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Monte Allum Mods
- Thread starter gregmon79
- Start date
+1 to the crucial step of testing for sound after each step so you don't get lost, but i really like both my opto-modded CS-3 for guitar and my modded CE-2, which i further modded to be a bass chorus.
I do have an adjustable soldering iron in fact. I know now that I had it set too hot.
That's obviously not the tip I used. I may try to take the parts off piece by piece and see if I can find the culprit but honestly, I don't feel confident I can keep my patience with this one. I was looking to get another SD1 used, found one for $40 on amazon. I figure if I get that and another $30 mod kit, I'll be able to do this. I know I could go back and try and salvage this one but I don't see it happening. I'll give er the ol college try though. I do have patience but at times, when I'm already thinking its a lost cause, well, I start thinking negative. So well see. I'll report back, thanks for the advice all!
That's obviously not the tip I used. I may try to take the parts off piece by piece and see if I can find the culprit but honestly, I don't feel confident I can keep my patience with this one. I was looking to get another SD1 used, found one for $40 on amazon. I figure if I get that and another $30 mod kit, I'll be able to do this. I know I could go back and try and salvage this one but I don't see it happening. I'll give er the ol college try though. I do have patience but at times, when I'm already thinking its a lost cause, well, I start thinking negative. So well see. I'll report back, thanks for the advice all!
I get that now. I just misread directions the first time. I will be sure to test it properly this next time. It was a mistake I made that won't be made again. I usually learn the best from my mistakes.
Did you try to trouble shoot your SD-1. If you can do that then you will learn a lot.
Start by checking the power if flowing and not shorting. It is obvious but so over looked.
To be honest, once I changed all the capacitors in my OC-2 without checking and found out it had no sound after. To fix that though I used a probe to listen to the sound coming out at each point. Start at the input and follow the signal through until it stops, then check the component before it.
If it is a problem with the Opamp you replaced, I am not sure what to do off hand, but I am sure some research will help. There is also a lot on the web about trouble shooting.
Good luck, keep your head and dont give up.
Start by checking the power if flowing and not shorting. It is obvious but so over looked.
To be honest, once I changed all the capacitors in my OC-2 without checking and found out it had no sound after. To fix that though I used a probe to listen to the sound coming out at each point. Start at the input and follow the signal through until it stops, then check the component before it.
If it is a problem with the Opamp you replaced, I am not sure what to do off hand, but I am sure some research will help. There is also a lot on the web about trouble shooting.
Good luck, keep your head and dont give up.
Thanks for the encouragement dazon, I really appreciate it. I still haven't sat down with it to see if I could find the problem. It still get power running to it when engaged but no sound. I'll jostle some components lightly and I'll get some dirty tones but nut for long. I do see how it shorts out though. It's when the PCB hits the housing at any time, mainly the solder along the top of the board where there's a line of wiring going into it. I will have to spend more time with it. Unfortunately I damaged too many of the old components getting them out and they were thrown away. My soldering techniques had something to be desired but improved quite well by the time I got to the end.
Sounds like it needs cleaning up then, if so you don't have a problems solve much at all. Good luck
bongomania
Commercial User
In the pics, it looks like the legs of the two big brown/orange capacitors could be part of the problem. They look like they could be able to touch each other, which could cause problems like you're describing. Next time you can put some shrink tubing on the legs; for now, while troubleshooting, just put some electrical tape between them to make sure no leg touches another.
Hey, I'm not trying to solicit anything here, OP, but...
Steve McKinley has a couple of videos I just saw on JamPlay. One he walks through a mod of a Boss DS-1; another he mods an Ibanez Tube Screamer.
You might try to check out some videos like that online too.
Steve McKinley has a couple of videos I just saw on JamPlay. One he walks through a mod of a Boss DS-1; another he mods an Ibanez Tube Screamer.
You might try to check out some videos like that online too.
i did the same thing. i was testing with each step & all was going well. about half way thru the mod i got impatient & tried doing multiple steps before testing again & that's when things started to fall apart. my soldering got sloppier, i had the iron temp up too high. in hind sight i should have taken a break & come back to it with a fresh batch of patience.
i did the same thing. i was testing with each step & all was going well. about half way thru the mod i got impatient & tried doing multiple steps before testing again & that's when things started to fall apart. my soldering got sloppier, i had the iron temp up too high. in hind sight i should have taken a break & come back to it with a fresh batch of patience.
I hear you there. I was really patient, just didn't test as I should've. I've learned now though.
No, I have not. I haven't had the time to sit down with it. We're moving in a month and in the process of finding a house. So yeah, between that, work, band stuff and other obligations, the pedal got out on the back burner for a min.
My Monte Allums GEB-7 Plus mod just arrived today! 
I'm looking forward to installing it later this week hopefully. I'll post my experiences and my review of the mod.
I'm looking forward to installing it later this week hopefully. I'll post my experiences and my review of the mod.
My Monte Allums GEB-7 Plus mod just arrived today!
I'm looking forward to installing it later this week hopefully. I'll post my experiences and my review of the mod.
Awesome! Yes, I'd like to see how yours turned out. I still havent sat down with mine. Finding a house can be crazy right now. Maybe I will get a chance this weekend to sit down with it.
and? how is it?My Monte Allums GEB-7 Plus mod just arrived today!
I'm looking forward to installing it later this week hopefully. I'll post my experiences and my review of the mod.
Oddly, there are apparently at least 3 different PCB designed for the GEB-7. Mine doesn't look like the older board; however, on very close examination it doesn't look EXACTLY like the newer boards.
All that to say, 90% of the mod fit in my pedal. The OP amp mod did not. If you look on Monte's site NOW and read the text, he refers to an email about this and links a photo of the board. The email and photo of the PCB board were sent by me.
If your pedal doesn't look EXACTLY like the one he shows for his Plus Mod, I recommend getting the standard mod. So I paid a bit extra and ended up with components that I couldn't install in this pedal.
Well, how's it sound with the mods that I did make from the kit? Quieter and a little more Hi-Fi sounding to my ear. Boosting higher freqs still adds some noise to the signal path but not as much.
If you get the right mod for the right board, I recommend his mod because it does noticeably improve the sound quality.
Honestly, I'm not done with that pedal. I plan to get back in there and figure out what else I can do to make it quieter and more Hi-Fi.
Modding pedals is fun for me. In the never ending search for perfect tone, some guys buy & sell their pedals and some guys mod their pedals. I'm a modder more than a seller so I'm having a blast with it!
Sent from my iPhone 5c zipped in a sandwich bag using TalkBass mobile app while floating in the pool!
All that to say, 90% of the mod fit in my pedal. The OP amp mod did not. If you look on Monte's site NOW and read the text, he refers to an email about this and links a photo of the board. The email and photo of the PCB board were sent by me.
If your pedal doesn't look EXACTLY like the one he shows for his Plus Mod, I recommend getting the standard mod. So I paid a bit extra and ended up with components that I couldn't install in this pedal.
Well, how's it sound with the mods that I did make from the kit? Quieter and a little more Hi-Fi sounding to my ear. Boosting higher freqs still adds some noise to the signal path but not as much.
If you get the right mod for the right board, I recommend his mod because it does noticeably improve the sound quality.
Honestly, I'm not done with that pedal. I plan to get back in there and figure out what else I can do to make it quieter and more Hi-Fi.
Modding pedals is fun for me. In the never ending search for perfect tone, some guys buy & sell their pedals and some guys mod their pedals. I'm a modder more than a seller so I'm having a blast with it!
Sent from my iPhone 5c zipped in a sandwich bag using TalkBass mobile app while floating in the pool!
