I have been modifying some responsive yo-yos for a while and documenting my progress. Some have followed along and some have even tried their own mods. Many though, for reasons of their own choose not to modify their own yo-yos so I am sharing some of mine. I have modified all of these with narrow bearings to bring the halves closer together so that they will be responsive without the need to add lube to the bearings. I tune the gap width with shims if needed in order to get to a spot where I have response with no delay and yet the string will still slide in the gap while sitting in trapeze. These feel way different than in their stock configuration. I’m including a Deep State with narrow C bearing, a Deeper State with narrow C bearing and a Snack with narrow C bearing (had to grease for best response but still zings) also there is a Confusion with narrow (3mm) A bearing, 1 thick pad, and 1 thin pad, as well as a Bi-Metal Bumblebee with narrow A bearing and grey silicone flowed pads filling the entire sticker groove. This is the best playing Bi-Metal Bumblebee you’ll ever play. If, that is, you were actually wanting your BB to play responsive.
Aaaaaaalrighty then!!! I finally have this packed up and ready to go. I apologize for the long delay. I’m not totally “blaming” the Chronic Heart Failure that put me in the hospital in January…. But it did take some starch out of me.
Our good friend @codinghorror was the last to have this and he graciously added to the spoils. A Deepest State in beautiful gold, and a black and gold 3rd gen Confusion. This is the one that is modified in shape and weight but still has the original thick “A” pads. Not the 4th gen cork. I have modified the Deepest State to run a dry narrow C bearing. Be careful, it’s a tad heavy to move as fast as it does with this mod. Both Confusions are tuned in their stock configuration and not modified. They play great.
Our friend Mr. Atwood also made a new box for us, put every yo-yo in a nice pouch, and even decorated the inside of the box. Do take some time to check it out… I got a chuckle out of it. I will not spoil the opening experience by posting pictures but of course whoever gets it first can feel free to post your pics.
I’m going to be doing this differently moving forward as I have seen how much less trouble for me, and frustration for you that using a list produces.
So we will be using a list for the participants and here are…… THE RULES:
First rule… please read the rules.
If you have less than a year on the forum I will need to approve you for this. If you have feedback please provide that. Each participant will have 2 weeks with the package. Please DO NOT disassemble these as the bearings are hand picked per throw as part of the tuning. You are responsible for paying the shipping to the next participant and making sure the package moves on in a timely manner. Please honestly evaluate whether this will be troublesome for you as this is all that I’m asking and I don’t feel like it’s that much. If you have tried this Play it Forward in the past and wish to give it another go that is fine, just be aware that those who have not tried will be given priority. If you made it this far then please acknowledge that you’ve read and agree to the rules and we will get you on the list. So……. WHO WANTS IT??!!
My apologies for not clarifying. Arrangements were made with Pun1sh3R prior to me starting this thread and they are on their way to him. After he has done his bit then he will repost and then the first to say “I’ll take it” gets the next turn. Since this was my blunder I’ll make sure you get them next. You then have 4 weeks to enjoy them. Afterward you would then repost the rules and the first to say”I’ll take it gets the next turn and that keeps going until no-one else says “I’ll take it”
Please tell me I’ve explained that well enough.
I’ll let some folks jump in first as I have these same throws but I plan to snag this at some point to compare notes on the mods as we were both modding ours slightly different. Mine more tight snappy for 0A and @Slestak75 more for long spin for 1A responsive tricks.
I’ll put out there a little, I don’t know, forewarning…maybe. The grey silicone that is in the Bumblebee gives me concerns as far as how long it’ll hold up and I’ll tell you why. If you have a bi-metal Bumblebee you know how the pad area is arranged. It has a recess for standard 19mm pads that sits inside of a larger diameter but far less shallow recess that is for Duncan Friction Stickers like the “one” pair that comes with it.
So I siliconed to fill in the 19mm recess as well as the sticker recess. The play is so much better than anything else I ever tried but as thin as that sticker recess is, I’m concerned the silicone will not survive too long. So I’m hoping that in the future event when this happens that someone out there isn’t afraid to add more silicone.
Glad they made it safe and sound. I did go ahead and post that link. I edited the first post to reflect that it’s not necessary to put all the effort into fabricating shims.
I’ll also add for all that try these, they are very sensitive to different strings. The ones that are on each throw are the ones I liked best for my style. Feel free to try your favorites and see what you like. I only ask that you try to keep the strings that are on them now paired up with the yo-yo they are on if you decide to experiment. I know they won’t last forever but at least for a while.
Finally having time to play with these this week. Sorry for the delay.
I am really enjoying these setups. “Uninhibited Responsives”.
While I have each of these yoyos, they do not play how these play.
I took the tried and true “Easy way Out” with mine. Not responding the way I want, add some thin lube. Still not there, add thick lube. Still not happy, add Silicone Grease. The further you get down this road, the less spin time (Not always a bad thing).
Mr. Steve’s additional work on these bring a different perspective. They sing like a sewing machine, but… a little tug… and its back.
Work is busy this week. I will make my PIF post next week, and look at shipping out Thursday or Friday.
I’ve made 5 Himalayan Honey Strings for the box and mailed one off to @Pun1sh3R so he can give it a whirl. I’ll toss the last 4 into the box once it makes it to me!
I may also have a limited drop of a different color monster string in the Throw-Yo shop sometime this month.
I could certainly be down for some of that. When those come up I would highly recommend anyone with a Bi Metal Bumblebee or a Confusion to try some of this string to feel a faster playing and more controlled throw from them. Just trying a thick string like this was one of the most noticeable of the changes I made to mine. You will be quite surprised at the difference it can make. But I have a few more extensive mods to mine that combine with the thick string to give a really nice play. At least I think so.
When those come up I would highly recommend anyone with a Bi Metal Bumblebee or a Confusion to try some of this string to feel a faster playing and more controlled throw from them. Just trying a thick string like this was one of the most noticeable of the changes I made to mine. You will be quite surprised at the difference it can make. But I have a few more extensive mods to mine that combine with the thick string to give a really nice play. At least I think so.