MXR M-102 Dyna Comp Compressor Pedal  

I play in a metal band and was having a lot a trouble getting a distinct good quality sound from my amp. I play a Line 6 HD Spider75 which gives awesome distortion but can sound a little muddy when used with high gain and volume, especially when trying to harmonize and playing fast low key register riffs. . I needed something that would help provide some clarity to my playing and started doing some research. Thats when I came across this pedal. I haven't really ever considered using a compression pedal before but I am so glad that I decided to purchase this and add it to my set up. What it does is tighten the sound and give it more clarity and brigthness. I will color your tone slightly but from my observation it actually enhances it. I think my distortion sounds a lot better with it. Another great thing is that it cancels out a lot of excess string noise or feedback from using high volume or gain. So it sounds a lot cleaner and without sacrificing gain or volume. I wasn't sure if it would help make a difference when it comes to playing with lots of distortion. I read that many country guitar players use it to tighten up their clean tone but it works just as well with distortion and is great for any style. This pedal certainly does not dissapoint.

Very sturdy design. The push button is metal and feels well in place and can take a stomping. The pedal has to tone dials which come with grip covers which is nice for shaping up your tone. Has a display light that is supposed to glow when on according to the instructions but it doesnt seem to on my unit, but that ok because I know when the pedal is in use because if its off I get no sound. The instructions also say it can be battery powered or powered with an ac power adapter. I opened up my unit to see and there was no place for a battery which was weird. I don't quite understand this because in the description it says it has the option for both. Anyway it works out just fine with my adapter. Maybe the display light shows with a battery powered unit. I really don't know.

Great value, I think its a decent price for what it is but it should be maybe a few dollars less since it doesn't come with any battery or ac adapter. Keep that in mind before you purchase but the good thing is that almost any ac adapter will work fine. I just use the basic 9V off of my digitech effects pedal I use for only practice.

Overall a great addition to my setup. Definitely worth purchasing if your looking to tighten up your sound and add some nice clariy. If you play and like doing lots a melodies and harmonizing then it works nicely to give you that distinction of notes in your sound. Its great for anyone of any playing style who is looking for some clarity. 

Just bought this compressor.  The reason is this particular compressor has been around as long as I've been in the music business.  There's a reason for that.  It's well built with metal casing, metal footswitch, nice rotary knobs, bright LED light.  It's not fancy with a lot of knobs and switches, but, It does the job.  Using it in a chain with a Blues driver and LPB-1.  This makes a nice combination of even overdriven tones for classic rock and country music. The rubber knob covers add a nice touch to be able to take your toe and adjust on the fly.  There is the re-occurring "hissing" problem found in this pedal, however, as another reviewer stated, you can dismantle the pedal and turn over the circuitboard and right in the middle is an adjustment screw.  Also, depending on how one positions both output and sensitivity knobs, you can relieve some or most of this annoyance.  One just has to be patient and work with it and it will do what it's supposed to do.... for years! That's why I bought another. It will be a sound (excuse the pun) investment in a good quality pedalboard rig.  Get one today!

It just has 2 knobs.

The construction was good.

The price was good.

I am totally disappointed with this pedal. I had high hopes since I read the good reviews for it. This pedal had no sustain whatsoever, it's way to noisy,also there's volume issues. I just couldn't tweak it to get any sustain.

I've tried a few compressors in this range.  Spent days fiddling with knobs and came up with nothing earthshaking.  This one in about ten minutes got it.  Or what I like.  Left knob at 3:00 to 4:00.  Right knob at 9:00 to 10:00.  Nice sustain, sound very close to clean signal.  Telecaster through Fender tube amps.  No other pedals for gain or distortion.  Country and blues.

Only annoying thing is the power plug on the side instead of at the top of the box like every other pedal in the world.

After moving the amps out in the nook area, hooking up all the pedals and cranking it up, I knew I needed a compressor...and a noise gate. The noise gate I wanted was out of stock so I decided to go with only a comp for now. The MXR does a great job of smoothing things out, and even goes a long way toward taming the nasty, noisy hiss I was getting.

Other than an EQ, a compressor should be in your signal chain.

Compressor, Distortion, and EQ: these three will get you closer to that tone you're after.

Two knobs and a switch. Not much in the features department, but this pedal does exactly what it should.

Another well made product from MXR.

This one is priced just right. It's not fancy but it does a great job.