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Hanky
02-17-2004, 07:19 AM
Howdy from Texas,
I was wondering if someone could explain the effect that a compressor has on guitar tone. I have no experience with a compressor. I have been informed that I need one to smooth out my drive tone. I am currently using a JCM DSL 100 head through a 2x12 recto cab. Anyone have any experience with one of these Marshall heads. Any suggestions to get the milky smooth drive tones would be appreciated.
San
02-17-2004, 08:44 AM
I think there was a thread about this recently on TGP but..

A compressor will squash your guitar signal so that the volume is more or less contant or as some more eloquent person put it on the other thread it's like like having an invisible hand turning up the volume when you play quietly and turning it down when you play more loudly.

I think you will also notice an increase in sustain too.

I hope this help a little!

San.
Erik
02-17-2004, 10:00 AM
Hanky,

The best advice I could give here (since you have a high gain head) is make sure the compressor is of good quality so that it doesn't color or alter your tone. I have a Keeley compressor that I usuallly use for cleans, but also sounds excellent in high gain situations. You will get "smoother" tones from the compressor evening out your pick attack. In addition, you can get a lot of control over how much more sustain you want...very nice little pedal. It isn't cheap (about $200), but it is true bypass and sounds fantastic.

Erik H
Stratmeister
02-17-2004, 10:58 AM
You adjust your compressor to limit the volume spikes and valleys to a more even sound. It should not color your tone at all. The sustain that a compressor adds is it simply boosting the signal as it decays.

One of the absolute best places to use a compressor... when playing slide.
Christopher Wade
02-18-2004, 07:37 PM
I agree about getting one that doesn't color. The cheaper recommendation I got from TGP was a Boss CS-2. They're not made anymore (the new one is the CS-3, but TGP guys didn't like it as much) but you can find 'em on eBay for $60-70.

One of the best purchases I've made.
Erik
02-19-2004, 06:06 AM
I agree about getting one that doesn't color. The cheaper recommendation I got from TGP was a Boss CS-2. They're not made anymore (the new one is the CS-3, but TGP guys didn't like it as much) but you can find 'em on eBay for $60-70.

One of the best purchases I've made.
That would be a great price. A lot of the Boss stuff that was made in Japan seems to be getting a pretty big premium these days.