ATTENTION Compressor Junkies...

[guitarzan]

Hi, my name is Guitarzan. I am a compressor junkie.

I have found my newest, most inspiring compressor- and all for a whopping $68.

I bought a Boss CS-3 for $45 shipped. I then bought Monte Allums' DIY Mod kit for $19.99 (http://www.monteallums.com/Product_links.html). The mod took me about 40 minutes tonight and this is the most inspiring compressor I can remember. (Of course, I'm not opposed to living with one of ToneLounge's Way Huge Saffron Squeezes for the official-unofficial a/b test. I'm think that after a year or two's worth of gigs, I'll be able to make an informed conclusion... ToneLounge?) The only mod that isn't there is True Bypass, but I keep a compressor on almost all the time anyway, so...

He has mods for most of the popular Boss pedals. Before you trash them or sell them for pesos- set aside $20 and 40 minutes to see if it's worth keeping.

mmmmm....compressors....

[olectric]

How does it compare to the ones that most of us on this board have stuck to our 'boards (keeley, barber)? For the money, it sounds like a pretty good deal, and forty minutes sounds like a fairly simple mod.

[guitarzan]

well, that's the rub- since the value is based off of personal taste, it's hard to quantify one over another. I think about it this way- I've played many many compressors and have spent a bunch of time w/ the Keeley Comp (I worked Keeley's NAMM booth last winter all 4 days) and have contemplated spending hundreds on something like the Saffron Squeeze.

I was skeptical when I was building this- all the while telling myself that if it didn't work out, I'd be able to get my money back out of it, but as soon as I finished it and played through it- it was actually <i>inspiring</i>. Again, maybe that's just becasue I had a hand in its sweetness (there's some value there I think) or maybe I'm thinking about the money I saved with it compared to the rest of the boutique offerings.

I, personally, think it feels warmer and more vintagey than the Keeley comp. BUT, that's heresy to some people- so my qualification is that different ears are tickled by different things.

For the money, it's at least worth trying for yourself. I'm happy enough with this one that I'll try the BD-2 mod next just to see if it was a fluke...

[ToneLounge]

What Saffron Squeezes? I have only bare metal boxes with knobs on them... <smirk>

Kidding aside, you have my attention now - compressor night?

[guitarzan]

What Saffron Squeezes? I have only bare metal boxes with knobs on them... <smirk>

Kidding aside, you have my attention now - compressor night?


compressor night is on. Name the place- and right now, the Boss hasn't yet been put on the board if you'd like to take it home for a sleepover. This means that the Route 66 gets bumped to either the garage or the grab-n-go board ...which means that I've got some real estate to give on the ol' pedalboard now. :cool:

[chasyboy]

I am, unlike ToneLounge, not a hobby geek (geek being the operative and loving term) and have huge apposable thumbs but am in desperate need to buy one of the Cold Heat soldering thingys....and give it a try, so I want to know if it was very hard to do? then again, it's only another $15 to have him do it? Did doing it yourself make it sound better? :) Either way it's fine with me. I've had a CS-3 for over 10 years and it has never made it into a board....so why not give it a try.

I also like the sounds of his SD-1 mods...and wonder how it vs. the opamp mods from Keeley would differ. Any idea, C?

[guitarzan]

I am, unlike ToneLounge, not a hobby geek (geek being the operative and loving term) and have huge apposable thumbs but am in desperate need to buy one of the Cold Heat soldering thingys....and give it a try, so I want to know if it was very hard to do? then again, it's only another $15 to have him do it? Did doing it yourself make it sound better? :) Either way it's fine with me. I've had a CS-3 for over 10 years and it has never made it into a board....so why not give it a try.

I also like the sounds of his SD-1 mods...and wonder how it vs. the opamp mods from Keeley would differ. Any idea, C?

Funny thing is, there IS the element of it sounding better because I did it on $65. Maybe there's some sort of metaphysical juju that boosts the sonic outcome because I did it on my own, didn't have to wait for it (which would have boosted expectations), and did it at the bargain bin price point.

There's defintiely some pride that comes with increasing the value (perceived or otherwise) of the pedal with my own two hands. It's the Gepetto principle, no?

As far as difficulty is concerned, I did it on the floor in my office using a cardboard box as my kneeling-level workbench. I'm not the world's best solderer but the circuits are clean enough and the instructions are simple enough for just about anyone to do it successfully. AND, that 40 minutes included me plugging the pedal in to my amp to check it after each component change. Additionally, he has the mods listed in order and tells you what the sonic affect of the mod will be. You can do as few or as many as you'd like. Funny thing is, I heard the most difference on the last one by adding in a germanium diode for this vintagey tubey thang kinda sound (scientific, I know). If you get one or two mods deep and have already had to go to the first aid kit three times, call me and I'll finish it up for you. I suspect that it'll be a rewarding project for tinkerers, though.

[tom]

don't bother with the cold heat thing. i got suckered into it for convience, and it doesn't work at all. it's another one of those "if it looks to good to be true...." things

[ToneLounge]

...hobby geek?

[bud]

What Saffron Squeezes? I have only bare metal boxes with knobs on them... <smirk>

Kidding aside, you have my attention now - compressor night?

Yes, yes, compressor night. Everyone brings their favorite 3 compressors and we play nothing but Mark Knopfler and Walter Becker :D . Maybe Tonelounge could contribute some o them bare metal mystery boxes.

[chasyboy]

You toy with our limited intellect and feed into the sickness with statements like..'well, when you add a germanium caesar diode before the AB push pull fundamental, you are certain to have some latent ghost whispering while playing a modded Egnadumblecarr.' And then you add, 'but if you like that....go for it.'

So the ignorant, huddled masses that wish you'd just write a book instead of dolling out the knowledge in a comic strip are left to wonder if anything will ever sound good. Oh yeah, the falling in and out of love with something doesn't help either. At least fall out of love with it sooner so we don't go out and buy it.

I know it's known as the Anderson Simulation Syndrome (A.S.S.) where whatever the Emperor says we drink in like spiked Gatorade, but your views are equally dangerous. So as you dangle us around from those puppets strings, giving you endless enjoyment, I like Neo will someday find the key to stop the circle of jerk. Until then I fight in relative silence.

You're right, maybe 'hobby geek' is a bit strong. How about Under Secretary of Evil or Western Regional Vice President of A.S.S.

Now GIVE ME BACK my guitar!

Signed,

M Lover

Please send donations to:

www.savingpenniesformycobrafundwithoutthewifefindi ngout.com

P.S. I'm still going to try the Cold Heat thing just so I can say that I did the same thing Tom did and came the same conclusion. Boy, I'm glad Bud introduced me to this board.

[Suriel Zayas]

don't bother with the cold heat thing. i got suckered into it for convience, and it doesn't work at all. it's another one of those "if it looks to good to be true...." things
i have one sitting in my guitar tool box, waiting for someone oneday to ask what it is and i could just give it away. doesn't work!

[tom]

hey chasy, if you really want to feel special, maybe you could get tom's personal cold heat thing? i hear he's not using it.

[ToneLounge]

Chasy - you should get Tom's cold-heat thingy, it'll keep your mind off MY guitar! (which by-the-way, sounds spectacular :eek: )

[chasyboy]

well....I can eat more vegetables than...you...so there. And so you know...I did something special to MY Hollow T to make it my own. It should be releasing a nice pugnent odor right about now.

:mad:

[chasyboy]

Hey Guitarzan,

I ordered the mod. Bud agreed to help me, so I should mess it up too much. Bought a bunch of other stuff, too. Thanks for the lead. If it works like I hope, I'll do the SD-1 Mod. I like the samples, too.

Peace,

Chasyboy

P.S. You should stop listening to ToneLounge....he's a thief.

[jimmieb]

Never trust a product that's an oxymoron.

After Reading the Blurb on Bayou cables there is a great deal to just soldering!
I don't thing I'm up to that level...

Jimmie B

[guitarzan]

Hey Guitarzan,

I ordered the mod. Bud agreed to help me, so I should mess it up too much. Bought a bunch of other stuff, too. Thanks for the lead. If it works like I hope, I'll do the SD-1 Mod. I like the samples, too.


Any guy who can claim idea, inception, and construction of the world famous Gletta Amplifier should be able to walk you through these mods.

I have an od-3 coming in today (a pay-it-forward freebie) that I'm ordering the mod for tonight. I'm less excited about another OD pedal on the board (that'll put me at 5) but if it has the audio juju that the compressor has, I may be schlepping around the all-Boss board as part of the Rig O' Doom. :)

Just to continue gushing about the compressor, I have been playing relatively clean tones for two days now- goes perfectly with the tones on the new John Mayer Trio disc.

mmmm.... squishy....

[guitarzan]

UPDATE***

tonight I finally did the BD-2 (Blues Driver) mod. I haven't had a chance to a/b it against any of the other half dozen OD's on my board, but by itself (Atom > BD-2 > Lone Star Special clean channel) it sounds fantastic. This one is the newest "H2O" mod because he aimed for a transparent sounding pedal.

And anyone who is wondering if they are capable of doing the work themselves, my wife took a short break from cutting pictures out of her Martha Stewart Living magazines to learn how to solder and swap out a super-bright LED. She actually asked me to order her all of the parts so she can build another DIY pedal for me. (No, she doesn't have a sister.)

Again, I've been very impressed with these mods, and the creator has been great about responding to questions and handling the transactions quickly and smoothly. And after all's said and done, I've got a boutique-ish o/d for about $80 out of pocket.

Just a heads up for the tinkerers among us...

I know it sounds like I'm spamming for this guy but I'm not. Truth be told, I did the mod for the OD-3 and I wasn't particularly impressed with it. Part of it is the pedal itself and no mod might've been able to de-fart it to my ears, but I had extremely high expectations after the compressor mod and was let down. The BD-2 definitely brings my appreciation back up and my love for the compressor mod wasn't just a honeymoon. I'm still diggin it (with the LSS, not with the Fuchs Lucky 7).

[Rhys]

my brother-in-law gave me the monte allum mods for the cs-3 and a ts-9. i totally concur with guitarzan on the compressor--it absolutely transformed the pedal. the mod is straightforward and fun to do too.

also, i'll put in a plug for the www.buildyourownclone.com pedal kits. they're kind of expensive, but i my wife gave me the phaser kit for christmas and i'm very happy with the result.

[chasyboy]

UPDATE***

"my wife took a short break from cutting pictures out of her Martha Stewart Living magazines

You probably heard about this by now but WE tried to do the Monte Mods to my CS-3 and had a fun time over lunch soldering and stuff...and both Bud and I need to get your wife's number. Somewhere along the line...something is bad or gone terribly wrong...cause it sounded like my old Maestro Phaser Fuzz pedal when we were done. I called Monte and he said to take out the germanium diode and put the old one back...but to no avail...I sent it to Chad for him to redo...

It was a fun and relatively cheap experiment with a pedal I haven't touched in 15 years. But no matter what anyone says...it's not quite as easy for real men as it is for hobby geeks. :).

I must admit, I am REALLY good at mailing things through the online USPS site and using PAY PAL....I should just stick with what I know.

Thanks, Guitarzan...for nothin' (he, he)

Oh yeah - KEELEY SD-1 mod vs. Monte Allums Mod. Thoughts?

[chasyboy]

UPDATE***

"my wife took a short break from cutting pictures out of her Martha Stewart Living magazines

You probably heard about this by now but WE tried to do the Monte Mods to my CS-3 and had a fun time over lunch soldering and stuff...and both Bud and I need to get your wife's number. Somewhere along the line...something is bad or gone terribly wrong...cause it sounded like my old Maestro Phaser Fuzz pedal when we were done. I called Monte and he said to take out the germanium diode and put the old one back...but to no avail...I sent it to Chad for him to redo...

It was a fun and relatively cheap experiment with a pedal I haven't touched in 15 years. But no matter what anyone says...it's not quite as easy for real men as it is for hobby geeks. :).

I must admit, I am REALLY good at mailing things through the online USPS site and using PAY PAL....I should just stick with what I know.

Thanks, Guitarzan...for nothin' (he, he)

Oh yeah - KEELEY SD-1 mod vs. Monte Allums Mod. Thoughts?

[guitarzan]

Somewhere along the line...something is bad or gone terribly wrong...cause it sounded like my old Maestro Phaser Fuzz pedal when we were done.

Oh yeah - KEELEY SD-1 mod vs. Monte Allums Mod. Thoughts?

Did you follow the instructions and check the pedal through an amp after EACH modification? :) hmmmmmmmm?

I'm sure the quasi-failure has very little to do with manliness and more to do with some sort of cosmic unrest in the universe. Were you using the revolutionary cold-solder method? ;)

so... for my wife's number? Hmmmm. that's a toughie. Cuz' I'm pretty sure I'll get a kickback from any of that income... lemme think on it before I post her cell number just yet.

thoughts on the Keeley modded stuff? I saw that Keeley's adding a couple of mini switches on the outside of the casing to add switching options and stuff. That's cool. The audio quality of one over the other is gonna be nominal, because once the tone-critical components are upgraded to high quality, the particular values are just seasoned to taste and therefore VERY subjective. What is my more concrete method of comparison is the price. I have to scrutinize every penny that comes in and goes out of the gear bank because I don't regularly use family money for gear. And I have to scrutinize the little things so I can really go crazy and blow LARGE amounts on big things that'll come and go in a couple weeks' time. :) Speaking of which, when are you or any of the other boys from the Yarda del Cerebro gonna sell me a Blackface something-or-other? Okay, Okay, I'm no stickler- how 'bout a blackfaceable silverface? :D

[bud]

Did you follow the instructions and check the pedal through an amp after EACH modification? :) hmmmmmmmm?

Speaking of which, when are you or any of the other boys from the Yarda del Cerebro gonna sell me a Blackface something-or-other? Okay, Okay, I'm no stickler- how 'bout a blackfaceable silverface? :D

Okay, having been a party to the compressor desecration I can honestly say without hesitation that the pedal was passing signal after each step. You see, the Bud n' Chasy mod shop has very little patience and would not impede the creative flow (of solder and expletives) to determine if the pedal was passing a "pleasing" signal after each step. When we got done we had something between a bad compressor and an anemic fuzz-face.

Regarding that black-face something-or-other, you have to come by after NAMM. We need to have a proper "gear parlor" when the dust has settled.

[guitarzan]

Regarding that black-face something-or-other, you have to come by after NAMM. We need to have a proper "gear parlor" when the dust has settled.

I'm holding you to that. As of tonight, I'm on an official Gear Sales and GAS Lockdown. No (major) gear comes or goes until then. I'll atr least have the LSS and the Fuchs Lucky 7 combo and a boat load of stompboxes.

[chasyboy]

I'm holding you to that. As of tonight, I'm on an official Gear Sales and GAS Lockdown. No (major) gear comes or goes until then. I'll atr least have the LSS and the Fuchs Lucky 7 combo and a boat load of stompboxes.


I have a mint 1968/69 Super Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb....that I can tempt you with. Oh, yeah and a piece of crap CS-3 pedal that Bud worked on...

[bud]

Oh, yeah and a piece of crap CS-3 pedal that Bud worked on...

Hey Bri, I think you should just buy the parts from Keeley to do your Line6 delay pedal. Now that we have had a dry run on a compressor, your delay should be a sinch.

[guitarzan]

I have a mint 1968/69 Super Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb....that I can tempt you with. Oh, yeah and a piece of crap CS-3 pedal that Bud worked on...


dibs on the VR... AND dibs on the CS-3. :)

And yes, Bud, the Line 6 stompboxes should be dramatically less involved than the Boss stuff. Just get the parts from Keeley and we'll build you a lawnmower. :D

[chasyboy]

dibs on the VR... AND dibs on the CS-3. :)

And yes, Bud, the Line 6 stompboxes should be dramatically less involved than the Boss stuff. Just get the parts from Keeley and we'll build you a lawnmower. :D


Oh....the CS-3 was 'supposed' to sound like a lawnmower, Zan. Sorry, that's what you meant by 'inspiring' I told you Bud that is Zan must like. More power to ya....man. Hope those other mods worked out well for you...like the SD-1 that sounds like a blender.

BTW/....Swerd is going to do the Allums mod to his SD-1...knowing him, he'll add some kind of bypass looping, intercranial tone stack boosting circuit and get us all to believe him before he decides it sounds like a Toro Ride A Long and get Zan to buy it off him...he's funny that way.

[guitarzan]

... and get Zan to buy it off him...he's funny that way.


:) what is it they say... "A rising tide lifts all ships"? If I had a nickel for all the great gear that I've owned that rolled off of his beta test bench, i could blackface my Jetta.

[chasyboy]

:) what is it they say... "A rising tide lifts all ships"? If I had a nickel for all the great gear that I've owned that rolled off of his beta test bench, i could blackface my Jetta.


At least you got first dibs...I bought all the stuff that YOU didn't want...ha, a nickel...if I had a penny...oh, man.. Does that mean, we're sheep? Oh the horror...

Oh yeah, I just ordered my Cobra yesterday...just like his....baaaaa, baaaaa.

[ToneLounge]

Sheep can't solder - news at 10.

Updated guitar score:
Bud = Swerd model HDTC
'Zan = HTC like the one Swerd has
Chasy = Swerd model Cobra

Now, if I could only get you guys and 100,000 of your friends to buy my new amp design!

PS - my SD1 is staying stock!

[chasyboy]

Sheep can't solder - news at 10.

Updated guitar score:
Bud = Swerd model HDTC
'Zan = HTC like the one Swerd has
Chasy = Swerd model Cobra

Now, if I could only get you guys and 100,000 of your friends to buy my new amp design!

PS - my SD1 is staying stock!


Chasy = Belly like Swerd
Bud = underwear like Swerd
Zan = sick like Swerd

[guitarzan]

I just checked Monte's site (the guy with the mod kits) and it looks like he's doing a SparkleDrive mod that's coming soon. From recollection, he usually announces the "coming soon" a couple weeks before it actually is released, so that gives us all enough time to procure some SparkleDrives.

And yes, Bud and Chasyboy - before you ask - my wife said she'll do the mods for y'all. :)