Simple Deluxe Memory Man Reissue Mods

WARNING! This probably voids your warranty! I am not responsible for any problems you may have doing these mods. Do these mods at your own risk.

Apparently, one of our friends has tried this first mod on his reissue Deluxe Electric Mistress (change the first op amp to TL072) and found that the difference was substantial as well.

"The whole unit is quieter, the phasing effect is stronger without a lot of buzz, and the flange effect is deeper"

Smoother, better clean signal

I recently bought a new Deluxe Memory Man (DMM) reissue for my delay needs. I remembered that nice warm tone that the DMM gave me. It was pricey but well worth it right?

Anyway, once I got it I noticed that it changed the tone of my Shaka Braddah 3 when the DMM was placed at the end of my effects chain (which is where you usually put the delay pedal). Here's what the chain looked like:

Guitar->Shaka Braddah 3->Deluxe Memory Man->Bassman

I noticed that the Shaka Braddah 3 took on a brittle edge and that it just sounded "edgy" and not warm like it should.

After a myriad of potential mods went through my mind, I noticed that the schematic showed that the DMM used a JRC4558D for the input op amp as well as for other parts of the signal chain. The clean signal clearly goes through the JRC4558D and into the blend pot. I remembered that the JRC4558D didn't sound as good as a TL072 for clean signals in my Shaka Braddah 3 so I figured, why not change it?

The JRC4558D is mounted in an IC socket so changing it was easy. The result? FIXED!!! The DMM sounds smoother and warmer like it should be.

To mod yours:

1: UNPLUG the unit first. Take off the black screws holding the back panel onto the DMM.

2: Take the knobs off and the washer and nut holding the pots to the chassis.

3: Locate U1 on the PCB. It will be located next to the 1Meg input pot. Note the orientation of the JRC4558D, you want your TL072 to be plugged in with the same orientation. Simply replace the JRC4558D located there with a TL072. While you are there, I suppose you could replace every RC4558D with a TL072, but I haven't tried it yet.

4: Put everything back and enjoy your new warmer, smoother DMM!!!

DPDT Conversion

The Deluxe Memory Man (DMM) comes with a Carling DPDT switch installed but the DMM is not true bypass. This relatively simple mod can be done if you simply have to have true bypass on your DMM. The DMM is really a free buffer/booster when the effect is off and not a bad one at that with the TL072 mod mentioned above. Notice that the input level still works when the effect is bypassed? The straight signal is still buffered through the input op amp.

For reference, here is the original wiring:

DPDT Switch

[] [] ------- T5 - Brown wire

[] [] ------- T7 Red wire

[] [] ------- T4 Grey wire

T8 to input jack

T6 to output jack

Brown is the buffered direct signal

Red goes to the PCB which goes to the echo out jack.

Grey is the blended signal direct from the blend pot.

To convert your DMM to true bypass:

Follow steps 1 and 2 from the previous mod.

1: Disconnect the brown wire (T5) from the switch and tape off the end (you will not use this wire).

2: Disconnect the grey and red wire from the switch and solder them together. Insulate the connection.

3: Disconnect the white wire (T8) from the input jack and connect it to the DPDT (Illustration 1)

4: Discnnect the T6 from the output jack and connect it to the DPDT (Illustration 1)

5: Connect the middle lug (left) of the switch to the input jack.

6: Connect the middle lug (right) of the switch to the output jack.

7: Connect the bottom two lugs together on the DPDT switch.

Illustration 1:

New DPDT Switch wiring

T8 ---- white from input of PCB ----[] []---- white from output of PCB T6

from input jack ------------------------[] []---- to the output jack

[]_[] <--- connect the bottom two lugs together on the DPDT jack.

Look at the output jack, there might be a cap across it; if so, consider removing this cap (it seems to get rid of highs and makes the bypassed sound muddy) - you can always put it back if you need to.

Close up your DMM and enjoy your DPDT DMM.