Monte Allums Boss CS-3 Mod

the mod looks easy, good intructions to make it... I can't solder so I take it to may amp tech... You need some skills and tools (and/or cojones)

great! less noisy... truly transparent sound. I have this pedal in my rig since 1994 (15 years!!! I??m getting old) and I can say that I know how the stock pedal sounds. So, after the mod, the diference for me is very noticeable. Before the mod, using the compressor i felt a little tone sucking... now it's perfect,and quieter.

only a week of use... But I think it will resist. After 15 years of use my pedal looks horrible: the paint is cracked everywhere, the sustain knob is broken, it works properly but I must use my nail to (easely) move it (hardly ever need to). Anyway: it was working perfect! (It's a Boss) I made this mod because I was bored, and it was cheap (God bless Euros)

Great! I send them an email with a question, end they answered inmediately... (Despite my question was an stupid question.. didn't read the instructions... took it to my amp tech) My pedal needed 12v before the mod (ACA Adapter), and after the mod it works fine with 12v and 9v either, so I asked them if could be a problem using 12v. They told me that I could use the voltage I prefer... maybe sounds better at 12v.

The CS-3 is a good pedal... but with this mod is great!

Performing the mod was easy just a little worrisome. I wondered if I made all of the solder joints on the opamps adapters and extender. When I was all said and done. Everything is fine...no mistakes!

Operating the modded compressor is the same as the original.

Excellent sound quality. I didn't know what to expect it to sound like compared to the original. Once I fiddled around with the new version it was "oh yeah." Quality attack parameters. Silky sustain swells at any setting. Like a reviewer posted below, it really adds a 3D feel to your tone, especially going into a overdrive pedal or dirty channel. Improvement: yes. Worth it: yes. I don't have the foggiest clue why someone would give it a low rating. It's like saying ",I hate sunsets!"

Never needed customer support.

What has changed after the mod? My compressor is now essential on my pedal board. I have it left on about 80% of the time with the attack between 1:00 and 5:00 and the sustain between 9:00 and 12:00. Good stuff.

This review is for the Opto Plus mod.
The step by step instructions are crystal clear, but doing the mod is fiddly. Try to rush it and you'll screw it up. Don't attempt this mod unless your pretty good at soldering.

The Opto Plus mod transforms this pedal into an excellent, versatile compressor that definately enhances the tone of your guitar. It's not completely transparent, it's not true bypass and there's still some hiss above three o'clock on the sustain, so I only give it an 8 here, but still excellent. I compared the modded CS-3 to my Carl Martin Compressor/Limiter which cost three times as much. The CM is definately more transparent and a better all-round compressor but considering the price the MA CS-3 gets surprisingly close.

A few of the reviewers below have given this pedal a '1' for sound quality. Well, sorry to have to break it to you Alex Wilson/Ian/Z but the mod is not the problem, IT'S YOUR WORKMANSHIP.

I've had this pedal a few months and all seems fine, Boss pedals are known to be reliable, so a cautious 8.

E-mailed Monte with a question concerning chip installation. Got a response within the hour - ON A SUNDAY! Impressed.

The mod is fiddly, you need patience, but its worth the effort. If you want the best pedal compressor on the market buy a Carl Martin Compressor/Limiter. The Monte Allums modded CS-3 is the next best thing for about a third of the price and better than all those over priced boutique Ross clones.

this review is for the OPTO PLUS version of the mod, which involves more work than the other CS-3 mods.

well done monte allums. previously i owned a CS-3 a year or two ago and did the standard OPTO mod. it sounded good but the problem was that the hiss was still annoying when turning up the level and sustain knobs. so i ended up selling the pedal. but with the OPTO PLUS mod, i thought i would try again. finally with the OPTO PLUS mod the hiss is now something which is not annoying anymore. it's not ALL gone once you start cranking the level and sustain knobs, but it's quieter now and not an annoyance to me like in previous mods. the pedal now gives a real nice tone to my guitar/amp, regardless of if u use it with clean or distortion. fattens things up, and works happily with my other pedals. great stuff! if i turn off the pedal and now just use the built in sound/distortion in my jcm900 marshall valve amp, it sounds boring, flat and thin in comparison!

i wouldnt say it was an easy mod to perform. theres a lot more work with this one so it helps if you are confident with a soldering iron. you have to actually change one of the chips inside the pedal with this OPTO PLUS mod, and that's a bit fiddly. you need patience.

i've emailed monte in the past and he's a friendly nice guy (but busy, you have to appreciate that).

fantastic and highly recommended. you can kind of use it for different purposes, eg. as a basic compressor, or turn up the level and sustain knobs to use it more as a kind of booster. all the knobs work great, the tone knob has a smooth range, and the attack knob is effective. i use the pedal as a booster mainly, for my distorted lead sounds. the high quality parts involved in the mod really fatten up my sound, give it depth, and some 3D type of ambience. i can only guess that anyone who doesnt like this pedal mod probably uses crap gear which doesnt compliment the pedal! i've tried this modded pedal alongside a vintage mxr dyna comp and i prefer the CS-3 as the dyna comps are trebley and lacking in bass! the CS-3 doesn't rob your bass and sounds as good, if not better. and a second hand CS-3 on eBay plus the cost of the components from monte allums is MUCH cheaper than buying a vintage mxr dyna comp. nuff said!!

Dont bother, no improvement & a waste of time and $$, I found a better mod free of charge on DIY stompbox forum.

Still very noisy after the Monte mod, overall dynamic range the same.

Dont bother, no improvement & a waste of time and $$, I found a better mod free of charge on DIY stompbox forum.

Still very noisy after the Monte mod, overall dynamic range the same.

Some of the component swaps advised are plain stupid and indicate that the mod developer does not have the first idea about basic electronics. If you want a laugh check out the '6 pole on-on-on' switches he sells!!! 6 terminals doesnt mean 6 poles, are you crazy!

Dont bother, no improvement & a waste of time and $$, I found a better mod free of charge on DIY stompbox forum.

Still very noisy after the Monte mod, overall dynamic range the same.

bought it off ebay prebuilt.
that was easy.

quiet. dead quiet. if it's making noise its because the rest of your gear sucks.

the burr brown makes a diff. cleans it up nice. do the opto plus.

the germanium diodes add a hint of unpredictability. and a hint of grit.

yet its super clean with big balls!!!!!!

still a boss box.

i looked inside and it was really clean.

ebay

very unique. hifi. way cooler then all those ross clones.

gotta know what you are after

so good so full and rich
very quiet for a comp

its the best comp

Easy to follow instructions, easy to identify each part in the bag, removal of the old components was ok and it took about an hour to do the mod. If I didnt already know how to solder I'd be in a mess though as there was little mention of how to use flux and acheive a nice pool of solder.

Are you guys on crack? The stock pedal is awful, yes we all agree on that, but what did the mod really do to the pedal. Try doing an AB comparison, (I borowed an unmodded one to compare), the sound is little different between the two, nothing 'rad', nothing 'in yo face' and all that rubbish about blankets. The Monte pedal still hisses like a snake if the sustain is turned up past 10 o'clock, however unless the sustain is turned up you cant even 'feel' the compression, its very flat and undynamic, there are way better compressors out there. For example, my 5 knob "Build you own clone" is almost silent when the sustain is cranked - check out www.buildyourownclone.com for a real compressor!

As good as my soldering, so cant be bad, and its a Boss so should last longer than a plastic Aria!

Did need any, but maybe I should have asked for a refund.

Dont bother with this mod, just buy a better pedal, the mod kit is kinda like snake oil to your pedal.

8 because it takes some playing with b4 you understand how it sounds/works with other pedals, guitars, pick ups, amps

use gib lp and fender twin rev.
this always sounds good. so clean so clear. lots of sustain. as good or better then keeley or analog man comps. i have used them and they were really good but the monte allums cs3 opto mod sounds better.
very low hum and hiss for a comp.

its still a boss box

emailed monte with a Q. he replied in good time.

you cant find a better comp, regardless of money. better then other comps that would be more then double the price. it has lots of head room. the germanium components really make this pedal sound alive.

best comp pedal ever!!!!

Don't try this if you don't know how to solder on a circuit board! You won't be happy with the results. Otherwise, the instructions are EXTREMELY clear. Very easy to follow. I rate this as a 7 only to make you stop and think about whether or not you know how to solder.

Freakin' amazing! Especially for electric guitar. I'm not convinced it's the best for Acoustic electric...but when it comes to an electric this pedal sounds amazing. Here's my pedal set up:

Boss TU2 tuner
Boss CS3 Allums mod
Line 6 MM4
Boss OD3 Allums mod
Boss RT20
Bodd DD5 Allums mod
Line 6 DL4
Boss RV-5

Great parts. They aren't going to go bad.

You can tell he is very thoughtful about what he does.

I have absolutely no regrets. The Boss CS3 without the mod is not a pedal you want to keep around when you begin upgrading your pedals. It just doesn't perform well enough. However, with this mod you have a pedal that will be at home with all your other high end pedals.