Barber Tone Press... Spending some time with it tonight

[brettk7]

Pretty excited. I know one of my favorite bands (Circa Survive) has always praised the TP so I am pretty excited to see what it can do for my rig.

I'll get back to you guys later. But, from what I am getting... It is a helluva lot cheaper than the Keeley Comp, which seems to be the 'industry standard' and it apparently is better in a lot of ways.


More to come!

[JM Vasek]

I liked the one I had for a while. It was more flexible than the Keeley IMO, and I did A/B them with a bunch of settings.

The Barber was just a bit more transparent than the Keeley (which is hard to do) when dialed in well.

[b-squared]

Brett..be sure and post some results--you might bring it over to my house; I'd like to try it with my Landry amp.

BB

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by JM Vasek

I liked the one I had for a while. It was more flexible than the Keeley IMO, and I did A/B them with a bunch of settings.

The Barber was just a bit more transparent than the Keeley (which is hard to do) when dialed in well.

Yeah for sure. That is the general consensus that I have read online and herd from customers. I have never had a compression pedal before, but I think it would be a worthwhile investment, especially considering what my band is doing (ambient, rocky stuff with lots of pedals) I think a compressor in my chain would do me some good.

Originally Posted by b-squared

Brett..be sure and post some results--you might bring it over to my house; I'd like to try it with my Landry amp.

BB

Yeah for sure. I need to make a trip up sometime soon anyways to get you the money for those caps. Maybe we'll do that this weekend and jam or something.

From what I have concluded though, the Tone Press is gonna be killer

[Quill]

Fantastic! I've had my eye on the Tone Press for ages. The idea of mixing your regular signal in with the compressed signal just seems too good to be true. And it seems to be the only compressor out there that is set up that way.

The Barber pedals I've tried sound great - I have a Silver LTD and a Small Fry - and are pretty affordable. I've often wondered why more players don't talk about the Tone Press ... I'll bet there'll be a lot of people watching for your report!

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by Quill

Fantastic! I've had my eye on the Tone Press for ages. The idea of mixing your regular signal in with the compressed signal just seems too good to be true. And it seems to be the only compressor out there that is set up that way.

The Barber pedals I've tried sound great - I have a Silver LTD and a Small Fry - and are pretty affordable. I've often wondered why more players don't talk about the Tone Press ... I'll bet there'll be a lot of people watching for your report!

Yeah man, I really dig Barber pedals. All of them are good in some way or another. I have found all of them to be usable in some way or another. I also herd the Super Sport and the Custom Cool and was really impressed. If I needed an over-drive pedal, either of those would be in the running for sure.


After using the Tone Press for a band practice and kind of figuring out how to get it to work for me, I love it. I HATE compressors for the most part. I think most compressors make everything sound kind of fake and artificial. But, the Barber is super cool because it makes everything sound like it should. It don't color your tone AT ALL, whatsoever. It makes your amp sound like it should sound. I would describe it as... Making your amp kind of sound like an amp should sound. But, when you turn it off, it isn't like a night and day difference. It's an extremely, extremely subtle compressor... Which I really like. I think the Tone Press is the proverbial icing on my tone cake if you will

Something else that I think is super-de-duper cool about the TP, is that it has a volume control, and thus can kind of act as a clean boost for your amp. This is where it can 'change' your tone a little bit, but again, it is adjustable and it won't do it if you don't want it to (but, I personally kind of like it boosting my signal a little bit).



Over-all... It is a worthwhile purchase for sure. It makes my guitar sound better, my effects sound better, etc. Barber gets two thumbs up for this one for sure! And the price is RIGHT on this guy too!

[Quill]

So ... are you saying that you like the pedal?

Again, I just know the two pedals I know, and the small fry is all about colour, but the silver LTD is really transparent - dialing in the drive on that thing is like a light rain on glass! - beautiful - so I believe you about the transparency. I also wonder about their Launch Pad, though I've read posts from players who use the TP as a clear boost, as you've described.

How was the noise? Did you experiment with different levels of compression?

(just have to ask a couple of questions) How does it work, I mean how well does it work, in terms of mixing straight signal with compressed? Is it a sort of blender pot, with dry at one extreme, total compression at the other, and an equal mix inbetween? This is what I assume it to be ... but I wonder how balanced it is; easy to control?

And how did it "track"? This is where the idea of mixing the wet signal with the dry gets interesting - did you notice if the compressed signal lags a bit, as it gets heavy? If the mix works well, and you can keep your own attack but squash the bejeezus out of the note, that could be kinda cool - could turn one of the problems of heavy compression into an advantage! And I'm curious about the extremes - just how heavy can it get?

And speaking of squashing and bejeezusness ... I'll leave you alone now! No problem if you haven't had the chance to dig that deep with it - actually what you've already said is probably as valuable as anything. Cheers, and thanks!

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by Quill

So ... are you saying that you like the pedal?

Again, I just know the two pedals I know, and the small fry is all about colour, but the silver LTD is really transparent - dialing in the drive on that thing is like a light rain on glass! - beautiful - so I believe you about the transparency. I also wonder about their Launch Pad, though I've read posts from players who use the TP as a clear boost, as you've described.

How was the noise? Did you experiment with different levels of compression?

(just have to ask a couple of questions) How does it work, I mean how well does it work, in terms of mixing straight signal with compressed? Is it a sort of blender pot, with dry at one extreme, total compression at the other, and an equal mix inbetween? This is what I assume it to be ... but I wonder how balanced it is; easy to control?

And how did it "track"? This is where the idea of mixing the wet signal with the dry gets interesting - did you notice if the compressed signal lags a bit, as it gets heavy? If the mix works well, and you can keep your own attack but squash the bejeezus out of the note, that could be kinda cool - could turn one of the problems of heavy compression into an advantage! And I'm curious about the extremes - just how heavy can it get?

And speaking of squashing and bejeezusness ... I'll leave you alone now! No problem if you haven't had the chance to dig that deep with it - actually what you've already said is probably as valuable as anything. Cheers, and thanks!

That is exactly what I am saying. I definitely dig this pedal.

I messed with a lot of different settings. I wasn't really sure how to get a good sound with the pedal at first, and was kind of unsure about what the best way to dial stuff in would be. Not to say the pedal is finicky or hard to dial in, but it definitely helps if you have a good idea of where to start... Especially if your somewhat new to the whole compressor thing. There is definitely distinctive areas for certain sounds with this guy, and you will learn that it isn't hard to find cool sounds once you find the sweet spot for your rig.

Luckily, Mr.Barber knew this and gives you a couple different guidelines to go off of in the manual (if you go to the Barber website, you can view the manual online to see what I am talking about). I tried all of them out, even the ones recommended for single-coils, found one that got me nearest to the kind of sound I was looking for and went from there with my own experimentation. I spent probably an hour or so messing with it (as I haven't really messed with a compressor that I liked before, it was always an... Immediate disliking for them in the past), so it was a new thing for me to hear 'compressed' sounds that I liked.

And I'll be honest, I think a big reason why I like the pedal so much is because it gives a little clean boost too. My Orange really sounds good with a little boost in front of it. Problem being, I had never herd one that was actually transparent like this one (reason why I didn't already have one). Throw in the fact that there is a little compression coming into play and you have a win for me (and I believe this is how Circa Survive is using their Tone Press' as well, it really gave my guitar that kind of... idk how to explain it, but I can definitely hear some similarities in the way my notes and chords ring out now).

I am not going to try and talk about compressors like I know everything about them, because frankly, I don't. But, I know what I like and what I don't, and I tried to describe it the best I can. I WILL say this though, if your looking for a 'compressor' pedal that is really phenomenal... This is it. I have at least tried out (or heard customers) all the big name compressors before, and none of them were really ear catching, let alone paying the ludicrous prices that they fetch. Barber pedals aren't really based off of any kind of previous circuitry (i.e. like some companies that will make 'boutique' versions of Tube Screamers, Boss pedals, etc). And I think that is honestly why this is better, its sort of new/old school technology. And seriously, I think retail on this is $149! That is a friggin' steal considering this thing is THEE best built pedal that I presently own (or have ever owned), and it is definitely one of the best additions to my sound.

You need a Tone Press man. The fun you would have messing with this is worth the price of admission alone!


From what I am reading on compressors, I'd also like to say... My amp is still as touch sensitive as ever. Which seems to be a problem for your average compressor.

[brettk7]

That seems like a bunch of jumbled up stuff ha. Hopefully it was of some help as it took me 20 minutes

[Quill]

Actually, Brett, I thought that was a good post. You've got a basis for comparison, in that you've tried others and like this one. It sounds like you've resisted using compressors for reasons that are similar to mine - the key point being the issue of touch sensitivity. If a player loses that, why bother playing at all? And you've found a setting on this one that lets you keep your touch - good to hear.

I like Barber's feel for innovation. The designs that come out of that company are not limited to nostalgia - so it seems to me. I'll definitely think more about it. It'd be good to have a compressor around, if only for recording.

[zeppelin101]

I have a Barber Direct Drive and love it they make great pedals for a great price

[brettk7]

Originally Posted by Quill

Actually, Brett, I thought that was a good post. You've got a basis for comparison, in that you've tried others and like this one. It sounds like you've resisted using compressors for reasons that are similar to mine - the key point being the issue of touch sensitivity. If a player loses that, why bother playing at all? And you've found a setting on this one that lets you keep your touch - good to hear.

I like Barber's feel for innovation. The designs that come out of that company are not limited to nostalgia - so it seems to me. I'll definitely think more about it. It'd be good to have a compressor around, if only for recording.

For sure man. I am going to try the Launch Pad out I think, before I decide on the final pedal. I may like having just a simple clean boost more (ha, man, you know what they say... If it works don't replace it, I bet I come back to the TP). But, I guess only time will tell in the end

Originally Posted by zeppelin101

I have a Barber Direct Drive and love it they make great pedals for a great price

Agreed!

[Boshizzle]

The Barber TP is a very under rated compressor. I've used one for about a year and can't see my pedal board without it now.

[Blues4U]

I have had my Tone Press for well over a year--I will never be without it--

I feel the same way about my Direct Drive-

The Small Fry is a great pedal too-I spent two hours messing with this pedal one day and I really dug it after I figured it out--I have thought about buying a SF but haven't yet-

Barber Pedals are built like a tank and they do not rest on their past successes-they continue to be innovators--

[Wolf Child]

Hey Brett, does your shop sell Barber? I'd like to try the DD.

[brettk7]

I kinda waited to post a full-fledged review on this, because I really wanted to get a feel for it and understand what it truly did and how to tame it.

But, after a few days I came to the conclusion that... I still don't like compressors ha. But, I liked the Tone Press somehow. Why? The clean boosting. If I was using it solely as a compressor, I really didn't feel the same about it. Not because it didn't work well, but because I just liked the raw nature of my amp. Not that it took that away, I just felt that my particular set-up was better off without a comp. Now, on the other hand... I will be using this in the studio. That alone could warrant the price of admission for me.

My final verdict....
The Tone Press is an AWESOME compressor... It doesn't color your tone, whatsoever, it is true bypass, and the price is more than affordable (especially when the other guys are charging upwards of $200... And they are not half as good in my opinion).

But, I just don't like compressors! Well, I don't like them enough to own one anyways. I did learn something really cool and awesome from the Tone Press though, and that is that my Orange sounds BAD ASS with a little clean boost in front of it.

Which leads me to my next acquisition... The Xotic EP-booster!!! This little guy is just fantastic. So good, I think it deserves its own thread

Originally Posted by Boshizzle

The Barber TP is a very under rated compressor. I've used one for about a year and can't see my pedal board without it now.

I can't agree with you more. Although, I have decided to go another route, if I ever decided to own a compressor, this would be it. And hell, in the future... When I have more expendable funds, I will be picking one up for sure. I could definitely see this being a go-to piece in the studio.

Originally Posted by Blues4U

I have had my Tone Press for well over a year--I will never be without it--

I feel the same way about my Direct Drive-

The Small Fry is a great pedal too-I spent two hours messing with this pedal one day and I really dug it after I figured it out--I have thought about buying a SF but haven't yet-

Barber Pedals are built like a tank and they do not rest on their past successes-they continue to be innovators--

The Small Fry is a super cool pedal! I really think Barber is going to be the next big thing.

Originally Posted by Wolf Child

Hey Brett, does your shop sell Barber? I'd like to try the DD.

Yeah yeah yeah, I'll shoot you a PM.