Re: Do I need a compression pedal?
Yes, you may need a compressor. Compressors work great for the guys that do the country chicken-pickin' thang. Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, Hellacasters--all use compression to even out their pickin'. You could have them play a lick without compression, and then repeat it with the compressor on, and your eyes would light up and you would go, "AHA!"
Play in a funk band where you're doing those Nile Rodgers rhythm chips, like on Chic's "Le Freak? You need a compressor. If you play a lot of rhythm guitar in the band, the compressor can smooth things out and give you (and the band) a more polished sound. If you are playing solos, and you need a slight boost and extra sustain--a compressor can help you out. You can use it as an effect, or it can be an "always on" device.
A compressor is almost the antithesis of adding "punch"--it's job is to minimize the dynamic range of the signal, to even things out. Compressors take dYnaMIc RaNge, and make it DYNAMIC RANGE. It will decrease the loud sounds and bring up the soft sounds. (That's how it adds sustain--by bringing up the level as the note fades.) AM and FM radio are heavily compressed to keep the soft parts of the music above the noise "floor" (i.e. wind and road noise). So when you need those subtle parts to stand out, a compressor works wonders.
Use too much compression, and you'll hear it "pump" as it squashes and releases; and "pumping" is generally regarded as "bad". My rule of thumb is to set the compressor so I can just barely hear it pump, and then back it off just a hair more. You want to be careful how you set the compressor; they can be notoriously noisy--especially with the output and compression levels set very high. Comps get a bad rap, often by people who don't use them correctly.
I've been playing since I was 14, had bands in high-school and college, and left in my junior year to play music full time. I mostly did a solo act, but played with bands from time to time. Started doing a hard-rock band thing in my 40's, and for the last ten years I've been playing in a G/B/K/D cover band. We do some of my originals, and everything from blues, country, classic rock, '50s oldies, jazz, fusion and bluegrass. I've taken as many as six instruments to gigs--G&L Legacy and Legacy Special, 2HB (usually a LP), electric 12-string, Taylor 710ce acoustic and a 5-string banjo. I use Mesa Boogie amps, and I have five to choose from, depending on the size of the room and the gig. Most commonly I use a Mark IV 112 EVM combo, with a 112 EVM Theile cab underneath the combo.
I use a Furman Pedalboard: DOD FX10 Preamp, Boss Compressor, TU-3, Real Tube 901 OD, Thomas Organ Crybaby Wah, Boss Chorus, Boss Phasor; and in the amps efx loop I run a Boss Pitch Shifter/Harmonizer and a Rocktron Short-Timer Delay. The secret weapon in there is the "always on" DOD Preamp. It is a buffered low-noise preamp that allows me to drive those pedals without signal loss. I add just a slight amount of boost to my signal; typically the knobs on the pedal are at noon.
So, if you've been paying attention, I have the same problem switching from the single coil Legacy to the Les Paul. How I handle the switch depends on the song. When I pick up the LP, I might simply switch off the DOD Preamp. That actually drops the volume quite a bit, as now the compressor doesn't have as much signal to work with. It's still there; and I like doing this, say for "Black Magic Woman". With the Boogie LEAD Channel and the compressor and the LP, I can hit a note on Saturday and come back on Wednesday and it will still be going! LOL!
With the DOD on, I only need to turn the compressor threshold up to about nine o'clock before it starts pumping; so with the Preamp off, it only adds very slight compression. If I want more dynamic range to the part I'm playing, then I can turn both the DOD and the Boss compressor off.
Depending on how you set your compressor, you'll be able to either quash the level of your 2HB guitar down to the level of your SC guitar; or use the compressor to help boost the level of the SC guitar to your HB guitar--this is what I do.
So, a compressor is a very handy thing to have. But you may have noticed that I am high on the use of a boost. If you want to keep your dynamic range intact, you can use a preamp like the DOD to boost the signal of your SC guitar. Duncan has the Pickup Booster; BBE has the Boosta Grande to name a couple. Turn it on for SC; off for HB. Set it right, and you’ll keep the tonality of the HB vs. SC—but the input your amp sees will be about the same and you won’t need to adjust the input gain of your amp—the input distortion will still be there with your SC guitar.
Another effects pedal you can use is a Graphic EQ, like the Boss GE-7 or the MXR 10-band. You may or may not need to use the EQ, but they do have output level controls. The MXR also has an input level control to keep you from overdriving the input of the pedal and getting nasty distortion. Keep the sliders flat to keep your tone neutral, or add boost or cut. You can certainly make your SC guitar a little fuller and fatter with an EQ, but don’t expect it to ever sound like an HB pickup. Don’t run the sliders all the way up—you can some nasty phase cancellation and generate lots of noise. Use judicious boost.
I think you’re on the right track by trying to manage your signal to maintain a constant level to the input of the amp no matter which guitar you are using. There are some downsides to simply turning down you amp’s master—it can make your amp sound flat and lifeless, especially if you are already playing at low volume. The compressor, the EQ and the boost pedal can all accomplish what you want to do, but they do different things. You just have to pick the right way for you.
I hope this helps. Good luck!
Bill
Any thoughts on this one guys?
