Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

gone bush Wed Nov 15, 2017 11:31 pm

I know there are varying opinions on the subject of modified detectors with some people thinking it's sacrilege and others reckoning it's worth a try but what I really want to know is if you have had one done did it work any better.

Was it quieter, did it get any better depth, was the detector more stable, and especially was it worth the outlay.

With the original versions of the 4500 now being about ten years old is it worthwhile getting some mods done?

What does it cost?

Comments please.

joe82 Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:01 am

hey mate, for sure you will get some haters on this topic, I no a lad with a modded 5000 and he loves it better gain with wicked depth also so quiet in the black soil witch around here can be undetectable in places, I'm wanting to put my 7000 against it as he states that hes pulled gold where the 7000s have been, me I'm not sure until I see it for myself but it all looks good aslong as you don't want to resell as minelab wont touch them and there trade value is not good,costing around $1500 at a guess, he tells me if you do get it modded take the time to learn it inside and out (this may take a while)I think it makes your 255channel search into your gain Shocked

I don't understand it but mabie someone on here has one and could shine some light on this topic for ya mate,cheers joe,

Nightjar Thu Nov 16, 2017 8:52 pm

joe82 wrote:
I no a lad with a modded 5000 and he loves it better gain with wicked depth cheers joe,

No disrespect Joe, but this sort of comment from the lad you know and many others cracks me up. Q41

Maybe if he got someone to check the "wicked depth" on a target with a standard 4500 before he dug it, he would have realised he wasted money, lost Minelab support, and would have discovered the standard/stock picked up the target any way. Q20

gone bush Fri Nov 17, 2017 12:00 am

Well I take it from the limited comments that no one reckons it's worth doing.

Thanks for the responses.

Greg

Guest Fri Nov 17, 2017 12:24 am

Hi Greg.
Yes mate it's been like that for a long while.
If I remember correctly, Ismael hinted not to get any gpx detector done because they are the best they can be.
What will give you improvements are, the new flat wound coils, going wireless, the best headphones for your hearing and a very good booster.
These things. will make it better

gone bush Fri Nov 17, 2017 1:07 am

Thanks for the comment Uncle Bob, I wasn't particularly considering modding the old 4500 but was curious to know if anyone had had any success with a modified beeper.
I personally reckon that even though Minelab are a little on the exorbitant side, and occasionally a lot on the exorbitant side they do make the best detectors. They find gold and that's what they're meant to do. Over the last few years there has been a myriad of new brands coming along from all over the world, plus the old stalwarts like Garrett, Fisher and Whites but none of them ever seem to be able to give Minelab a run for their money.
Hope you're well Vas and everything is good up there. Just keep finding the odd bit and keeping healthy - that's what makes life worth living!
Cheers,
Greg

Guest Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:57 am

Some detectors can really benefit from mods like the sd2000 and being that its only the modders that touch them these days as I am pretty sure minelab wont repair them anymore due to parts availability, so you don't have much to lose there, but I think that there are other machines that don't need it like the gpx4500, the downfall with modifying them is as previously stated, minelab wont touch them, so if you want it repaired then you have to find out who did the mods to it if you have bought it already done, people who know detectors are reluctant to buy later model modified machines as a lot of the times the seller is asking a higher price for it than a standard model trying to recover the cost of the mods when they find out it is either no better then it was originally or has become too hard or noisy to use (just an example)

There are also a couple of versions of the 4500 as well, the earlier models (first release ones) are known for being a good all round detector, with excellent sensitivity and good depth but can become ratty and are more prone to emi issues, mine is about 9 years old now and I am so used to it I wouldn't part with it as its tried and proven, the later release ones are more like the 5000 and are a bit quieter and some say more sensitive to small nuggets but not as good depth wise, but as another member stated they do benefit from being used in conjunction with a good signal booster/enhancer, headphones, and wireless set ups.

au-fever

joe82 Fri Nov 17, 2017 8:18 am

Nightjar wrote:
joe82 wrote:
I no a lad with a modded 5000 and he loves it better gain with wicked depth cheers joe,

No disrespect Joe, but this sort of comment from the lad you know and many others cracks me up.
Maybe if he got someone to check the "wicked depth" on a target with a standard 4500 before he dug it, he would have realised he wasted money, lost Minelab support, and would have discovered the standard/stock picked up the target any way.

all good mate,i don't mind they have done these tests with the standard 4500 and 5000 and neather made a sound,im happy with the standard 5000 and my 7000 so I cant see the point in modding but it does cross my mind every now and again as I also have a SD2000 witch may be worth a shot,if old mate chooses to modd good on him and I whould like to hear how he does

stufire_smoky Mon Nov 18, 2019 12:20 am

I haven't had mine for that long, it's only just reaching 2 years old next March, and it has a good warranty. My first lesson from a guy I respect and know he knows what he's talking about, said, if you need to mod it you don't know what you are doing with the machine in the first place.

Ok, can hear some now with their minds ticking over how can we get back at this guy. Careful, as he does know 4500's very very well and knows how to use them. I'm yet to have much luck, but then again, haven't really been out in an area that I have had time to go over with care and for days to see if there really was gold there. That is why I'm 7 days in Hill End this January, 2 week in the Vic gold fields in April 2020 and after I finally am able to retire, taking my camper and the 4x4 with the 4500 un-modded over to the WA gold fields for 4 months to really give it a good go with the myriad of heads I know have.

I'll see what goes after that, but my main point is this, when I get to know my detector and know how to use it to great effect, and until I can have a 4500 beside mine that has been modded against mine that hasn't so I can see the worth, then it will be what I've been told, you know how to use your detector to the way it was meant to be used thoroughly, then you really don't need it to be modded at all.

Nightjar Mon Nov 18, 2019 10:32 am

stufire_smoky wrote: then you really don't need it to be modded at all.

Save your money, stick with this stufire_smoky, stock standard, this machine is one of the very best.
Read the manual (you're probably aware you can download full manual from Minelab site?) over and over, get to know the settings and most of all using a test target, (shotgun pellet is ideal) to set the "tone" to suit YOUR hearing, not what someone recommends.
Good luck, don't forget to posy a pic of your first nugget.

deutran Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:43 am

The 4500 and 5000 are the finest detectors made,they really don't need fixing.Certainly modding them will not make up for any shortcomings in ones ability to find gold only experience can do this.I did try a modded 4500 but found it only made a stable detector more unstable,however that's only my thoughts as I didn't have enough time to properly evaluate it.
As mentioned above just add a flat wound coil for an instant 30% proven improvement and a fraction of the cost of modded detectors.

joe82 Mon Nov 18, 2019 5:15 pm

and the evo coils are the ducks nutts!!! I run the 12-15 and 19' on my 5000 and they preform extremely well Cool

deutran Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:43 am

joe82 wrote:and the evo coils are the ducks nutts!!! I run the 12-15 and 19' on my 5000 and they preform extremely well

I certainly agree with you Joe on this one,the Evo coils will find gold in old patches I'm seeing many success stories lately.Our 12Evo has paid for itself 6x since aquiring it a few months ago mainly on deep missed nuggets.

bowenboi Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:57 pm

I have a modded gpx 5000 .
I posted on this forum 8 years ago about it and copped a lot of Shite over it .
I still use it and i am extremely happy with it .
Woody , who modded it gives a 5 year written warranty on all his work.
When used in conjunction with the spiral wound coils , they excel even better .
joe82 is correct in what he said about the depth increase , smoothness and the ability to work in extremely difficult soils.
You may say that i have limited posts on this forum , which i do .
I sign in as a guest every day and read all the posts .
I have over 40 years of detecting behind myself.
I have been detecting since the sd 2000 days.
I have tested my modded 5k against numerous machines and coil and settings combinations.
Each time my modded 5k comes out a winner.
The only combination i have not compared my modded 5k too is a 7k with Dave Dench's X coil .
I bet that the people with the negative views on a modded machine have never ever used one before. [ they all see to say .... i heard this , i heard that .] AM I RIGHT IN STATING THIS ????
It is like some people prefer Toyota's over Nissan's and Fords over Holden's.
Modded over Standard.
How many people still use the standard issue Minelab coils , picks , headphones, batteries , harnesses, upper and lower shafts . Not many i state .
All the after marker gear we now use has been modified for better performance.
How may of you modded your cars when you got your licenses ?
How many of you have modded your 4x4 to go detecting ?
ANSWER ..... ALL OF US .

So why not a modded machine ?

I am not going to reply to this post .

Kon61gold Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:51 am

As long as the intended mods, have been done correctly, tested/proven to work & don't interfere or degrade some other electronic, inbuilt standard functioning part, why not a modded detector bowenboi & BTW, I thought I'd add, I don't go by the number of posts a member has up on here, but by the common sense/logic behind each post & no you don't have to answer back on this one.
Simply put & like on/any bit of equipment manufactured today, there are mods that can also be done on or to detectors, increasing their overall performance (within reason) towards a specific purpose, as long as they're done by an experienced & in this case, out on the field electronics guru, with knowledge in the use of detectors & their working capabilities.
One can't just go putting in a 327 Chevy V8, in a 161 EH Holden without re-engineering the chassis & who knows what else, to suit the extra horsepower. Shocked

Everything (within reason) can be spruced up to look better or perform better. It all comes down to what the modder states can be achieved & what to expect & or what the clients expectations are from such a modification, for this is the purpose of all/any designed aftermarket part or modification.
Bottom line, its not what an aftermarket part or modification costs, but more in the fact that ones expectations have been met/satisfied, then that's all there is to it.

Cheers Kon. T25

yellowmellow Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:31 am

is mods recommended

moredeep Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:54 am

From the above articles Tim the answer is YES & NO
Horses for courses

cheers moredeep

goldinthehole Thu Nov 21, 2019 11:40 am

Mine is modded works fine picks up tiny and larger gold easy if it is there lol

Kon61gold Thu Nov 21, 2019 4:56 pm

Nothing wrong with that goldinthehole & like I said, if one is satisfied with the performance a modification has had on their detector, then that's all there is to it. Who am I to criticise another, for wanting to better their equipment or themselves in what they want to achieve?
One thing to keep in mind, is that no detector or modification, can ever make up for ones ground time/experiences, in search of the "Golden Ointment"
Tim, the only thing I can recommend for you is more research & ground time, for you already have a good detector/coil combination. Gold is getting harder to find with each passing day.
Best of luck out there fellow detectorists.

Cheers Kon. Q11

joe82 Thu Nov 21, 2019 5:24 pm

indeed an open minded yarn bout modds not filled with hate for a change, I to somedays wonder about modding my 5000!!! you make a good point bowenboi Cool

xmas tree Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:15 pm

I had my 4500 modded about 4 years ago. Cost $1900.00. It had a glitch in one of the components, so I had to,send It back. At that stage here was so much negative comment on the GPZ7000 I wasn't game to buy one, so thought I'd try the mod instead. It came back, worked well, seemed to run quieter, and was easy to use.I accepted the fact that I would never get my $1900.00 back if I sold it, especially as the 4500 had dropped in price to about $3500.00. I consider this price drop to be the lowest act Minelab has ever done to the people who had paid over $6000 when they first came out. Anyway, my advice to anyone considering a mod would be. Sell your 4500 or 5000 , combine the money from the sale, and the $1900 for the mod , and buy a 7000.

Rockwall Wed Nov 27, 2019 5:42 pm

bowenboi wrote:I have a modded gpx 5000 .
I posted on this forum 8 years ago about it and copped a lot of Shite over it .
I still use it and i am extremely happy with it .
Woody , who modded it gives a 5 year written warranty on all his work.
When used in conjunction with the spiral wound coils , they excel even better .
joe82 is correct in what he said about the depth increase , smoothness and the ability to work in extremely difficult soils.
You may say that i have limited posts on this forum , which i do .
I sign in as a guest every day and read all the posts .
I have over 40 years of detecting behind myself.
I have been detecting since the sd 2000 days.
I have tested my modded 5k against numerous machines and coil and settings combinations.
Each time my modded 5k comes out a winner.
The only combination i have not compared my modded 5k too is a 7k with Dave Dench's X coil .
I bet that the people with the negative views on a modded machine have never ever used one before. [ they all see to say .... i heard this , i heard that .] AM I RIGHT IN STATING THIS ????
It is like some people prefer Toyota's over Nissan's and Fords over Holden's.
Modded over Standard.
How many people still use the standard issue Minelab coils , picks , headphones, batteries , harnesses, upper and lower shafts . Not many i state .
All the after marker gear we now use has been modified for better performance.
How may of you modded your cars when you got your licenses ?
How many of you have modded your 4x4 to go detecting ?
ANSWER ..... ALL OF US .

So why not a modded machine ?

I am not going to reply to this post .

I agree, it generally doesn't pay to say you have a modded detector for fear of ridicule from those who have never used one. My modded 3000 runs a 17x13 evo as smooth as silk. Try that on an unmodded GP series.

Kon61gold Fri Nov 29, 2019 7:52 pm

Rockwall, lets face it. Mods on detectors have been going on for many a year now & they to are here to stay. Where I see the ridicule part coming in is on some preposterous, outrageous claims, of what the mod/s can achieve, well above that of the standard unmodified detectors capabilities. In other words, going from science fact, to science fiction.
As you yourself have stated, your modded GP 3000 runs a 17X13 Evo far smoother than it could ever be run before. Now if you are satisfied that it does, then it can only mean/be a positive outcome.
Whether we like it or not, the modification of detectors is in & has been in for a long time & should be spoken about openly/honestly, without the fear of being ridiculed by anyone. Shocked

Cheers Kon. Q11

Rockwall Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:21 am

Kon61gold wrote:Rockwall, lets face it. Mods on detectors have been going on for many a year now & they to are here to stay. Where I see the ridicule part coming in is on some preposterous, outrageous claims, of what the mod/s can achieve, well above that of the standard unmodified detectors capabilities. In other words, going from science fact, to science fiction.
As you yourself have stated, your modded GP 3000 runs a 17X13 Evo far smoother than it could ever be run before. Now if you are satisfied that it does, then it can only mean/be a positive outcome.
Whether we like it or not, the modification of detectors is in & has been in for a long time & should be spoken about openly/honestly, without the fear of being ridiculed by anyone.

Cheers Kon.

Thanks Kon. I have had the 3000 modded for 3 years now and intend to update to the latest improvements. Components are getting improved constantly. I have also had a 7000 for the past 18 months and get constantly surprised by the 3000 when I check them against each other. Both have their advantages. I am 68 now and my first detector was a Bounty Hunter RB5 followed by the SD2000 after spending a couple of months on the waiting list. I now detect to pay the mortgage. Generally I do 3 weeks, no breaks, out bush then a week at home to restock etc. That goes on from late February to now, I am heading home today from the last trip for the year, getting a bit warm!

Kon61gold Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:42 pm

Good on you & best of luck to you out there, chasing the golden ointment Rockwall.
I dare say it, but I feel that I must, for anyone who has the guts to push themselves to the limits & try to make a living through their own accord/hobby (even if it means just making ends meet, or paying the bills) I give full credit to them, for they are the ones who discover, they are the ones who achieve.
It was once said, that the life of a venturous brave man, will surely come to an end one day, but the cautious, never live at all. T06

Cheers Kon. T25

joe82 Sun Dec 01, 2019 7:01 am

true that kon well said, hats off to them im don't go pro by any means but do make attemps to see if I could make a living from finding gold just for shist and giggles (thank crist I have a day job Embarassed

) if I can get 4gm a day to me that's a wage some days ya smash it some ya don't just a game I play wile out in the bush Cool

koeh Sun Dec 01, 2019 8:46 am

Kon61gold wrote:As long as the intended mods, have been done correctly, tested/proven to work & don't interfere or degrade some other electronic, inbuilt standard functioning part, why not a modded detector bowenboi & BTW, I thought I'd add, I don't go by the number of posts a member has up on here, but by the common sense/logic behind each post & no you don't have to answer back on this one.
Simply put & like on/any bit of equipment manufactured today, there are mods that can also be done on or to detectors, increasing their overall performance (within reason) towards a specific purpose, as long as they're done by an experienced & in this case, out on the field electronics guru, with knowledge in the use of detectors & their working capabilities.
One can't just go putting in a 327 Chevy V8, in a 161 EH Holden without re-engineering the chassis & who knows what else, to suit the extra horsepower.
Everything (within reason) can be spruced up to look better or perform better. It all comes down to what the modder states can be achieved & what to expect & or what the clients expectations are from such a modification, for this is the purpose of all/any designed aftermarket part or modification.
Bottom line, its not what an aftermarket part or modification costs, but more in the fact that ones expectations have been met/satisfied, then that's all there is to it.

Cheers Kon.

The EH never came out with a 161

Rockwall Sun Dec 01, 2019 9:13 am

Kon61gold wrote:Good on you & best of luck to you out there, chasing the golden ointment Rockwall.
I dare say it, but I feel that I must, for anyone who has the guts to push themselves to the limits & try to make a living through their own accord/hobby (even if it means just making ends meet, or paying the bills) I give full credit to them, for they are the ones who discover, they are the ones who achieve.
It was once said, that the life of a venturous brave man, will surely come to an end one day, but the cautious, never live at all.

Cheers Kon.

ozgold 041 Sun Dec 01, 2019 11:18 am

One can't just go putting in a 327 Chevy V8, in a 161 EH Holden without re-engineering the chassis & who knows what else, to suit the extra horsepower. Shocked

Everything (within reason) can be spruced up to look better or perform better. It all comes down to what the modder states can be achieved & what to expect & or what the clients expectations are from such a modification, for this is the purpose of all/any designed aftermarket part or modification.
Bottom line, its not what an aftermarket part or modification costs, but more in the fact that ones expectations have been met/satisfied, then that's all there is to it.

Cheers Kon. T25

[/quote]

The EH never came out with a 161 [/quote]

=================================================================================

Hello Koeh.

I beg to differ. Re, the EH Holden on release, had a 161 new motor in them.

My uncle Jack bought a 161 wagon early on, not long after you could have a choice of the 161 or a 179 engine.

My dad bought the 179 in a wagon, I used to drive this when I turned 18 just months later.

Cheers ozgold.

rowdy Sun Dec 01, 2019 11:29 am

ozgold ,I think you may find that the EH actually came with a 149 ci engine or a 179 ci engine. Originally the 179 was to be only in the automatics but thankfully GMH saw the benifits of putting it in the manual version as well.

Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

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Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work?

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Anyone had a GPX modified - does it work?

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Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Modding the 4500

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

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Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

modded detectors

Modified GP3000

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Modified GP3000

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??

Re: Anyone had a GPX 4500 modified - does it work??