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LordRiffenstein « My fav compressor, still undefeated »
Published on 03/17/11 at 06:54David 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
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