While most of these other effects skirt around the issue of whether or not they’re supposed to sound like the classic 1176, the origin effects Cali76 boasts its ability to be the finest recreation of it for the guitar. From simple comps (read: vintage LA-2A style) to tube compressors like Markbass Compressore, and futuristic units with metering and 5 classic compression parameters. Too much GAS, not enough time. MXR Dyna Comp, (output for your overall level and sensitivity controlling how much your signal is compressed), the Dyna Comp is both an effective and musical compressor that can enhance your guitar’s sustain when playing a solo, and even out dynamic rhythmic passages.

As with any pedal, size can matter. We’re all looking to make gigging, practicing and recording easier, and a more compact pedalboard can aid this. A smaller pedal means that it takes less space on your board, so you can either have a smaller board (less to carry), or more pedals (more fun). If space isn’t an issue – maybe you’re only after one or two pedals, or you’ve got plenty of room in the van – or someone carries your gear for you (that’s the dream), then you don’t need to worry about size. You’ll probably find that the bigger pedals will have more functionality and flexibility too. How we choose products While the things I outlined above are really only scratching the surface on how compression works and why it’s useful on pretty much any sound source, here’s a list of great guitar compressor pedals you can utilize to enhance your tone and increase your guitar’s sustain. I Can’t Hear What A Compressor Is Doing. Is It Just Me? Turn your compressor on and off while tweaking the make-up gain until you stop hearing a difference in volume between the compressor being on and off The action remains smooth in every use case. The noise floor is low even in high compression scenarios. Aguilar is one of the few purely transparent compression pedals.The Bass Preacher is a sturdy compact-sized compressor effect pedal in a small die-cast enclosure. It is the bass version of the EHX Soul Preacher with tweaks to suit a bass guitar.

In use, the M87 is versatile with recording-quality sounds. It can serve a variety of needs from subtle, transparent compression to squashed tones. The lows are tight and there is never an occasion when headroom becomes an issue. Here at Guitar World, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything guitar-related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.Soundwise this pedal nails the character of the 1176’s super fast and aggressive attitude, while also being able to add sustain and sparkle to your guitar’s tone. It’s also made of an insanely sturdy metal enclosure with all-metal knobs, so you know it can take a beating out on the stage. Instead of telling you what’s great about it, let me put it this way – the only reason to not own this bass compression pedal is if a) the cost if prohibitive b) the size is not right for your pedalboard, or c) you prefer tube-warmth or a specific tone color other than what the Empress pedal offers. Overall, I can say with confidence that the MXR M87 Bass Compressor is definitely one of the best, if not the best bass compressor pedals out in the market right now. I strongly urge you to read the rest of the review to see just how much it offers. It’s a true gem that deserves all the praise it has received from the community. I could even wrench chiming harmonics with max sustain and slow compression speed on a GWB1005 bass guitar. The pedal isn’t low-noise though and there is a loss of dynamics with aggressive compression. Multi-band compressors are not usually found in pedal format, but there are a few out there. Standard compressors take your signal and squash it across the whole frequency spectrum, this can result in artifacts, such as too much bass or a harsh high end. A multi-band compressor is able to work differently on different frequencies, letting you tailor your sound much more precisely. It allows you to dial in the amount of compression you want by frequency: more or less compression of the lows than the highs, or vice versa, or any combination you should desire. Multi-band compressors let you dial out compression artifacts that can sometimes occur with standard compression, by reducing or increasing the amount of compression in that specific frequency band. They work by passing your incoming signal through several filters, isolating specific frequency bands, compressing each one individually, recombining the split signals at the end.