Headphone Amps... Rockman Guitar Ace...mods?

[Fret Wire]

Hi everybody! This is my first post. I've been checking the forum out, and you guys have definately got it together! I'm just starting to get into pedal DIY (more experienced in guitar and amp work). I'll try to make my 1st question different.
  Rockman Guitar Ace: Everybody hates em compared to the Rockman 100. Check out what they bring on eBay! I have an Ace for the times I can't disturb anyone. Besides the cheap jacks, switches, and pot, the main problem with these is that they have a ton of hum. Especially on the semi-dist. and full-dist. modes.  Another problem is that the dist. modes sound like the cheesy practice amps. The clean sound is actually nice.
  Does anyone know of any mods for the unit. I've never even seen a schematic for one. Being a plastic case, would copper-tape shielding help the hum?  Any ideas on improving the dist. sound. Better headphones help, but also amplify the shortcomings.  Thanks.

[Ansil]

put it in a metal box, if you can find somethking to make it fit in.  i havent' fooled with the ace but my friend and i both had the original rockman and i had weird motorcycle oscilations from mine until i fixed a jack and put it in an old modem case.  also i rewired the low z input int to an output.  

someone said seomthing about a mod to get chorus and echo by refitting the switch with one to go in the middle of both setting,(something that everyone had tried on accident by manipulating that little slide switch into the mid point.)

[Fret Wire]

Thanks Ansil. All the Ace has are two push-buttons for clean and dist. modes, and the output (volume/gain) pot. From what I've seen on a lot of forums, DIY headphone amps don't seem to be good builds. The Ace is about $70.00 new, a lot less used. Might be a better option to mod one than build one. I don't ever think this will be useful as an effect. Too many good OD and Distortion pedals out there.
  I took a quick look inside mine, and it has minimal shielding. Also has a trimmer pot, not sure what it adjusts though. I may be wrong, but it seems I should go in this order:
1. eliminate the hum
2. look for substitutions of same value components of better quality         (resistors, caps, etc.) where it would actually quiet the unit.
3. increase the output/volume
4. improve dist. characteristics
5. tone value changes where needed or for preference

  Hopefully tonight I'll take some close up photos of the circut board.

[ahermida]

I gave Munky the schematics to the Rockman Sustainor which has more stuff than the ACE.   It would be interesting to build it in parts and see what's cooking.


Alf