Anyone put a Monte Allums kit in a Boss SD-1 ?

[crusty philtrum]

I have a couple of Boss SD-1 pedals, one is 30 years old, the other is new. I have been thinking about putting Monte Allums kits in them. Has anyone had any experience with how they sound after the mods? Are they worthwhile doing ?

[Rich_S]

Re: Anyone put a Monte Allums kit in a Boss SD-1 ?

Allums GT Mod is a good one. I removes the blanket, makes the pedal a bit clearer and responsive. The "GT" part of it (putting a transistor in the clipping circuit) softens up the distortion a bit, adding a hint of old-school fizz. The pedal still squashes quite a bit, it's not as open and dynamic as some of the newer booteek pedals. Still, its a nice overdrive and a big improvement over stock.

I've built two of them. One I sold to someone on this forum, then replaced. THen I re-modded the replacement into something else. I intend this year to get yet another, mod it to GT specs, and then leave it the hell alone. I've learned my lesson... the SD-1 GT is a good pedal to have around.

P.S. I don't recommend modding a 30-year-old SD-1. Leave it stock, and mod the new one for a different flavor. Have you ever checked out BossArea.com? Lots of Aussies on that forum.

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Anyone put a Monte Allums kit in a Boss SD-1 ?

The GT is the one i would get, the soundclip on his site is impressive, and the other kits seem to take the pedal in the 808 direction, which i don't want.

I bought the old pedal new around 1978/9 and it's been tweaked over the years, but mainly just better quality caps in the signal path. I'm going to buy 2 GT kits but i'll upgrade the new pedal first and compare it to the old one before i go any further. I'm not precious about any 'vintage value' with the old pedal, it's just an old and constant friend that i'd like to be as good as it can possibly be.

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Anyone put a Monte Allums kit in a Boss SD-1 ?

I think the GT mod is fantastic. As far as value goes, for $65 you get a brand new versatile overdrive that will do everything from pushing a clean amp slightly to giving it a somewhat understated Marshall roar. It cleans up with the volume rolled back, and it thickens in the other direction. I think it's probably the best $25 I ever spent on gear.