AxeChainsaw
Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 66
- Reaction score
- 48
I did something a little crazy this week and bought three compressors to go head-to-head with my MXR Custom Comp. They all came recommended highly from different people for different reasons, and the only way to know which one was gonna work best was to get them all and compare em.
Let me start by saying that I play Hardcore/Metal, with a lot of gain on at all times, so my preferences might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I see a lot of metal heads looking for compressor comparisons like these..I know…I was one of them...so I hope this helps.
First off my MXR Custom Comp is a pretty sweet pedal. Good bypass, but the "punchy" tone of the comp is a little too much for me. Really "sounds" compressed. My goal was to just even out my highs while keeping my low chugs in tact. The Custom Comp worked well for a few months, but I knew there was something better out there.
So I got the CMATMODS Signa Deluxe Comp on the recommendation from someone on this site. It is very transparent, gives the right amount of push and the TONE control is a welcome addition to help dial in the EQ properly. Definitely was a step up from the MXR. Big fan.
The Keeley 4-knob Comp is probably the most highly recommended pedal I have ever seen online. It is also probably the best constructed pedal I've used, just a really nice piece of equipment. That said, I knew within one chord that it wasn't the pedal for me. It rolls off SOOOO much low end which might be fine for some players, but not for me. My Low E is my bread and butter, and I'm all for a little tightening up, but this was a Low Cut like I'd never heard before. I A/B'd it with my MXR and it wasn't even close. So much for the hype on that one. I already returned it.
Last comes the Wampler Ego Comp, and this was the hands down winner. And just like the Keeley, I knew it in the first few chords. I'm sure all you Tonefreaks will understand when I say that it just FELT right immediately. The tone I had in my head was there on the first strum. Low end stayed in tact while my high lead licks shone through. It had everything the CMATMODS Comp has, including the TONE knob, but the BLEND option was by far the piece de resistance. It gives an amazing amount of control between the dry and compressed signal. I dialed in a bunch of different tonal variations and was happy with all of them.
In the end, I'm gonna put the Wampler in my Gigging Pedal board, sell my MXR and put it towards another Wampler to go in my Home pedal board, and keep the CMATMOD just to mess around with a little more, but will probably use it as trade bait down the line.
So, in closing, I hope this helps others that are searching for a new compressor, especially those in similar genres. I found all the pedals used, so I saved a few bucks, and while they are more expensive than say a BOSS Cs-2 or Dyna Comp, the improvements in my sound are priceless.
Let me start by saying that I play Hardcore/Metal, with a lot of gain on at all times, so my preferences might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I see a lot of metal heads looking for compressor comparisons like these..I know…I was one of them...so I hope this helps.
First off my MXR Custom Comp is a pretty sweet pedal. Good bypass, but the "punchy" tone of the comp is a little too much for me. Really "sounds" compressed. My goal was to just even out my highs while keeping my low chugs in tact. The Custom Comp worked well for a few months, but I knew there was something better out there.
So I got the CMATMODS Signa Deluxe Comp on the recommendation from someone on this site. It is very transparent, gives the right amount of push and the TONE control is a welcome addition to help dial in the EQ properly. Definitely was a step up from the MXR. Big fan.
The Keeley 4-knob Comp is probably the most highly recommended pedal I have ever seen online. It is also probably the best constructed pedal I've used, just a really nice piece of equipment. That said, I knew within one chord that it wasn't the pedal for me. It rolls off SOOOO much low end which might be fine for some players, but not for me. My Low E is my bread and butter, and I'm all for a little tightening up, but this was a Low Cut like I'd never heard before. I A/B'd it with my MXR and it wasn't even close. So much for the hype on that one. I already returned it.
Last comes the Wampler Ego Comp, and this was the hands down winner. And just like the Keeley, I knew it in the first few chords. I'm sure all you Tonefreaks will understand when I say that it just FELT right immediately. The tone I had in my head was there on the first strum. Low end stayed in tact while my high lead licks shone through. It had everything the CMATMODS Comp has, including the TONE knob, but the BLEND option was by far the piece de resistance. It gives an amazing amount of control between the dry and compressed signal. I dialed in a bunch of different tonal variations and was happy with all of them.
In the end, I'm gonna put the Wampler in my Gigging Pedal board, sell my MXR and put it towards another Wampler to go in my Home pedal board, and keep the CMATMOD just to mess around with a little more, but will probably use it as trade bait down the line.
So, in closing, I hope this helps others that are searching for a new compressor, especially those in similar genres. I found all the pedals used, so I saved a few bucks, and while they are more expensive than say a BOSS Cs-2 or Dyna Comp, the improvements in my sound are priceless.
You never know, I guess. Everybody's different. Although I've heard there's and older version (which I probably played on) and a newer, better one 
