Compressor stompbox for cleans, MKIV

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Golden1984

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Hello. I have Marshall compressor, but it is easy to overdrive it when I play on bridge pickup and it is noisy overall. It clips very nasty every time when I hit bass strings...
I need something that can handle big inputs, from Gibson Dirty Fingers pickup.
Any advice? Anyone tried EBS MultiComp?
 
I've had a Boss CS2, a Blackbox Oxygen, an HBE CPR and most recently a Suhr Koji Comp. The Koji Comp is really nice. The only other one I still have is the CPR since it's a little warmer and good for some things. The Boss and Oxygen was just too noisy. Not sure how the Suhr will work with those pickups, I mostly play the ol' JB and '59 set from Seymour Duncan that are in a Hamer.
 
I think the best out there for the price, sound, and transparency is the xotic SP compressor. I'm not sure about use with high output pickups. You should at least try one.
 
There's lots of variations in compressors, even within the same product line. Your best plan is to just try as many as you can, and get rid of the ones you don't like.

I had a ancient script logo MXR Dyna Comp that I bought new back in around 1974-75 or so, and kept it forever, as I could never find one that I liked better. Finally sold it for a small fortune a few years back. I've replaced it with a MXR Custom Comp - sounds almost identical. Quite a few dyna comps are noisy - but that old one wasn't, and this new one isn't either. I owned and tried to like the Boss one, a Keely one, and a pigtronix one, and tried dozens of other kinds in stores, but none of them really got the right sound for me. YMMV.
 
If you can try the Rothwell Love Squeeze then give it a go – I got one because it was a lot more subtle than some of the more vintage-y designs, and it never once even hinted at distorting (I play Teles, but it never got hairy even on extreme settings).

To second sduck, a compressor is one of the most important pedals to try-before-you-buy! But I'd put the Rothwell on the list. Good luck!
 
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