Country Compressor
- Thread starter deolexrex
- Start date
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Country Compressor
Dyna Comp is a Nashville standard and has been for years...more recently clones of the Dyna Comp and/or Ross comp are more the mainstay since many clones seem to have extra controls.
The AnalogMan and Keeley are both very popular that said I love my 76 script reissue Dyna Comp for old school Dyna tones and if you want the extra controls the MXR Custom Comp is a GREAT choice at a good price.
Dyna Comp is a Nashville standard and has been for years...more recently clones of the Dyna Comp and/or Ross comp are more the mainstay since many clones seem to have extra controls.
The AnalogMan and Keeley are both very popular that said I love my 76 script reissue Dyna Comp for old school Dyna tones and if you want the extra controls the MXR Custom Comp is a GREAT choice at a good price.
scottish
WeirdScienceologist
Re: Country Compressor
Just listen to christian and be done with it, lol. He knows what he is talking about.
Just listen to christian and be done with it, lol. He knows what he is talking about.
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Country Compressor
No worries!
I will also add that the new, regular production Dyna Comp isn't as rich to my ears plus it has some odd pulsing issues that my 76 script ri doesn't have...
No worries!
I will also add that the new, regular production Dyna Comp isn't as rich to my ears plus it has some odd pulsing issues that my 76 script ri doesn't have...
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Country Compressor
I use a Keeley 4-Knob, but I think the Dyna is good enough.
I use a Keeley 4-Knob, but I think the Dyna is good enough.
Rodney Gene
O.G.
Re: Country Compressor
Honestly almost any modern pedal will do the job for 'country'.
I don't use an MXR so I cannot comment on its function, but I would say the MXR Dyna-Comp hasn't been considered a Nashville standard for 25 years (no more than the Orange Squeeze has). There was time when small pedal compressors were really limited in choices and so certain brands were used by default. I think the 'changing of the guard' so to speak started to shift when the CS-1 was introduced in 1979 into the 80's with the CS-2 and CS-3.
For 'Hot Country' here is a list of some modern and well-worn Hot Players and the compressors they use. The BOSS: CS-2 and CS-3 still come up the most often and this would be due to longevity and how many players have used it for the past 30 years. We tend to stick with what we know and trust and what we used to develop our sound with.
Vince Gill: BOSS CS-3
Redd Volkaert: BOSS CS-2 (And occasionally nothing)
Brent Mason: BOSS CS-3, Keeley, Wampler Ego
Brad Paisley: Keeley, Wampler Ego
Kenny Vaughn: BOSS CS-3
Keith Urban: BOSS CS-3, Wampler Ego
Johnny Hiland: BOSS CS-3
Will Ray: BOSS CS-3
Forest Lee Jr.: Wampler Ego
James Burton: BOSS CS-3, Wampler Ego
Marty Stuart: BOSS CS-3
Bill Kirchen : BOSS CS-3
Jerry Donahue: Carl Martin Comp (And his Signature DRW comp)
A few other like Flacke, Gatton, Anderson, I don't know.
Flacke and Albert Lee used multi-effects or amp compression from what I have heard over the years.
Obviously players switch things up as well.
I have also listed today's top current A-LIST 'working' Nashville studio players. I'm sure you can find out what they are using with a little research.
Tom Bukovac
Kenny Greenberg
Troy Lancaster
Brent Mason
Pat Buchanan
Dann Huff
Jeff King
JT Corenfloss
As a working player in the 'Country' Genre, I am really happy with the Wampler Ego. I have a vintage BOSS CS-3 on my small board which is very cool for 80s and 90s country tones.
I would say that there are at least 10 available that would do the job really well considering country is often about the 'squeeze'. Find the pedal you resonate with and then practice!
Cheers and much respect,
RG
Honestly almost any modern pedal will do the job for 'country'.
I don't use an MXR so I cannot comment on its function, but I would say the MXR Dyna-Comp hasn't been considered a Nashville standard for 25 years (no more than the Orange Squeeze has). There was time when small pedal compressors were really limited in choices and so certain brands were used by default. I think the 'changing of the guard' so to speak started to shift when the CS-1 was introduced in 1979 into the 80's with the CS-2 and CS-3.
For 'Hot Country' here is a list of some modern and well-worn Hot Players and the compressors they use. The BOSS: CS-2 and CS-3 still come up the most often and this would be due to longevity and how many players have used it for the past 30 years. We tend to stick with what we know and trust and what we used to develop our sound with.
Vince Gill: BOSS CS-3
Redd Volkaert: BOSS CS-2 (And occasionally nothing)
Brent Mason: BOSS CS-3, Keeley, Wampler Ego
Brad Paisley: Keeley, Wampler Ego
Kenny Vaughn: BOSS CS-3
Keith Urban: BOSS CS-3, Wampler Ego
Johnny Hiland: BOSS CS-3
Will Ray: BOSS CS-3
Forest Lee Jr.: Wampler Ego
James Burton: BOSS CS-3, Wampler Ego
Marty Stuart: BOSS CS-3
Bill Kirchen : BOSS CS-3
Jerry Donahue: Carl Martin Comp (And his Signature DRW comp)
A few other like Flacke, Gatton, Anderson, I don't know.
Flacke and Albert Lee used multi-effects or amp compression from what I have heard over the years.
Obviously players switch things up as well.
I have also listed today's top current A-LIST 'working' Nashville studio players. I'm sure you can find out what they are using with a little research.
Tom Bukovac
Kenny Greenberg
Troy Lancaster
Brent Mason
Pat Buchanan
Dann Huff
Jeff King
JT Corenfloss
As a working player in the 'Country' Genre, I am really happy with the Wampler Ego. I have a vintage BOSS CS-3 on my small board which is very cool for 80s and 90s country tones.
I would say that there are at least 10 available that would do the job really well considering country is often about the 'squeeze'. Find the pedal you resonate with and then practice!
Cheers and much respect,
RG
Rodney Gene
O.G.
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Country Compressor
I guess I did word that wrong...the Dyna was king it is no longer.
There are a few reasons why IMHO but almost none of them have to do with tone.
The Boss comp is fine and a lot of pro players use them but IMHO they sound pretty bland and have a negative impact on your overall tone.
All this said, I am not a "working player in the 'Country' Genre"...I don't play country at all so my opinion is being given strictly from the stand point of a tone hound and player of other genres.
I guess I did word that wrong...the Dyna was king it is no longer.
There are a few reasons why IMHO but almost none of them have to do with tone.
The Boss comp is fine and a lot of pro players use them but IMHO they sound pretty bland and have a negative impact on your overall tone.
All this said, I am not a "working player in the 'Country' Genre"...I don't play country at all so my opinion is being given strictly from the stand point of a tone hound and player of other genres.
Rodney Gene
O.G.
Re: Country Compressor
Sure I totally get it. My response was genuinely in support of 'Hot Country' which is an ambiguous term anyway. And I wanted to show the face of country comps today. Honestly there is more good stuff available now than ever before.
I have a vintage CS-3, but only on my 'small' board along with other modded boss pedals from the 80s. Its my 'vintage boss board'.
I have personally been slain online for saying the BOSS CS-3 is a noisy tone suck or to even suggest there are more transparent comps or options. LOL! I genuinely avoid some discussion boards because of this silliness. The list of ' BOSS' player 'proof' always comes out. Again, I believe the reason it shows up so much is because it is familiar and has been on some boards for 30 + years. New players look at what established players use etc.. It is generally not because we are using our ears. Sometimes mediocre tone is in fashion. Someone once used Redd Volkaert as part of the player 'proof' that the BOSS CS-2 and CS-3 pedals were great compressors. Redd was a teacher of mine here in Austin. We have discussed gear and tone and reflecting back on some of his earlier material I told him I thought his recorded tone was often too compressed and lacking the dynamics of his live tone. He agrees. (He is a mind blowing player live always with great tone).
I recorded a note-for note tribute to Redds song 'Reed My Tele' (Jerry Reed tribute) from his first album Telewacker with two other Austin session musicians. I tone matched his rig down to the last detail I could with my own resources, including the 11 gauge strings and playing with only my fingers. The original album was recorded at Fireside Studios in Nashville, produced by Bruce Bromberg, the original Redd used a '51 nocaster through a '58 Fender Harvard 1-10" speaker and a Musicman RD112 100 watt 12" EV, micd with 57s. I used a Princeton Reverb and a Fender Twin micd with a Ribbon and 58 through a Universal Audio tube pre. I had to use my vintage BOSS CS-3 to get the tone and squish right since there is ZERO gain. 100% clean tone.
Here is my version (click): (Much harder to play than it sounds LOL) If you listen to the original it is really really really close to his phrasing, feel, style and approach. Ill never do that again for any player!
Anyway enjoy the squish.
Cheers and respect,
RG
Sure I totally get it. My response was genuinely in support of 'Hot Country' which is an ambiguous term anyway. And I wanted to show the face of country comps today. Honestly there is more good stuff available now than ever before.
I have a vintage CS-3, but only on my 'small' board along with other modded boss pedals from the 80s. Its my 'vintage boss board'.
I have personally been slain online for saying the BOSS CS-3 is a noisy tone suck or to even suggest there are more transparent comps or options. LOL! I genuinely avoid some discussion boards because of this silliness. The list of ' BOSS' player 'proof' always comes out. Again, I believe the reason it shows up so much is because it is familiar and has been on some boards for 30 + years. New players look at what established players use etc.. It is generally not because we are using our ears. Sometimes mediocre tone is in fashion. Someone once used Redd Volkaert as part of the player 'proof' that the BOSS CS-2 and CS-3 pedals were great compressors. Redd was a teacher of mine here in Austin. We have discussed gear and tone and reflecting back on some of his earlier material I told him I thought his recorded tone was often too compressed and lacking the dynamics of his live tone. He agrees. (He is a mind blowing player live always with great tone).
I recorded a note-for note tribute to Redds song 'Reed My Tele' (Jerry Reed tribute) from his first album Telewacker with two other Austin session musicians. I tone matched his rig down to the last detail I could with my own resources, including the 11 gauge strings and playing with only my fingers. The original album was recorded at Fireside Studios in Nashville, produced by Bruce Bromberg, the original Redd used a '51 nocaster through a '58 Fender Harvard 1-10" speaker and a Musicman RD112 100 watt 12" EV, micd with 57s. I used a Princeton Reverb and a Fender Twin micd with a Ribbon and 58 through a Universal Audio tube pre. I had to use my vintage BOSS CS-3 to get the tone and squish right since there is ZERO gain. 100% clean tone.
Here is my version (click): (Much harder to play than it sounds LOL) If you listen to the original it is really really really close to his phrasing, feel, style and approach. Ill never do that again for any player!
Anyway enjoy the squish.
Cheers and respect,
RG
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Rodney Gene
O.G.
Re: Country Compressor
Here is the split version: Reed My Tele Split (Click) Redds original on the left. My version on the right. Redds playing is deceptively simple sounding. There is good reason he has so much respect from accomplished players. The better I get as a player, they better he is.
Cheers and respect,
RG
Here is the split version: Reed My Tele Split (Click) Redds original on the left. My version on the right. Redds playing is deceptively simple sounding. There is good reason he has so much respect from accomplished players. The better I get as a player, they better he is.
Cheers and respect,
RG
Matt42
New member
Re: Country Compressor
I have a Dyna Comp (it's not vintage), and it will definitely be the next pedal I replace. It does the job well enough, but it's noisy and I wish I could tweak it a bit more. I'll either be replacing it with the Wampler Ego or the Xotic SP. After comparing them side by side, I'm leaning toward the Xotic, but I need to give them another play at some point.
I have a Dyna Comp (it's not vintage), and it will definitely be the next pedal I replace. It does the job well enough, but it's noisy and I wish I could tweak it a bit more. I'll either be replacing it with the Wampler Ego or the Xotic SP. After comparing them side by side, I'm leaning toward the Xotic, but I need to give them another play at some point.
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Country Compressor
The block logo Dyna Comps Dunlop has put out just fall short IMHO. The 76 script version is a MUCH better pedal in terms of build, quality and tone but is old school...no LED, not true bypass and runs only on a battery, that said all those things can be "corrected" if you are interested.
The block logo Dyna Comps Dunlop has put out just fall short IMHO. The 76 script version is a MUCH better pedal in terms of build, quality and tone but is old school...no LED, not true bypass and runs only on a battery, that said all those things can be "corrected" if you are interested.
tubecrunch
New member
Re: Country Compressor
I have the Keeley and the wampler. Wampler is more flexible and user friendly.
I have the Keeley and the wampler. Wampler is more flexible and user friendly.
superpete
Well-known member
Re: Country Compressor
i find the dyna comp to be bland and dull. i much prefer the boss cs3 to it, as you can dial in some high end to it. the custom comp sounds good as well. as far as the higher priced ones go, i think the wampler ego is the best i've tried, although the keeley is nice too.
i find the dyna comp to be bland and dull. i much prefer the boss cs3 to it, as you can dial in some high end to it. the custom comp sounds good as well. as far as the higher priced ones go, i think the wampler ego is the best i've tried, although the keeley is nice too.
ImmortalSix
John Mayer's Mankini
Re: Country Compressor
I have a CS-3 and I'm a compressor / compression nerd, and I have not been able to dial in a good sound out of this compressor.
Sure, it's subjective, but it seems like the attack is always too unnatural and that the squish is always too deliberate, no matter how I set the knobs.
I still use it every time I play, but I want to let it be known that I don't think it's the best compressor to use for modern country.
But reading that Brent Mason, Vince Gill et al. use it kind of torpedoes my opinion :laughing:
I have a CS-3 and I'm a compressor / compression nerd, and I have not been able to dial in a good sound out of this compressor.
Sure, it's subjective, but it seems like the attack is always too unnatural and that the squish is always too deliberate, no matter how I set the knobs.
I still use it every time I play, but I want to let it be known that I don't think it's the best compressor to use for modern country.
But reading that Brent Mason, Vince Gill et al. use it kind of torpedoes my opinion :laughing:
Rodney Gene
O.G.
Re: Country Compressor
You are right. It really is not very musical as far as compressors go. It is however a squeeze box! Brent uses Wampler now (for years) and his original CS-3 was modded. The mods make them very good pedals.
Vince's tone is clean and pure and the CS-3 can work in that context. I believe his is stock. He also uses a Zen Drive. Cool tone he has. Very cool.
The CS-3 has a 'sound'. Once you get used to how that sound integrates you can get some useful tones from it. But its a squeeze box.
Cheers and Respect,
RG
You are right. It really is not very musical as far as compressors go. It is however a squeeze box! Brent uses Wampler now (for years) and his original CS-3 was modded. The mods make them very good pedals.
Vince's tone is clean and pure and the CS-3 can work in that context. I believe his is stock. He also uses a Zen Drive. Cool tone he has. Very cool.
The CS-3 has a 'sound'. Once you get used to how that sound integrates you can get some useful tones from it. But its a squeeze box.
Cheers and Respect,
RG
Chickenwings
Alnico 6/8
Re: Country Compressor
mebbe all these amazing cats use boss pedals cos they spend more time practicing to sound good and less time researching the latest and greatest.
btw rodney...do you do online lessons? or should i just wait till your video is out?
mebbe all these amazing cats use boss pedals cos they spend more time practicing to sound good and less time researching the latest and greatest.
btw rodney...do you do online lessons? or should i just wait till your video is out?
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Re: Country Compressor
I was able to find a Dyna Comp from a member of this forum. (Thanks Kac) I was wondering if anyone has experience with this mod. http://www.jhspedals.com/products/mod-shop/mxr-dyna-comp-dyna-ross/
I was able to find a Dyna Comp from a member of this forum. (Thanks Kac) I was wondering if anyone has experience with this mod. http://www.jhspedals.com/products/mod-shop/mxr-dyna-comp-dyna-ross/
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