Below are a Budda© PHATMAN and a ZENMAN (both anodized) with the Presence and Mid control
modification. We add the correct value pots and add Budda style knobs or chicken head knobs. Both have all
the noisy ceramic capacitors replaced with smooth sweet sounding silver-mica capacitors as well. This mod
gives the pedal a nice (think Plexi) creamy tone. I also recommend (when using a Zen Man) that you replace
the first tube, the one on the left, with a NOS Jan-Phillips (green Label 5*) mil-spec 5751. Lots of requests for
this mod lately. If you are interested the mod costs $125.00 which includes return shipping. This also includes
all new silver mica capacitors, 2 new pots, your choice of knobs, and 2 new JJ 12AX7 tubes if needed! We
recently changed this mod slightly. We are no longer drilling out the tube cover plate. The new pots will be
directly below the gain and volume knobs about 2 inches. This makes tube maintenance more convenient. The
Center picture below is a good example of the new pot locations. Labeling will also be added.
modification. We add the correct value pots and add Budda style knobs or chicken head knobs. Both have all
the noisy ceramic capacitors replaced with smooth sweet sounding silver-mica capacitors as well. This mod
gives the pedal a nice (think Plexi) creamy tone. I also recommend (when using a Zen Man) that you replace
the first tube, the one on the left, with a NOS Jan-Phillips (green Label 5*) mil-spec 5751. Lots of requests for
this mod lately. If you are interested the mod costs $125.00 which includes return shipping. This also includes
all new silver mica capacitors, 2 new pots, your choice of knobs, and 2 new JJ 12AX7 tubes if needed! We
recently changed this mod slightly. We are no longer drilling out the tube cover plate. The new pots will be
directly below the gain and volume knobs about 2 inches. This makes tube maintenance more convenient. The
Center picture below is a good example of the new pot locations. Labeling will also be added.
The modifications to the Zenman allow more tone control and reduce the white noise. The presence pot gives
you the ability to remove some of the Treble in the mix rather than removing it straight out using the Treble
control which actually cuts the Treble frequencies. The Presence control allows the Treble frequencies to
remain but reduces the brightness kind of like an old Marshall amp. The Mid range pot gives you the ability to
adjust the Mid frequencies for a scooped or added Mid frequency effect. The Mid pot is very subtle but is
noticeable. The Mid pot must be adjusted before the Bass and Treble are turned up. The rest of the mod is
that I remove the ceramic disk capacitors and replace all of them with Silver-Mica capacitors. This really
sweetens the sound up and reduces the amount of white noise that is injected into the pedal by the ceramic
disk capacitors. Silver Mica is very temperature and electrically stable and is an excellant capacitor material
which really works well with instrument frequencies in tube based applications, the only capacitors that would
work better are foil-in-oil and they are quite large and expensive. I would also recommend purchasing a NOS
Jan-Phillips 5* Green label 5751 preamp tube and replacing the left or first tube in the pedal. This will really
smooth out the pedal even more after the modifications. The amount of distortion is reduced very slightly,
however the overall tone is much improved with this tube. Of course tone is an individual thing and what sounds
good to me may not sound good to you.
you the ability to remove some of the Treble in the mix rather than removing it straight out using the Treble
control which actually cuts the Treble frequencies. The Presence control allows the Treble frequencies to
remain but reduces the brightness kind of like an old Marshall amp. The Mid range pot gives you the ability to
adjust the Mid frequencies for a scooped or added Mid frequency effect. The Mid pot is very subtle but is
noticeable. The Mid pot must be adjusted before the Bass and Treble are turned up. The rest of the mod is
that I remove the ceramic disk capacitors and replace all of them with Silver-Mica capacitors. This really
sweetens the sound up and reduces the amount of white noise that is injected into the pedal by the ceramic
disk capacitors. Silver Mica is very temperature and electrically stable and is an excellant capacitor material
which really works well with instrument frequencies in tube based applications, the only capacitors that would
work better are foil-in-oil and they are quite large and expensive. I would also recommend purchasing a NOS
Jan-Phillips 5* Green label 5751 preamp tube and replacing the left or first tube in the pedal. This will really
smooth out the pedal even more after the modifications. The amount of distortion is reduced very slightly,
however the overall tone is much improved with this tube. Of course tone is an individual thing and what sounds
good to me may not sound good to you.
Here are a modded Zenman and Phatman. The
Zenman had six coats of paint 3 purple 3 red.
Must have been a Phatman before it was a
Zenman, I guess the guys at Budda made more
Phatman's than Zenman's and had to repaint one
to fill an order. The paint was too thick to allow
the new pots to be fastened down properly so I
bead blasted the paint off and polished the tube
cover. I have another Phatman in for mods and I'll
perform the same mod on it.
Zenman had six coats of paint 3 purple 3 red.
Must have been a Phatman before it was a
Zenman, I guess the guys at Budda made more
Phatman's than Zenman's and had to repaint one
to fill an order. The paint was too thick to allow
the new pots to be fastened down properly so I
bead blasted the paint off and polished the tube
cover. I have another Phatman in for mods and I'll
perform the same mod on it.
