Keyboard player for 5 years. Guitar player for 3 years.
Purchased From:
ebay
Price:
$73.52 USD USED
Features:
The standard version of the Signa Comp features 3 knobs, "Sustain", "Level" and "Tone". There is also a deluxe version that features a 4th "Attack" knob. I would have appreciated the extra adjustable "Attack" knob, but the standard version does feature plenty of punch if you are looking to emulate a chicken-pickin' type of country sound, especially if you use the bridge pickup of a Strat or Tele. I found the standard version on ebay for about half price, so that was the primary reason for choosing the regular 3-knob version over the deluxe.
Sound Quality:
Excelent sounds! You can achieve a nice smooth compression and even out all of the dynamics, or you can crank the "Sustain" and "Level" for a squashed tone (which I love). With the "Tone" knob, you can brighten or darken the sound to however you see fit. What suprised me most was how quiet this compressor is compaired to your average "vintage" compressor from the early 1980's. When I use the more exagerated settings, I plug into the 'Behringer Intelligate XR2000" noise gate for removal of any hum caused by my single coil pickups in my Fender Strat. I would recomend using a noise gate if you plan to record some guitar tracks with an exagerated squashed compressor setting, but for what it is, the pedal is MUCH quieter than the MXR dyna-comp or the like. I would have given the Sound Quality a 10 if I had the 4 knob version, but this is still a suburb pedal!
Reliability/Durability:
I bought the pedal used. The previous owner was a little rougher with their pedals than I am with mine, but there are no large scrapes or sratches to speak of. The encasing has to be seen in person to really appreciate, the pedal is a very glossy copper color with a clear finish on it. The knobs has a sort of vintage white color that looks very nice. I treat my pedals very well, and it looks as though this pedal will last for many years to come. I don't "STOMP" my pedals, so I imagine this pedal working well for probably another decade or longer!
Ease of Use:
It is easy to dial in a usable setting. When I use compression, I tend to use exagerated settings to emulate the squashed tone that compressor pedals are known for. One thing about this pedal though, you can achieve a very even and smooth sound in lighter settings. I even use this pedal on synthesizer bass as well because the effect is very pleasing to the ears. Within a few hours of use, I was able to try out various settings and to be honest: I like the pedal at all settings.
Customer Support:
Mr. Matthews will kindly answer any questions you may have if you email him. Because I bought the pedal used, it is not under warrenty, but because it is a CMATMODS pedal, I don't have to worry about anything going wrong for a long, LONG time.
Overall Rating:
I have to say, this is a very high quality pedal. I tend to do a lot of research before I buy electronics, in my opinion CMATMODS pedals are the best deal on the market right now. The truth about boutique pedals is that you get what you pay for, but with CMATMODS, you get much more than what you pay for! The pedals are priced to compete with what you would pay retail for a BOSS pedal, but what you get is a MUCH better product than what you will find at your local music chain store.
There are a few other brands of boutique compressor pedals that are horribly expensive and I can say from using them ("Keeley" and "analogman") I prefer the CMATMODS compressor. I would recomend that you buy the 4 knob version because you will want the "Attack" control. The standard 3 knob version provides plenty of punch, but it's always nice to have the option of adding more when you want it.
I plan to buy the CMATMODS Chorus pedal in a few weeks, and I will post a review of that when it arrives. I plan to use CMATMODS pedals from this point forward. Don't give your money to BOSS when you could buy a nice analog pedal for the same price. This pedal is by far the most bang for your buck. You get a lot of pedal for your money. The only reason these pedals are not priced in the $200+ range is because the company is more about giving the consumer a good product for a fair price instead of forking their customers for all the money they can (I'm looking at YOU "analogman"!).
