Homemade Pedal

[theAeronought]

Alright guys, here's the deal. I want a compressor pedal, primarily for use with acoustic but also good for electric, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on it. I'd also like to have an equalizer, but I don't want to have another whole pedal just for an equalizer. So, I think it'd be cool to have a compressor with an onboard three band equalizer.

Can somebody give me a link to or a quick description of how to build a compressor for guitar? I think I can figure out how to make a three band equalizer well enough, but if you've got ideas of how to incorporate that into a compressor, the tips are quite welcome.

If you can't do that but you DO know of a decent pedal I can get for less than $50, you're on.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Homemade Pedal

Many of the popular pedal compressors out there are based on the old Ross design, and as such they all roll off quite a lot of treble in an attempt to reduce noise. As such, they are often not ideal for acoustics because that airy treble sparkle is something you really miss when its gone. Even the really nice ones like keeley and analogman. Whether you built it yourself or go for a boutique pedal, they will all do this to a noticeable extent.

However, a cheap experiment that might get you across the line is this...get a second hand boss cs-3 compressor...yeah the current cheap made in taiwan version. It has all the regular ross circuitry, but it also has an adjustable tone control to bring back some of the high end. If you hate it..no harm done you can sell it for what you paid. If its close to what you need but needs a little more sparkle then you can add some clarity with a mod kit. Monte allums make some good ones and the price is pretty reasonable. Believe it or not there are a lot of pro players out there using the cs-3.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Homemade Pedal

I want a compressor pedal ... but I don't want to spend a lot of money on it.

How cheap/expensive is your acoustic guitar?

Generalising horribly, acoustic guitar is all about treble and bass whereas electric guitar is all about midrange. You either need two separate compressors or, better still, a multi-band type that can be programmed to suit whichever instrument signal it is processing.

 

[theAeronought]

Re: Homemade Pedal

You either need two separate compressors or, better still, a multi-band type that can be programmed to suit whichever instrument signal it is processing.

That's the idea! If I can, I want to combine a three band equalizer with a compressor. I saw one on eBay for $40-50 that I might go after if I can't make one for cheaper.

As I side note, all my electrics are cheapies, while the acoustic guitar I play that is not my own is very nice and expensive.