The best compressor pedal for me? Calling Bongo?

OldFoamy · #1 04-24-2011, 02:09 PM

I like vintage, warm, fat, punchy, slammin' percussiveness while still being articulate a la Jamerson. I want an always on pedal that will even out some of my dynamic flaws, but yet provide a little more of the Jamerson. I play with too many pauses for a lot of dip and swell, and I'm not big on envelope. I'm holding my breath for a Retrospec Squeezer, but imaginary pedals don't help me. I have a muted P-bass and a mids-heavy Ampeg B100r. Any suggestions?

carlos840 · #2 04-24-2011, 04:02 PM

I never liked compressors until i bought the Aguilar TLC!
i bought it without trying it after reading bongo's review and i have to say its a great pedal!
I would recommend it without hesitation!

Bassist30 · #3 04-24-2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldFoamy

I like vintage, warm, fat, punchy, slammin' percussiveness while still being articulate a la Jamerson. I want an always on pedal that will even out some of my dynamic flaws, but yet provide a little more of the Jamerson. I play with too many pauses for a lot of dip and swell, and I'm not big on envelope. I'm holding my breath for a Retrospec Squeezer, but imaginary pedals don't help me. I have a muted P-bass and a mids-heavy Ampeg B100r. Any suggestions?

Seems like many are looking for that sound. Bongo will give a good answer. I would say The Retrospec is a good one. Does it have to be a pedal cause i really like the DBX 160.

depalm · #4 04-24-2011, 09:05 PM

I love my Markbass Compressore. It's really smooth, very versatile and sounds fantastic!
Search for Bongo's review.

rpsands · #5 04-24-2011, 09:29 PM

You might want to try out a BBE Optostomp. They're cheap and pretty effective for always-on type compression. I like mine, but to be fair it had a few components tweaked to be optimized for bass.

TheBasicBassist · #6 04-24-2011, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlos840

I never liked compressors until i bought the Aguilar TLC!
i bought it without trying it after reading bongo's review and i have to say its a great pedal!
I would recommend it without hesitation!

Yes.

+10000

**TXLawDawg** · #7 04-24-2011, 09:43 PM

Another +1 for the TLC.

Genericbassname · #8 04-25-2011, 01:28 AM

Just here to add yet another +1 for the TLC, I have it and I absolutely love it. Makes my pick tone sound like teh secks.

cacio · #9 04-25-2011, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genericbassname

Just here to add yet another +1 for the TLC, I have it and I absolutely love it. Makes my pick tone sound like teh secks.

+2

Couvy · #10 04-25-2011, 06:44 AM

I wouldn't rule out the Mad Professor, either.

Floyd Eye · #11 04-25-2011, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlos840

I never liked compressors until i bought the Aguilar TLC!
i bought it without trying it after reading bongo's review and i have to say its a great pedal!
I would recommend it without hesitation!

Ditto. The TLC is awesome.

snowtraveler65 · #12 04-25-2011, 06:53 AM

I personally own the Markbass Compressore and love it for the same tone you seem to be looking for. Ag TLC is good too. I was able to get the Compressore for $179 on sale at GC.

FuzzBoxVoodoo · #13 04-25-2011, 07:13 AM

I definentaly prefer the MB Compressore over the TLC for basic compression,they both enhance your tone well.
I also owned a Aphex 651 Rack mount that had great tone but the Compressor was to sensative to the input level and was too much of a pain to use live.
The BBE is a great compression pedal for the price but it doesn't enhance your tone much.
my.02

bluesdogblues · #14 04-25-2011, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassist30

...Does it have to be a pedal cause i really like the DBX 160...

Yeah..that DBX160 is good if not better..in fact I don't think the stomp box pedal compressor can get any better than 'the real' one.
I always love & use Avalon VT737SP, or Urei series (like the LA-4 or 7110)..but only in recording studio situations...because it's too expensive, I can't afford to bring one on stage...

Interesting thread to follow, cause I want to know too what compressor pedal is the best according to TBers here, cause I ussually don't use any compressor live, I give it all to the Sound Engineer/FOH racks..

Cheer

OldFoamy · #15 04-26-2011, 01:55 PM

I haven't heard the Avalon TLC or the Markbass, I'll have to look into those.

bongomania · #16 04-26-2011, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluesdogblues

Yeah..that DBX160 is good if not better..in fact I don't think the stomp box pedal compressor can get any better than 'the real' one.

That's changed significantly in the last couple of years. It used to be that pedals were not as good as the bigger studio units, but nowadays there are some pedals with amazingly good sound quality and professional-quality performance.

OTOH, those pedals tend to cost as much as a studio rack unit.

bongomania · #17 04-26-2011, 02:18 PM

To the OP, I think the Markbass would be the best starting place. There may be reasons to pick other units, for different flavors and nuances, but the Markbass does a good job of combining warmth with articulation.

NoiseNinja · #18 04-26-2011, 02:30 PM

I would recommend EHX Black Finger. It's the only compressor I really ever owned, but I quite like it. And it will fatten up your tone as well as giving you more punch.

topo73 · #19 04-26-2011, 05:35 PM

Ill like to recommend gorila bass compressor by dedalo fx. It's a company from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Here is their web page: www.dedalofx.com.ar

Here is a YouTube video too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFPEk...e_gdata_player

MrMeacham · #20 04-26-2011, 06:09 PM

I have your setup. A P-Bass and B100R. I bought the Joe Meek Floor Q based on Bongo's reviews. I like it. It's very quite. It brings up the G string without squashing the E. It has different power options (9/18/AC/DC) and you can mess with input and output volumes. It can run directly into a power unit as well. Read Bongo's review and check it out.