Reply to DJTT Overlay on Silver VCI-100

I have seen a few VCI-100 on this community that are Silver ones with a DJTT overlay. They are pretty easy to spot (beside the jog wheels) as little pieces of silver are visible through the button and screw holes. For some reason it always makes me cringe to see this, to me it looks like trying to polish a turd.

I finally got my overlay yesterday and swore to myself that MY Silver DIY Arcade would not look like sh!t. When I did the arcade button mod, I filled in the remaining square holes (from the original buttons) with JB Weld Quick. Its really easy, just cover the outside of the holes with a piece of masking tape, and apply from within. Then when dry, pull off the masking tape and everything is flush (trim the holes with an X-acto to get then round again). Next sand down the silver and paint black. I only painted the lower quarter of the front as I still had my ghetto button and knob labels (hand written on the silver) while waiting for the overlay (2.5 months).

Now the important part (for non Arcade or if you did not paint the whole face black): after removing the knobs and faders and BEFORE applying the overlay, take a black Sharpie (permanent one!!!!!) and paint around the small knobs, faders and screws (I did the lights and the inside of the big knob recesses, too, but be careful not to paint the lights :P ). Now BEFORE sticking the overlay, lay the overlay on and see if there are any silver bits visible through any openings and touch up as required. I also Sharpied the edges before applying the overlay. If you then follow the application video, you end up with a Silver that looks like an SE once the overlay is on.

If you want to fully face lift the unit, you should paint the jog wheels too. Sand them down first (as a minimum to remove the shinny of the original paint) and apply a couple of thin coats of what ever color turns you on. After drying and re-install, you have a real beauty. You might need to tweek the jog wheel sensitivity after painting (don't go crazy with too much paint!!!!!!!!!!!).

Happy mixing, Phil.