Help purchasing a comp!

[Hwilliams]

I have read all the reviews and all the opinions from different places and from what I have read the Keeley compressor is the best. I can't afford to pay that much for a pedal at this time. The other 3 pedals that I have read good things about are:

Maxon cp101
MXR Dyna Comp
Marshall Ed1
The maxon is also a little expensive but I think I could go that high. I need help! which one do you suggest.

They say that the Maxon has less noise. You have to remember that I know nothing about compressors.
Please Help! :?
Thanks

[Paul in Colorado]

Barber Tone Press. About $129.
Of the three that you listed, I'd go with the Marshall.
If you can solder, try the one Craig Anderton designed in the book Electronic Projects for Musicians. One of my all time favorite comps.

[Mike Better]

Out of that list, I'd go with the Marshall.. A Boss CS-2 would be an acceptable solution as well, in that price range.

Mike

[Kevin]

I just got a Marshall ED-1 today. Bought it on eBay and got no manual...

Been playing with it some, but was wondering if anyone had any suggested settings?

[Kingpin]

Here is a basic starting point I use. I tweak it depending on the guitar. I dont use heavy compression, I'm after control and a transparent sound. I also like the guitars' volume to be about the same with the compressor on or off; I'm not using it as a boost.

Emphasis 10 or 11 o'clock
Volume 11 or 12 o'clock
Attack 3 or 4 o'clock
Compr. 10 o'clock

Add salt and pepper to taste and bake for 45 minutes.

[Nick Fanis]

Definitely the best comp. out there (yes I absolutely LOVE the thing and it always stays on)

my seetings from left to right:

emh:10,level:1,attack:5,comp:11 (o'clock)

this way I get a nice transparent boost and soft sustain.

[Kevin]

Thanks guys...

The settings that I "found" last night were somewhere in the mdidle of what you suggested....

[meterman]

Congrats man, I've got an ED-1 and like it alot. My settings are similar to what you found: (in clock terms from left to right) 12, 12, 4, 9-11

FWIW I played a friend's Keeley a bit and it's a nice sounding comp but I find the ED-1 more versatile

[Mark Davis]

Any comp pedal that uses a battery ends up being too noisy for me for studip work.

The Carl Martin comp/limiter is the only one I found that was quiet enough to use.

[studio1087]

I always stick up for my Dyna Comp. Simple contols. Basically Ratio and Output level (like the Keely). I have owned a bunch of compressors and I love the sound of a clean guitar through a Dyna Comp.

Warning-Surfing E-bay for older cool pedals/deals is habit forming. My wife wants me to find a twelve step program.

Gotta go check an auction.............

[hippietim]

I have the Digitech Main Squeeze and the Maxon CP101 - I like the Digitech better. It is more transparent - the Maxon sounds good but still has that "you've got compression" squish to it. The Digitech sounds more natural.

As a bonus, Digitech has a buy two get a second free promotion going on right now - I'm eyeballing their stereo phaser :) - the "X" series DigiTech stuff is really quite good in general.

[Nick Fanis]

Yup,the DIGITECH also sounds amazing especially for the money.If you are planning to buy another Digitech go w/ the DigiDelay it is the best dd pedal I've ever tried!

[11 Gauge]

...10 replies and they are all over the map as far as recommending 1 type of compressor. But the Marshall is in the lead (kinda funna that guys playing Teles thru clean amps for country stuff that Marshall of all companies would be preferred by some for a pedal). I feel more confused now than after I read the thread. I think compressors are like pups, amps, and so many other things. You have to try as many as you can, thru your rig until you find one that works for you.

I'm obviously missing something with the whole compressor thing. I've tried about 30 of them and wasn't happy with any of them. They all were either squashing/destroying my dynamics, or they sounded like they were turned off.

And they all were noisy, even at very modest settings (what I usually settle on - a compressor shouldn't destroy any of the tone or dynamics that it intercepts).

I've found that the compression I like is tube compression. And not via a box, but as in tubes in an amp compressing. A box has always been redundant or mucked things up.

Am I missing something fundamental? I've tried so many different settings on so many different comps, but no magic. Is it possible that they just don't work with my playing style? Is there anyone else out there in the same boat I'm in?

-.011

[studio1087]

Perhaps you should tell everyone what you are trying to control, change, shape (or not) in your tone.

What is your end goal??

What do you dislike about your guitar without the compressor?

What do you think the compressor should be doing?

What do women really want and why are we all here?? (Sorry)

I for instance like to even the volume slightly and add sustain when I play fingerstyle. I really like a dyna comp for that tone. I mainly use it when recording. I don't like to solo with a compressor because I like all the volume dynamics to be there in a lead. There are probably 50 people reading this who like the opposite. Everyone has different goals........ some players really like the squeezy- squash compressor tele/strat tone (remember the techno-1980's ?, good now forget them).

I'll bet that if you describe what you are looking for, you'll get a lot of really good help.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by 11 Gauge

...kinda funna that guys playing Teles thru clean amps for country stuff that Marshall of all companies would be preferred by some for a pedal...

Don't make assumptions....

As a rule, I hate country music. I like Don Williams and Hank, Jr., but the latter isn't really country, anyway (IMO, he's kinda over there with Charlie Daniels, straddling country and southern rock).

I'm much more into classic rock, and just wanted a compressor to even things out a bit, y'know. The Marshall seems to be doing the trick. That said, my strat with Clapton electronics just doesn't work well with the compressor if the boost is on. The compressor does what it's supposed to and compresses the sound, but I lose the added gain, and the sound is just "squashed."

One thing I've found the compressor is good for -- unintentionally -- is that it tames some of the harshness of my Crybaby when it's engaged (it's in the chain right before the Crybaby).

[11 Gauge]

...is a bit more sustain on just the squeaky clean stuff, with absolutely no perversion at all to any dynamics. my pick attack is varied all over the place, and I hate even a minimum amount of squash. i also hate how the signal can sometimes attenuate with a comp when you hit the strings hard. and then there's the whole 'breathing' issue where a comp. starts to recover after the note is picked.

i hate the whole concept of using comps for boost, to fatten things up, or to use them for solos. just a little more sustain on the clean stuff for me, please, sir.

actually, i love my tone just as it is now. but the idea of having some more clean sustain just seems cool.

my end goal is to have more fun than everyone else in the world. just had to throw that in...

as far as what women really want, i've managed to keep my wife happy for a verrry long time now, but i couldn't begin to tell you how i did it. probably just dumb luck and the fact that i tend to nod alot (and take out the trash). all the ones i've know DIDN'T want me to spend so much time with Teles, pedals, etc. and more time with them, my wife included! Sorry - couldn't resist!

-.011

[rickyralph]

i like it and its very affordable,sounds as good as the mxr dyna comp to my old ears and better than the boss.

[Paul in Colorado]

It's funny, I've never used compression much untill I got my Rickenbacker 12 string. I had a friend's homemade Anderton comp and a grey Ross at different times, but let go of them. After I got the Rick, I bought a Dyna-Comp and a Boss because McGuinn suggested using two comps together. That was overkill and I ended up keeping the MXR. With the 12 string, it evens out the peaks and brings out the sustain and jangle factor. A few weeks ago I hooked up my pedal board to my practice rack (Carvin Quad-X preamp with an ART Multi-Verb Alpha into a Mackie 1202 mixer powering headphones) I ended up using a bunch of compression and getting some great tones. It made my finger picking easier and more even sounding. And with distortion I was getting ebow like sustain. I don't think that the MXR is the end all and be all of comp pedals, but it's opened some doors to new tones and new ideas. We all have different ideas of what works, and if a guitar, a cord and amp is all you need, then rock on. I can do that, too and be happy. But it's nice to have other options too.

[studio1087]

If it's all really just a sustain issue for you, try a lower powered tube amp; something that you can turn up and really cook the tubes without blowing your head off with volume.

Maybe you don't want compression - it almost sounds like an amp issue judging from the sustain-only qualities that you desire.

[Bill E.]

I think that they are both excellent comps, for the money. The CS-2 is a bit more "musical," perhaps, but the ED is a bit more versatile. I choose one over the other depending on the gig.
Can't go wrong with either!

Bill

[Tim Bowen]

Not if you don't want any loss of dynamics or squash whatsoever. You won't find that in a Urei LA-2A. You might be better off with a limiter than a compressor. Compressors affect dynamics, that's what they do. Having said that, the best I've played in a pedal format is the Menatone JAC, which ain't cheap. It's a stompbox emulation of the Urei, and is about the only pedal comp I've been able to deal with in an electric guitar rig. Man, I hate to use this phrase, but it's *nearly transparent* - it adds a touch of presence, but in a very musical way, and it's the only pedal comp I've been able to leave on 'all the time' without adverse effects. Plus, like all Menatone boxes, it has output & headroom to spare. The only other pedal comp that I'm aware of that approaches the *transparency* of the JAC is the Black Box Oxygen, another pricey unit, and that one's too touchy-feely sensitive for my tastes. I should say that I use comp for subtle evening of the sound, not for "super sustain"... I prefer amps that lightly compress on their own such as Vox & brown Fenders, and super squisher comps in the chain will never let you cut through a mix, period.

I have a few Dyna Comps and the Maxon, which definitely color your tone. I've heard a buddy's Ed-1, and would choose that one in a heartbeat over the MXR or Maxon.