All user reviews for the Barber Tone Press

Well I received the Barber Tone Press!

My first impressions are excellent:

The metal case will reassure most of us nags, and extremely heavy and progressive knobs reinforce the feeling of facing a quality product.

Level connectivity is "we can not simply" an input output In Out, with a 9V power input with negative center, and a connector to plug in a 9V battery.

Regarding the adjustment possibilities you can:
- Adjust the volume output (thanks to ... knob volume!)
- Sound Mixer uncompressed and compressed sound via the volume pot "Blend"
- And playing on the length of sustain (knob "Sustainer").
Personally, I think it's great to be able to adjust the amount of compression that you want: it really helps to have a balanced clean sound, but retains a fair amount of momentum!

The final point to note is the presence of a small button on the PCB, which can be rotated by a small flat screwdriver to get a warmer color and vintage compressor.

9 / 10 for features because a small external switch would have been nice to adjust the color more easily.

UTILIZATION

Use question we must understand that we are facing a hybrid produced just a sort of mix between a clean boost, a compressor sustainer who knows how (the idea of ​​a Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone).

We can therefore use it as a clean boost, with little or no compression, or as a compressor, so pure and hard with the possibility of extending the sustain very efficiently.

After all settings are ringing! It's really the kind of effect discrete, but combined with other sounds, it quickly becomes essential to smooth crunch, make a clean plus slamming, add sustain to your solos etc. ...

9 / 10 because I do not like to 10: p and I would have liked a little more than a manual provided and illustrated.

SOUND QUALITY

Well here it goes anyway in subjective realm of "sound and color."
I will do my best to strive for objective criticism.

The coloration of the basic compression is neither cold nor warm, she fully respects the basic sound of the instrument and the signature sound of the amp with a very transparent compression! This will not please everyone, given the penchant for certain cuts typed bringing a touch to his sound.

Another point to note is that in us rewarding Barber Electronics circuit parallel compression allows us to have a compressed sound with virtually no pumping effect (except in extreme settings)!
Normally, this type of compression quality is reserved for high-end compressors found in the studio.
It is therefore somewhat surprising to benefit pedal format!

The effect is really great sustainer: Push on a good clean one can afford to assist in keeping almost like playing a sound (false sense of natural reverb), and a lead with this delay can afford santana with a good sound that never seems to stop!

Once it was armed with a screwdriver and a small flat screwdriver, which was removed the back plate and turned the tiny brown button (just below the inscription color) lr (almost one turn) we obtain a compression warm vintage: smooth treble, mids inflation ... is large, it's beautiful it's hot!
Personally I love it! Especially since the Tone Press is no finish, and even pushing the maximum settings were superb sound and perfectly usable.

The final point to note is the absence of breath until three quarters of knob Sustainer.
Then we heard a gentle breeze as soon as you stop playing ...
But for everyday use: low to high compression, slight increase in sustain the breath is ... I guessed INE-AS-XIS. If it is not pretty!
It is therefore very far from the "compressor seals, which make you go in eastern Siberia in the midst of winter.

9 / 10: it still manages to have a slight hiss if you put yourself crazy sustain (inaudible when playing it, say).

OVERALL OPINION

To Conclude:

That's "USA handemade" high quality and an affordable price! So the value for money really seems unbeatable!
The compression effect is an incredible transparency for a pedal, and the adjustment possibilities are really interesting.

I can only recommend this pedal if you are looking for a quality compressor that will fit as unobtrusively as powerfully to your pedalboard.

David Barber is known for building outstanding pedals but he really outdid himself with the Tone Press. It has a control set beyond most compressor pedals and a couple of very usefull features. Build quality on the Barber pedals is top notch and the Tone Press has worked flawless ever since I bought it many many years ago when it 1st came out.

It has the standard volume and sustain controls but the Blend control makes this a special pedal. The Blend sets the mix between the dry and compressed tones. This is possible because the compression circuit is parallel to the dry. This allows you to get a very squishy comp tone and then dial it back with the blend control to get your attack back.

On the inside it has a "color" control, it acts as a tone control allowing you to either make the pedal transparent to your base tone or make it darker or brighter.

UTILIZATION

The Tone Press is very easy to dial in because it's nearly impossible to make it sound bad. You can start with the suggestions in the clear manual but you will soon discover it's potential and start tweaking.

The Blend control means you have to start thinking differently about compressors but you will quickly wonder why nobody else came up with it.

SOUND QUALITY

Soundwise, the Tone Press is perfect for me. When i bought it, I tested half a dozen compressors side by side and the Tone Press was the clear winner. It doesn't kill your base tone, it is versatile and has a great feel.

Most of the time, I'm using it with clean sounds BUT the Tone Press can also be used as a booster, it has a nice output boost. Run it into an od channel or pedal, with the sustain and blend around noon and the volume maxed for a great fattening effect.

OVERALL OPINION

It's the pedal that I have been using the longest of them all. Choose it from a test with a bunch of others, have compared it with more comp pedals ever since and it's still the one I use. And it sure isn't going anywhere