Drum Machines
Yamaha Mu-5 Build Pics
I bent this Yamaha MU-5 a few months back and never posted the pics here. The ic is surface mount and has tiny legs that make it a chore to solder to, but the results are worth all the solder stress. I love to chain this thing to my Roland Tr-505 or Alesis HR-16 and … Read more
Cleaning a filthy Roland TR-606
Just opened this up to give it a good cleaning, looked like someone puked on top of it and it seeped inside. All better now. To clean this bad boy I sprayed it with a mix of Simple Green and water (25-75), scrubbed it with a nylon paint brush and sprayed it down with clean … Read more
Yamaha DD-5 ready for the workbench
I scored a super clean Yamaha DD-5 this morning at one of my favorite local swap meets. Box, adapter, sticks, manual, and all. The box is a little worse for wear but it does not matter cause the previous owner used it to keep this thing pristine. I have not opened up one of these … Read more
Alesis HR-16 button and battery service
Now offering Alesis Hr-16 button and battery repair service. This is a must for anyone who has an older HR-16 that will not hold patterns or has buttons that do not function properly. Breathe new life into your old HR-16 for the low price of $75 plus s&h. This service comes standard with any HR-16 … Read more
Korg DDM-110 update
I got the Korg back together today and the buttons are all working 90% better.. the open hi-hat is a little unresponsive at times, so when I take it back apart to bend I’ll be sure to address that. The terrible buzz and hum is gone after a nice Simple Green washdown. I’m thinking someone … Read more
Inside a dirty Korg
Looks like someone poured a coke on top of this bad boy, dust bunnies have invaded as well. Time to give this board a good cleaning. Normally I would not hesitate to bust out the WD-40 for this job, but the “buttons” are actually plastic switches … Read more
Korg DDM-110
Just picked up a Korg DDM-110 from a friend. The buttons are pretty beat on the inside, either you get nothing or you get multiple hits. It also sounds like there is a grounding problem that will need to be fixed. So it is going on the bench, and we will see if I can … Read more
Roland Tr-505 bend points
I made this image a few years ago when I was working on a Roland TR-505 for Igor Amokian, at the very least it should point you in the right direction if you have one of these but are hesitant to open it up. It has tons of bend points, I recommend doing a break … Read more
