the original. Changing R30 in the oscillator section from a 47K to a 100K ohm resister to make the chorus’ speed control go faster. Installing a socket for IC-1, which is normally a 4558 op-amp that the guitar signal goes through before and after the chorus section of the pedal.  This IC is in the circuit at all times, whether the chorus is on or not. The 4558 was replaced with a Burr Brown OPA2134PA op-amp. Replacing the red LED with a high intensity green LED. -------------------------------- Several of the wires that connect to the circuit board were frayed to the point of breaking. 2 of them broke immediately and I cut and re-ended a 3rd and re-soldered them. Any pedal like this that someone has spent a lot of time working on runs this risk because you are constantly flexing the wires back and forth as you work on the circuit board. I returned R30 to its stock value so that I could compare this pedal to other CE-2’s in an “apples to apples” comparison. I left the other changes in place. With the Burr Brown op amp in it, it seems to have a little more low frequency response than a standard CE-2 when A/B’ed, but I haven't put in on the oscilloscope yet to confirm that. This is the first Green label Made in Taiwan CE-2 I’ve gotten to A/B against my 2 Black label MIJ CE-2’s. I’ve never been convinced that there is a difference between the various versions, but I have to admit that the chorus of the GL MIT is not as smooth sounding as the BL MIJ’s. I’ve seen some obvious differences between the waveform created by the oscillator in these 3 pedals, as well as a CE-3 that I have. I will be doing more research on that over time and post it on the regular Boss CE-2 review section.

Now that it’s repaired, it will be as solid as any other Boss CE-2.

Didn't work, so ease of use was not an issue. I bought this modified CE-2 from an ebay seller from England, who seems to be selling more of these "Devils FX" modified pedals. I'm not sure who is doing the mods. The pedal was sold as is and not working. When I received the pedal I confirmed that it, in fact, did not work. Seller's description of the problem was accurate, but the CE-2 pictured was a 1st generation CE-2 (silver screw, black label, Made in Japan) and what I received was a Green label, Made in Taiwan. When I opened it up, I saw that the "Devil" had replaced many of the original components. The flux from the soldering was not removed, so it was easy to see all the changes. The first thing I noticed is that pretty much all of the solder joints were "cold". I had to de-solder and re-solder every component that had been changed. The reason the pedal was not working was because a blob of solder had "bridged" or shorted two components together. In the process of re-soldering, I found 2 circuit board pads were gone and 3 more were lifted up off the board. This is what happens when you leave heat on the traces too long. After cleaning up the soldering work, the pedal works fine. This pedal would not have worked in this condition, and I’m guessing it was sold because the person who did the mods gave up trying to find the problem.

I don't think there is any.

Steer clear of the "Devil" until he improves his skills!