I picked up a Dyna-Comp. I was on a budget and got it for less then $40. The problem is that I'm getting a ton of noise when I use it with my OCD. I have it set up after the OD because the OCD is a responsive pedal that changes in tone based on pick attack and volume knob. I know that Trey also has his after the OD in his chain. I know he uses compression, so how is he able to keep it so clean? By nature, I know that the compressor wants to bring any noise up or down to a particular volume, which makes it obvious that hiss will end up amplified a bit. I'm just wondering how to avoid that or lessen it if possible. When I'm soloing you don't really notice and I'm getting some really nice sustaining leads. When I get back to a rhythm section, slower part or anything with space though, it is way too loud... :-\
Thanks!
Try turning down the sustain knob, get a noise gate after the compressor, or get a better compressor. 8)
Look into the Script Reissue DynaComps. Analogman modded ones come up on ebay occasionally. I have one and it's pretty killer. More Sqish=more noise no matter what compressor for the most part.
Quote from: Flavaham on September 16, 2011, 05:02:28 PM
I picked up a Dyna-Comp. I was on a budget and got it for less then $40. The problem is that I'm getting a ton of noise when I use it with my OCD. I have it set up after the OD because the OCD is a responsive pedal that changes in tone based on pick attack and volume knob. I know that Trey also has his after the OD in his chain. I know he uses compression, so how is he able to keep it so clean? By nature, I know that the compressor wants to bring any noise up or down to a particular volume, which makes it obvious that hiss will end up amplified a bit. I'm just wondering how to avoid that or lessen it if possible. When I'm soloing you don't really notice and I'm getting some really nice sustaining leads. When I get back to a rhythm section, slower part or anything with space though, it is way too loud... :-\
Thanks!
This is addressing the volume issue, here's something I do: (in this im using, guitar>tubescreamer>comp>amp. Basically the effects I use along with delay and vibe)
1) Start with your amp at one volume, lets say 4 (fenders use numbers not sure what amp you have)
2) Turn your guitar volume and tone all the way up.
3) With all pedals off, strum your guitar and pay attention to how loud the overall volume is.
4) Start with the level on your comp at 9:00 and sustain lets say 9:00 as well.
5) Click your comp on and off while strumming, pay attention to the volume difference of when the comp is on then off (with the level at 9:00 your over all volume should be lower when you click the comp on)
6) Adjust the level on the comp until it matches the volume of strumming just guitar and amp (guitar volume all the way up still btw)
7) Match the level on your OD to the comp level (If your comp is at 11:00 after adjusting set your OD level to 11:00).
8 ) If you want your overall volume to be louder turn your Amp up and adjust pedal levels accordingly.
9) Once you have a preferred volume set on amp and levels set on pedals, utilize your guitar volume and tone nobs to adjust overall volume levels while playing.
-As for the sustain and drive nob settings on your pedals that is your preference, more crunch more squash etc. But keep in mind these nobs also increase the volume as you turn them up so you may have to compensate with backing off the level nobs to match volume of the amp and guitar.
The steps are very basic but should give you a good start on keeping volume increase minimal when turning pedals on and off while playing. I like to base the levels of OD and comp on amp volume setting, which changes a lot depending on where im playing. My amp as the master volume, then using my guitar to control how loud I want to be, so when I jump from lead to rhythm I just roll back the volume on my guitar being able to keep my pedals on.
Another thing, look into getting a good comp, there are a few good ones out that are affordable (my keeley is quite compared to others), and search the forum, there is a ton of great info on comps, pedal positioning etc.
Hope this helps man and good luck with the rig!
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nob (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nob)
Sorry, i'm a comedian and it's my duty to make others chuckle. :P
That's good beta right there.
Personally i like to run my amp hotter, like up around 6-8 on my Twin, and I leave my Comp on all the time to reduce the overall volume.
I can make small adjustments to the comp volume sort of acting like a volume pedal.
I just think the amp sounds better when the tubes are run hot. You just have to be careful not to accidentally switch off the Comp or you might blow out some ear drums.
Quote from: Happyorange27 on September 16, 2011, 06:44:13 PM
Try turning down the sustain knob, get a noise gate after the compressor, or get a better compressor. 8)
I just wanted to mention that I really love having a noise gate built into my compressor. You could just get a separate noise gate after your compressor. My gate has a green and red light indicating when it's passing or blocking the signal. It's great because when the screamers are on idle i just tweak the noise gate so that it is barely on red (blocking the signal). As soon as i just barely touch the strings, the noise gate turns green and you hear it. It's great because i never have idle noise even with the screamers on. Try it kids. ;)
Top left corner of the rack compressor. See it's red right now.
(http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff504/happyorange27/cb90365c.jpg)
someone actually just suggested the mxr dynacomp to me yesterday and noted that it's a great pedal for a decent price. I've only read a couple bad reviews on it, but I think it really comes down to the guitarist's flavor...I just gotta goto the store and try a couple out n compare em. I just wish i could bring my whole right to the store so i know what it sounds like with my gear!
Every time I think to try out gear at the store, I talk myself out of it cuz I can't bring my rig ;) I went a few months ago for the first time in over a year and didn't like anything! Tried pretty much every fuzz they had, they just kept bringing them... I think the stock RI Fender amp and stock Fender guitar I tested with played a big role.
Retro Sonic Comp is basically a Ross Clone and it sounds great.
True - I have it on my board and I am really digging it so far, been a few weeks and I have no complaints. Plus it is cheaper than other Ross Clones of a similar quality.
I got a CMATmods 2 knob off TGP for a pretty good price. I like it a lot better compared to other "clones" I've tried, and it's got a pretty small footprint!
Quote from: tomasmaclennan on February 09, 2012, 11:37:58 AM
I got a CMATmods 2 knob off TGP for a pretty good price. I like it a lot better compared to other "clones" I've tried, and it's got a pretty small footprint!
Sweet right? Welcome to the club. :)
Quote from: Happyorange27 on February 09, 2012, 11:52:27 AM
Quote from: tomasmaclennan on February 09, 2012, 11:37:58 AM
I got a CMATmods 2 knob off TGP for a pretty good price. I like it a lot better compared to other "clones" I've tried, and it's got a pretty small footprint!
Sweet right? Welcome to the club. :)
Thanks :) My only gripe is that the 9v jack is a little "loud?" I don't know how to describe it.
have any of you guys tried a modtone lemon squeeze compressor? I haven't really heard much about modtone but my friend just got one for 50 bucks. I'll give a try one of these days...
I havent read enough about Modtones or seen many vids on any of their pedals but i hear the Tubescreamer clone is great. I would get a Retro Sonic Compressor. Its awesome and is a great Ross Clone
Quote from: webephishin on March 26, 2012, 04:14:17 PM
have any of you guys tried a modtone lemon squeeze compressor? I haven't really heard much about modtone but my friend just got one for 50 bucks. I'll give a try one of these days...
Seems like it could be a clone of the Orange Squeezer unit. Lemon, Orange, fruits! I never tried this comp circuit but from what I've read it's different than a Ross
I have an Orange Squeeze and can confirm it is different than a Ross. Everything is. There is no substitute.
Thankfully, my good friend SourD just curated an 80's Ross for me, so I'm now officially "in the game" :D
Quote from: Walker done done on March 27, 2012, 11:05:57 AM
I have an Orange Squeeze and can confirm it is different than a Ross. Everything is. There is no substitute.
Thankfully, my good friend SourD just curated an 80's Ross for me, so I'm now officially "in the game" :D
It is actually a '78 ross. I dated it by the pot codes (not 420. The number stamped on the potentiometers). If you look at the pots on older pedals the number stamped on the side or back will start with 137 then the next 2 numbers are the year.
I've read the Orange Squeezer is pretty transparent, does it have enough compression to get towards Trey 97 sound. 97 sounds like the levels on the Ross were very high to me.
Yea, I just got a Philosopher's Tone from Pigtronix, which is a cool little comp, but as stated above, if its not a Ross clone, its not a Ross clone.
The PT is flat like more 'modern' compressors; doesn't have that midrang-y thing that a Ross does. However, the compression feels somewhat similar to a Ross, fairly squashed even at the minimal setting and the attack time seems relatively similar (not sure of the actual spec). The bloom is definitely a bit different than a Ross or other comps, not a bad thing, but different. Pigtronix suggested it is a much improved technology, working more quietly and with better sustain (obviously these things are all relative to settings).
I need more time to complete an opinion, but I spent a few hours a/b'ing with the Ross clone. Both after the TS's, I found that they had a similar noise:sustain:volume maintenance ratio (the three variables I am interested in). The Ross may have actually been the winner by a slight bit and also runs off of a 9v standard, while the PT can be powered by 9v, but shipped with an 18v supply. The noise from the 2 units was different; the PT's noise was 'thicker' sounding, while the Ross's noise was more midrangy and thin sounding. When I set the comps to have a similar volume of noise, I found that the Ross's buzz was less noticeable to me, but maybe cuz I am used to that slight background buzz frequency. At this amount of noise, I actually found the Ross to have slightly better sustain, both pedals maintained the ultimate volume similarly across the span of my guitar's volume knob - which is the main reason I tried the PT, I was hoping to get by without a volume pedal (at louder volumes I think I could with either comp, as the amp compresses a bit).
As for the EQ, sometimes I like the more open sound of the PT, but it is less familiar to those beloved jam tones where the Ross really smooths out the top and bottom of the TS's. On the other hand, it seems a few people on this forum are using dirt pedals with a flatter EQ and I would guess that TS>PT might have a similar frequency plot to a more transparent OD>Ross (that is a gross generalization, I know).
As for the amount of noise, I made a few changes to my rig recently and I think I am getting a little more buzz than usual so I need to work that out. I need to spend a lot more time with this comp too before I make a decision. In the end, I might just be a Ross fan to the end.
Quote from: MomaDan on May 02, 2012, 05:58:09 PM
I've read the Orange Squeezer is pretty transparent, does it have enough compression to get towards Trey 97 sound. 97 sounds like the levels on the Ross were very high to me.
I agree it is pretty transparent. I used it for a year or so until I got the Keely 4knob comp. I still liked the Keely better than the Squeeze, but the Squeeze is a good comp for sure. I'd reco' trying it.
Whats the going rate on a gray Ross? One just went up on my local CL in beat up condition, it looks pretty affordable for a vintage Ross. I asked for gutshots to see the codes after reading sour's post.
Quote from: MomaDan on May 04, 2012, 12:53:08 AM
Whats the going rate on a gray Ross? One just went up on my local CL in beat up condition, it looks pretty affordable for a vintage Ross. I asked for gutshots to see the codes after reading sour's post.
$300-$350...and they go up from there. If you can grab it, do it.
^Truth.
There is one on ebay.ca right now for $499US, buy it now only.
If anyone is interested, I would sell my Ross Compressor (grey, Made in USA) for $400. Paypal and shipped. It also comes in the original box with a couple of the Ross inserts. I've considered selling it for a while, so I figured this is a good place to start.
Quote from: IamWILSON on May 04, 2012, 03:15:09 PM
If anyone is interested, I would sell my Ross Compressor (grey, Made in USA) for $400. Paypal and shipped. It also comes in the original box with a couple of the Ross inserts. I've considered selling it for a while, so I figured this is a good place to start.
Lemme see what shakes outta the graduation tree!
Quote from: tomasmaclennan on May 04, 2012, 05:00:34 PM
Quote from: IamWILSON on May 04, 2012, 03:15:09 PM
If anyone is interested, I would sell my Ross Compressor (grey, Made in USA) for $400. Paypal and shipped. It also comes in the original box with a couple of the Ross inserts. I've considered selling it for a while, so I figured this is a good place to start.
Lemme see what shakes outta the graduation tree!
lol thats exactly what I was thinking. You know your a gearhead when relatives ask what pedal to get you for a present ;D
Quote from: MomaDan on May 04, 2012, 08:10:08 PM
Quote from: tomasmaclennan on May 04, 2012, 05:00:34 PM
Quote from: IamWILSON on May 04, 2012, 03:15:09 PM
If anyone is interested, I would sell my Ross Compressor (grey, Made in USA) for $400. Paypal and shipped. It also comes in the original box with a couple of the Ross inserts. I've considered selling it for a while, so I figured this is a good place to start.
Lemme see what shakes outta the graduation tree!
lol thats exactly what I was thinking. You know your a gearhead when relatives ask what pedal to get you for a present ;D
Exactly, I need to upgrade the board itself too. PT-1 Hardcase for $129 at GC seems like a good ol deal to me!
Quote from: tomasmaclennan on May 06, 2012, 03:36:00 PM
Exactly, I need to upgrade the board itself too. PT-1 Hardcase for $129 at GC seems like a good ol deal to me!
I think you can get the PT-2 with a soft case for that same price. More real estate for the future, and I don't know what kind of gigging our touring you are doing, but the softcase is great if you're staying local. Even if I'm touring and packing the gear myself, I know I'm fine w/ my softcase, but I guess if you were to fly with it the hardcase would be a bonus.
Quote from: IamWILSON on May 06, 2012, 04:41:06 PM
Quote from: tomasmaclennan on May 06, 2012, 03:36:00 PM
Exactly, I need to upgrade the board itself too. PT-1 Hardcase for $129 at GC seems like a good ol deal to me!
I think you can get the PT-2 with a soft case for that same price. More real estate for the future, and I don't know what kind of gigging our touring you are doing, but the softcase is great if you're staying local. Even if I'm touring and packing the gear myself, I know I'm fine w/ my softcase, but I guess if you were to fly with it the hardcase would be a bonus.
Yeah I was thinking about that too. If I get anymore pedals it would definitely be a compressor (thinking the AM ross) and MAYBE the new (yet-to-be-released) Whammy V if I wait a while and find it used. I plan on using a VP on the ground and if needed, my RMC Wah too if I get more stuff.
I actually owned a PT-Pro for awhile with a SC but was difficult to deal with in terms of flimsyness and my knobs getting twisted (first world problem.)
GRANTED, the PT-Pro is a much larger and heavier board. I like the idea of a Hard Case for the PT-1 because it protects all my investments better than the SC did. I also picked up a great handtruck so hauling gear is easier and with the HC the PT and my DRRI can get to the car in one trip with my guitar. I just graduated so I am hoping to open up my gigging schedule. YMMV though that is just what I have encountered with the pedaltrains.
EDIT: Just checked GC and they are the same price, when I get to the store I will check on how sturdy it is.
Just got a Keeley 2 knob comp. Problem is even with the level at full it barely reaches unity volume on my amp. With a friend's Mesa Express every position sounded good and didnt choke the volume. I started tweaking the trimpots but that seems to quiet the comp a little more.
Heady I saw a thread on TGP where you had the same problem. Did you end up sending it back to Keeley to fix? That's a little discouraging considering its a brand new pedal, I'd rather not have to send it out. Unless shipping is free of course.
I sent it to Keeley once and they made a couple basic changes - it was the 'newest' circuit, but builders were forgetting one wire that was of minimal importance. They added the wire and said everything was functioning perfectly. Still had the problem after that and spent quite a bit of time on the phone with Robert who is a very nice guy. He tried out one or two in his shop with a few Gibson's (I was playing a Les Paul) and he got plenty of boost out of it (he was playing some Dead tunes which was cool). He wanted me to ship it back to them again, but I listed it on CList and explained the situation to the buyer who was still very thrilled with the pedal.
I find that many Ross clones don't have a ton of boost, but usually enough to stay at unity or give a little more. My Analogman had more volume, so did the Barber IIRC and my Retro Sonic has never run out of volume, though sometimes I have the volume knob maxed. Despite enjoying my conversations with Robert, I have read a couple threads with people having that problem and I think they shouldn't market the pedal as doubling as a clean boost - it makes it sound like it has more gain on tap than competitors and it does not. Great for Strats or Tele's with lower output (hence the Country players who love the Keeley), but I would suggest ditching it for a recent Analogman (since he changed the pot type on the sustain knob) or Retro Sonic. The Keeley would be the best if it had more volume since the input clipping knob is a great feature when using it after dirt. I can't imagine using the Keeley at line level (as their marketing suggests it can because of the clipping knob), that hot of a signal would lead to more compression and much less than unity output.
Yea in the instructions it says to turn down the sustain for a clean boost but as it is now that would never work. I literally just got it and first tried with my LP and the Mesa. Then I couldn't recreate those same sounds on the Vox. The Keeley just couldnt hit enough volume for me without cranking a TS. I'm gonna tweak some more and see if amp volume changes anything in the equation. Maybe I could try to trade the Keeley for a AM Ross, that might be my best bet right now. I wonder if there is a resistor that could be changed to increase volume. I'm gonna email RK to see what he says.
It can't hurt to get in touch with Keeley, but I don't think anything is wrong with your pedal. I can't recall the correct title of all of the LP models, but some of those reissues from specific years in the past have hotter pups. I think that slight increase in output is what results in more compression and less output available (compared to the Gibson LP's Robert was testing at his shop with typical PAF output).
The good thing is that nothing is wrong with the pedal IMO, so you don't have to feel bad about trading it - you just haven't bonded with it. Unfortunately, you haven't bonded with it.
PS - I don't think there is a resistor on the volume knob. Good idea to check on your part, but I can't imagine why they would do that, I don't remember it being the case, and I would expect Keeley would have decided to stop limiting the output volume once he realized people wanted more. In the mean time, I would suspect the best way to compensate is turning up the input volume on the amp.
Hmm strange ??? My Wolfetone's have much less output than the stock ones. Its like 13k to 8.5 with the swap. Maybe the increased bass response changes the squish characteristics but I dont know what that would have to do with the volume. Tomorrow I'll mess with the eq and ratio of top boost to clean volume to see if that helps at all. My theory right now is that the amp is a much bigger part in achieving tone with a compressor than guitar, or at least this comp.
Yea... good luck figured it out! I'll be interested in hearing if anything gives
One thing about resistance ratings - they apparently don't give as much information as people think / as much as companies imply it means. I have Joe Barden's in my Solid Body and the resistance would imply very low output (in fact, Barden doesn't share their resistance ratings for that reason, it can be misleading), but they pack quite a punch without the loss of top-end (as many pups do when they are higher output). Reminds me of Roy Buchannon's pup - wouldn't give an ohm reading, but produced a lauded tone that people have tried to emulate for years. After typing this, I realize this probably isn't helpful, but whatev...
Heady Jam Fan, I just wanna say I lurke around these forums quite a bit and I love reading your posts- they are very informative and beneficial to a lot of the questions I have. A lot of the times my questions are being answered before I need to even ask them. With that said, you appear to have a TON of experience and knowledge with a lot of different pedals....I have my eye on the standard AM Comprossor and was wondering if you'd had any personal experience with it...basically what did you think of it? what's is pros and cons? I'm excited to finally add a compressor to my rig because I think it will add more character, boldness and sustain to my higher notes on my lower e string higher up the fretboard!
Lol, thanks man! There are a lot of really well-informed people here and I learned a lot from them as well.
I have had a handful of Ross type compressors in the past two years or so, the Analogman was the first one I tried and looking back on it, one of my favorites as well.
I had an older version of the AM ComROSSor which had a different pot controlling the sustain, which resulted in significantly more compression from the get-go compared to other Ross clones. Since then, Mike started using different pots so the uptake is slower (meaning you can dial in a milder compression more easily). I think it is a great pedal and I think I would have liked it even more if I had one with the new potentiometers he started using (not sure when he made the change).
I have also owned the Barber Tone Press and Keeley 4 knob. The Keeley runs out of volume too quickly, but has a sweeter tone than the Barber or AM. The Barber was similar to the AM in a lot of ways (I had them at the same time, but about 2 years ago), but I didn't care for the blend knob and it was bigger than competitors (in Trey's use of a comp, it really helps to maintain volume from clean to mean, using a blend diminishes how well a comp can do this).
I am using the Retro Sonic now and I like it a lot. I think it has slightly more headroom than the others, I think I remember the Analogman having a little more volume on tap though. The RS also has a slightly sweeter tone like the Keeley.
Seems a lot of people here like the CMATMODS, which I have not tried, but their prices are usually very nice.
That being said, I would happily go back to an Analogman. Though I should admit I never owned a real Ross. People seem to like the Black Ross's as much as the Grey ones, so I tried to find a Black one for sale (costs significantly less) and I couldn't get my hands on one. AM says his clone sounds exactly the same as a Ross, and he uses NOS parts I believe, however people with a real Ross would argue there are differences. That could be their investment speaking, but I also suspect NOS is only half the battle at matching a vintage pedal, I think some magic happens when a pedal (and the components) are being used, hence not only the oldest, but sometimes the most beat up pedals sound the best (like Analogman's TS9 page that shows the most ragged TS9's that sound incredible - the difference between my two early 80's TS9's is pretty significant).
There is a bunch of info on the compressors on here all ready. Here is a link to some circuit pics of some of them.
http://strangedesign.org/forums/index.php?topic=1565.msg7771#msg7771
I have owned them all and there is nuthin like a real ross. Black or grey. Nothing NOS about those clone boards really. It's all about values and tolerances and the mojo that comes with aging I assume. I currently have 2 greys and a black that I won't part with. They don't all sound or perform the same. You notice the same thing when you start buying different tube screamers. In the end they are all just tools for you to sculpt "your" sound. People must have laughed at Trey when he put that $35 dollar compressor on his board. Then they heard him play through it..........
I've mentioned it in here before, and I'll say it again about my really old Keeley 2-knob compressor. When I switched from using modded ts9's to early 80's ts9's, the Keeley all of a sudden responded much better and had plenty of volume. That leads me to believe that too much bass hitting the Keeley comp poorly effects the tone. But with a standard tubescreamer (that cuts the bass and adds mids) it may be fine.
Quote from: IamWILSON on July 22, 2012, 06:09:04 PM
I've mentioned it in here before, and I'll say it again about my really old Keeley 2-knob compressor. When I switched from using modded ts9's to early 80's ts9's, the Keeley all of a sudden responded much better and had plenty of volume. That leads me to believe that too much bass hitting the Keeley comp poorly effects the tone. But with a standard tubescreamer (that cuts the bass and adds mids) it may be fine.
The Keeley just doesn't work well with humbuckers but it worked perfectly with my strat. Too bad I really only use the Les Paul. It was exchanged for a Deja Vibe so I'm happy now. The volume drop turns out to be a pretty common issue from searching the forums.
I use the CMATmods 3 knob and it has more than enough volume, underrated Ross clone IHMO.
Yep never had a Ross but love my 2 know CMATMODS compressor. I was using the sustain at 10 o'clock mostly but now have been using it closer to noon and 1. Still plenty of dynamics when needed.
Quote from: Happyorange27 on July 23, 2012, 07:31:34 AM
Yep never had a Ross but love my 2 know CMATMODS compressor. I was using the sustain at 10 o'clock mostly but now have been using it closer to noon and 1. Still plenty of dynamics when needed.
I've have to try the comp w/ the sustain a bit higher on mine as I ran it on 10 and although it sounds awesome new settings are always fun to try. Do you find your two-knob dark at all?
Quote from: fulltone1989 on July 23, 2012, 11:33:00 AM
Quote from: Happyorange27 on July 23, 2012, 07:31:34 AM
Yep never had a Ross but love my 2 know CMATMODS compressor. I was using the sustain at 10 o'clock mostly but now have been using it closer to noon and 1. Still plenty of dynamics when needed.
I've have to try the comp w/ the sustain a bit higher on mine as I ran it on 10 and although it sounds awesome new settings are always fun to try. Do you find your two-knob dark at all?
No the 2 knob seems transparent as far as EQ. It's kind of transparent all around. Between this higher setting and my recent use of the FAT switch on my BJ, my sustain is grand! I found if i stand at a 45 degree angle to my amp, i get the best sustain at relatively low volumes.
Someone offered me a Black Ross last night for $300, I said no thanks. Last two I saw were around $160-180.
I bet you could find a Grey one for $350. I love mine, always on.
Can't you just save money by buying a black Ross and performing a gray Ross mod? It's called gray spray paint. Ha! :P
Quote from: Happyorange27 on July 23, 2012, 11:41:41 AM
Quote from: fulltone1989 on July 23, 2012, 11:33:00 AM
Quote from: Happyorange27 on July 23, 2012, 07:31:34 AM
Yep never had a Ross but love my 2 know CMATMODS compressor. I was using the sustain at 10 o'clock mostly but now have been using it closer to noon and 1. Still plenty of dynamics when needed.
I've have to try the comp w/ the sustain a bit higher on mine as I ran it on 10 and although it sounds awesome new settings are always fun to try. Do you find your two-knob dark at all?
No the 2 knob seems transparent as far as EQ. It's kind of transparent all around. Between this higher setting and my recent use of the FAT switch on my BJ, my sustain is grand! I found if i stand at a 45 degree angle to my amp, i get the best sustain at relatively low volumes.
Interesting, on some days it sounded dark and other it was fine. Could be my guitar too though. I point my GT Soul-O 45 at a 45 degree angle as well haha at about waist height and the sustain is wonderful with just the comp on. Some new KT66's are arriving tomorrow for me to try ;D
Quote from: picture_of_nectar on July 23, 2012, 01:21:23 PM
I bet you could find a Grey one for $350. I love mine, always on.
Quote from: Happyorange27 on July 23, 2012, 01:38:46 PM
Can't you just save money by buying a black Ross and performing a gray Ross mod? It's called gray spray paint. Ha! :P
Thats why I told the guy no - I don't care if it is black or grey in color, I wanted a black one for the right price, can't rationalize paying more for color.
Quoteanalogmike
10-30-2006, 04:34 PM
Black version was made in Taiwan after the Grey ones. Noticeable differences are the capacitors and transistors. We can mod the black ones or the newer Keeleys to grey Ross specs (five 2SC1849R transistors) and add true bypass to the black ones which makes a really nice pedal.
Quote from: picture_of_nectar on July 23, 2012, 05:51:46 PM
Quoteanalogmike
10-30-2006, 04:34 PM
Black version was made in Taiwan after the Grey ones. Noticeable differences are the capacitors and transistors. We can mod the black ones or the newer Keeleys to grey Ross specs (five 2SC1849R transistors) and add true bypass to the black ones which makes a really nice pedal.
Yea, true bypass doesn't matter if its always on (which is would be most of the time in my rig), and I think I would prefer the original caps and trannies that have been used for 30 years over NOS replacements. I personally am in no rush to replace my comp though.
just saying they aren't quiet the same besides the color.
Quote from: picture_of_nectar on July 23, 2012, 08:07:41 PM
just saying they aren't quiet the same besides the color.
For sure - and I have no idea what the sonic differences are, but it doesn't seem that people consider one to be better than the other necessarily.?.
Quote from: picture_of_nectar on July 23, 2012, 08:07:41 PM
just saying they aren't quiet the same besides the color.
I have had many grey and black and you have to remember that these were cheap pedals. None of them had the same components. They used caps that met the value not the composition. Several of the grey ross comps I have owned had the same metal can caps that the black ones have. Some greys have tantulum, some have a mix of the 2. So for AM to say he changes the caps to tantalum to make it ross spec is not accurate. My favorite ross right now is a grey made in the kansas with metal can caps. Check the ebay auction board pics for a while and you will see what I mean. A big part of making any of these sound good in your rig is adjusting the trimpot to what works for your rig
hm, interesting thx
Ross comps have a trim pot? Adjusts attack?
No i think its the bias adjustment for the base of the transistor(s). CMATMODS has one too and he told me not to mess with it since it is set upon the original calibration and you shouldn't need to ever adjust it. I haven't messed with mine but I'm sure a curious person would do that. I think it just gets the transistors working in the most linear range which is what you want. Keeps everything stable. Not sure though.
Here is a painfully slow explanation but a good one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMlxoR7iXR0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMlxoR7iXR0)
thanks for the input on compressors, guys...i ended up goin to the shop today and had a good conversation about ross comps vs keeley comps with one of the workers, who is very knowledgable about pedals. He explained to me the similarities and differences between the two and noted that he thinks the keeley is 'better' mostly because it is less noisy when it is engaged. Anyways, I tried out the keeley 2 knob at the end of a Maxon ts9 and MXR script 90 chain and i thought it sounded awesome so i ended up buying that and the script. It was a mint condition used one for $195 and he dropped the price to $180, pretty good buy i'd say
Quote from: Happyorange27 on July 24, 2012, 01:54:11 PM
No i think its the bias adjustment for the base of the transistor(s). CMATMODS has one too and he told me not to mess with it since it is set upon the original calibration and you shouldn't need to ever adjust it. I haven't messed with mine but I'm sure a curious person would do that. I think it just gets the transistors working in the most linear range which is what you want. Keeps everything stable. Not sure though.
I wonder why he uses a trimpot and not a fixed resistor? I have always adjusted them when I get the compressor. I plug my guitar in set both knobs on the comp all the way up and adjust the trimpot to where it has the most noise. I always thought input level had something to do with it too but after watching that video you posted I am even more confused. In the past I have had dynacomps or ross comps show up with the trimpot tweaked wrong. Like you said "curious". If you end up tweaking it and it's not right the comp will sound bad. Notes distort. Buzzy. So I take back what I said about tweaking it for your rig if input has nothing to do with it. I guess I would now say tweak it if your comp doesn't sound right or if you can see that it's been fucked with before. Here's some pics of the different parts ross used to make its comps. Whatever was the best deal at the time I guess.
(http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx358/mixervw/2012-07-24153316.jpg)
(http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx358/mixervw/2012-07-24153420.jpg)
(http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx358/mixervw/2012-07-24153410.jpg)
(http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx358/mixervw/ross.jpg)
D I love your hi res pics as usual. Yeah I started to read a book on transistors (kind of boring). But the basics of the bias is to get the the balance of the following: impedance and gain. If you want relatively low output impedance (which you do normally want right?) then you can't set the bias for an extremely high gain output. Also in many hifi applications there are usually many transistors used in series to keep everything clean and the impedance low, hence you are not asking for a bunch of gain from each transistor but when you sum them all up, you get plenty of gain. Now in you compressor you want to have just enough gain to be able to move you signal at unitary or maybe a bit above that; you are not trying to make it an overdrive pedal right? So that's another way to look at it. Balance that transistor so that it is happy and not overdoing it. Let your tube screamers do all that stuff. ;D
Just picked up a black Ross Compressor for 150$ at the guitar store...I still gotta put some time into it, but after playing with it for about an hour I can start to feel/hear the difference between it and my 2-knob keeley. I don't have a problem with my keeley, but when i saw the ross for 150$ i figured it wouldn't hurt to grab it n give it a whirl. Do most of you guys run your compressor after your OD's? The guy told me try moving it infront of my TS9s...what kinda differences does that make?
Quote from: webephishin on September 16, 2012, 05:44:04 PM
Do most of you guys run your compressor after your OD's? The guy told me try moving it infront of my TS9s...what kinda differences does that make?
I run my Ross after my OD's. I tried it in front for about 3 minutes before i knew it didn't work for the 'trey style' tones. Didn't allow me to clean up the super dynamic Sweet Honey, and made each note remain at the same dynamic level. After the OD's, I'm able to crank their (the OD's) Volumes which drives the compressor which leads to epic sustainnnnnnnnnnn
I'd say, try it out in front of your TS's and let your ears decide which you prefer
Is your comp an "always on" pedal?
^yeah I keep the compressor on all the time. For those of you that have used keeley comps and ross comps, would I be correct If i said the Ross comp "catches" or starts compressing after a longer duration than the keeley? In other words the compression/sustain "kicks in" earlier for the keeley than the ross.
I bought a keeley 2 knob and returned it later that week. The pedal would;nt even hit unity volume at full. My AM Comprosser is so much better I love it
I had the same volume problem with the Keeley.
As for the attack time, I believe the Keeley and other clones that don't have an attack knob are supposed to have the same or pretty close to the same attack time as the Ross, but if your noticing a difference, then there might be one, at least between your Ross and your Keeley.
I also use mine after my OD pedals for the same reason stated above - I want my dynamics to effect the overdrive, with the comp first, your dynamics are significantly flattened.
The Ross probably has an internal trimpot as well, there is some discussion on this forum as to how that should be set. Yours might be set perfectly, but if you find yourself wishing it performs slightly differently, that might be a good thing to check before writing the pedal off.
I applaud Sour d for owning three Ross compressors at the same time.
Quote from: cactuskeeb on September 17, 2012, 11:08:53 PM
I applaud Sour d for owning three Ross compressors at the same time.
Oh come on. I buy, fix, mod, pedals a lot and sometimes its hard to let go.........