BBE compressor pedals

[fraidykat]

Hi, I've been looking for a compressor for my bass, so I've been reading up.

I noticed that 3 BBE compressors are no longer being made:
Orange Squash
Bench Press
Opto-Stomp

Why is that? I thought that these pedals were thought to be well made.

This is the only compressor currently available.
http://www.bbesound.com/products/stomp- ... _OC-5.aspx

Plus, why change the look so often?

Thanks in advance,
Kate

[darwinohm]

Kate, great question. I have also wanted a compressor for my bass and had thought about the G&Ls. I have a Carvin with a built in compressor and I do not like it as even though it is adjustable, I think that it compresses too much. I also have two SWR amps that have built in compressors that are not adjustable but a push pull knob. I have never noticed any change in what they do so I have not had success with compressors so far. What I have discovered is that I am a soft string picker and that always makes room for a loud pluck if you are not careful. I have started using a bit more pluck attack on the string with less volume overall and it really smooths things out. I would love to try a good compressor. Hello to your kitty! -- Darwin

[louis cyfer]

and this one too

http://www.bbesound.com/products/stomp- ... -3080.aspx

[blargfromouterspace]

Hey Kate,

Looks to me like they've combined the Bench Press and Orange Squash into the one pedal, the one Louis has given the link to. As for the look changes, I think that it was necessary to make them more attractive to the many people who buy based on looks - which seems to make up the majority Still, the old graphics were pretty cheesy to say the least! And I think they've done an excellent job on this redesign though the original straightforward ones were great too. At least the names are (mostly...) the same to avoid confusion.

[fraidykat]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm going to try my Orange Squash and Sonic Stomp to see how that improves the sound.

I do agree that the look of the pedals need to be updated.
It did keep me from buying one of them.

I also have this Ibanez multi-unit from the 80s, but it's a bit noisy.
Has anyone ever used this series of pedals?


Thanks,
Kate

[KenC]

Kate,

Several of the old compressors were available after my first turn as Lunch Reporter. I can't remember the details of the descriptions, but I believe each of them was based on a different vintage compressor circuit. I agree with Jamie that it looks like they've just combined them into two pedals based on the types of circuit (optical and OTA).

FWIW, I selected the Bench Press. I have no complaints about it. My main compressor is a Carl Martin, which gets 99.9% of the use. I have found that the Bench Press works very nicely as a limiter at the end of my signal chain when I use digital delays or pedals that can self-oscillate. It doesn't affect my tone as far as I can tell.

Ken

[louis cyfer]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm going to try my Orange Squash and Sonic Stomp to see how that improves the sound.

I do agree that the look of the pedals need to be updated.
It did keep me from buying one of them.

I also have this Ibanez multi-unit from the 80s, but it's a bit noisy.
Has anyone ever used this series of pedals?


Thanks,
Kate

i have, they were kind of crappy little pedals.

[Boogie Bill]

I actually think the Ibanez is pretty cool. One of the first multis on the market, this one is designed for bass. The guitar ones were popular back in the day. Note the jacks for the loop--very advanced for back then. Probably a Maxon design so it should be decent. In my price guide they book at $275--350 in excellent condition. The noise could be a power supply issue, or just age...perhaps a cap issue.

I use Boss a CS-3 on my board, but I also have an Opto Stomp to try. My fav for guitar was the original Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer. They discontinued them and then some ####-ing a-hole stole it.

Bill