The Watering Hole

Okay played my buddy Joe's Boss CS-1 for a couple of hours last night.  It's that old blue compressor pedal.  Now, Joe knows his shit--along with inventing and developing the UAD plugins for Universal Audio, he can wire or mod just about anything -- all of his amps, for example, are rescues that he completely rebuilt and they all sound insanely cool.  He did something to the pedal, he didn't tell me exactly what, but it lowered the noise floor, but it's otherwise stock (however, it's "old"--he tells me the new ones aren't the same but can be fixed by replacing a resistor).  Anyway... what a beautiful compressor.  Really lives up to the name compression/sustainer.  Not as abrupt and effected as the MXR dyna comp (he had one of those too), on low sustain setting had a snappy, plucy attack, on higher settings really bloomed.  Also the treble/normal switch was incredibly handy and actually sounded very nice.

I have to say I want one.  This is hands-down the most musical, singing, sustain-inducing compressor pedal I've ever used.

That's cool.  Wonder what he did too it.  ???    And, how was it when bypassed?  Lots of the boss pedals sound pretty good, but the bypass SUCKS on many of them.  

Yah I can't imagine ever turning it off... it was way too cool.

The best compressors are like that.  Andy Timmons says he never turns off his Carl Martin.  

Maybe you can find an older one like that and have your buddy mod it for you.   ;)

I never turn off my Tone Press

Most web reviews are universally panning it in favor of the Boss CS-2... I've got one of those, and it sounds like... a compressor.  The CS-1 though is an effect... way beyond a compressor.  I'm trying to find one at a decent price on ebay.