Do you know a good compressor for the Fender American Deluxe Guitar?

[joneyjey@gmail.com]

Hi!

I play in a cover band and our genres are famous pop, pop-rock and even some house music. The guitarist has the Fender American Deluxe version.

He wants to find a compressor pedal that could delicately handle the dynamics without squashing it, but at the same time compress it neatly. Mid-range budget.

Any suggestions?

[Wonks]

Compression is a personal thing and what one person loves, someone else may find wrong for them. So you’ll probably get several answers that suggest compressors with quite different sounds if you compared them side by side.

I’d highly recommend a low-budget mini- pedal, the Donner Ultimate Comp. I think it’s brilliant for giving a very subtle compression that doesn’t sound like it’s doing anything to the sound until you turn it off and realise it’s doing a lot. Very transparent until you turn the compression right up, where it will give a more standard squashed sound.

Amongst many others I’ve got a Fender custom shop Strat and a Two Rock amp and am more than happy to use this £30 pedal with £5k+ of guitar and amp.

My other compressor is an Xotic SP compressor, which is nice but I don’t like it as much as the Donner. On anything but the low compression setting, it gets far too squashy for me and becomes a specific sound effect rather than an overall levelling tool.

[al_diablo]

I have a boss CS3 that can get pretty extreme but used carefully you can use it fairly transparently.

[Murray B]

Personally I use a BBE Main Squeeze that makes a sound I like and I have a Modded Boss CS3 that is pretty transparent with the mod but I prefer the BBE.

This site is a pretty good resource for getting accurate reviews of a lot of the available options, but note that the reviewer is considering the use for a bass guitar rather than a 6 string.

http://www.ovnilab.com

There is definitely an argument for starting with the low cost units and working out if you want something that colours the sound or stays transparent.

Good luck

[djangodeadman]

The Boss CP-1X is very good.

[Arpangel]

I’m not a guitarist, but I know friends who have "not been unhappy" with this,

https://www.andertons.co.uk/wampler-eg ... gLiu_D_BwE

It’s very nice, not intrusive, but can be if you want it to be.

[Sam Spoons]

I use compression on bass but almost never on guitar (only in stuff like Nile Rogers funk or Albert Lee chicken pickin'). I prefer dynamics to come from how you play. I don't play strict covers though where the sound needs to be as close as possible to the original.

[Random Guitarist]

Mooer yellow comp here. Pretty cheap but gets left on a lot of the time, makes a difference but isn't too overt.

[Murray B]

I’m not a guitarist, but I know friends who have "not been unhappy" with this,

https://www.andertons.co.uk/wampler-eg ... gLiu_D_BwE

It’s very nice, not intrusive, but can be if you want it to be.

The blend control looks like a particularly useful feature - not something you see on many pedals.

[AMOS63]

TC Electronic Hyper Gravity

[Drew Stephenson]

I just have one of these: https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-B ... Pedal/1IQV
But I'm not really a guitarist.
I actually bought it to use with a Electro-harmonix B9 but I just tend to leave it on all the time now.

[joneyjey@gmail.com]

Guys! Thank you so much for your experience!

[resistorman]

I’m not a guitarist, but I know friends who have "not been unhappy" with this,

https://www.andertons.co.uk/wampler-eg ... gLiu_D_BwE

It’s very nice, not intrusive, but can be if you want it to be.

The blend control looks like a particularly useful feature - not something you see on many pedals.

Very true.

[Arpangel]

I just have one of these: https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-B ... Pedal/1IQV
But I'm not really a guitarist.
I actually bought it to use with a Electro-harmonix B9 but I just tend to leave it on all the time now.

That’s a great suggestion, on every level, simple to use, small, and the price too!

[GCKelloch]

For a lot more money, you might consider either of the audio transformer-loaded Bogner compressors. Transformer saturation is used to control the compression in way other components can't achieve. The release adapts to the guitar transients, releasing quicker when triggered by lower level transients. That gives it an overdriven tube amp feel, but without distortion. They are considered compressors for those, like me, that don't like compressors. The Harlow is ~$180. It's simple, but has a spongy feel you just won't find in other compressors. The more expensive Lyndhurst has more dynamics control options and EQ "make up" settings.