Can anyone tell me how a Barber Tone Press compares to a Keeley Compressor?

[Sherwood]

I'm looking for a natural compressor that would actually help me fatten up my clean tone without compromising the dynamics and the natural lows and highs of my amps.

It should be used for clean and lightly overdriven tones only - I don't like compressor w/ high gain dist..

Can you compare those two pedals?

If you'd like to recommend me other compressor go ahead... just please compare it to a Boss CS-3 or one of the above mentioned pedals just for my info.

Thanks

[Agreed]

While I have not used the Keeley compressor, I have heard that it does alter the attack as you would expect any Ross-style compressor to do - including the Barber Tone Press, the difference being that the Barber's blend knob allows it to have the best of both worlds, transparent to your attack but with all the added fullness and sustain of a good compressor. And if you want the traditional compressor sound, set the blend knob closer to just compression (or all the way). I think the Keeley now has an Attack adjustment inside, but I don't find that as effective in general as the parallel compression offered by the Tone Press.

Before getting the Tone Press, I have used a modern, non-script or reissue Dyna-Comp; the Behringer Dynamics Compressor (I got it for free and it's surprisingly capable!); the BBE Opto-Stomp; the BBE Orange Squash (used to be the Main Squeeze); the DOD Milk Box; and the Boss CS-3 (stock). Oh, and a variety of high-quality compressor plugins from good software companies, too, but they're not really the same thing. After getting the Tone Press, the only one I still have is the Orange Squash because it has a great, different sound even though it isn't as transparent to your attack.

I still really want to try a few compressors:

1. The Wampler Ego Compressor because A) it looks to be styled after the Tone Press in its general idea but with a unique circuit and some interesting differences and B) I have a pair of Wamplers already and they are excellent pedals

2. The EHX White Finger, because I have heard that it has something pretty unique going on with its compression (though I've also heard it's noisy)

3. The Diamond Compressor, because a lot of people who have used it swear by it.

4. To a lesser extent, the relatively recent MXR Dyna-comp script logo reissue, because it seems to have something unique going on that I would like to at least try.

The Keeley Comp isn't on the want-to-try list because I have heard a lot of clips of it and I don't think it really offers anything that my Tone Press doesn't; not to say that it isn't a high quality pedal by any means, but it's not something that I feel like I'm missing out on. I know there are a lot of happy Keeley customers, no dig at them intended. It seems to me, though, that if passing on your natural playing dynamics is of utmost importance, you're going to want the Tone Press or something like it - while other compressors can have tunable attack knobs to try to give you a degree of control over how it affects your transients, I think you'll find that the elegant solution offered first by the Tone Press is the simplest but also the most effective solution to the problem.

[H_V_C]

I personally feel that the Tone Press destroys the Keeley in tone.

[ianb]

Give the Wampler a try, it does exactly what you have described: fattens and warms up your tone without altering your picking dynamics (unless of course you want it to). Has a subtle bright switch, the essential blend, and small footprint.

I used the TP for years, now have a Wampler on my main board, and a second one on the way for my smaller board. I love it.

Having said that, for cleans alone, the best I have heard is the MP Forest Green Compressor, which adds something really special to the tone, but I felt it colored my overdrives too much. The Wampler is more transparant than the FGC, but a little warmer than the TP.

[Agreed]

H V C, as I said I haven't ever tried the Keeley, but my experience with the other comps I listed has proved to me that all of the aspects of the Tone Press (not just its nearly magical parallel compression feature) really are top-shelf. Its compression tone is excellent. I would not be surprised if it really does beat out the Keeley just on tone alone, let alone on what were certainly innovative features when it was released.

I would love to hear Wampler's take on the concept, it's pretty clearly inspired by the Tone Press just insofar as the TP was certainly the first compact/instrument comp to come up with the right answer to the attack problem and the Wampler takes that approach as well... but Brian always seems to do some really neat stuff with his pedals, even when working with familiar concepts (or for that matter familiar circuits; the Plextortion is his only non-licensed pedal that's based on a preexisting circuit, in this case a winning combination of a modded/improved Guv'nor and a treble booster, and it achieves its stated goal of a range of Marshall Plexi-era tones extremely well). If I had the money just to kick around right now and I wanted to try another comp, I'd have a tough time choosing whether to try the Wampler or the Diamond.

[alberob]

I am a big fan of compressors.The best one I own is a BJF.Hands down the most transparent and tone enhancing.Everything sounds better.I forget its on.If I want more compression I use an MXR original script logo.For fatness with a little grit I use a Blackfinger tube compressor.The Tone Press I rarely use as it sounds sterile to my ears .IMHO

[ruger9]

I owned them both simultaneously for awhile. I eventually sold the Barber. Not because the Keeley was better, but because I don't use compression often, and when I DO, I actually want that "squish". Both pedals squish, but I had been wanting a silver Keeley for years, so I kept the Keeley for no reason other than mojo.

Both are great, and for you description of how you want to use it, I would recommend the Barber. The Keeley's attack can be dialed in for minimum squish, but the blend on the barber will lend itself more to the whole "tone fattening" thing IMHO.

[Primakurtz]

Any thoughts on the Fromel Velvet Vice? I'm tempted to buy one, but I'd love to hear some opinions.

[jfromel]

To the OP: I think you may be looking for an optical comp.

Check out the Mirage, early Diamond comps, or the Velvet Vice (disclaimer: I make this one).

To Primakurtz:

There is a thread in the MFG forum with some reviews of the Velvet Vice.

I had a tone press for a long time and it's a great comp but it eventually left my board for the Velvet Vice which is an optical comp.

The old DOD optical comps are great as well and can usually be had for a song.

[mullytron]

+1 on optical comps. I use the Demeter, and I feel like I can get - - if not the whole spectrum, at least enough range for me - - transparent/attack-y to squished sounds out of it. But it still has that opto sound. I love it.

I used to use a BiComprossor, which I still take on non-board gigs, but the Demeter is on the board. I mostly use the Orange Squeezer circuit, so of course it's way more obvious sounding, and can sometimes get "clacky," but for what I'm using it for, the lack of subtlety is OK. I think I like the opto sound for leads, and the clackier sound for rhythm.

I have always wanted to try the Barber, but I do want to try the Wampler also. Is it dorky to have 2 comps on your board...??

[Cory]

Have you tried a Durham Electronics Sexdrive?? I think this would be exactly what you are looking for. I have two different comps on my main board (this being one of them). This is a killer pedal and very versatile.

I've had both of the other two comps you asked about and I don't think are as verstile as the Sexdrive.

[Jim Moulton]

I would love to try a SExdrive, though it's not a true compressor, it has compression as one of it's charactors, sort of like my Nashville Hot Boost, I love The Wampler, better than Barber by a country mile, ,i likeit better than a Keeley which I have had all of these, The wampler is something special
J
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l_2jMWK3WY

[kurt1981]

The keeley rolls off a considerable amount of high end, no matter what set-up you have, so tele into fender AKA most country players it's great, but for other styles, I think the roll-off is a bit much. The barber is much cleaner, seems to have a more natural sounding attack and bloom, but I found, and I'm in the vast minority, that it too messes with your tone somehow, just seems to change the character a bit, even with the clean blend all the way to just clean guitar. Some may like it, I just couldn't bond with it, though it is a great compressor. I just don't like the sparkle trimmed off my cleans, I like the compressor to almost bring that out.
Just IMHO

[welcometoashley]

i've tried both and both are great but have distinctly different flavors. i find that the keeley colors your tone a bit and has much more "squish" then the tone press. some people like that while it's not necessarily what others are looking for.

i owned the tone press as a back-up compressor and was really impressed by it - i especially liked the "blend" knob on the tone press.

i haven't tried a lot of optical compressors, but the ones i've tried tend to keep your highs and attack a little bit more prominently.

that said, i use and (have used for years) a maxon CP101 optical compressor that i'm extremely happy with. it won't, however, do the heavy "squish" thing that the keeley does. i also really like the diamond compressor.

i feel that the maxon, the tone press and the diamond are compressors that, at a lot of settings, you won't realize it's on until you turn it off, whereas the keeley you can almost always tell when it's on.

[tlerch]

For years I used a DynaComp and loved it. For the last few years I have had a Keeley 4 knob and agree that it is a bit dark for me. I just got an old (1979) DynaComp and will be working with it this weekend. I'm looking forward to it (it doesnt have any light on it and no power supply but I'm hoping it integrates well.) It definitely sounds great and give me what I want sonically.