Just modded my ASC Pick!

[jubrany]

After getting the courage, I opened the guitar up and removed the pick.

Basically there are 4 springs inside the pick (on the corners) to spring the pick back into place.

I took 2 springs out and man is the pick light as ever!

Will test and then come back with some results.

P.S. Be careful and take your time if you decide to mod it. I was gonna post pics but my cam batteries died.

[Brett]

I still haven't modded anything on my ASC. The buttons seem easy to press and the pick is fine for me. But I've only played in arcade 3 times at max, so I have nothing to base the feeling off of.

[jubrany]

Originally Posted by CALF

I still haven't modded anything on my ASC. The buttons seem easy to press and the pick is fine for me. But I've only played in arcade 3 times at max, so I have nothing to base the feeling off of.

Yeah, my pick would feel nice after playing for hours, but get stiff again the next day.

One solution would probably be to buy some Sanwa lubricant and relubricate the springs (since they are coated in a brown grease).

But with this solution the springs are instantly super light. It starts to help a lot on 80+ songs.

edit: grease for bolt is brown, grease for springs is red.

[Zarcom]

holy shit, thats awesome.

I might consider that if I get sick of a stif pick .

Hows everything working nowl??

[jubrany]

Preliminary results:

works exactly the same, just with 1/2 the actuating force needed.

Haven't broken any records yet, but feel like i can focus more on my fingering, which is what is currently holding me back these days.

edit: Well I'm starting to love this pick, passed model FT2MV regular guitar right now on my first try today. The only other time I passed it I played it like 20 times in a row.

[jubrany]

I think the pick doesn't hyperpick as reliably without the 4 springs.

I think the best solution is to relubricate the springs or get lighter springs altogether.

Boo.

[jubrany]

I have a new idea I have not tried...

I noticed the bolt around the pick case does not tighten on it all the way... I am going to add a washer so that the bolt doesn't turn while picking...

Will get back with results once i have the time to do this...

P.S. What I can say is that having the bolt lubricated properly is key to a fast pick. I think I will be ordering some Sanwa grease.

[Zarcom]

Well, lets hope that works then, I really really do.

What happens exactly, when you used the pick with no springs. Do they become loose or something?

and instead of sanwa grease, cant you use WD-40?? .

[jedah722]

Can anyone take pictures(inside of pick)?

[jubrany]

Pick feels much better after adding a washer to keep the bolt from sliding left and right.

The pick itself is still able to slide left and right on the bolt, but the bolt itself no longer moves.

I will eventually get some sanwa grease and see if the pick gets faster.

I have noticed that the pick will get pretty darn light after playing for a looong session (2+ hrs).

However, it tends to stiffen back up the next day. I think more grease is the answer.

[jubrany]

Originally Posted by Zarcom

What happens exactly, when you used the pick with no springs. Do they become loose or something?

The pick works by moving out of the way of 1 of 2 optical sensors (one sensor for up pick, the other for down pick). The pick MUST rest in the neutral position while not picking in order to block the path of the optical sensors, otherwise it will be unreliable and act crazy, registering picks when you don't want. Hence, removing all the springs is not an option. The only option is to put 4 lighter springs or take 2 springs out.

Originally Posted by Zarcom

and instead of sanwa grease, cant you use WD-40?? .

WD40 on $300 controller = gross. I will be ordering the sanwa stuff eventually, if not this month then next.

[Zarcom]

lol @ my WD-40 answer.

anyway yeah, thats cool then, I will keep that in mind myself, if I ever decide to install lighter springs.

Home depot/lowes/revy are some good choices if you want to go that route.

Thanks for the post and into Calf, I really appreciate it.

Good luck.

See yaz bye.

[Zarcom]

Its not the grease, the pic gets stiff...period and if it gets less stiff, then that means the joints in your hand are getting stronger. Eventually you will break into the habit and not notice the difference.

Because of the fact that I bought this controller, I nearly passed Model FT2 .

[jubrany]

1. Remove the 8 hex screws that hold the metal panel down with a 2.5mm hex wrench. You don't remove the 5 screws surrounding the Start and Select buttons.

2. Carefully remove the panel without lifting it too high, and carefully free the cords inside so you can move the panel out a bit (it won't move far).

3. Remove the pick harness (it is the smallest plug in the PCB).



4. Unscrew the 4 philips screws, making sure not to lose the washers under each one (there is a big washer and a slightly smaller washer, the smaller washer goes on top of the big one).



5. You can now remove the pick.

6. Use a 10mm socket wrench and an adjustable wrench to unscrew the bolt holding the pick together. Slide the bolt out of the pick. You can now lift the lever of the pick off the base of the pick.



7. I didn't take pictures, but I basically slathered a crapload of grease all over the springs, the bolt, and where the pick parts meet the springs and bolts (Didn't want to get my camera greasy). I used expensive (35 bucks for the tube) Shin-Etsu silicone grease from Japan, it is what is used to lubricate Sanwa joysticks so I figured it would work well here. It is hard to tell if it is thicker than the grease used by Konami, but their grease seemed dirty and cheap. They used red grease for the springs and brown grease on the bolt. The grease I used is clear.









Well, now it's time to test it I guess. Will come back with some impressions later.

[Zarcom]

Good job man, I hope to hear good results.

I will be going in and out, whenever I can .

See yaz bye.