Compressor Help

[WordIsBorn79]

Hello Ladies & Germs...
I am looking to buy a compressor pedal. My Hartke HA-3500 head supposedly has a "compressor", but it seems more like a limiter; it kills my tone, and doesn't make my sound punchy. I am looking for a compressor that can basically do 2 things: make my tone punchier and a bit more bright, and also make the low B on my 5 string sound the same (sound level wise) as my other strings. I play a Music Man 5, so the low B is quite a bit louder than all other strings. BTW, The easier to operate it, the better. Now, last but not least, here's the real challenge...i can't spend more than $125 bucks. Help!

[LowBSix]

Don't get upset by the crankies here on TB...

I bought a Carl Martin after reading these reviews by BONGOMAINIA:

http://www.ev-b.com/compressors.html

[12bass]

A couple of points: Compression tends to reduce high frequency transients, so not many compressors will have the effect of making a signal brighter, although some units are fairly transparent sounding. They also reduce overall dynamics and make the signal more consistent, which may be perceived as reducing punch, not increasing it. Another thing you might try is lowering the pickups on the bass side, in order to reduce the output on the B string.

[Bassist30]

Originally Posted by WordIsBorn79

Hello Ladies & Germs...
I am looking to buy a compressor pedal. My Hartke HA-3500 head supposedly has a "compressor", but it seems more like a limiter; it kills my tone, and doesn't make my sound punchy. I am looking for a compressor that can basically do 2 things: make my tone punchier and a bit more bright, and also make the low B on my 5 string sound the same (sound level wise) as my other strings. I play a Music Man 5, so the low B is quite a bit louder than all other strings. BTW, The easier to operate it, the better. Now, last but not least, here's the real challenge...i can't spend more than $125 bucks. Help!

125 dollars. If thats your limit I would go used. There are a few that are not in the market any longer but are a nice compliment to what you are looking for at the 125 mark. In fact you may get them cheaper on ebay. They are both by dbx The 163X and the MC6 Mini-Comp.