Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal 

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

This was a gift for my Son ,and he loved it.He plays guitar and sings in Supper Clubs . This will give him more flexibility (and a new toy to play with).

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

I use the CS-3 (first in chain of effects) to provide me with a clean tone for a JCM 800. I learned about this pedal from a Paul Gilbert Gear Review. The pedal is absolutely amazing and exteremely versatile. A great kept secret for those playing hard rock with a one channel amp.

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

Very nice device, many players I've meant want to get that large type sound, one where you can get every note to sing through and carry over, you know a good full-bodied sound and they use many different type pedals to acchieve this. But a compression sustainer is the best way to accomplish this imo, especially a good one and Boss makes very good quality pedals. I've never went wrong buying a Boss pedal.

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

kinda sucks when you crank the sustain and it starts hissing, but i really dont mind cause i dont have it up that much anyway. one oclock is plenty haha. but overall, ill have this thing till the day im too old to pick the thing up. and one more thing people... clean your jacks at least once every one or two weeks so youll get a stronger signal and the pedal will last you longer.
first of all SEXY, just kidding. no really.
this was my first boss pedal and i was thinking the worst, but i was totally wrong. when i first plugged it in and dialed it in just right, couldnt be more happy. i grew up with like no money ever, my first effect was a fender starcaster flanger when i was 14, im 21 now and its still in my rig and still going strong. im thinking this compressor will last the rest of my life if i take care of it. (matter of fact its my favorite pedal on my board)
depends on what your looking for really. i use it for just about everything cause its got a great sonic feel and tone to it that you cant beat. i havent tried keeley, wampler, dyna comp or whatever but im in love with the CS3.

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

This pedal is o.k. for the money. It will fill out single note lines with a clean sound.Usefull for country or whatever.the tone knob I think is of no paticular use.The attack knob I also don't like it is artificial sounding.The sustain knob gets very noisy and adds more hiss than sustain.My main use has been placing it before a distortion pedal.
four knobs level tone attack and sustain

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

It could possibly be decent with modding or with another setup, but for me it wasn't what I was looking for.
I bought this pedal (not modded) from my local music store. The control options seem decent, but unfortunately, whenever I adjusted it just enough to get a nice sound, I would get crazy feedback any time I stopped playing even for a fraction of a second.
Boss pedals are obviously all very durable, but the electronics definitely could be better.
For such a little difference, it's not quite worth it. Next time, I'll probably get an MXR or something. I of course brought it back and traded for another pedal in the store.

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

For the price I don't think you can beat this deal or even come close. You don't always get what you pay for, sweet deals do come along.
First off, I'd like to say that before you rate a compressor/sustainer/limiter, learn what it does to your signal and how it operates. I hear too much about these devices creating noise etc.
Secondly, I am going to compare it to a Dyna Comp, which I've used for decades and is considered "a standard" by many.
The CS-3 I feel is an excellent device. It does what it was designed to do and has some nice added features. It DID NOT add noise to my signal. If you hear noise it is because you are compressing the signal output closer to the noise floor of your instrument or other devices set in the path before the CS-3. The CS-3 in a A/B comparison to the Dyna Comp comes out on top. This was done with several guitars (including a classical acoustic with a piezo sensor). Both the Dyna Comp and CS-3 are quiet and add minimal distortion. In a way I prefer the Dyna Comp because it's so easy to use with it's one knob adjustment, but, the added features of the CS-3 make it overall a better device in my opinion. I especially like the attack adjustment which lets me customize the amount of "pop" or "snap" I get. The tone is cool too, but not that big of a deal as we have tone controls on guitar, amp etc. Then with the level and sustain adjustment you can come up with a sweet spot for the particular sound you want. Another plus, is has an electronic on/off switch unlike the Dyna's mechanical switch, so it doesnt pop when you stomp it.
I think one major problem people have is that thier reverb unit built into thier amp (especially spring types) is noisy and is placed ahead of the compressor thus raising the noise floor. If possible go directly from your guitar into the compressor and make this the first in the signal path.
Now the negative side of the universe. This unit will suk your batteries dry fast, and if you leave the cord plugged into the input, poof, new batteries will be turned into dead ones faster than Chuck Norris can kick you upside your head. Easy solution, just get a 9 nine volt adapter, which you should have already if you have more than two stomp boxes (call me captain obvious).
I have used many compressors and limiters of the professional variety, Uries etc. in many recording studios. Not to say that this on the same level, but electronics have come a long way over the years, and this device is remarkable for the price. As far as it's ability to withstand the test of time and how rugged it is, I dont know. I havent owned it that long. But it seems practically bullet proof and well made.
To sum all this up, I'm happy with my CS-3, it does what it's supposed to and does it well, and I didn't pay a whole lot for it. Kudos to Boss on this one.
It seems to be well made. Has curb appeal. No problems yet. But I've owned it less than a year. So time will tell
Best compressor I could find for a small price.

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

So my guitarist purchased this to give him that compressed lead sound that is so sought after. After fiddling with it a lot he decided he did not like it and bought the visual sound compression. This one was just blown away. But why haven't I given it low ratings? Well just for fun I plugged it in my bass rig, and wow, it really improved my sound. I just leave it on all the time during shows and practice. So just make sure you try out other products so you don't purchase something you won't like.

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

This pedal works great when creating a rhythmn track; especially when using a very "touch sensitive" amp. Just set your level and bang away. I love it. However, be sure to place it before any kind of mod, reverb or delay in your effects chain.

Comments about Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal:

I think a lot of the people who have written bad reviews about this pedal are they type of people who like to turn all the knobs all the way up when they get a new pedal and see what it sounds like. That's great fun, but it's simply something that is NOT going to give you a good sound with this or any other compressor. Unless you plan on using this as a boost/cut of some type, the Level knob should always be near 12 o'clock, otherwise you'll have inconsistent volume with the pedal on and off. The Sustain knob gets VERY noisy when turned past 2 o'clock or so, but that should really be as high as you need it to go anyway, there's plenty of sustain to be found in this pedal without cranking it up all the way (it's just like the Gain/Distortion knob on an amp - why on earth would you turn it all the way to 10 in the first place?). The Tone and Attack knobs can be adjusted to taste, I like a slightly darker tone with my clean parts (which are all I use this pedal for), so I keep the Tone at about 10 o'clock and the Attack at about 11 o'clock.Overall, this is a GREAT pedal for balancing out clean parts. Remember, distortion automatically compresses the signal, and the more distortion there is, the more compression there is. If you're playing with a lot of distortion, you really shouldn't need this pedal for anything other than clean stuff. This isn't going to replace a sustainer system like a Fernandes or anything like that, it's much more subdued, but it does what it does very well.