Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Uk Ant

Uk Ant

New member
Hey there oh lovely SD forum people. I've not been on here for many a long day, but I have a question which I hope may be answered here.
I feel the need to at least try out a compressor in my bass rig.
I play with a reasonably aggressive finger style, with occasional slapping, using Ibanez SR basses (sr300 fretted and sr700 fretless). The amp is is a TC electronic 500 watt non modelling combo with a 15" speaker.
I play mainly in cover bands these days, styles ranging from punk, through rock and metal and occasionally landing in a more soul, blues jazz direction.
I'm in the uk, but I know a lot of you are not, so if you could keep the recommendations under $300, preferable under $200, that would be great.
I would rather something something that does one thing well, rather than trying to do it all, and it needs to be reasonably rugged.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Uk Ant said:
I would rather something something that does one thing well, rather than trying to do it all, and it needs to be reasonably rugged.
Click to expand...
I got one of these a few years ago, used, on sale pretty cheap.
BBE_Opto_Stomp_1_gainstagemusic__46431.1437161997.1280.1280.jpg
It does one thing really well: transparently even out dynamics, making a bass sit better within a mix.
I generally use moderate settings, so by itself, you can't really tell it's on. But my recorded tracks don't have peaks that shoot up in the red, and the bass stands out without overpowering or disappearing in spots.

I've got another couple of compressors I use if I want compressor effects like squashing or constricting and swelling notes.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

That does sound like just the thing, just watching a few vids and stuff.
Price is pretty reasonable to.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

You might take a look at our Studio Bass Compressor, which adds a blend and attack knob, so your signal doesn't sound as 'clamped' as many other compressors.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Keeley also has a fine line of compressors.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Keep a look out for an old Trace Elliot compressor from the 90's. I have one for my bass rig and I love it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Uk Ant said:
The amp is is a TC electronic 500 watt non modelling combo with a 15" speaker.
Click to expand...

Which exact model? I am struggling to think of any of their bass amplifiers that does not have built-in compression - even if, in some cases, it is in the form of the TonePrint effects section.

I have the Staccato '51 and 450 Classic heads. Both of these have the proprietary Spectracomp multi-band compression.
 
Last edited:
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Is anything housed in a rack unit? I much prefer rack compressors for bass. a DBX160 is a standard and can be found cheap.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Demanic said:
Keeley also has a fine line of compressors.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

i see guitar players using keeley all the time but i dont see many bass players with his stuff. im sure its pretty sweet
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

I use a Keeley 4 knob with my bass. I have seen that they have come out with something called a studio compressor recently that has even more control options on it.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

Funkfingers said:
Which exact model? I am struggling to think of any of their bass amplifiers that does not have built-in compression - even if, in some cases, it is in the form of the TonePrint effects section.

I have the Staccato '51 and 450 Classic heads. Both of these have the proprietary Spectracomp multi-band compression.
Click to expand...
It's a BG500 combo. It has the spectracomp unit in it. Problem is this amp only gets used for gigs (plus I'm never convinced by built in compressors), so I could do with a stand alone unit for the practice studio where I could be playing through xyz bass amp of unknown.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

If you know how to use a soldering iron, get a kit for the “That Jam“ at uk-electronic.de. A high quality compressor with full controls, that would work well in the studio, but very cheap and small. My second choice would be the “Hexe Tadek“.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

So I went to my local music store, and tried the limited range of compressors that they had. These included the MXR dyna comp (great if you play guitar in a funk band), the TC electronic hypergravity (sounded good, but a bit noisy), a Chord CM-50 (cheap n cheerful), and a Boss BC-1X bass compressor.
Must say I was impressed with the boss unit, it seems to do what I want, that is even out the dynamics without flattening the tone.
I really wish I could have tried some of the ones recommended above, but you can only try what's in front of you, and I don't have the time to chase things around, or the money to buy lots of pedals.
The Boss unit isn't that cheap at £155, so around $220 US, but it sounds good. Next band practice i Tuesday, that's when I find out how it sounds in the mix.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

It is hard in most places to have a healthy selection of one type of pedal to choose from. I hate that I have to buy before trying, but I try to avoid needing anything right away, and always make sure there is a good return policy, so I am not at the mercy of the local store's inventory.
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

This is a huge site dedicated to compressors (run by a bassist who reviews them mostly from the angle of a bassist): http://www.ovnilab.com/

He even has a section at the top of the page for his Top Picks in different price ranges. The SD Studio Bass is Listed under there, but he also super recommends the MXR Studio Bass (or just Studio Compressor, they have the same circuit but I think the newer studio compressor looks nicer).
 
Re: Compressor Pedal recommendations?

TimmyPage said:
This is a huge site dedicated to compressors (run by a bassist who reviews them mostly from the angle of a bassist): http://www.ovnilab.com/

He even has a section at the top of the page for his Top Picks in different price ranges. The SD Studio Bass is Listed under there, but he also super recommends the MXR Studio Bass (or just Studio Compressor, they have the same circuit but I think the newer studio compressor looks nicer).
Click to expand...

PFDarkside said:
http://www.ovnilab.com :)

I'd really like to try the new Duncan Studio Bass. That being said, the TC algorithm should be a pretty good one.
Click to expand...
Which site? ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top