Compressor Shootout
Harry Jacobson
To date I have owned or used:
Keeley
Analogman Bi Comp
Carl Martin
Maxon
TC Electronics
Boss's
late 70's MXR
Old Ibanez
Retro-Sonic
Barber Tone press
I can't say any one of them were bad, each had
something very cool to offer.
The Bi Comp enables you to have 2 different comps
on call which is very cool. I set the Ross for a subtle setting for clean
tones and the Orange Squeezer to sustain the hell out of OD tones.
My complaint with most of them, is that even
when set to minimum compressor ratios most still messed with my attack
transient. There are times that I want that, and still other times when I
don't.
For me anyway, the Barber is BY
FAR the most versatile, in that it can get you pretty much the same thick, compressed
tone of the Analogman, yet get far more "transparent" or subtle than
any other... and everything in between. I can go from a pristine, subtle,
clean chime tone, to thick, warm tone that will bloom, and sustain 'fer days!
The parallel/blend parameter allows you to have a
totally transparent attack yet also allows the note to sustain and sing. This
is what sold me.
It also has a lesser known feature of a internal
trim pot to dial in the more "vintage" Ross tone
I have recently tried the Retro-Sonic, and found
it to be superb as well, but lacks the parallel blend function of
the Barber. Close, but no proverbial cigar
So.... words are cheap and at
times biased... but audio clips speak 'fer themselves.
Here are clips of the TonePress
I no longer own most of the others, I wish I had recorded them.
For the most part, when I use
an effect like a compressor, I don't want people to hear my tone and say
"wow, what a great compressor"
I want them to say "wow, what a great tone" That is what the
blend option on the Tone Press allows me to achieve
Disclaimer:
I have no affiliation what so ever with the Barber company, and even if I did,
I would still say what I feel :-)
Clean Tones
using Warmoth chambered swamp ash
"strat" and Virtual Vintage pup's
Clean with blend set to 8:00 (barely on) to allow the attack to
shine. The Sustain is set to 3:00 (almost full)
listen to subtle the upper harmonics that come through as the chords ring
6
Tones
Bridge, Bridge/Middle, Bridge/Neck, Neck/Middle, Neck, All
(All combo's in parallel)
Combo's
in Parallel then Series
All 3, Bridge/Middle , Bridge/Neck, Neck/Middle
Clean Tones
with my USACG semi hollow tele H/S/H with
Virtual PAF neck and Virtual Hot Bridge
Neck
Notice that dynamics still shine through even with the comp on.
Neck
(coil closest to neck)
Bridge (coil closest to neck)
Outer Coils Parallel followed
by Series
Overdriven tones
This is my Warmoth chambered swamp ash strat using the Barber
Tone press with the blend set @ 8:00 (almost off), and sustain full, then into a
Zen Drive set to low gain, into a Sans Amp also set to low gain, then into
my '70's Marshall 50 set totally clean and low volume
http://www.harryj.net/SRV%20hj.mp3
using Warmoth chambered swamp ash
"strat" and Virtual Vintage pup's
Into 70's Marshall 50 set clean and low, pushed by
a Tech 21 original version Sans Amp and tone press
Overdriven tones
Sans Amp pushed by the Zen Drive into my 70's Marshall 50
set clean
with my USACG semi hollow tele H/S/H with Virtual PAF neck and
Virtual Hot Bridge (Tone Press same settings)
Neck
Neck Single (closest to fingerboard)
Bridge
Bridge Single (closest
to neck first followed by bridge)
