| Author |
 Topic  |
|
starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
 Posted - 05/19/2006 : 15:35:41
|
quote:
Originally posted by stahlhart
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but this guy apparently has it for sale:
http://www.rangeraudio.com/manuals1.htm .......
C.K.
|
 |
|
|
diggum12
Silver Member
USA
282 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2006 : 17:47:47
|
Well, I will have to sound off a little bit on this one. I know Monte Allums may not be the world's greatest electronice engineer, but most of his mod kits are incredible. The CS-3 Opto mod is by far the best compressor mod I have ever heard. Period. My brother is begging me for my spare cs-3 and wants me to mod it w/ Monte's kit. The hiss is gone, yes, but that's still not the best part. The tone is uncolored. The sustain is HUGE and all the attack is still there. Be fair. Don't knock it 'til you try it.
There's something I'm learning very quickly about modding: There are two mod camps. One camp uses their intellect in circuit design to acheive wave forms, voltages, and gives a "bah" approach to anything that "shouldn't" work in a circuit path, even though it may very well work. The other camp just starts fiddling around and replacing stuff for the fun of it and if it sounds good they keep it. We need both camps.
I am trying to find the area in between, where using good quality parts and good theory meets great tone. I'll bet any other mod kit out there, or any simple mod, will help in any way with this crappy pedal. Let's face it, the only way to go is up with a CS-3! I'd like a to see a review on the Humphries mod if you get it completed.
Later |
|
|
|
diggum12
Silver Member
USA
282 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2006 : 17:49:04
|
Hey Dingus, did you get that mod done yet? I'm curious to get your review.
You also were looking for recommendations (way back when) on compressors. The Barber Tonepress is awsome. Unique in that it blends your pure signal with the compressed signal! You can dial it in any way you want, so the whole signal doesn't get molested. Why didn't I think of that? |
|
|
|
Dingus
Silver Member
USA
472 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2006 : 15:45:46
|
So I've been putting off reviewing this for a long time now, because I didn't want to unfairly give it a bad review. This review is for the Humphrey Audio Atom Smasher Mod to the Boss CS-3.
Ok, so let me make it very clear that I e-mailed Mark Humphrey several times asking him about his mod, and he gave me those kind of used car salesman type responses. Like I would say something I didnt like about the pedal, and asked if his mod fixed it, and he would say, "Of course you don't like this about the pedal, the stock version is absolute crap" and then give me a blanket response about if his mod fixed it or not.
I asked if his mod would get rid of the hiss when I turned the sustain all the way up and he said something like "with all the improvements of my mod, you won't have to turn the sustain all the way up"
So anyway after reading someone else review of the Monte Allums kit, which turned out to be the only other competitor (for modded CS-3's) in my eyes, I decided to go with the Humphrey Audio mod which has mostly all positive reviews on Harmony Central.
So here we are, I played it a bunch yesterday just to make sure I was sure about my feelings toward this mod. My bedroom setup at the moment is:
Fender Mex Telecaster with Fender Samarium Cobalt Noiseless Pickups into the Modded CS-3 and into a small 30 watt Marshall Amp.
When I originally tested it I was using my Fender American Standard Stratocaster and my Gibson Les Paul Studio into the pedal, and into my Roland JC-120.
Same problems, when I turn the sustain up, I get plenty of hiss, and furthermore it doesn't even sustain well when turned all the way up, it's like it sustains the feedback and not the note. The stock CS-3 would at least sustain the note.
Now before I add more negative things, I will say that Mark did modify my CS-3 into a pretty cool sounding compressor, in the style used for quick chickin pickin type compressed licks. But for many of my purposes I wanted something that compressed well and added Sustain for more like slower lead guitar solos then chickin pickin.
I am going to buy another CS-3 when I can find another one from a pawn shop for $30 or so, and do the Monte Allums Opto Mod to it, and then compare these two pedals to my stock MIJ CS-3. But for all intensive purposes the CS-2 is still my favorite compressor. Soon enough though I'm gonna sell some of this crap and just buy a Keeley.
Mark Humphrey did boast that he has modded CS-3's for:
Lanice Morrison (Michael McDonald) Tony Lewis (Outfield) Death Cab for
Cutie, Duke Robillard, Brent Mason, Bruce Beckensen, AJ Arnott, RJ Canon.
For what it's worth I saw Death Cab not too long ago and neither of them were playing a Boss CS-3. The lead guitarist had switched to a Homebrew Compressor Retro (CPR).
Mark was very friendly though and I sent him my initial reactions after recieving his pedal back and we talked about my setup and why it might not be working quite right, and even said that he has had 2 units that did not work properly that were returned/exchanged. So I suppose it's possible that mine is a faulty one of them, but I dont think so. I think it sounds fine like a compressor, just still has many of the same problems as the Boss CS-3 that weren't fixed. It also colors the tone a great deal kind of like a CS-1.
Anyway, this mod might be for some people, but not for me, not unless I'm chickin pickin, and then yes it's rather nice.
Anyway I am going to continue my search for the best compressor/sustainer pedal. For reference though my ideal one would be pretty much the CS-2 without the hiss/noise. It's not as bad as a stock CS-3, but its still not very quiet with the sustain turned up. I'm considering replacing the capactiors in my CS-2, but I still dont think that helps all that much.
|
|
|
|
JonJacobJingleRobertSmith
Copper Member
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2006 : 02:02:48
|
curious. if you remove your guitar from equation & just plug the compressor directly into your amp does it produce the noise? and if you plug your guitar directly into the amp is there noise?
i did the monte mod & the pedal sounds different, but not neccessarily better. |
|
|
|
diggum12
Silver Member
USA
282 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2006 : 21:51:34
|
quote:
Anyway I am going to continue my search for the best compressor/sustainer pedal
Try a Barber TonePress. If I wanted the best one, I'd just get it. Someday...
http://www.barberelectronics.com/tonepress.htm
|
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Best CS-3 Mod to Eliminate Hiss?
