FU-2a mod to FU-2?

[dmt]

Can I mod the circuit in the FU-2a from a Mark IV to work with a Quad? Its that or $200+ to have Boogie rip out the switching mechanism to a Mark IV and throw it into the Quad. I'd prefer no major surgery to the preamp...

 

[The Magic Hoof]

I'm wondering the same thing. Old thread yes, but I'd love to have an answer to this because I'll be doing this myself. I was told that Boogie can do it for you.

 

[dmt]

I spoke to Mike B, and Boogie will do as described above. The advantage is that the Mark IV switching is more reliable. The only mod is to the switching circuit, which doesn't affect the tone etc functionality of the preamp. I waited till i found a Quad with a foot switch.

 

[The Magic Hoof]

I spoke to Mike B, and Boogie will do as described above. The advantage is that the Mark IV switching is more reliable. The only mod is to the switching circuit, which doesn't affect the tone etc functionality of the preamp. I waited till i found a Quad with a foot switch.

So is that messing with the preamp, or messing with the footswitch that you're talking about?

If Boogie can do it, I wouldn't be sure on how to go about it. I'll have an FU-2a soon and I want it to work with my Quad. If it means shipping the footswitch to Boogie, I'd let them take a shot at it... though, I wouldn't want to pay lots of cash for it. If it's the price of shipping then sure, I'd go for it.

 

[dmt]

Preamp. The footswitch stays the same. They literally take the switching circuit (read: guts) from a Mark IV and transplant it into the preamp to allow it to work with the FU-2a. Basically, the circuit contained in the footswitch is half of the total switching system. I guess it is easier to leave the footswitch part alone and transplant the updated Mark IV circuit into the preamp.

That is the way I understand it. I would call Mesa Boogie and speak to someone there. I believe you need to speak to Rich, not Mike B, but you could speak to him anyway, he a good guy and very helpful.

 

[The Magic Hoof]

It was my understanding that using some kind of adapter or workaround for the pins/connector on the FU-2 and FU-2a would make them work with each other. Kind of like a PS/2 to USB adapter.

Just for reference, how much is an FU-2a footswitch going for these days? I wouldn't mind just selling it to get some extra cash.

 

[dmt]

I don't think its that simple. If it was then why would you pay Boogie $200 to replace the circuitry? If you look at the schematic for the quad you can see that there is a significant portion of the switching circuit contained inside the footswitch, thats why I dont think an adaptor would work, its not the pinout that is different, its the control circuit. The Mark IV and FU-2a are a different system than what is in the Quad and the FU-2.

Quad FU-2:

Switching System:

 

[Markedman]

Has anyone done this mod themselves?