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Wow. Just stumbled across the Pigtronix Philosopher King Compressor and Sustainer. This is a great pedal.. with lots of sonic potential.

The Pigtronix Philosopher King is a compressor, sustainer, distortion and polyphonic amplitude synthesizer. Combining our award-winning Philosopher’s Tone circuit with a next generation envelope generator, the Philosopher King takes tone several steps further with a full set of ADSR (Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release) controls including swell, fade, hold level, speed range, one-shot mode, selectable auto reset, CV i/o and expression pedals for swell and fade times.

With the Swell and Fade functions switched off, the Philosopher King provides transparent optical compression with endless sustain on tap. Adjustable compression (ratio), sustain (threshold) and treble (2k cut / boost) controls allow the musician to tailor the nature of the effect to meet the needs of the material at hand. From a subtle dash of added punch to massive, over-the-top howling sustain, the Philosopher King delivers clean, powerful optical compression. The grit control blends in a layer of sweet harmonic distortion that plays nice with other gain pedals as well as amplifier-generated tube distortion.

The Philosopher King’s swell function provides a pick triggered volume swell effect. The volume swell can be reset at any moment by muting or held open by continuous playing. This “slow gear” type effect is smooth and controllable with variable timing from extremely fast to very slow.

The fade function can be used independently of the swell and is also pick triggered. A major new feature of the decay cycle in this pedal is the ability to fade out from peak level only partially, bringing the audio down to a predetermined level, set by the hold control. The hold level is then maintained until the player releases the note to close the cycle. With the auto reset turned on, the cycle will begin again immediately, creating undulating amplitude modulation and even pulsating tremolo stutter effects at faster decay settings. With the auto-reset turned off, the player determines the exact timing for the beginning of the next cycle.

Another new feature is the one shot mode, which causes the Philosopher King to run through the swell / fade / hold / release cycle regardless of what is played after the cycle is triggered. In this mode, the Philosopher King creates complex waves of amplitude modulation on top of the music coming from your instrument. A trigger input jack allows the swell and fade functions to be controlled by an external source such as a band mate or drum track.

Here is a video by pigtronix

You can pick up the Pigtronix Philosopher King Compressor and Sustainer for $299.00 at Musician’s Friend.

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I have to admit… chicken pickin’ is something I’m sorta fascinated with. It’s so not the style of music I play, but man, I definitely respect it. I bet it’s super fun to play when you get it. I’m no where near to getting it, but I like checking out videos / demos of guys that can play that style.

Here is a quick video of Keith Sewell who has played with some great musicians (Lyle Lovett, Dixie Chicks, etc). In the video he demonstrates how the MXR Custom Comp does it’s thing ‘without being heard’ and just tightens the sound. Then he polishes it off with some quick delay using the MXR Carbon Copy. Check it out! Oh.. the video is by fpe.

MXR Custom Shop CSP202 Custom Comp Compressor – $129.99 at Musician’s Friend
MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay – $149.99 at Musician’s Friend

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So after looking at some of the responses from yesterday’s community question regarding compressor pedals, I noticed that the Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone Compressor/Sustainer was mentioned a couple of times. I’ve heard of this pedal, but I wanted to take a closer look. At first glance, it seems like a versatile pedal allowing for sustain, treble boost/cut and diode clipping distortion. Pretty interesting!

Here is the official description of the compressor:

The Philosopher’s Tone Compressor/Sustainer is an ideal front end to any guitar player’s pedalboard. It can also serve as the perfect companion to the Pigtronix Mothership Guitar Synthesizer or any other pitch-tracking musical equipment, delivering more accurate tracking and increased note duration. As a bonus, the Grit control mixes a layer of smooth, diode-clipping distortion into the effect.

Unlike the many compressor clones and their variations that have become so popular in the past 10 years, the Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone is not based on a CA3080 chip. The result is more sustain and less noise. The dynamic range, touch sensitivity, overall transparency, and outright sustain of the Philosopher’s Tone is unparalleled in the crowded world of compressor pedals.

Pigtronix Philospher’s Tone Compressor/Sustainer Guitar Effects Pedal Features:

* Adjustable threshold and ratio controls
* Blend control for parallel compression
* Smooth, diode-clipping distortion
* Treble boost/cut
* Ultracompact design
* Circuit design by Howard Davis
* Pigtronix 15VDC adapter included
* True bypass

I found a couple of great videos. This first one is by premiereguitar at the 2009 Winter NAMM

This next one is by gearwire, and also from the 2009 Winter NAMM show:

You can pick up the Pigtronix Philospher’s Tone Compressor/Sustainer for $169.00 at Musican’s Friend.

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Yesterday, @4ntwaan asked what I thought was the best compressor. Since I don’t use compressors very often, I thought this would be a great question to ask the community. I particularly think this question is a tough one. Compression is used in so many different applications for varying expected results. From country twang picking to tightening up mid range on leads to adding additional sustain to notes. One compressor might be better than the other depending on the requirement, so the ‘why’ portion of this question is pretty vital. I hope this helps shed some light on this question. Thanks to all that responded!

Twitter

christopherJR @effectsbay barber tone press… Why? Cuz it is awesome!
LeeChavez @Effectsbay I’m not real big on compressors. So not sure. I hear the Keely compresser is amazing.
CaptainVictory @effectsbay Best compressor for guitar rigs is MXR Dyna-Comp. Why? Because I say so and because its smooth squish is just unparalleled.
chaddbrooks @effectsbay cloned Ross
crunchyguitar1 @effectsbay The MXR-132 Super Comp,It doesn’t cut out with my active pickups.And the tone is remarkable+MXR is a very reliable product.
seanmbrage @effectsbay Strymon makes a darn good comp…more transparent than anything I’ve ever heard! Barber Tone Press is a sure shot as well!
nogoodguitarpkr @effectsbay Although I haven’t played it yet, just *hearing* the Rothwell Love Squeeze makes me want one! Also good: TonePress and CS3.

Facebook

Kevin Ian Common i’d really like to know this… because i have yet to play one i actually like
Lionel Oberto Mxr dyna comp, or dbx (rack)
Jomar Findlay can’t really say with 100% certainty that one is better than the other…
Joe Harley for my own needs it’s the Barber Tone Press. i don’t like alot of “squish”, or want my tone affected at all, and the barber is perfect for that. it gives me control over my volume, keeps my funk and reggae skanks tight, and lets me really cut loose with my hollow body for some big leads…without changing any of the charecter of my sound. that blend knob is the key. and at$150?? it’s a steal
Justin Vigeant I’ve given up on compressor pedals…
Kevin Ian Common …i think it’s the squish that i cannot stand. also, i’m a very dynamic player–in regards that i play with dynamics and picking attack often… and the squish tends to kill most of that
Kevin Ian Common i also use a BBE sonic maximizer… and i haven’t found a compressor that plays nice with it (i’m not giving up the bbe )
Michael Jason Sammut I use the compressor on my Nova System in the loop and it is magical.
Matt Drozdeck philosophers tone
Mark Grundhoefer I like my Keeley Two Knob Compressor and a little dirt on the channel for slide stuff. Plus it works well during solos to get that epic big sustain.
Alexandre Stortregn For my bass I use the one on the ashdown amps(mag evo II 600), quite amazing. And for guitar any expensive tube compressor from EHX is great.
Ben Howard I use a Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone. It has it all for me, plenty of control to go from subtle compression that just stops heavy strumming sections from jumping out and also the ability to crank it and get a Chili Peppers vibe going with a strat. The grit knob is a great little extra that let’s you blend in a touch of distortion so it sounds like … See Moreyou have two amps running. ProGuitarShop has a great demo of it on their Website. It’s also really small, so great for crammed pedal boards. Runs on 9-18v (no battery) so there’s also plenty of headroom.
Dominic Rippel Hartman … 2 knobs, Ross circuit, school desk blue.. Clean as a whistle!

Please feel to continue the discussion by commenting below!

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A couple of days ago, I posted the Electro-Harmonix’s Black Finger Compressor, they also have the Electro-Harmonix White Finger compressor. The White Finger is different than the Black Finger which uses 12ax7 tube circuitry by using FET solid state circuitry.

Here are the details:

An advanced multi FET compressor with uniquely varied sounds that stand out from the crowd. Controls include post gain, pre gain, compress, compression level, and sensitivity.

Here is another video by EHX (by Peter Stroud) demoing the pedal.

You can pick up the Electro-Harmonix Classics White Finger Compressor for $148.50 at Musician’s Friend. Currently, this item is a Musician’s Friend ‘Clearance Item’, so quantity is limited to stock-on-hand.

Remember, if you like reading about pedals and seeing videos reviews from others, please subscribe to the RSS feed and get notified via email when there are new postings!

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After I posted the EHX Soul Preacher compressor/sustainer, @underwoodblog suggested I check out the Barber Tone Press Compressor. This definitely seems to be a great pedal and depending on what you want to do, this could be a great addition to your board.

Here is the official pedal description:

The Barber Tone Press Compressor Effect Pedal: tone and sustain with plug and play performance. Bringing together the very best of classic guitar compression and time-honored recording techniques, the Barber Tone Press compressor pedal is a revolutionary performance compression pedal that has no rival… A Tonal Breakthrough: How Barber Did It:  In research and development, Barber studied the problems associated with classic guitar compressors and their recent clones and found that, while the clone-makers build pedals with improved components (cleaner switching, in particular) and matched transistors, a few of the major drawbacks of those vintage designs still exist. The most glaring drawback of popular classic compressors is that they reverse the guitar’s phase and cause a pop (squashed attack anyone?) at the beginning of every note.

Although we now see some compression units that have attack controls, they leave a bit to be desired as they require seemingly endless trial and error tweaking – and no solution. The solution? Parallel compression, a Barber innovation that blows away having to deal with attack, ratio and release knobs of other so-called studio compressors. Barber developed a one-of-a-kind and quite proprietary continuous blend control circuit and combined it with a discrete Class A FET mixer circuit to allow you to continuously blend the natural signal of your carefully selected guitar with a phase-corrected classic compression circuit. The result? What guitar players have always wanted – unaltered attack and supernatural sustain and resonance, no studio engineering degree required.

I also found another great demo video by gearmanndude where he gets a little assistance with some serious compressed country pickin’

You can pick up the Barber Tone Press Compressor for $149.95 (includes FREE shipping) at Fat Tone Guitars!

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Yesterday @fadyperdana asked for compressor / sustainer suggestion. Coincidentally, I was just looking at the Electro-Harmonix Nano Soul Preacher the other day on YouTube. This appears to be a nice little compressor / sustainer with some nice options.

Here is the official pedal description:

The Electro-Harmonix Nano Soul Preacher is an effect pedal that offers you 3 selectable attacks coupled with silky, long sustains that blend in perfect harmony to create one of the finest compressors ever built for guitar and bass. The variable attacks offer super articulate compression. Lets your guitar step forward without squeezing the life out of your tone.

Electro-Harmonix Nano Soul Preacher Compressor / Sustainer Guitar Effects Pedal Features:

* Sustain Control adjusts the amount of sustain.
* Volume Control sets the output level.
* Attack Toggle Switch provides 3 settings of attack: fast, medium and slow.
* Footswitch Selects whether the Soul Preacher is engaged or bypassed. The LED will be lit when the pedal is engaged, and dark when bypassed.
* 1/4″ input and output jacks.
* When in Bypass mode, the output jack is connected to the input jack through a buffer.
* The barrel connector is for a 9-volt battery eliminator capable of delivering 100 mA of current. The inner ring of the 9-volt battery eliminator must be negative, the outer ring positive. The unit’s battery may be left in or taken out when the eliminator is in use.

Here is the video I was watching by EHX

You can pick up the Electro-Harmonix Nano Soul Preacher Compressor / Sustainer pedal for $103.35 at Musician’s Friend.

Remember, if you like reading about pedals and seeing videos reviews from others, please subscribe to the RSS feed and get notified via email when there are new postings!

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I thought I was done finding awesome deals on BBE pedals, but I came across another one on Amazon. Here is the BBE Orange Squash Fet Compressor Pedal. This pedal normally lists for $169.00, but is now on sale for $119.99. I was unable to find any video demos of this pedal, but here is the official pedal description:

The Orange Squash is a compressor patterned after an old favorite that levels out louder signals while boosting lower signals to provide a smooth sustain without changing the original sound. Robust build quality and rugged engineering ensure that the Orange Squash will stand up to the abuse of life on the road. Other features include hardwire bypass, LED operation indicator, non-slip rubber bottom, easy-access 9v battery compartment and included external power supply.

You can pick up the BBE Orange Squash Fet Compressor Pedal for $119.99 at Amazon, and this pedal ships FREE with super saver shipping!

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So yesterday I had a chance to view @josephdickens‘ pedal board (he should submit it for Pedal Line Friday) and I noticed the Visual Sound Route 66 Distortion/Compressor on there. Today, I thought I’d take a closer look at it.

I’ve been a fan of Visual Sound and talked about a few of their pedals in the past on this site. They make quality pedals and good prices, with excellent components.  The Route 66 is basically two separate pedals in one enclosure. On the left you have the distortion, and on the right you have the compressor.

Here is the official product description:

The Visual Sound Route 66 multi effects pedal gives you the great tone guitarists have come to love, plus an added noise reduction system that gives you that quiet ride you’ve always wanted. Classic compression combined with classic overdrive-these two effects sound great on their own, but combine them, as the Route 66 pedal has, and get the ultimate combination in a single pedal pedal.

The V2 Route 66 pedal features redesigned noise reduction on the compressor channel, and additional low-drive range on the overdrive channel. The great-sounding overdrive channel is modeled after the sound of the original Tube Screamer, but it also has a bass boost switch. The compressor can be set for classic squash or clean boost with the unique preamp stage and gain knob. This allows for a truckload of clean gain. The compressor even has its own tone control. The 2 effects can be used independently or combined to complement one another.

In 1999, Visual Sound made the statement “Our Route 66 is sure to become as legendary as its namesake.” With countless great guitarists using it ever since, the Route 66 pedal from Visual Sound has become just that, a legend!

The V2RT66 Overdrive and Compression Guitar Multi Effects Pedal features a diecast aluminum housing, ultra-reliable 10 million cycle switching, easy battery access and circuit protection from AC adapters. Wide and sturdy stomp switches designed by Bob Weil himself. And a redesigned, noise-free experience. This version of the Route 66 pedal has raised the bar for years to come.

Here is Visual Sound’s official video of the pedal by VisualSoundUSA

You can pick up the Visual Sound V2 Series V2RT66 Route 66 Overdrive / Compressor for $149.95 at Musician’s Friend

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Here we have the BBE OPTO Stomp compressor pedal. It has volume and compression controls with with footswitch, hardwire bypass switching, 9v power and external power supply. Normally, this pedal lists at $179.99, but this is currently at an insane price of $61.16 (66% off) with super saver shipping!!! There is a limited amount, so you’ll need to act quick to get this deal. Thanks to WhoaPower for giving me the heads up!

Click here to get full details on the BBE OPTO STOMP offer at Amazon.

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