Monte Allums Boss BD-2 Mod

This review is for the H2O mode plus. The installation is a tad hard but given my limited experience in soldering, I manage to do it in a few hours. The key is to test the pedal immediately after each component change. Also, you might want to clip the tie wire for easy access to the board. After installing everything, the hardest is putting the board back in the chassis. The elevated op amp chips needs a little bit of a push. The best way to do it is push the chip with a screw driver while putting the board back.

The tone controls are very responsive. Three knobs - tone, volume and drive. Turn it a notch and you can definitely hear a difference.

This is one of the most organic and natural sounding drive I've ever used. I have a Maxon OD808 which is good in its own way. A fulldrive 2, TS808 and a TS9. If you're looking for crunch without the mid boost, this is the pedal to beat. I play a strat and I can definitely hear the tonal nature of the single coil pickups with a little bit of crunch. There is no tone coloration even if the pedal is not engaged. Set the drive knob somewhere between 8 - 9 oclock and it sounds like a fender tweed twin. It's so natural that you would think your tube amp is breaking up. Bring the drive up and you get a significant amount of gain.

The tone knob is very sensitive. Position it between 8 - 12 o clock and you get a nice tube crunch. Beyond that, it sounds a little bit trebly for my tastes.

All in all, a great and useable pedal. I'm getting rid of the rest and plan on using this for my rhythm crunch and boost my Maxon OD808 for soloing. Perfect combination. Best of all, it's freaking cheap and any one who tried to change their guitar pickups and caps will have the sufficient skills to do the mod.

Boss - 'nough said

No experience whatsoever...don't think I need one.

I play rock, blues and alternative. Been playing for years and tried several pedals (cheap and boutique). I would definitely recommend this to anyone. If it gets lost, no problemo. I'll find a used BD2 in fleabay and do the mods again.

I'm not sure if this is true bypass or not but I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't change my tone...no muddiness or loss of volume. Just your natural tone. Kick it in and you got a tube amp inside this little box.

3 knobs and depending on what your taste in tone / overdrive /distortion is might take some tweaking but no harder than any guitar pedal. After the mod so much more range in the sonic options.

I have a self built pedal board using George L's cables and too many pedals to list. I have a custom Strat with EMGs and a 78 Gibson LP that I mainly play. I have various tube and non-tube amps, but I also use a POD XTL for playing at Church. I bought this BD-2 on Ebay last year and wasn't real thrilled with it and then saw some reviews about Monte's Mods so after reading and researching I got the H2O Plus mod. Took a couple of nights to complete (was interrupted too much), but not too difficult if you have any knowledge of electronics and soldering. I tested after each step and could gradually notice the sound improving, but the final OPAMP mod made the real difference. This pedal now has so much more life to it than my Keeley Modded TS9. I'm still exploring the sound for the tone I will use most of the time.

Well I've never had a Boss pedal fail and Monte's replacement components are very high quality. I doubt I will have a problem with it. I don't beat up my equipment like some folks so I think I'm safe.

I talked to Monte on the phone and he was very helpful in giving me the info to see if I really wanted to do the Mod. I actually just bought a Boss DS-1 and a MT-2 on Ebay that I just got the mods for this week. Between the 3 pedals I should be able to get any level of gain/distortion needed.

I am a traditional rock and blues player, but now am playing Christian music in Church also. I have been playing for over 32 years and have always been looking for good tone. I don't like harsh distortion and the Mod gives the BD a smooth sound I can enjoy using. I am hoping the Mod on the DS-1 and MT-2 will be similar in smoothness. That is the main thing I don't like about Boss distortions is the harshness. I would want to get another BD and mod it if something was to happen.

The mod i'm reviewing is the H2O plus mod (with opamp chips).

I'm rating the ease of use on the actual installation of the mod here. The ease of use of the pedal is just the same as stock.

I have very limited soldering experience (no PCB soldering) but was able to successfully complete this mod without making any mistakes. Monte includes everything you need including good illustrated instructions, solder, desoldering braid and components.

The whole job took around 2.5 hours in total, checking that the pedal was still functioning between each mod. One thing I did to wrong initially was take the input and output jacks out of the metal case - it turns out that they need to be connected for the pedal to function.

I didnt have any problems with the ribbon cables - I simply removed the cable tie that binds the two cables together then it was much easier to get to the components.

As Monte says it is a very tight fit getting the thing back in there - the main board is bent at tension in order to get it back in after the chip assembly has been put in place.

I'm giving this an 7 as its quite a complicated job (i.e. not as easy as just plugging something in!) - but I'm a beginner when it comes to soldering and did it fine.

I play primarily through a Gibson Les Paul Studio, into a Fender Blues Junior and a Blackheart Killer Ant. Both amps take pedals well. My other OD pedal is a Digitech Bad Monkey. I always thought that the BD2 sounded a bit harsh, not warm and thick like the Bad Monkey is.

Since carrying out the mod the BD2 completely beats the Bad Monkey in all areas - I can no longer get a better sound out of the monkey (which was fairly easy before).

I have also noticed the new pedal is very quiet compared to before.

Its a shame I don't have a stock BD2 to A/B test against, but having the Bad Monkey for comparison definitely helps - the bad monkey used to be much better but not any more.

Excellent mod.

Possibly even more reliable than the stock BD2 due to higher quality components, and the tight fit with the H20 plus mod means there's less room for things to move about in!

I'm judging customer support based on the time taken for the order to come through etc, as I didnt need to contact monte.

I ordered from the UK, postage was very cheap ($3.50 i think), and delivery was quick. Instructions were included in the package, although more detailed instructions were available to download straight after the order was placed.

I play mostly blues / classic rock, the BD2 H2O plus is extremely versatile. A great all round sound, very transparent at low gain levels, just an all round great pedal. Best i've heard.

The non-modified verson was a fizz factory. I hated that pedal. The H20 Mod made this into a wonderful distortion pedal. It always has some grit and can get downright dirty if you want it. Completely different from a TS-8 and different from any other pedal I have used. Easy to dial in whatever sound you want.

Great for Strats and for Les Pauls. The Mod made it very quite. I run it through a Fender Deluxe Tube Amp and the match was made in heaven.

It is a Boss...

Monty is always available. Super guy. If you ever need help he is there for you. I have also spoken with Matt Mod who is the U.S. guy who Monte recommends as the person to do Mod's if you don't want to do it yourself. Great guy.

This H20 Mod took a useless pedal and made it incredible. Been playing for 25 years. Own 3 other modded pedals by Monte and a few by Keeley. Also like what Visual Sound is putting out without the need for Mods. Have 20 plus guitars of vintage and/or custom shop quality.

Word to the wise. If you watch eBay, this mod will not increase the value of the pedal if you do it yourself. Only when it is done by Mod Matt or Matt Mod will it increase in value.

I bought the basic mod, not the h20. Very easy to find a tone-just put the three knobs at 12:00 and start from there. I was starting to do the mod myself, but my wife took the project over and took care of it in about an hour; much quicker than I would have done it. I didn't know this, but she had schooling in electronics when she was growing up in Czechoslovakia. What a bonus...she's hot AND does pedal mods! The pictorial directions were pretty easy to use.

I'm running this pedal in front of a tech 21 trademark 60, w/ a boss gt6 running through the fx loop for delays, phaser, etc. My guitar is an ibanez awdltd semihollow w/ the seymour dual humbucker rock set (JB/Jazz) for pickups. I haven't had to dial anything past 12:00 on it. On its debut gig, I was soundchecking with it, and my drummer immediately says, "Dude-it sounds like David Gilmour". 'nuff said. That night I used it as my primary overdrive, in front of the clean channel of my amp. When I wanted endless sustain, I'd kick in my amp's o-drive, and the two overdrives together sounded super-creamy.

Boss pedals are probably the most reliable in the world...I plan on gigging w/ no backup to this pedal. I'll probably find another cheap Blues Driver and mod it out just to have a backup eventually, but I'm not worried about my current one.

The mod kit came within 3 days of ordering it. Never had to contact.

My original Blues Driver pedal had been collecting dust for a few years. I originally used it as a booster, but I was tired of the shrill tones it produced, even with the tone rolled all the way back. I ordered the mod kit on a whim, and now this pedal has made me revamp my guitar rig, making it the only thing between my guitar and amp (other stuff is now in the fx loop), and it sounds so pure. I never fully believed the hype on pedal mods, but now I'm converted. I'm amazed at how much more volume boosting ability it as, and the tone and gain are so much easier on the ears. "Buttery" is the only word I can think of.

This is the H2O Plus mod kit. I originally did the H20 mod about a year and a half ago. The H2O mod was fairly easy to do, just take your time and you'll be okay, and make sure to test after each mod. Then about six months ago I saw the new plus mods with Burr Brown OPA2134PA Opamp Chip upgrade and I ordered for my MT2 tri0gain, Cs-3 opto and Bd-2 h2O. I had the new op amp put away for my bd-2 as my attempt to install into Mt-2 went south and I had to send it Chad Mathews for repair so I was gunshy about installing in h20. After reading previous review I decided to jump in and install new Burr Brown OPA2134PA Opamp Chip. Yeah ribbon wires were a bit trickey but 1/2 hr later mod is done.

Well the original H2O mod was very good already. Made pedal more transparent, and more responsive to pick attack and volume roll back. Now with the new opamp, thats a different story. I was actually geting bored with BD-2 as I missed the tube screamer type midrange grit. With the plus mod as mentioned by previous reviewer, it now is kind of a cross. I was actually floored. As mentioned the noise level was improved as it was with MT-2 Plus mod. Usually I play a G&L Asat classic hollowbody or an '89 Strat Plus into a Tu-2, CS-3 opto, Area 51 wah, BD-2 plus, MT-2 tri-gain plus, DD-3 into a crate vintage club 30 with vintage 30. I hadn't left review of BD-2 H20 in past as I felt that while it is a great mod and totally transforms the stock pedal, still not magical for me. But with the plus mod this is an outstanding od. Very tube like and reacting very nicely to attack and volume roll off. Usually I set it with volume at 10 o'clock, tone at noon and gain at 10-11 o'clock. Nice slightly overdriven amp sounds. I'll kick it with cs-3 to boost or run bd-2 into mt-2 for some heavier distortion. I must say I am inspired.

It's a Boss, what can I say. I think the guy who modded it can be counted on.

Monte has always been the man when it comes to support. Quick to answer questions and give support. First class guy.

I have been playing for many years. I like blues and old school rock for fun and play contemporary christian as a worship leader. Over the years I have gone through alot of pedals looking for "that" sound. I have spent alot of money on boo-teek pedals and others. Tried other modded Boss pedals as well. I am very happpy with all of Monte's mods. Ive done Ds-1,Dynacomp,BD2,CS3,MT2 mods. Very well thought out and tested before making available. This pedal will now be staying on my board and getting way more play time.

I had already carried out the BD-H2O mod and was quite impressed with the results. However the idea of being able to put something like an RC4558P opamp in a Blues Driver proved irresistable. The M52118AL in-line chip still seemed like a major weak-spot and putting in a 4558 or Burr Brown was an obvious move.

The converter PCB was easy enough to prepare. The 8-pin DIL socket went in no problem and the 4558P opamp slotted in easily. Having removed the M52118AL, I soldered the 8-pin in-line adaptor and then reinserted the in-line chip to ensure every still worked.

The problem was moving the ribbon wires that connect the pots to the main PCB to get access to the 8-pin in-line socket so the adaptor and 4558 could be plugged in. With very gentle flexing sufficient space was created to accommodate the Monte Allums converter mini-PCB. This proved to be the most time-consuming aspect of this mod. With good lighting, a steady hand and a healthy helping of patience it all went together.

Well... was it worth the work? ABSOLUTELY YES! I thought the original BD-H2O mod was good but the PLUS mod is something else. Noise levels are very low and the range of sounds available are enormous and very,very usable. The clean boost is exactly that but upping the gain adds grit which is controllable from the guitar's volume pot.

In the H2O PLUS configuration this mod is hard to fault. It sounds like a really good Blues Driver crossed with a cleaned-up vintage Tube Screamer. The vices of both pedal types are virtually eliminated and the virtues emphasised, all by the twist of a couple of pots. This is a seriously good mod.

The H2O PLUS works well with both my Lab Series L7 4x10 combo and Hiwatt DR103. If this pedal was not mounted on my pedalboard it would be my first choice of stompbox to put in a guitar case for jams/open mic sessions. I never thought my 1980's Rat 2 would be superseded as my preferred stompbox of choice but the H2O with the PLUS mod has done just that.

I really have tried to be critical of this mod but the fact is it does everything it promises and does it amazingly well.

It's a Boss chassis so I don't expect any problems. The adaptor mini-PCB looks well-constructed and it fits snugly inside the pedal so it should not move. I would expect this pedal to be as reliable as any other 3-knob Boss compact.

Monte Allums is great to deal with. I cannot recommend his products too highly and he is very helpful indeed.

I play primarily blues-based rock but veering into pop/jazz/Country-tinged variations on that theme. The BD-H2O was a great addition to my pedalboard, the PLUS mod made it even better.

Been playing over 35 years. Use two Les Pauls, two Hamers and a WD Music HSS Strat that I spec'ed and put together. Amps are a Hiwatt DR103 into either 2x12 or 4x12 cabs, a Lab Series L7 combo or a Marshall MG30 for small venues / jams.

Pedalboard comprises Boss TU2 >> Monte Allums CS-3 mod >> Blubber wah (self modded) >> Monte Allums BD-H2O PLUS >> Monte Allums SD-808 (with diode switch) >> Rat 2 (mid 80s model with LM308N) >> Boss CH-1 >> Boss DD-3 >> Boss RV-5. All mains powered so no fear of battery failure.

I cannot see the BD failing. If it was stolen I have no doubt I would be straight on to Monte for a new kit. This is a seriously good and very versatile piece of gear. Of all my pedals this is the one almost permanently engaged. To answer the question, it really helps to make music, regardless of idiom.

This review is for the Monte Allums PLUS mod for his BD-H2O kit. If you've read previous reviews then you'll understand why people rave about the H2O mod. But what would the BD-H2O sound like with an RC4558P opamp? Using Monte's converter I was able to find out.

Removing the inline M52118AL chip was pretty straightforward, but bear in mind the avoidance of straining leads running to the PCB. Soldering the 8-pin inline socket was quite straightforward. To check it was OK I re-inserted the inline chip and everything worked as before. The 8-pin DIL socket was soldered into the converter mini-PCB and the RC4558P correctly inserted. Slotting the converter into the 8-pin socket was the awkward bit! You have to GENTLY move the ribbon cables to the left and right to get access, and make room, for the converter. When inserted the converter is GENTLY bent towards the rear of the chassis to allow the reassembly of the pedal.

In all it took about an hour to do the PLUS mod. I score this an 8 because of those damned awkward ribbon cables. Not Monte's fault I know but still a bit frustrating!

I thought the original BD-H2O mod was very good indeed. Could it improved? Well, imagine crossing the BD-H2O with a tasty Tubescreamer. You can get the best of both world with this mod. Genuinely amazing.

Bear in mind that Monte cleaned up most of the weaknesses of the Blues Driver with the H2O mod. The PLUS simply introduces Tubescreamer tones into the brew. Running into either a Hiwatt DR103 or a Lab Series L7 the H20 PLUS delivers whether it is being driven by a Strat, Hamer P90 Special or a Les Paul. The intrinsic tonal qualities of each guitar come through but enriched and more muscular. Rolling back the guitar volume cleans up the sound and I was surprised by how much tonal variation this alone brings.

IF I only was allowed to use one pedal at a gig, it would be without doubt the BD-H2O PLUS. It's versatile, punchy, sweet, smooth, virtually noiseless in use and works well with a range of amps either valve [tube] or tranny.

This is one honey of a pedal. And for what it costs, the word bargain doesn't even come close.

Well, we are talking about a Boss chassis so it should survive longer than me. I'm happy my solder work is competent so it should be OK in the long-term.

I would gig without a back-up but as the BD-H2O sits on a mains powered pedalboard there are options SHOULD it fail. I have been more than delighted with all my Monte Allums kits. I see no reason why the PLUS mod should be any diffrenet in terms of sound quality, durability and robustness.

Very helpful and friendly. And very well informed. Very highly rated and held in the highest possible regard.

Thirty plus years playing. Mainly blues/rock but happy to veer off into other genres to challenge myself. If the BD-H2O PLUS were lost or stolen I would replace it without a moment's hesitation. Do the mods agains then hunt down that thieving SOB...

Two Les Pauls, two Hamers and a WD Music HSS Component Str*t. Amps : Hiwatt DR103 into 2x12 or 4x12; Lab Series L7 4x10 combo.

Mains powered pedalboard comprises: Boss TU-2>>Monte Allums CS-3>>Blubber wah>>BD-H2O Plus>>Monte Allums SD-808>>Rat2 [80's model with LM308N]>>Boss CH-1>>Boss DD-3>>Boss RV-5.

All of Monte Allums kits have improved my sounds enormously. It is almost like he has got inside my head and produced the means of making what I hear in my head come out of my amp. Yes, it's THAT good...

I think this completely depends on your experience with electronics. I found it fairly easy, but i enjoy doing this and had a lot of patience. It was a really fun thing to do. As far as instructions go it's pretty self explanatory, but it doesn't make it easy if you have never soldered before or don't know how a pcb works.

This mod is unbelievable! It almost sounds like a different pedal. I can't believe how smooth it sounds. THIS PEDAL IS TRANSPARENT. By transparent I'm sure everyone means that i doesn't mess with the sound that you have already, just makes it more gritty and driven. This pedal is perfect for that, probably the best one i've heard. It doesn't color your sound, but drives your sound, especially if you have a tube amp like me. And the mod just makes it great! It cleans it up a lot and it becomes really smooth.

So far so good...

Excellent. Emailed them and got a reply almost straight away.

Definitely worth it. If you have a bd-2 do this mod!

I am always takin my pedals appart to get better tone, so for me it was a simple job.
For someone who has never don something like this before it's a little harder, but still it can be done.

My gear is: an epiphone sheraton II, GCB95 wahwah, Boss BD-2 and an old washburn analog delay into a london city dea130 tube amp (like an old marshall 100w amp).
At all settings it sounds great, i use it most on 1/2 volume, tone at 1/2 and gain at 3/4, i control my gain with the volume control of my guitar (i modded the volume control with an capacitor so the volume control does not influence my sound that much).
This works fantastic after the mod, before it didn't sound bad but after the this mod it great.

100 % all the time

never needed any support

If you own a non modded Boss BD-2, get the BD-2 H20 mod and mod it or let a friend do the job.

This is a multi faceted question. As far as ease of the pedal (after modding), is pretty similar to how it worked before, although you now have a greater range within the tone and gain.

And on the ease of modding it, It was relatively simple for me. All you really need is a soldering iron and patience. Monte Really thought of everything, from detailed diagrams to soldier and de-solder wick. I had fun doing this mod, because it was so well thought out and complete.

My gear: 1957 Fender Stratocaster, Fender Twin Reverb, GHS David Gilmour Signature strings and a Monster Cables Rock Cable. And of course a plethora of pedals...

The pedal itself is quiet, but since I have a vintage strat, it hums like crazy...

What I love about the pedal is its far more feedback sensitive now. even if i turn up the gain, if i play soft or with low feedback, it will still produce clean tones. If I crank the feedback or just play hard, the pedal roars back at me with some balls. The advangage is you dont need to be fumbling with pedals and settings on stage. I love the control the tone knob has now, it is more authoritative.

Its a boss, nothing more to say.

I originally went to Monte's site to look at guitar sheilding supplies (dont worry, not for my '57, that thing is untouched). I found his mod page and began listening to the mos sound clips. I fell in love with the BD-2 H20 Plus kit and immeadetly ordered one. I did some research and read nothing but great reviews on his work and service.

The original package ended up being lost by USPS, Another one was shipped out and went to the next address. I emailed Monte and he shipped one the next day, and it came in 2 days. All the while (about a months time frame) Monte was very responsive to my emails. Some times within the hour, but always the same day. Very caring and helpful. Which is EXTREMELY rare these days, everyone is a ****.

What style of music do you play?: I play a wide range, focusing on the stylings of Dagid Gilmour, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Buckethead. Just bluesy melodic Rock.

Did you compare it to other products? : I use my tube distortion alot and my TS-9. The ts-9 has more of that grungy zz-top kinda dist, sounds great especially on humbuckers. The BD-2 H20 is nice and transparent, reactive and great for soloing, and just havin fun with the guitar. I use each for diff types of music. It is Definately worth it to liven up your bd-2. And a must to have in your arsenal of tone. I would definitely redo this mod if lost. Its just so inexpensive but effective.

Rock ON!

Very easy to use. The pedal still retains it same knobs: Drive, Tone, Level.

This has got to be my all time favorite pedal. It is very transparent and dynamic and can go from a mild OD to a cranked Marshall sound. The character of the OD is not harsh at all and it cleans up well. I use this pedal for a more medium gain OD or sometimes as a bosst into my Fulltone OCD.

I got this pedal in a trade and am very glad for it. If you like ODs on the more transparent side this one fits the buill very well. It is so dynamic and usable that I really have made it my main OD for mild to medium gain rock tones.

Like all Monte Allum mods, pretty easy. Take your time, read/follow all instructions, and it's a piece of cake. Any questions, check his website or email him. He'll respond almost immediately.

I got the H2O mod. This thing really shines with these mods. I was especially impressed on how much the noise is reduced when turning up the gain. I already liked this pedal, and now even more so. Great for playing blues. I use it with my Fender Twin. I get a nice overdriven, blues sound without waking up the neighborhood. A pretty good pedal just got a whole lot better. I'm very pleased at the sound of this mod. I won't repeat all the improvements. Go to the Monte Allum web page to hear for yourself. This thing performs exactly as described on that site.

Boss stomp box. 'Nuf said.

Awesome. Immediate responses. Hard to find this kind of support out there these days.

Been playing for almost 40 years. All styles of music, but fave the blues. I play a Fender Roadhouse Strat thru a TU-2 tuner, Boss CS-3 (Monte Allum mod), Boss BD-2 (Monte Allum mod), Boss CE-2 (Monte Allum mod) and Fender Pro Twin amp. My setup is now quiet as a mouse, believe it or not. Sound is superb. Still tweaking knobs, getting used to things, but I like what I hear. No regrets with any of these mods. I hear a noticeable improvement. Since I'm tired giving Monte Allum all 10's for a rating, I'll knock off a point here, just for a change. I'll say it's because the led is way too bright. It blinds me when reacing down to make a knob adjustment. I come up seeing "spots", if you know what I mean. I like the brighter led's on the other two mods, as the stock ones are weak. But this one is an overkill.

Mod was fairly easy and fun to install. Not a "begginers" project though. Better yet it produces a GREAT improvment in the tone of this pedal.

I use this pedal w/ stock Les Paul, Strat, Tele, 335 into fender, vox, mesa (all tube amps). The mod let's my guitar and amp do the job. Just adds a sweatness or spice to the pot. Pretty HI-FI and transparent which produces VERY useable sounds.

After many months of frequent gig use. So far so good. Pedals are working fine and always sound consistant.

Good response via email.

For me installing the Monte ALum mods resulted in great tonal and response improvments to several of my pedals. I am VERY pleased.

Your basic three knob setup.

This pedal works very well with already gainy amps like my tweed Super clone. I like the H2O version better than stock. It IS much more "transparent." I set the level where needed to match my amp or maybe slightly louder (usually about 10 O'clock) then the tone and gain at high noon. Result? KILLER blues tone.

Boss pedals are bulletproof.

It does everything I need it to. The TS-9 and Rat didn't like my tweed amp. I had a Barber Slver Ltd. that worked well. This makes the BD-2 comparable with a tweed amp. Though I would maybe give a slight edge to the Silver. By far the worst thing about this pedal/mod is the white light is so bright you can't see the frickin controls! What's up with that?

This review is for the h2o mod, which really should have a seperate page.

It is as easy to use as the stock bd2. Volume, Tone, and Gain. Screw this up and you need to be playing the drums.

The mod itself took about an hour and a half to do. Its not that hard, just take your time, read the instructions, and it helps to know a little about soldering before you start.

My setup is as follows: Alder tele with GFS bigmouths - effects, including the bd2 h2o - Vox Ac30cc1.

Sound quality is excellent. The stock bd2 was part of my setup for about 8 years. I loved the sound of it through my old fender amp. However, I recently switched to the Vox Ac30 after falling in love with its tone, and couldn't seem to get the bd2 to mesh with its sound. I was considering selling it when I saw the h2o mod on monte's website. I figures for 20 dollars I couldn't go wrong, so I tried it.

The bd2 now has its mojo back.

It seems far, far, far more transparent, although not completely (try setting the tone at noon, the gain all the way off, and volume to taste, than listen to how it changes your sound. Its not much, but there is a little bit color added). Better than anything else even close to its price range.

The tone knob now controls a lot more. It seems to sweep the signal, instead of simply adding more treble. And the structure of the gain and the clipping is much smoother and natural sounding.

Also, as a bonus, the noise floor seems significantly lower than before. Totally worth my time and money.

I was surprised when I opened the bd2 up to make the mod at the mess of soldering that Boss does. It looks rather sad. I figured I relied on Boss's product for this long, I can really rely on it now that I retouched some of their solder points and cleaned it up a bit. As for my work, I feel like I did a great job (I've built several pedals and have a good handand eye for soldering).

I do have one issue, and I'm not sure where to put this, so I'll put it here. I had a lot of trouble getting the new LED to work correctly (bright white). I was getting a faint blue light. Turns out it was a voltage problem with the battery(brand new, but not working correctly). Fixing that, the led works correctly now with a battery, but not when I power the unit using an adapter. The circuit still works, however, the LED won't light. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I almost never use it with an adapter, so it isn't a big deal. I keep trying to fix it though.

I origianlly emailed monteallums about the LED, and he promply answered back to check the voltage. Very nice, fast, and helpful.

I've been playing for 9 years. I play mostly in the church now, but I do occasionaly get out to play in the community.

This is a nice pedal, it always was, its just more usable now. Not a hard rock pedal, or metal, or anything like that, but more a natural sounding overdrive that gentally clips your signal. Pretty nice and totally worth the money.

Very easy to use. The knobs operate pretty much as labeled. Mine is the original mod, not the H2O. I had Chad do the work, have no reason to doubt it was done properly. Didn't let a child or a rocket scientist that acts like one work on it...

Well... This happens to be the first review I've written for Harmony Central's user revews. I felt somewhat motivated by the previous review trashing the sound quality of the pedal. Harmony Central's pop up menus to choose the 1 - 10 rating for this category are labeled: 1=it sounds terrible, 10=pristine sound quality. After the mod it certainly does sound very, very good to me, maybe even "pristine" as I would use the word. I can't see how anyone would say it sounds "terrible". Maybe not appealing to one's personal tastes... Perhaps it's not as "transparent" as a Creation Audio Mk.4.23 boost, but then again, it's NOT a straight boost, it's an overdrive pedal (or so a simple-minded musician like myself has been told...). For those of you who are musicians and use the word transparent to mean it doesn't mess with your guitar tone--I would say yes, it is arguably pretty transparent. Not being an engineer, I use my ears to determine sound quality. Not the number of components or an oscilloscope readout.
By the way, I'm not comparing this to any cheap, poorly made pedals. I own and use, or have owned in the past, fairly decent pedals including models from: Hermida Audio, HAO, G2D, Siegmund, Barber, Keeley, Analogman and others. This mod gives you a very serviceable, musical pedal at a very reasonable price, and it simply is NOT hype that it can sit well among "boutique" pedals, and might be considered to have, well... pristine sound quality.

Started playing guitar in 1971, played professionally for over a decade during that time and have owned and used a fair number of BOSS pedals. Never (EVER) had one fail on me. If the modification work is done properly, it should be as reliable as any fairly robust pedal.

Monte and Chad both responded quickly and professionally to emails. I haven't needed any extensive customer service.

For what it does it's a really good value, in my opinion. I didn't care for the Boss BD-2 in stock form, but I like this pedal just fine. I'm currently using it with a Strat with Kinman pickups, as a "fairly" clean boost for solos, just adding a hint of overdrive (just barely detectable when you really punch a chord). I think it sounds nice when using it at much higher overdrive settings, as well. If I wanted something different, I'd use a different pedal, but that's just me. :-)
If you have an old BD-2 kicking around and you would like it "reborn" as a quiet, clean, versatile overdrive, I think you would be pleased with the value in this mod. I'll give it a 10 just for fun...

Bits, pretty easy to do. I am an Electronics Engineering Technologist so it was childsplay.

I can't believe all these 10's. What a crock!! I have had two of these kits and the BD-2 H2O mod is in NO WAY TRANSPARENT to your tone!! It might sound transparent to Monte since he doesn't use his with the gain over half, and his sound samples use a strat into a fender but at what volume??

When you think about it of course it isn't transparent, only the cleanest of clean boosts comes anywhere near to being transparent. This thing has a tone control and RC filters all through it.

It is smoother yes, it is less gritty, but it is not transparent. It doesn't come anywhere near to what it claims in terms of being a transparent overdrive pedal so it must be a 1.

My first pedal was a boss BF-2 flanger silver screw back in 1985. Guess what the only pedal I ever had blow up was? Yep that Boss pedal. I have owned a heap of boss pedals. I came to the conclussion that they are cheaply made, very expensive, noisey mass produced garbage. There is no longer any Boss on my pedal board.

His support is excellent, answers emails etc.

I actually bought a BD-2 just for this mod. I sold this thing as soon as posible after I heard it. Transparent? oh pleeez save your bucks and by a Crunch Box. You've been warned. The reviews on here are from those who imagine they have improved a terrible pedal into something boutique, well you can imagine all sorts of rubbish -- just look at organised religion!! ;P

Very detailed instructions with the board label number for each part to be replaced. Tricky part is figuring out which nodes to unsolder. His tip about marking all the nodes first with a marker is spot on. I have limited soldering experience and it was still fairly easy. DO AS MONTE SAYS: 'Check after every mod'. Wearing 1.5x magnifying glasses is a must to make tight solder points. Another great Monte tip! Sound is amazing!

Unbelievable difference in sound! Stock BD-2 only had a few settings that sounded good. Most were either too thin or too harsh. Now this pedal sounds good anywhere you turn the dial. Acts more like an amp and the overdrive can be controlled using the guitar volume. The sound is so full, I don't need to use any other pedals! I play a '67 SG through a 70's Fender Twin Reverb using multiple Boss effects. Now I only want to use this pedal by itself!

The pedal is a rock. My soldering skills .... we'll see!

Instructions sent immediately. Parts came in a couple days. Did as Monte said and checked after each mod. After last mod, pedal didn't work! One of the wires to the input jack had come off through all the rangling. Soldered it back on and put it all back together. Monte created a monster!

I'm mainly a blues/rock player. Playing since 12 (48 now). Like another reviewer wrote, I have to keep myself from buying another stock BD-2 so I can do this mod again! It was fun and very satisfying! My only problem is now I'm at work, but all I think about is going home and playing through my new BD-H20 pedal! Frantically searching for other pedals to buy that Monte has mods for!

This review is for the standard BD-2 Mod, not the H2O one. This is my first crack at modding a pedal, and it was such a breeze, I'd recommend it for anyone with opposable thumbs. I would definitely go with a 15w soldering iron though, as i've read elsewhere that a 30w will melt your PCB traces.

This has turned my ok Blues Driver into a Tweed-in-a-box. I did all the mods, I wasn't sure about including the 808 mod,for fear of turning something unique into something samey, but I'm quite happy with the result...it definitely doesn't sound like a TS-808, it's got it's own thing going on.
This box makes my Valve Jr. Head through 2 ceramic 12's sound like my friend's alnico equipped Bassman. Totally compressed and spitting. There are more sounds to be had, but I've got this dialed in and I love it.

That's all down to me, Monte's componts are top notch, so if there's a problem it's to do with my soldering. Seems pretty good so far.

Shipped in a few days, excellent instructions, and if you follow Monte's advice about checking the pedal with every mod sequentially, he's at your disposal via telephone. Can't beat that.

To think I almost sold this pedal...all it needed was a little bit of effort and $20. I don't know why anyone would spend $200 on a boutique pedal, when they can get sounds like this out of a standard box with some easy changes.
If stolen, I would do it all over again...in fact, I might just pick up an SD-1 to mod as well. Thanks Monte.

This review is for the BD-2 H2) mod. I found it very easy to do. Took about an hour with checking after each change. Monte's instructions are always verey clear and easy to see and understand. The one thing I did though was put the factory LCD resistor back. The instructions call for a jumper to get a super bright LCD. Well when I turned it on the first time I found it a little bright, after I got my vision back (LOL) I returned original value. Otherwise I think think this is a very straight forward mod to perform. I bought a BD2 just to do this mod.

After I was completely finished I went to studio and plugged in, and all I can say is "Wow". The difference is amazing. I always thought the stock BD-2 was one of Boss's better pedals. I actually liked it. Now though, I love it. This is what I wish the overdrive channel of my amps sounded like. I use a Crate VC30 and a Peavey Classic 30 with either a Strat Plus or G&L ASAT Classic. Both amps are too mid voiced on the overdrive channels, and as "Classic" designated amps I guess that was the plan. The Crate has an amazing clean channel though and loves pedals. The BD-2 H2O is very very quiet other than at max gain (Still not bad). As others have said, your guitars still sound like themselves. All Strat positions are very transparent. I run this after my Tvon modded Dynacomp and into a Tvon modded DS-1 (other great mods).If you have a BD-2 or you are looking for a boutique sounding and transparent overdrive you owe it to yourself to get this mod. You'll never regret it.

It's still Boss, made to last.

Here Monte gets an 11. He always responds quickly to e-mails. Very helpful. I have bought other kits and discovered my circuit was different and Monte quickly bought same pedal and sent me new pictures, can't beat that.

I have gone through tons of pedals, overdrives, distortions, etc. I won't say the the BD2 is now the last OD pedal I'll ever buy. Shopping for new gear is half the fun. But I will say that for now, I am not looking, I have a great sounding setup. We all have a sound in our head when looking for amps, pedals etc. After 6years of doing that and a truck load of gear I think I'm good for awhile, and Monte has been a great part of that. The only thing I'll do next is mod my DD-3 when Monte has a mod available.

Very easy. Self explanatory.

Excellent. I'll bypass what others have said, because you can read that below. However, I do agree with almost all of the comments below.

This pedal / with Allums mod / reminds me of a first issue ('70s) Boss OD-1 Overdrive and a '70s issue Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes, with less noise than both.

Great character to the sound.

I bought this used / Ebay / have used it consistently for several months now. Never a problem.

I've never contacted Monte & company.

This is darn near a perfect sounding overdrive. Like a good older Marshall ('70s era). That was my conclusion, before I read that comparison on the Monte Allums site.

This mod eliminates most of the harshness of the stock BD-2, especially in medium to higher settings. It adds a bit of low end and takes any peaky frequency spikes out, making it more of a natural sounding overdrive, like everyone is talking about.

This is my third Monte Allums Boss conversion kit. I already had the T-Von converted CS-3 and SD-808 on my pedalboard. I opted for the H2O spec for the second-hand Blues Driver which was purposely bought for conversion.

Clearly the experience gained doing the CS-3 and SD-808 conversions helped with the BD-H2O mod (see separate entries on Harmony Central user review pages). The instructions supplied are as clear as possible and the advice notes and suggestions provided my Monte are extremely helpful. Reiterating the golden rule : ONE MOD at at a time then TEST the pedal. Net result was no problem in carrying out the work.

Someone made reference to the difficulty accessing the tone pot capacitor - no problem at all. Some of the components at the pot end of the PCB are much less accessible. Three hours of care and patience and the work was completed.

It helps to have long-reach tweezers and small long-nosed pliers to remove desoldered parts which were a bit obstinate in vacating their locations on the PCB. The kit is very comprehensive, although I would advise potential buyers to have some soldering flux handy as it is very useful in kicking off the capillary action of the desoldering process.

The easiest way to benefit from this kit is to have someone else do the work for you. For the DIY pedal modder, let's say it's a 9 just to allow for those moments of frustration that are inevitable doing a delicate, precision task like this.

Sound quality! That's what this mod is all about. Most of us have a fair idea what the stock BD-2 sounds like. Now clean it up, remove the mid-range hump, lose the tizziness and improve the transparency. That is precisely what the H2O conversion does. A Strat still sounds like a Strat and Gibbo still sounds like a Gibbo BUT both have added muscle.

Whereas the SD-808 adds a bit of edge with boost, the BD-H2O adds some 'natural' dirt to the inherent guitar sound. The Strat neck/middle PU combination is still immediately identifiable but with a lot more muscle and roundness. Les Paul neck PU with the tone pot wound right back is instant Woman Tone, pure and simple. I did use my Rat2 for Strange Brew now it's the BD-H2O.

This conversion also seems to benefit the Blues Driver when used in conjuction with other stompboxes. With Monte's SD-808 pushing the BD I can get really impressive biting blues sounds from all my guitars whilst retaining their character. That, I feel, is the crucial difference resulting from all my Monte conversions. A modified CS-3 driving the BD gives a superb singing, and sustaining, blues sound that retains the integrity of the original guitar signal.

All-in-all the BD-H2O fills the tonal gap between the modded SD-1 [TS808 specs] and my vintage Rat2. Those who have heard it used in anger with both tube and tranny amps have remarked how good it sounds. Needless to say Monte invariably gets a quick and enthusiastic plug.

Come on! It's a Boss chassis. If your solder work is tidy and precise this pedal should last a lifetime. If your soldering isn't then the damn thing probably won't work.

The BD is mounted on a pedalboard and is mains powered, so no risk of dying batteries mid-gig. I would expect the legendary Boss reliability to hold up equally well for any of the Monte-modfied stompboxes.

VERY helpful and courteous. E-mails are responded to very promptly. Monte appreciates customer feedback. I have only contacted Monte to inform him that his goods have arrived and that the conversion went well - and the net result is an improvement [understatement!] in the performance of the converted pedal.

It's almost impossible to fault this guy in any way. Maybe the big boys in the industry should take note?!?

A modded Blues Driver. Used in a Blues Band. An absolutely perfect additional to my sonic armoury. To the extent that I have suggested to Dear Wife [aka SWMBO] that I may not need any more stompboxes! Rash move, I know!

My pedalboard consists of:-

Monte'd Boss CS-3>>Ancient [but self-modded] Blubber wah>>Monte's Boss SD-808>>Monte Boss BD-H2O>>ProCo Rat2 [unsullied original mid 1980's model]>> Boss DD-3.

This set-up drives either a Hiwatt DR103 [into 2x12 or 4x12 cab] or a Marshall MG30 [for small venues]. The Hiwatt set-up is sonically magnificent - if a bit on the loud side, much to the chagrin of keyboard players. TOUGH!! The little Marshall sounds much improved with the 3 Monte conversions driving it and whilst it doesn't have the grunt of the Hiwatt half-stack it is more than adequate for 'intimate' [i.e. cramped] British pub gigs.

Like all my other Monte Allums conversions I would give the BD-H2O the maximum 10/10. It takes a decent stock pedal and makes it almost obscenely good - and useful to the Nth degree.

The cost at $22 with $3.50 freight to the UK is ridiculous for such an end product. This is VFM in capitals, emboldened and underscored! Its rating, IMO, goes way beyond FANTASTIC value.

Bought H2O mod

The use has remained the same as the original Boss. But the range all pots have been changed.

So level, drive and tone. But way beyond the original Boss.

the mod was easy to do. With the advise of checking after every mod almost nothing can go wrong.

The sound is really great. I've used it with my Carvin Stagemaster all tube amp and the sound is really great. I've owned a several overdrives (maxon 808, T-rex Alberta), but this one sounds the best.

I also own a Monte Modded SD1. Together with the BD2 as a boost (low drive, volume at 12 o'clock) the combination is perfect for blues, rock and maybe even metal. And no noise at all

Now I ordered the DS1 and CS3 mod. I have full confidence in the mods of our friend T-von.

in my opinion, Boss is standard.
No backup, full confident. No bad experiences

I ordered by internet. Within a week the package was send to the Netherlands.
allright

I play blues, rock and pop in a band called Nuts. I have to use a lot of effects for the covers. I've used multi effects like GT3, VG88, XTlive, but always came back to stompboxes.
Now I use a 5 channel loop-master. So no bad influences of non true bypass effects.
Pre loop: Keeley modded Proco Rat (true bypass)
loop 1: CS3 soon with monte allums mod
loop 2: SD1 monte allums
loop 3: BD2 monte allums
loop 4: Ibanez RC99
loop 5: Ibanez FL9 + Arion SAD1 delay
post loop: Line6 DL4 (true bypass)

perfect setup. Maybe I'll dump my RAT, because the combo sd1 and BD2 sounds terrific

This is for the H2O mod...

Still just 3 knobs, tone, gain, and volume. The tone seems to have a limited range, but in a good way. It makes it much easier to tweak.

IMHO, there isn't a better OD pedal out there. As soon as I plugged it in, I was hooked. I've been using a Barber LTD Silver and Keeley SD-1, and it's comparable to the Barber. The pedal is completely transparent. You definitely hear your guitar first and then the breakup of the pedal. With humbuckers cranked, it definitely won't go completely clean, but the range of OD is impressive. I keep it at 10 o'clock or below. I'm actually thinking of getting another one and leaving one with the gain at 0 and the other at 9 o'clock.

The breakup is very natural, sounds exactly like a tube amp. I wouldn't use this for really high-gain distortion, as some of the clarity gets lost at the higher gain settings. But, this is an overdrive pedal, and one of the best around.

It's a Boss, and Monte's good people, so I'm not worried.

I had mine modded by Chad Matthews, who works with Monte. I don't know my way around a soldering iron well enough to try it on my own. Chad was very quick, had it back in a week.

You could spend a lot of cash on boutique pedals or boutique mods, but this is the best out there. I have not used Keeley's BD-2 mod, but compared to the mod on the SD-1, Monte's got him beat. The clarity of the pedal is amazing, and you will definitely not be disappointed.