Best Compression/Sustain Pedal?

[hawkins.bp]

I tried out the Boss CS-3 at Guitar Center and love it.

I noticed the MXR Comp pedal is in the same price range.

What's been your experience with these or other compression pedals?

[flatt]

I bought one of these (actually, the Behringer cheapo version) when I first got my mandolin with a thin weedy imbalanced pick-up, hoping that it would improve the sound. I changed pick-ups!
Since then I have an electric octave beast that had cheap (again, imbalanced) pick-ups on it and thought I'd try and balance the sound this way. I changed the pick-ups for ones with adjustable pole-pieces!
So - my opinion? Yes, I love the sound too, but I find on stage all it manages to do is remove the punch of the instrument and bury it in the mix. I like it for recording as it fattens out the sound, and adds a certain "metal" - and I can raise or lower the volume to suit whenever it needs it - but on stage I've not bothered.
They are fun though, and are useful if the instrument has unfortunate high spots that ring out.

[Ken Olmstead]

I tried out the Boss CS-3 at Guitar Center and love it.

I noticed the MXR Comp pedal is in the same price range.

What's been your experience with these or other compression pedals?

What do you want it to do for your sound? Compression needs a goal to help you select the right pedal and placement in your chain.

Both of the pedals you mentioned are very good. The MXR Dyna Comp (not the "Super Dyna Comp" though,) is an excellent all a rounder. The Boss looks very adjustable but I always found it to have one setting...country guitar! It does it extremely well though.

I have owned all of the pedals above and the MXR is probably the one I would go for. I am currently using a Line 6 Constrictor which does a great job of subtle limiting but is not as good at the squishy sounds.

If you want to spend a mint, the "Jangle Box" is sublime!!! It will turn a 12 string guitar into a magic wand!!! I think it would have very similar effect on an 8 string mandolin. But again, it does a certain thing very well.

I plan to try others at higher price points but the MXR was a solid usable compressor at an easy price!

[Ian Rossiter]

I use a Virtual Sound Route 66 Compressor with my Tele/Strat rig. A really smooth comp that has noise reduction AND being a dual pedal, has an Overdrive side that does a really good Tubescreamer tone,should you wand some OD.

[Cliff D]

I have an Aphex "punch factory" optical compressor which gives a very clean tone: I tend to notice its absence when it's switched off, rather than its presence when it is on-line, if that makes any sense. I have not however tried to compare it directly with any other units.

[Tom Wright]

A natural amp sound, kind of class A tube, is the Sonic Distortion from Analog Mike. When set for almost unnoticeable clipping it's really smooth. Needs EQ in front of it in my case.