Fxdoctor Saves Cool Cat Vibe with Volume Mod

Never one to give up and move on – usually the smartest and least expensive course of action – I decided to try and improve my Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe CV-1. If you read my review of it here: http://tonewarrior.blogspot.com/2009/10/product-review-danelectro-cv-1-vibe.html you’ll know I liked the sound of the pedal (a lot), but could not live with the huge volume boost, which made the pedal virtually unusable.

In search of a cure, I visited a few online forums and found some threads about how people have added a volume pot to reduce the boost. I’m no electronics expert and should probably be kept away from a soldering iron at all costs so I went looking for someone that could fix the boost and perhaps completely rehouse the pedal.

I found Boston-based fxdoctor (www.fxdoctor.com) and after a few emails with Joshua I sent over my pedal for some open case surgery. Joshua added an internal trim pot set at unity so the volume when switching the pedal on and off is now even. And because it’s an internal trimpot, there has been no drilling into the pedal casing. I don’t see the need to adjust levels once it’s set at unity so this internal trimpot is a good solution for me. I decided not to go the rehousing route because I have an awesome $300 KR Products Mega Vibe so this Cool Cat was never going to be my main vibe and as a result it wasn’t worth the additional investment.

The fxdoctor answered my emails promptly and was a fast surgeon. I sent my pedal on Monday and had it back on Wednesday. The total cost including shipping and handling was $37. Added to my original eBay purchase price of about $40, I now have a very usable, high quality and true bypass vibe for under $80. I’m running this pedal on my second “small board” and am having a lot of fun with it now the boost has been tamed.

If you are sick and tired of the volume boost on your Cool Cat Vibe, the fxdoctor has the prescription.

Peavey Reactor - Great Telecaster Copy

I love Craigslist. I just picked up this Peavey Reactor for only $125. These typically sell for $200-$300 on eBay and this one is in mint condition so I would expect it to sell near the top of that range. There is literally not a scratch on it and no fretwear.

The Peavey Reactor is a really nice copy of the Fender Telecaster that was produced around '93-94 and is made in USA. It features a superb, fast playing and smooth two-piece maple neck and three piece poplar body. The pickups are decent and quite usable, but not great. The neck pup sounds rather muddy for my tastes, but the bridge pup delivers some nice treble tones and bite. With the current pickups, it is ideal for blues and rock, and although you could play country on it, it is not as twangy as you would expect compared to many of the Fender Teles.

I am planning on swapping out the pickups, getting a new pickguard, changing the pots and adding a 4-way switch for some more tonal options. I am noticing some tuning issues, so the tuners may have to go - or it could just be the old strings that I haven't changed yet.

For the money this is a great guitar with excellent build quality. It is certainly superior to many of the Mexican, Chinese, and Indonesian imports that are flooding the low end of the market and could give the USA Fender Telecasters a run for the money - if you upgraded the electronics. If you see one under $300, give it serious consideration.

I'll post pics of my upgrades when they are done.