Monte Allums Mods - Pedal Mods, Pickguard Shields & eNut Tuning System



	Since 11-1-2003 It's 11-2-2016 and as I sit here in the studio pondering life and the past year I am full of anticipation. I anticipate the new year with renewed excitement and the new avenues it will present. That's the great thing about life; every day is a new adventure. As I approach my 13th year anniversary of business I am so thankful for the people that have been a part of my success. First to my wife Susan and to my two blessings, Erin and Jacob. They are the motivation for me to get out of bed each morning. And part of why I do what I do. My other motivation many would feel is money and they would be partly correct. We all have to feed our families. But for me that is only part of why I do what I do. The fact is, I Love the Guitar! But not just guitar, I love all aspects of the instrument. I love playing music with my Church Choir. I love sitting and brainstorming just how I can improve my muse and the instrument itself. Yes, it's hard work running a business. Many are not aware but monteallums.com, LLC is not my main job. My main job is being a father but I also work a full-time job as a Pre-Press Tech for a local printer. So I get up at 4:30am head to the studio check e-mail and fill a few orders and answer a few e-mails. I then head off to my 40 hour plus day job where I work until 5pm. I come home work out for 30 minutes on my Treadmill, take a shower and head back to the studio where I spend the next few hours answering e-mail and filling orders, ordering parts, doing research, illustrating, digital photography and of late also editing video. All this from a Apple Mac Pro. When I started out 15 years ago I knew a good bit about guitar, having played since I was 11 years old. I was also pretty good at recording and producing music on a Mac. That was my passion along with playing with the choir at church. At the time Susan and I had no children but we decided we wanted to start a family. But we did not want to give our children over to the state to educate. We decided Susan would quit her outside-the-home job and raise our children. That meant there would be a big hole in our income. So I decided that I would try and use my knowledge of the guitar to make up for the loss in income. There was a piece of electronic equipment at my day job that would output printing proofs and as a waste hypobaric would leave these 30" x 25" metallic sheets of material. Since the company would throw these away I thought why not repurpose them. I got the idea one day of using them to cut out shielding to place on the back of pickguards. I started placing them on eBay and selling them. They sold so well that I eventually sold enough of them to become an eBay Powerseller. Eventually I created a website and the rest is history. While pickguard shields were eventually what got it all started, pedal mods is when business really took off. I have no electronic engineering degree so I made a ton of rookie mistakes. But what I lack in knowledge I make up in tenacity. I am a pretty fast learner, okay I'm a slow learner, ;-0 and eventually learned to read schematics. I have recently decided to start designing pickguards and I am currently in the process of having a few initial designs manufactured. I am also in the initial stages of creating instructional videos. The wheels are always turning. I am always looking for new ways to enhance the playing experience for myself and for others. I look toward 2017, and the future, with a sense of renewed anticipation. But most of all I want to say Thank You for all your support over the years. May God richly bless you and yours! Monte Allums When I'm not working or doing that family thang you'll more than likely find me working on my motorcycle or riding the back roads of northwest Mississippi. Click on the pic for an up close and personal look at my ugly mug. Monte Allums As a guitarist of some 50 plus years I am a devoted student of the instrument. Always searching for ways to enhance the playing experience. The eNut and my alternative tuning offsets are two of those enhancements. If you haven't tried them please let me encourage you to. For those that have an ear to hear, it is a revolutionary advancement in guitar tuning. And the best part, it's a paultry $20. It will be the best $20 you will ever spend on your guitar. Tweaking the tone of inexpensive stomp boxes is an obsession of mine. I started modding mainly because I refused to spend $200 to $300 or more to achieve great tone. Most boutique pedals are clones of other inexpensive pedals anyway with the main difference being higher quality components. By upgrading the signal path and changing a few component values here and there, cheap inexpensive pedals can be drastically improved. Take for example the Boss DS-1. You can buy them new for $40. I've personally bought used DS-1s off eBay for $25. Add one of my mod kits and for well under $100 and a little soldering time you've got a pedal that will rival pedals costing five times as much. Add to that the fact that YOU personally took a very bad sounding pedal and made it usable. There's a certain level of self-satisfaction that I get knowing that I added a personal touch to a piece of gear that I use. Take my new Chip Adapter Mods. You will not find these types of mods available from any other modder. This is a major breakthrough for DIY. The opamp is where the tone takes shape. Upgrading the toneless inline chips with a more Hi-Fi Dual Opamp such as the Burr Brown OPA2134PA will transform the tone of my already popular mods into even better mods. Add to that the ability to swap out different opamps and you've got a very effective tone-shaping tool. Monte Allums



	Don't have a PayPal account? Use your credit card or bank account (where available) — Simply choose this option when you check out using Paypal. That's right, Paypal will let you pay with your credit card and even your bank account in some areas. Subscribe to my Newsletter * indicates required Email Address * Name * 8-6-2016 — Got a mod or product you'd like for me to stock? How about a suggestion? I want to hear from you. Contact me at no_spam_tvon@monteallums.com i'd love to hear from you. 7-4-2018 — I am now offering Fender Jazz Bass Pickguard Shields. I am accepting Pre-Orders Now! I expect them to be in within 3 weeks. You can read about them here. Monte Allums 6-30-2018 — I just completed a mod for the Boss SD-2 Dual OD. You can read about the mod here. Monte Allums 1-18-2018 — Boss has started using surface-mount components on their new DS-1s and BD-2s. With the exception of the 40th Anniversary Black DS-1, those can still be modded so grad them now while you can! Stinkfoot has written a great article on how to identify the new smt pedals and how to identify those that can still be modded. Read about it here. Monte Allums 1-6-2018 — I have created a brand new mod for the MT-2. It features a Quad Gain Switch Assembly that just Rock! Read about it here. Monte Allums 8-27-2017 — I have given the website a much needed facelift and rework. The main Pedal Mod Page was getting way too big and it was getting hard to navigate. As a result old links to that page will no longer work. I’ve made the items much easier to find and easier to navigate by dedicating a webpage to each pedal and grouping the mods by manufacturer. I’ll be making other changes to make things easier to find and navigate. If you have any difficulty finding something don’t hesitate to contact me. Monte Allums 3-29-2017 — I am now selling Fender Jazzmaster Copper Pickguard Shields. Read about them here. Monte Allums 12-29-2016 — I have started a Blog. On it I will list my recommendations for modding tools that will help anyone with their modding hobby. I also plan on sharing my knowledge on modding and all aspects of the guitar. Think of it as a growing library for a student of the guitar. I'll cover tuning, recording, computer builds, recording software, guitar recommendation and even some guitar reviews. You can visit the Blog by clicking here. Monte Allums WARNING — I have seen aluminum pickguards on sale for cheap on eBay. Aluminum will make your entire pickguard microphonic sending your pickups into feedback hell. DO NOT USE ALUMINUM! Non-Ferous Steel that I use is the only metal material (other than brass) that will not interfere with your guitar's pickups. 12-9-2016 — I am being faced with a growing dilemma. Many of the parts I use in my kits are no longer available here in the states. Surface mount technology is now mostly being used by pedal manufacturers. SMD components are very difficult to mod. I find myself having to source parts in Asia. Many manufacturers like Panasonic are no longer making the Capacitors I use. Not to worry. Even though when buying I have to order minimum order quantities in the thousands they are readily available. So, happily, modding will continue for years to come. Great tone to the masses! Monte Allums 12-3-2016 — I have designed a Guitar Pick that I call Pickfit. It fits the contour of your thumb and is extremely comfortable and easy to grip. Read about them here. Monte Allums 11-30-2016 — I have just completed a mod that solves the volume issue with the VooDoo Labs Analog Chorus. These are highly sought after. You can read about the mod here. Monte Allums 11-29-2016 — I have just completed a mod for the vintage Boss CS-2. These are highly sought after. You can read about the mod here. Monte Allums 11-21-2016 — I have just completed a mod for the vintage Boss PQ-3B. These are highly sought after EQs but suffer from excess noise. My kit solves this issue making it pristine clear and smooth. You can read about the mod here. Monte Allums 11-20-2016 — New Tele CP Pickguard Now Shipping! I have never understood why the Tele's Pickguard and Control Plate were separate. So I started experimenting and came up with this design. This will give your Tele a very unique and Classy look. Click here for for information. Monte Allums 10-21-2016 — New CS-3 Noise Decimator Upgrade Mod now available. Click here for the details. Monte Allums 9-22-2016 — I have just completed a mod for the vintage Boss PQ-4. These are highly sought after EQs but suffer from excess noise. My kit solves this issue making it pristine clear and smooth. You can read about the mod here. Monte Allums 8-7-2016 — I have been hounded for months to create a Bad Monkey Mod. Well, here it is and she's a winner! The Bad Monkey is essentially a Tube Screamer circuit with added tone controls. This is a great pedal stock but with the Gorilla Mod it is outstanding! You can read about it here. 4-16-2016 — I have been asked to create a JangleBox Type Mod for the Dyna Comp. I just finished it and it is now available here. The switch gives you the different treble options. Very cool mod for an already great comp. Monte Allums 3-26-2016 — I have one of my fine-brushed Strat Steel Pickguards (regular $42.99) that was returned. It has a few minor blemishes. I will sell it to the first to contact me. $15.00 plus $3.50 ($18.50 total) shipped to USA or Canada. $15.00 plus $12.00 ($27.00 total) shipped Internationally. Contact me at no_spam_tvon@monteallums.com if interested.

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