Cheapest good compressor?

[dr.barlo]

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 :banghead: ).

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

 

[GuitarStv]

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.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

Don't waste your money on the Joyo version
I had very little good out of the one I got

 

[Mincer]

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.

 

[NegativeEase]

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

 

[NegativeEase]

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.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

What kind of compression do you want?

Effect
Ultra transparent
Sustain, actually....
Flexible

 

[devastone]

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.

 

[GuitarStv]

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.

 

[dr.barlo]

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. :smokin:

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

 

[Aceman]

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.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

Cool!

B

 

[GuitarStv]

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.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

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.

 

[Mincer]

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.

 

[ehdwuld]

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.

That musta been what that durned Joyo was doing

Didn't seem to do anything

Added some static crackling to the signal

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

The Joyo just sucks. I had one too, for a week or two. Bleh.
I've never played the Boss but I would think the MXR Dynacomp or Supercomp would be great for country? I've had them both and moved them along because I do not play country. The Supercomp I almost kept just because the bypass did something really nice to my dirty amp's sound!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

The Vise Grip straddles the line between those kind of compressors. I built a BYOC 5 Knob Compressor that does it, too. Obviously, the more it can do, the more expensive it is. The stock CS-3 clamps down way too hard for me, and I don't like the sound. I generally use compressors for a few things...a solo & sustain boost, and for either steel string or nylon string guitar, to help flatten the piezo peaks.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

Mission accomplished...

B

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Cheapest good compressor?

CS3
Nice choice