This is a great sounding compressor!!! I bought it as a cheaper alternative to the Keeley comp I had planned on buying. The fellow who builds these pedal lives nearby, so I was able to try it out thoroughly before buying. I had the chance to briefly test a Keeley that belonged to customer at the guitar shop where I work. The Retro Sonic Compressor is every bit as good. It's quiet and VERY smooth sounding. Anyone who's tried out garbage like the BOSS CS-3 or MXR Dynacomp and decided that compressors aren't useful, should definetly check out this pedal! I use the Comp with my two Strats, mostly for clean playing. It works great for "hot country"-type leads (like Brent Mason) and for David Gilmour-type stuff.
Reliability/Durability:
Top notch components and workmanship. Good true-bypass switch and no crappy plastics jacks soldered directly to the PC board. Also has the world's brightest LED. It actually hurts your eyes if you look straight into it!!
Ease of Use:
Nothing to it. Just two knobs after all. Just set the volume and dial in the amount of compression you want.
Customer Support:
Tim Larwill is great to deal with. A nice fellow who knows how to build good pedals at a fair price.
Overall Rating:
I've had it about a month now and it's definetly a keeper. For those of you interested in a clean boost, check Retro-Sonic's "Boost" pedal, it sounds INCREDIBLE!!! That pedal is on my shopping list now!
