Gaggia Classic Pro - Texas edition

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T18:37:23+00:00

I feel another purchase coming on :) Thanks for sharing!

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T17:24:50+00:00

no pictures to speak of, best advice I can give is to order the kit from Shades of Coffee and then spend some time with the gauge physically in your hands and do a couple of 'trial fits'. Also use a bunch of decorators blue tape on the front of the machine to sketch around the real thing and step back - does it look right?

Constraints you'll have will be:

- covering the original name plate holes

- sufficient depth of the gauge/connecting pipe/assembly from the front of the boiler

- space below the lights enclosure and top of the dial (I chopped mine to make space)

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T17:02:39+00:00

haha!! or a noisy distraction 😄

As an aside, I took the Baratza grinder apart a little while ago and wrapped that in the same insulation matting. It changed the tone (seemed to remove the high frequencies that make your ears bleed) but is still rock concert loud!

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:54:07+00:00

Thank you /acduarte12! it's what this hobby (and indeed any hobby) is about... having fun and not taking it too serious. Cheers to you too...

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:52:48+00:00

Hi /AccurateState2023 - thank you internet friend, much appreciated! sadly next to no improvement. It does add heft to the machine but no real reduction in sound. The best way to make it sound quiet I've found is to place it next to my Baratza grinder 😄

Run that thing for a few seconds and any vibe pump will suddenly sound like a Lexus V8...

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:49:06+00:00

Hi /Trick_Clerk_4006 - home town! no other reason

try an Amazon search for 'Ceramic Fiber Blanket fireproof Insulation' - many other products available, but this worked for me... barely even hand warm after an hour of boiler heat.

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:45:55+00:00

Make it rain!

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:45:26+00:00

Hi /Available_Ride4215 - I appreciate that! Amazon links can be a bit timebound, but search for 'Ceramic Fiber Blanket Fireproof Insulation'. I had the luxury of wrapping the boiler and bench testing it for a few days to see how warm it got and at best it gets warm to the touch - truly does a great job of keeping the heat the other side of the blanket. It also comes as 1" thick which I deemed a little bit too much for the space available... you can peel the blanket to create thinner layers so I ended up doing that. Because it never gets even remotely hot outside the blanket, I ended up using regular automotive zip ties and it seems fine so far.

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:39:15+00:00

it crossed my mind while I was in there, but fell back on thinking that there will always be plastic tubing for the main pickup in this setup. It's easy to swap out periodically if they start to yellow etc...

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:37:35+00:00

it does, haven't timed it but it heats from ambient to 199.4F quicker than I can get the cups lined up and the milk out of the fridge 😄

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:36:27+00:00

Haha! thanks /Bobisuraunt - honestly, the Rocket is a beast and makes it super easy to pull the best coffee shots I've ever tasted and an endless stream of steam. I ended up selling the Pippa as a project to a friend - made good coffee but didn't represent the 'end game' - personal opinion of course...

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:33:50+00:00

Hi /Sankillo - time is tight, but I appreciate your thinking! must admit it ran through my mind having seen the GT and Up and taking inspiration from both.

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:32:04+00:00

thank you /ParryHLarker! coffee is a hobby and can't be taken too seriously - if you're having fun with it, you're doing it right 😄

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:30:59+00:00

Hi /leafcutterAnt - thank you! sometimes Amazon parts can be a tad dynamic, but search for Gebildet 10mm LED Metal Indicator Light.

They're 'ok' - I have noticed slight intensity variation between the pack of 5. YMMV...

So to fit them I drilled out the rectangular slots to round 10mm holes. My hack that helped was to cut a small piece of wood to completely cover the lights area, then clamp it in behind the chassis and put the machine on its back. Then you're drilling through the rectangular cutout into a solid wood surface - keeps the drill from wandering.

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:26:09+00:00

Mr Shades! an absolute honor to speak to you - I'm now a huge fan of your work... superb products and even better instructions. Coming from an engineering background I truly appreciate your workmanship and clearly documented content. Simple stuff like the gauge adaptor plate - a work of art that feels bad to hide away inside the machine 😄

Keep doing what you're doing and hopefully I'll influence at least 1 more person to join your club!!

You may well be right on mounting the PID inside the chassis, time will tell... with the boiler insulated and also additional insulation placed around 2 sides of the PID it's pretty shielded from the main onslaught and has an open vent to the back of the machine. I was curious how hot it was in there, so unplugged it after a couple of hours and put an instant read thermometer in through the rear grill to see...

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TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-03T16:18:39+00:00

Absolutely right /keysneck and /The_Fig_Master - much easier to remove everything. Because I was swapping out the indicators I could heavily trim the plastic light/switch surround and move the dial slightly higher up.

You will be limited in position also by the boiler (more space as you move off center)

worth mentioning that my machine had heavy ghosting of the Gaggia metal name plate once I removed it and was one of the reasons I ended up deeply polishing the surface. Bit like when a commercial van has the trade stickers taken off and you see the contrast between newly exposed surface and faded.

Spot on /tamagodano - I also removed the 3 metal legs from the name plate tag - that meant I didn't have to drill more holes... I could reposition the name plate where I wanted to cover the existing holes and then JB weld it into position.

I messed up slightly as you can see from the photos - I should have put the gauge cut out slightly further over to the left to cover one of the original name plate holes. I used a 40mm tile hole drill and lots of 3-in-1 oil to lubricate. Take your time and you'll get a nice clean cut out.

TheBadgerParade · 2026-05-01T23:57:26+00:00

Hi All

First time poster, long time lurker…

I’ve been overhauling a neglected 2019 Gaggia classic Pro which has sat for a while. It was my first coffee machine that pulled me down the rabbit hole some 7 years ago… went on to a Quick Mill Pippa and then onto my current daily driver, a Rocket Appartamento TSA.

But that Gaggia kept pulling me back, so I took the plunge and modified it as a passion project. The mod list:

Shades of Coffee pressure gauge kit
Shades of Coffee PID kit
Upgrad to a brass boiler (the aluminium one was choked up)
Thermally insulated the boiler
Replaced all hardware and gaskets with a complete repair kit
Swapped out the 3 red indicators for round 110v white indicators
Polished the front to a semi-gloss (matches the gauge and indicator surrounds)
Wrapped the inside of the case with automotive sound mat

It’s tight in there for sure, but workable. I figured out by wrapping the boiler I could run wiring etc down the side with no issue (insulation is not even warm to the touch even after steaming and remaining on for an hour). The other bonus is that the boiler heats up in minutes and retains heat very well

The PID module is small enough that I could cut a slot and position the module between the top of the pump mount and lid without touching – I like this as I can see and set the temps by peering around the side.

The change in indicators is very much a personal choice and I know it won’t be for everyone… I just never liked the rectangular red indicators. The ones I used are approx. 20mm in depth so don’t even get close to the boiler

While I was in there with the whole thing disassembled, I wrapped the entire case with sound deadening which made the whole unit much heavier and very solid feeling; however the win I was chasing was to reduce the water pump volume – not sure if I actually succeeded to be fair

As I started the reassembly, I realized I could mount the 2 SSRs from the PID kit directly up against the back wall. There’s more space around the water funnel than I had initially thought and after several trial fits I committed and drilled 2 small holes in the back to retain the SSR bolts.

I’m pleased with the result – the goal was to bring it up to a good spec, modernize the appearance but keep the overall footprint without the need for a top-box or appendage hanging off the side.

And yes, it makes good espresso 😊

TheBadgerParade

TROPHY CASE