Best Effects Pedals For Bass Guitar (2024 Update)

This pedal does exactly what it claims to do. Crossover feature keeps your low end clean and defined while the top end shimmers with the chorus effect. The ability to blend the effect is excellent. A marked improvement on the early generation of bass chorus pedals when everything gets a bit wobbly. Highly recommended.namkrowz

Build quality on this pedal is great, tone control is super. Paired up with a big muff bass pi and you've got a great sound. The crossover switch is a great addition but not one I use as I'm running a clean amp and a dirty one, so the more effects the better on the latter! Worth noting, there's no battery. This probably won't be a problem as if you are considering it you probably have a power bank or some other wired power already. Gets you 90% of the way to Come As You Are, you just need to learn the notes.toblockle-0

EHX Small Clone Bass Chorus pedal is fantastic the xover switch allows you to keep my lows whereas they get sucked away with other bass chorus pedals.Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

Put in about two hours of playtime on this, stored it for a few months safely right next ot all my other EHX pedals. All of them work perfectly, this one just doesn't. Musician's Friend won't replace it, and EHX is making me pay to ship it back to fix it. Which is absurd as it's basically new.Ian

Great pedal! I use it all the time, i record bass part to Boss looper with my Harley Benton Fusion III, then add chords with the same guitar and then play solo. You cant tell its not a real bass guitar.tatyanaedelman

Great tone. I'm using this to lay bass tracks onto the looper. I'm really only using Precision setting. Fun to play around with the others. Fret less sounds cool.Kyle

The Battalion is great. Spent a long time trying to find the best distorted signal for my playing and finally found the right thing for me. Has plenty of options and a variety of other really useful features. The noise gate, although simple and the envelope being a bit too long is still really useful for it's intention. The Compressor is again basic but works as intended and gives the sound way more punch. The EQ is true and allows for a greater deal of control over the signal. It's just brilliant overall, feels sturdy and can imagine using it for a very long time!Samuel P.

Overall: Excellent sound and flexibility, really love the ability to blend the overdiven and natural bass sounds. good, simple, compressor. XLR output crashed within 6 months. Emailed tech support. literally ZERO response. Very disappointed. We use several of their products but the utter lack of response means we'll be smarter next time.Still gets a 3 for value because it's still usable with the 1/4" but really would like *someone* to reply when I email for help. Cannot recommend, which is a shame because it's a great pedal.James

I was recommended this bass preamp almost 20 years ago. I've been through a TON of boutique equipment since then, trying to find 'my sound' and figured..what the heck, let me give this pedal a try. It makes EVERYTHING sound better! If you play on other peoples rigs from time to time, bring this!!! You'll be so much happier you did! You can find 'your sound' on almost any rig with this little guy. I'm a gear snob, I like 'my sound', which is clear, clean, and with a little bit of tube breakup while grinding in on my jazz. My sound is a cross between Flea and Marcus Miller. My boutique equipment gives me this on its own. When I'm forced to play a Behringer single 15" cab with no tweeter and no usable EQ because its the backline, the Sans Amp will be definitely utilized that night! Do yourself a favor and grab one of these pedals! Even if you keep it in you bag as a backup DI. It's like having a preamp and/or a DI at your disposal in case you needed to go straight to the house.DT

Bought this to see about going straight to p.a. And monitor. Initial impressions very good. Even with tone controls flat it seems to improve the sound compared to going straight into the desk. More depth and detail? Not sure if they’re the right words but they’ll have to do! It now sits at the end of the line on my tiny pedal board. Other pedals are boss tuner, boss bass chorus and ebs billy Sheehan pedal. Simples!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Here's why I love this thing. First, I prefer passive basses. Second, when gigging I need fast access to three basic tone signatures — a mid-boosted one for a balanced mix with the band, a bottom-heavy grindy one for heavy lifting, and a scooped one for funk and solos. Program those in, and good to go, with the option to tweak them a bit for conditions without permanently altering the setting. Third, after years of lugging heavy, bulky head units I now feed the Sansamp into a 1000W ultralite power amp and have all the headroom I need, without the pain. Fourth, whenever I meet a new sound man at gigs the first thing I hear is "Sweet, a Sansamp DI." Fifth, hand-built like a tank in NYC. I'm sure I can list more, but you get the idea. I've been using it for three years now and won't ever go back to onboard preamps, either on the bass or on the head unit.Casey Ess

I have an Xotic AC Booster and it is one of my fav pedals. At the start of my chain – after the buffer – I have a Compressor, then an old DOD Preamp 250, followed by my AC. I like the sound, but had this setup for a while and was just looking to shake things up. I thought the RC ver 2 would be a great replacement for the DOD as what could be better than 2 xotics in series? Well, not this! The Comp (Wampler Ego; another pedal I like alot) did not play well with the RC. The sound was muddy and lost all definition. The RC alone was OK, but not great. Found the effect of Gain 1 to be pretty darn subtle and really not much better than my old DOD gain pedal. Had to crank RC Gain 1 to full CW to hear much – a very different pedal from the AC which is super responsive. I also found the adjustment for the RC Gain 2 pot to be very awkward for a quick adjustment onstage as is occasionally necessary between songs. So, I was pretty bummed out as I love the AC and I use an Xotic EP booster for regular lead boosts. Just did not work out for me. Hard to decide if I would recommend the RC. Personally, I am very picky about effects, usually use only 2 at most at one time (e.g. Comp + AC; EQ + Delay, etc.) . So I think i would say that I do not recommend…but you may like it.BCY123

I'm surprised at how much I use this pedal. I bought it to boost the signal of passive basses and it does that and a lot more. The EQ points are right where you need them. And because you can preset those as well as the volume, when you switch to a passive bass in the middle of a live performance there is no time wasted fiddling with knobs trying to match the sound of your active bass. Also it's useful as a clean boost on active basses for those times when your hands are busy and you can't adjust your amp in the middle of a song. Just pre-set the pedal to a little boost and any time you need it, you've got it with a quick stomp of the foot. The third use I find for this pedal is with effects. You can use it to put a little boost before any overdrive/distortion pedal it will increase the gain. I love this because I like the sound of the Morning Glory pedal, but it doesn't get quite dirty enough. Most pedals that get as dirty as I want don't sound the way the Morning Glory does so this is perfect for me. And the other way it's useful is to add bottom end to distortion pedals (which are famous for not supporting the low end very well). Preset a little bass boost and when you stomp the overdrive/distortion pedal also click on the Xotic RC.PDGood

Sounds great and is really small, so handy for folks with busier pedal boards. Also overdrive and fuzz in one unit. Nice features too with the ability to blend in clean tone over the overdrive – so you dont loose too much clarity and bottom end. Perfect for bassists like me!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a great multi effects pedal/DI. Its all I need. Dont let its small size fool you. Its got some weight to it, so I assume its probably well built. All metal. Each effects sections knobs light up a different color. Tuner is accurate. I didnt give a full 5 stars because I wouldve liked a rate knob in the chorus section & maybe some more options in the compressor section. Overall, I recommend this pedal. Pleasantly surprised with the build & sound quality. I doubt Ill use the Dirty Q (envelope filter) much but its there if I need it. Spend a little time with each section of this pedal & Im sure you will find at least one setting youll like!fuelman1975

Great effects packed into one PORTABLE unit! 12.5"long x 2.5"deep x 1.75" high. FX send/return, xlr out, input thru jacks make connections versatile. A ground lift switch helps to quiet noisy ground loops. Control knobs that are wide in control. The Dapper Bass is tuned to bass guitar and the effects can be dramatic compared to standard bass tone alone. It also has a built in standard chromatic tuner. Full metal chassis construction. For me, it is a great compact all-in-one!originaltechken

Wow man Wow!!! Where has this pedal been all my life ? And more importantly WHY HASENT ANYONE EVER TOLD ME ABOUT IT BEFORE!!! Have a super clean amp and just want to add a little Grit? Have a tube amp and want to push it over the edge? Going direct using a Preamp pedal and want to add a “Second Channel”? This is NOT a fuzz/Distortion. This is just an amazing gritty tone machine.Stone Jamess

I switched from the Pigtronix Fat Bass Drive to the Bass Soul Food. The review above me has said a good amount about this pedal, so I won't repeat what they said. This has just the right sound I've been wanting. Even blended all the way in, and the drive all the way over, it's not too distorted for me. It'll do a clean boost just fine as well. Really pleased that there's still good low end. Doesn't kill my tone. I mainly use it on my USA G&L SB-2 with flatwounds. I was considering the MXR Bass Overdrive but it was more expensive & I didn't like the sound of it as much. The video from EHX doesn't do this pedal justice, in my opinion. There's a couple more videos out there on YouTube that represent it a little better. This is my first EHX pedal & so far I am happy with it. Built in the USA & build quality seems good & tough. Get growling with the Bass Soul Food!Bass Playin' Trucker

Overall: I've tried several other bass boost/distortion pedals, but they were always too "harsh" or "metal sounding." They were good for that sound (grind, dirt), but it was too much for me. After reading the review on this pedal, I decided to try it. After three days, I'm thrilled! The clean boost is just that, the distortion goes from very smooth to the raunch some people like (but I don't). This pedal is perfect for setting up a boost/smooth distortion that is perfect for soloing with just that little extra edge on it. The tone control set on higher treble can also boost the upper-register tones on leads. It works, with some tweaks, on everything from my '70 P-bass to my Carvin Icon 5 fretless to my Ibanez 3006 6-string. I recommend this pedal very highly. If you want warm, tasteful distortion for your bass, this is the way to go. I'm a 30+ year Boss user, but this eats the Boss Bass Distortion alive for smoothness and taste.Lawrence

I own a few Dark Glass products and this pedal shines it can give you a subtle grind to a in your face bark.The controls make it easy to dial in a great sound l use it especially when I'm playing music from the 60's.Mike

Does exactly what i'd hope it would, great varieties of distorted Rock tones, solid build quality. Very true to the Youtube demos i'd seen previously. Recommended for Rock….probably go for other Darkglass offerings if you are a metal guy.Gregory S.

Wasn't expecting more than a good D. I. Box. After using it at my band rehearsal it's now become essential. It has made my ashdown drive pedal obsolete, cleaned up the bottom end in my tone and the whole band. I use a Spector Legend 6 Bass. I'm In a band with two bassists, drums and vocals. We both Bi-amp. A bass amp and a guitar amp. Getting these to all work together can be a real headache… But this has improved things so much, that the other bassist has one now. Tone very comparable to an ampeg type- Growly, very tight and controllable bottom end, doesn't "fart out" on Max. Top end can be moved between airy and crunchy. Build quality It is plastic, but I have no worries. I'm sure if I stomped on the 1/4" Jack, it would damage, but I keep mine on the pedal board anyway. Value Beyond comparison. I can't think of a better spent 20. The sansamp it's cloning is at least 8 times more expensive. And although it's better in some areas, (metal casing etc), sound-wise there's little to choose between them. At this price, in the unlikely event it broke, I'd just buy another. I have recorded using this, and it has very little noise, But massive tone. If it sounds good in an amplifier, it really comes into its own recorded. Save yourself a couple of grandon an svt, and just use this. Yes, really. I would highly recommend this pedal/D.I.snailsetsnail

Obviously with Behringer you are likely trying to save some cash instead of getting something "name brand." When I would record DI bass guitar, I used to run it through a distortion or fuzz pedal to get a more natural sounding gain. The V-Tone pedal is very good in that regard. Turn the presence, drive, and blend knobs all the way up and adjust the EQ to your liking and you get a mean crunch while keeping the clack of loose strings. That is about the limit of this pedal's potential, at least for me. Any adjustment to those knobs to turn down the distortion results in a sound nearly identical with just a clean DI with no pedal or preamp at all. It's as if turning them up from 1 to 8 has no effect until you get them to 9 and 10. Another flaw I've found is the high gain settings bring along a high pitched whistle that occurs randomly during playing, though it seems to happen with a lot of string rattle from long, held notes. It doesn't stand out when it's mixed with drums and a wall of guitars, though. I've only used it as a DI for recording, never as a preamp or DI for a PA or anything like that, it's possible it could be really good for those. I am happy with it to record bass for my doom, black metal, and mathcore kind of music, but wouldn't go to it for anything else.Jacob

I recently purchased the guitar version (GDI21) and was quick to get this bass version soon after. I own a rack mount Tech21 Sansamp RBI unit which has been excellent for me thru the years live. Also, their V1 VT Bass pedal has been a mainstay for me in a live setting. This is a very good clone of the BDDI with potential issues if used in a live setting. These are: Cheezy and fragile On/Off foot switch, and Illegible knobs. I have no idea where the knobs are set at any given time. Aside from that, I like this as a desk top companion to my other tone shapers such as the MXR M80 and M81 Bass Preamps. For little money, you can't lose in purchasing this for a home studio bass pre.Reed in CA

I get a variety of good, useable tones out of this one box. In fact, this has replaced the distortion patches I was using on my trusty DOD Bass 30 entirely. To say that I am happy with any stock stompbox is a big deal, because I have only a few left in my collection that I haven't modified the circuitry in to better suit me. This is one of the few originals, and that says volumes. I step on mine regularly, and haven't had any issues with it. I'm not a bass player, but I play one on my records. I've been playing lead guitar for 20 years, and I know good sounds. I say this to inform you that my credentials are in good order. You can get any sort of growl you want, thick or thin- and as much or little of the clean as you need to retain the punch at the same time. The only thing I would change is the color of the box… Since that has absolutely nothing to do with the sound it makes, I'm fine with it. Seriously, I was skeptical too when I saw the price. Don't let it, and the silly color fool you- Let your ears be the judge. Being a man with ears, fingers, and experience beyond my years, I highly recommend it to everyone.Shredprodigy

I got this a while back to add a some gain to play a bit of metal with a bit of overdrive on top as well as fattening the sound of the bass. Unfortunately this will never give you a "smooth" gain sound like having a guitar amp's gain around 2. Having gain down all the way shuts off all sound to the amp, and having it around 2/10 puts on a harsh brittle overdrive no matter the EQ. Sounds a little better with flatwound strings. This pedal goes all out or nothing. If a "Hysteria" sound is what you're going for, this will do it but not a true amp low/med-gain sound.Fear

Dont let the Beheinger haters discourage you. This pedal sounds fantastic. Build quality is a little flimsy but for this price who cares? Just dont stomp too hard!coretek-trading

I normally play flamenco guitar and have a very good acoustic amp I use for flamenco. I acquired an electric guitar, and needed a vintage overdrive sound, but I didn't want to buy another guitar amplifier. This unit does exactly what I need, providing a good range of distortion from mild to heavy, transforming my acoustic amp into what sounds more like a vintage tube amp. My wife likes the sound of the acoustic amp and TO800 combo, which surprised me because she usually doesn't care much for the sound of electric guitars. I'm very happy with this unit. I would highly recommend purchasing a power supply with the TO800. I discovered it goes through batteries much faster than I had anticipated.Timothy

I got this pedal to use with a low gain amp at rehearsals. I didn't want to drag out my regular board or take it apart. I was looking for an inexpensive overdrive pedal. I saw this , read the reviews and said what the heck. I actually got the pedal for free as I had enough reward points. I regularly use a Boss Blues Driver which I have had for over ten years. I got the pedal and hooked it up and was pleasantly surprised. It is very comparable to my Blues Driver. It accepts both my Dunlop nine volt adapters and my One Spot power supplies. The case is metal. I may even incorporate it into my regular board for another degree of overdrive. If you are considering trying an OD pedal, you can't go wrong with this. I am a semi professional guitarist with over fifty years of playing experience. I use tube amps and mainly American Fender guitars. I know what I'm talking about. An OD pedal is not the same as a distortion pedal. The purpose of an OD is to push you're amp to a higher gain level than it may be capable of or to give you a little more guts when playing a lead without changing the settings on your amp. I mainly play blues, classic rock and country rock. I don't need the OD when playing through my Marshall.Doctor J

The Good: The sound of this thing is great for grimy, doom metal. It's easy to use, sounds great, and has a decent depth of customization. The Bad: You have to press in the hinges on the pedal itself as the battery is under the pedal. It was scratched up before I even got to play it because of this. There's no reason the manufacturer could not have just put a small door in the bottom of the unit like every other pedal I've ever used. Also, the first time I changed the battery, the negative wire pulled out of the connector. I've decided that since I already bought it and like the way it sounds, I'm going to jury-rig a battery connector outside the main body. It'll look like cr4p, but I'll be able to use it without damaging it further and won't have to spend extra for a 110v adapter. I had read about the difficulty changing the battery, but figured I'd give it a shot because it's got so low-priced. Had I gone to a brink and mortar store and seen it, I would not have purchased this unit. If someone already has an adapter they plan on using with it, by all means do so.Russ G

The Mosaic pedal is easy to use, and produces a realistic 12 string effect. It comes with it's own power supply, and I recommend using it as it seems to use quite a lot of energy to produce the effect. When I first connected it in my chain, powered by the wimpy Snark power supply, it didn't really work. The light came on when I pressed the on/off button, but the effect wasn't happening. Then I used the power supply that came with it. Suddenly, out came the shimmering sound of an electric 12 string. In short, it might not sound like a Rickenbacker, but its close enough, and much less expensive. If you want the sound of a 12 string, but don't want to spend the money, this may be the perfect substitute.jonaha650

Overall: Ive been using my Roland Gr-55 (w/ GK-3) to add 12 string shimmer to my sound for years. This little box is amazing! Tracking is impeccable, and the controls are so simple I was up and running within seconds! The metal box is sturdily built, and COMES with a muscular 9v, 1.3amp power supply(?!?!) Switching is silent, and the effect tracks tonal changes between pickups well enough that once dialed in, I dont need to touch the tone knob. If I get insanely picky, I kinda wish there was a separate out for the 12string sound, but that would negatively affect the affordable price and kind of defeat the 1 pedal= 2 instrument simplicity. If you never ever wished you had a 12 string, but it antway! You'll see what you've been missingDennis

I have both a 6 string and 12 string Rickenbacker. I don't normally like to take my 12 string gigging because I've got enough other gear to haul around and the 12 string is only used on a few songs. Plus all the associated issues with tuning, string replacement, swapping guitars, etc. The Mosaic does a pretty credible job of making my six string sound like a 12 string. It does not produce a perfect reproduction, but I find it good enough that I'm using it regularly. Considering the technology needed to generate the 12 string sound from a six string instrument, I'm actually very impressed that it does a good a job as it does. And the fact that it is polyphonic is icing on the cake. I've used electronic harmonizers to try and duplicate a 12 string sound, but they always failed in two areas. You could not play chords and the high B and E strings sounded just awful because the harmonizer would try and play notes an octave above on those strings as well (usually rendering this approach useless).. I found that the Mosaic gives a pretty credible 12 string reproduction on the E, A, D, and G strings. Fortunately the upper B and E strings do not get the octave treatment. They remain with the original pitch, but they don't quite have the full tonal resonance of a true 12 string. It isn't bad, just not quite perfect. All in all, I feel its a good product, does a good enough job and I'm happy with the 12 string emulation. I think its a credible option to consider if you need a 12 string sound, but can't justify the cost and issues of owning a true 12 string.bgb92549

From slight dirt to full on creamy plexi distortion. It’s all there. Cleans up with the guitar volume knob. Pairs well with other exotic effects. I have two SL drives, one for grit and the other set for lead, as well as an exotic AC booster before to add a bit of boost. I run the EP booster at the end for nice volume boost. Synergy with all exotic effects.Charlie

I chose the SL Drive from a huge amount of drives on the market as I wanted something that fit on a small pedalboard, could provide a Marshall style sound at all gain levels as an alternative to amp gain, and which could work well with the BB MB pre-amp also by Xotic. This pedal really delivers. Although it takes time to set up and find the best sounds for personal preference, it provides a variety of useful tones across the spectra of volume, gain, and equalisation. The design is just so thoughtful and I like the possibility of running it at 18v, although at the moment 9v is better to my ears. Recommended as a piece of gear that should fit with most set-ups.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I've had the SL drive for awhile now and try as I might I can't find anything that can kick it off my board. I've tried numerous other amp in a box pedals(Marshall and otherwise),overdrives and distortions but I keep coming back to this little guy. I guess I keep trying because I find it hard to believe that a pedal this small and this inexpensive(relatively) can't be outdone. I use this in conjunction with a standard Tumnus and the 2 together just can't be beat for me and I'm done spending $ trying.mike smith

Exactly as your find in the videos and reviews online. Only issue I had was the power cord. Had to use another which sent buying one. But not enough of an issue not to buy it.csmi8204

Such a wonderful tool. Extremely versatile if you are bothered with the software. Easy to use if you are not. MIDI (yay!) if you want.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Loving it!. Couldn’t prize the guys off my guitar once this was plugged in. It surprises at every turn. Loading your own patches is something I haven’t mastered yet with the software; not intuitive.Mark J.

This is so feature rich you have to go slower. Also some of the preset levels on the Boost side almost blew up my amp and half stack. Be careful with the volume until you know what you have. 127 memory locations with the last update from 4. Sounds incredible but have to adjust carefully and the EQ is Active. It can really boost or cut but amazingly low noise to no noise and there is a great Noise Gate also that is very musical. Boss put a lot of thought into this and that shows so well. I only use analog distortions for the even harmonic content and this has that with hybrid digital also. Everything you want with headroom to spare from the high resolution A-D D-A converters and processing resolution.Morse

Seriously versatile pedal with a huge array of quality sounds. Simple to use even for an ageing rocker like me. Easy to store your favourite tone combinations and call them up at the press of a button. Tempted to try the other pedals in the 200 series. Must resist…..Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is a one stop do all OD/distortion pedal. The tone is fantastic. I love it. Running it threw a Marshall DSL 20 watt head and Orange Micro dark into a Randall 2×12. Really fattens the tone and easy to dial in to any tone you're into. Its a must buy for stacking and keeping your foot print small. Updating it to the newest firmware was easy just watch it on youtube. Grab oneGary A

The addition of the Boss style adaptor plug was a very welcome modification. The indicator light is cool as well. Both were absent in earlier versions of this classic overdrive. I've owned all versions of this pedal, including the original grey and yellow pedals. This is a nice take on them and the lighter weight casing appears to be aluminum. The originals and later reissues used a cast material that was heavy and was a bit of overkill for such a simple circuit. This is a great alternative to those. The circuit has a tendency to be a little bassy especially as the gain is increased. It lends itself to single coil guitars very well(yngwie) but works great with humbucking pickups as well. One of my all time favorite over drives, and I own them all. Stacks well with other pedals. Everyone should try this one, it rips.Duke

I'm in an acoustic jam group and needed some extra punch for my vintage Guild D-40 so it didn't get swallowed up when taking solos. Running a Fisher soundhole pickup through a 25W Danelectro solid state amp just didn't do the trick, but adding this does. I set it very clean with the gain dial at its lowest setting and the level up, using the eq on the Danny to brighten up the highs. A very natural sound, not like through the mic, but good for my purposes. With the gain up a bit, the added sustain on the low end was a pleasant surprise. The LED light is so bright, I'll never forget and leave it on. My one complaint so far is the changing the battery involves unscrewing four screws and taking the back off — why not build it with a slide-open compartment? When I hooked it up to my Tele, it took a little tweaking to get the setting right, but it produces a nice gritty sound. For the price, I'm happySwampy

great value; plenty volume on tap; treble and bass very usable; does color tone a bit but in a good thick way; less bass helps clear up the sound a bit. with small toggle switch in down pos perhaps a little more transparent and with toggle up adds a little more girth to the tone. flat response with vol around 1 o'clock, gain at 7 o'clock, bass at around 10 o'clock and treble around 3 o'clock (at least with my circuit…); gain begins to gets very "gainy" adding significant volume at around 10 o'clock and from will continue to increase to an extreme full tone slightly mid scooped distortion. not designed to be a big bumble bee crackly fuzz but like its label states an "overdrive" and will defiantly push your amp into breakup from mild to extreme.baycman

This pedal has gotta be one of the most underrated OD pedals out there…. especially given its price point. I have A,B'd this thing against modded BD-2s, modded OD-3's, and the SD-1W and the Mojomojo is just bigger and less tinty. I dont want it to be, but it is. It is a wonderful sounding OD and is great for OD rhythm sounds. It is in the cranked Marshall class of OD's so not to be confused with the green OD pedal. The only area that some of my modded ODs beat it in is sustain. It does tail off on lead stuff sooner than some more expensive pedals. That is the only area that it doesn't win though. You can also use this as an always on boost as well. All in all this thing always seems to knock more expensive pedals off my board time and time again. Highly recommend this pedal and at it's price point it should be in all OD aficionados collection.KL

I bought this compression pedal to boost my acoustic signal as well as fatten the sound a bit. I love the size as it fits on my board perfectly. I leave it on all the time so it neatly fits up top. I mainly lead worship at my church and was looking to make my Martin D-15 sound more like it is supposed to plugged in.Mark

The Xotic SP Compressor is without a doubt a 5 Star product! For many years I used a 1953 Gibson ES 175 or 1966 Telecaster plugged into a MXR Dyna Comp and grew to appreciate the warm squash this device had to offer as I lost the taste for most all distortion devices on the market. The Dyna Comp was a simple two knob device that squeezed my signal rather nicely to which I still have 3 of them floating about the house. I also have the more expanded version, MXR Limiter dating from the early 80s that also does a nice job modifying my signal. The only initial down side to the Dyna Comp was a little bit of noise. However the real down side to the old Dyna Comp was sometime in the early 90s, after Dunlop acquired ownership of the MXR Product, decided to reduce the cost of production by having all the jacks, pots, and switch connected directly to the PC Board via solder bath. Not only did this process of assembly affect the durability of this classic old compressor, it also compromised the tone and performance of a one great pedal. The vintage Dyna Comps wired point to point are far superior product. If you have one, keep it! In the wake of the cheapening of the Dyna Comp came the Keeley Compressor. I bought a Keeler Compressor somewhere around 10 years ago a noticed an improvement in performance over my old Dyna Comps with less noise. And with going into great detail, every guitar, from my old 1951 L5 to any of my old Fender sound great through this compressor. So now a new and somewhat revolutionary compressor has hit in the market by way of the Xotic SP. These guys are making some of the best pedals that I?ve run across in years. By the time I got my SP I was already the proud owner of an EP Booster and SL Drive. To later I have to say it is the only distortion that has come out in the last 30 years with a decent sounding tone that does not narrow the bandwidth of your signal path. Not to mention these pedals just happen to be the cutest looking signal devices on the market. What really makes the SP Compressor outstanding is the 3 position Hi/Mid/Low switch. The versatility to this pedal via of this switch is just amazing. In the Hi mode I can match the performance of my Keeley and Dyna Comp compressors for Jazz applications. However, I have taken using the Mid position for a great Blues/Rock tone. In this position the pedal allows me to play over the top of the compressor for soaring highs. This works in great combination with my 1960 Telecaster with Barden pickups. Anyway, I highly recommend the Xotic SP Compressor with its advantage in versatility over other compressors on the market. And here?s the bonus, this pedal is priced about $100 less than the Keeley. My hat?s off to you folks at Xotic for manufacturing a fantastic compressor at an affordable price that will thousands of guitar players sound better and better. Now if you can reinvent the Sola Sound Tone Bender in one of these small bud boxes, that would be fantastic!David A

I tried the Wampler and it was too much going on and I could find a sound I like. That was my first compressor so i'm Sure it was me. With this one I set it to Humbucker setting per the manual and it was fantastic. I just made the volume a little lower so that it was the same as my OD and TS pedals so that I control the gain there not with the compresssor. I leave it on all the time now. I never realized how much better the sound would be from just this. I always thought of it just pushing down the high parts but the making the lower parts a little louder made a big difference. This is going to be on permanently. Crystal clear sound wise too.Mike CT