duhvoodooman
March 3rd, 2009, 12:47 PM
...then you might want to SERIOUSLY consider this one:
I heard from old Fret.net alumnus Nelskie recently, asking me if I'd be interested in doing a pedal mod for him. He'd just picked up a lightly used Boss Blues Driver BD-2 at a good price, and wanted to have the Monte Allums "H2O Plus" mod done on it. I'd heard good things about this pedal mod, specifically that it smoothed out the BD-2's tendency for a bit of top-end harshness and really gave the pedal a very clear, articulate, and lively sound. (Apparently, this is what the "H2O" designation alludes to--after all, what is more transparent than water?) So we agreed that he'd buy the Allums mod kit, ship it along with the pedal to me, and I'd install the mod for a modest fee.
Nelskie's package showed up late last week, and I performed the modification last Friday evening. Very straightforward--just a few components to remove and replace with the Allums-provided upgrades. The biggest change involves the installation of a new dual opamp adapter fitted with a couple of TI NE5532 IC's. Other than that, it's really just a few capacitors and diodes. He also wanted the power indicator LED replaced with a blue one, which I also took care of while I was "under the hood". Buttoned it back up and everything worked perfectly. These Allums mod kits are well designed, and the provided instructions are superb--clear and very nicely illustrated.
I've been playing with the pedal on and off for a couple of days now, and I am truly impressed with it. I don't care for it so much with humbuckers, but this thing just flat SLAYS with a single-coil guitar, like a Strat. It's capable of a fair amount of gain, but it seems to sound it's best with the Drive control between about 10 and 1 o'clock, and the tone just below 12 noon. Very natural tone, just MORE of it, and with a pleasing measure of light distortion coming along for the ride. IMO, the term "transparent" is grossly overused in describing pedals, but this one really epitomizes that quality. I compared it to the Danelectro Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive I bought recently, and even though that's a very good overdrive (especially for $40!), it can't touch this modified BD-2 for true transparency of tone. When I get playing my Strat Plus through it, I just don't want to put the guitar back down. I don't know of a higher compliment I could pay to it than that. Except maybe putting my money where my mouth is, which is exactly what I did last night--I nailed a used BD-2 on eBay and have the H2O Plus mod parts on order.
I'll post some photos and short clip later. But trust me--this one's a winner.
(NOTE: If you're interested in this mod for your own BD-2 but don't feel like doing the work yourself, drop me a PM. I would insist that you actually buy the Allums mod kit ($28), because I think that's only right & fair to Monte, who came up with this superb modification and deserves to make a few bucks from it!)
I heard from old Fret.net alumnus Nelskie recently, asking me if I'd be interested in doing a pedal mod for him. He'd just picked up a lightly used Boss Blues Driver BD-2 at a good price, and wanted to have the Monte Allums "H2O Plus" mod done on it. I'd heard good things about this pedal mod, specifically that it smoothed out the BD-2's tendency for a bit of top-end harshness and really gave the pedal a very clear, articulate, and lively sound. (Apparently, this is what the "H2O" designation alludes to--after all, what is more transparent than water?) So we agreed that he'd buy the Allums mod kit, ship it along with the pedal to me, and I'd install the mod for a modest fee.
Nelskie's package showed up late last week, and I performed the modification last Friday evening. Very straightforward--just a few components to remove and replace with the Allums-provided upgrades. The biggest change involves the installation of a new dual opamp adapter fitted with a couple of TI NE5532 IC's. Other than that, it's really just a few capacitors and diodes. He also wanted the power indicator LED replaced with a blue one, which I also took care of while I was "under the hood". Buttoned it back up and everything worked perfectly. These Allums mod kits are well designed, and the provided instructions are superb--clear and very nicely illustrated.
I've been playing with the pedal on and off for a couple of days now, and I am truly impressed with it. I don't care for it so much with humbuckers, but this thing just flat SLAYS with a single-coil guitar, like a Strat. It's capable of a fair amount of gain, but it seems to sound it's best with the Drive control between about 10 and 1 o'clock, and the tone just below 12 noon. Very natural tone, just MORE of it, and with a pleasing measure of light distortion coming along for the ride. IMO, the term "transparent" is grossly overused in describing pedals, but this one really epitomizes that quality. I compared it to the Danelectro Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive I bought recently, and even though that's a very good overdrive (especially for $40!), it can't touch this modified BD-2 for true transparency of tone. When I get playing my Strat Plus through it, I just don't want to put the guitar back down. I don't know of a higher compliment I could pay to it than that. Except maybe putting my money where my mouth is, which is exactly what I did last night--I nailed a used BD-2 on eBay and have the H2O Plus mod parts on order.
I'll post some photos and short clip later. But trust me--this one's a winner.
(NOTE: If you're interested in this mod for your own BD-2 but don't feel like doing the work yourself, drop me a PM. I would insist that you actually buy the Allums mod kit ($28), because I think that's only right & fair to Monte, who came up with this superb modification and deserves to make a few bucks from it!)