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Cheapest good compressor?

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  • #1

    Cheapest good compressor?

    Hi all,

    Now that I am done with the "cheapest good TS", I intend to go for a good but cheap compressor. This is for a secondary board (I keep the gigging board with a Barber Tone Press in a bag for mobility purposes; this secondary board one is just for the heck of it... I guess I gotta get a life ).

    Boss CS-3? I can get a second hand for like ~45 USD here locally. Brent Mason has used it for so long before signing up with Wampler. So if it is good for him, who am I to fiddle with a good formula? And it has a decent buffer. So that's my default. Now the question is, can I do better?

    MXR Dyna Comp, I think, is too squishy. I don't like it.

    Any other suggestions I am missing? Joyo? Do they have a good comp? Nux?

    Thanks in advance.

    B
    FaceBook; SoundCloud; Barlo's Blues; Barlo Digitalized; Soundclick!;
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Cheapest good compressor?

    I used a Marshall ED-1 Compressor for years. It's a pretty good sounding compressor going from lots of squish to very subtle (seemed best set to just even out hard funk style strumming), and pretty full featured. Main problems are that it's noisy at extremely high compression/volume levels and doesn't have a great bypass. They usually pop up from 40 - 60$ used.

    I used a Boss CS-2 and CS-3 for a while. The CS-2 sounded better to me, and was easier to find good settings on.
    Last edited by GuitarStv; 06-09-2020, 07:23 AM.
    Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

    Originally posted by Douglas Adams
    This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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    • #3
      Re: Cheapest good compressor?

      Don't waste your money on the Joyo version
      I had very little good out of the one I got
      EHD
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      • #4
        Re: Cheapest good compressor?

        The Danelectro Surf & Turf is a mighty fine, cheap compressor. It supposedly a Ross clone, but I don't know. It just sounds great at any setting.
        Click image for larger version Name: danelectro-dj-9-surf-turf-compressor-12794.jpg Views: 1 Size: 27.9 KB ID: 5820792
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        • #5
          Re: Cheapest good compressor?

          In before Demanic tells you to by Keeley compressor or don''t buy one at all..

          by this used for 80-90 bucks or the one in my next post

          Last edited by NegativeEase; 06-09-2020, 10:55 AM.
          “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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          • #6
            Re: Cheapest good compressor?

            For me, if I'm buying a "cheap" compressor -I'm buying a great compressor used. I would consider a pedal under 75 dollars "cheap" not sure if that's what you are thinking -as great compressor pedals can be 200-400 dollars -so ... but you mention Joyo -those are like 30-40 dollars pedals right? I can't even fathom that.

            You can get an Xotic SP used for 65-80 dollars.

            Last edited by NegativeEase; 06-09-2020, 10:55 AM.
            “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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            • #7
              Re: Cheapest good compressor?

              What kind of compression do you want?

              Effect
              Ultra transparent
              Sustain, actually....
              Flexible
              Originally posted by Bad City
              He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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              • #8
                Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                The SP and Keeley are excellent choices, I kinda like the CS-3 myself too, for $45 hard to go wrong with it IMHO.

                I agree on the Dyna Comp too, has it's place, but not for everyday use, again, IMHO.

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                • #9
                  Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                  I really like the SP compressor. It's what I replaced my Marshall ED-1 with, and it's great. Not what I'd call cheap though.
                  Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

                  Originally posted by Douglas Adams
                  This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                    Thanks guys.

                    I intend to use it for clean country kinda stuff. Transparency I think is my priority along with some subtle but present compression and sustain. As I've said in the OP, I have a Barber Tone Press which I had bought from St. Louis some nice shop (Eddie's) comparing it against a Keeley 4 knob and 2 knob... This time I really wanna go cheap you know. Here used Xotic SP's aren't that cheap.

                    So far got great feedback.

                    Joyo is bad... OK I am not gonna go for it.

                    Danelectros... aren't they in plastic boxes/housing? How about the noise? (thanks, I did not know it was a direct Ross clone! good one!)

                    How is Marshall ED-1 for country stuff? Think of Brent Mason...

                    As far as I see from your responses, there is no cheaper alternative dominating Boss CS-3, no? Maybe Danelectro?

                    Thanks!

                    B
                    FaceBook; SoundCloud; Barlo's Blues; Barlo Digitalized; Soundclick!;

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                    • #11
                      Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                      Yeah - just jump on that CS-3 for 45 and call it a day.

                      A used Modtone Lemon Squeeze if you can find one.
                      Originally posted by Bad City
                      He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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                      • #12
                        Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                        Cool!

                        B
                        FaceBook; SoundCloud; Barlo's Blues; Barlo Digitalized; Soundclick!;

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                        • #13
                          Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                          The ED-1 sounds good for country stuff, but the Boss has a better bypass. Always on I'd pick ED-1, but for 45$ and if you only use the compressor occasionally you can't go wrong with the Boss.
                          Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

                          Originally posted by Douglas Adams
                          This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                            Originally posted by dr.barlo View Post
                            Boss CS-3? I can get a second hand for like ~45 USD here locally. Brent Mason has used it for so long before signing up with Wampler. So if it is good for him, who am I to fiddle with a good formula? And it has a decent buffer. So that's my default. Now the question is, can I do better?
                            I'm not sure how hard they are to find in your locale, but I would enthusiastically recommend an original MIJ BOSS CS-3 over a current production one. The circuit is completely different; it's basically a CS-2 with an added tone knob. It's also far less noisy than the current version. The best part is that the market hasn't caught on yet; I bought my last one for $50.
                            Originally posted by crusty philtrum
                            And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Cheapest good compressor?

                              Some compressors do the county 'pop' on every note, and some come on so gentle that you can barely hear them working. Some have a blend knob, too. It really depends on what you want to do with the compressor. A Dyna Comp has the pop thing, while a modded CS-3 is more subtle.
                              Administrator of the SDUGF

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