Analog Man Bi-Comprossor

The Bi-CompROSSor is extremely easy to use...Attack, Sustain and Volume on the ROSS side, and Volume on the Orange Squeezer side. The manual is straight forward, easy to understand, and explains the function of the pedal in perfect detail! For those of you who don't know, this pedal is designed and based on 2 of the most popular compressor pedals in history... the old grey ROSS Compressor and the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer.

It is a true-bypass pedal, so if you don't need to use it on a certain song, you can bypass it without affecting your guitar's tone! And yes, when on, it truly does not color your tone....ABSOLUTELY TRANSPARENT, and that is the beauty of this pedal, you get YOUR TONE without any added noise or B.S.!!! And by the way, this pedal works wonderfully for bass too! No B.S. !!!

My other effects pedals are a vintage ROSS R-70 phaser/distortion, vintage BOSS CE-1 chorus ensemble, vintage MXR M-117 flanger (not the crappy re-issue), Boss DD-2 delay, Morley JD-10, Digitech Whammy and Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah (soon to be replaced with a Teese Real McCoy Wah) in front of a 1993 Peavey 5150 block logo amp (with JJ tubes), with a Furman PL-Plus series II, TC Electronics G-Sharp multi-effects, BBE 482i sonic maximizer, dbx 266XL compressor/gate (used for gate function only) and a Digitech TSR-24S multi-effects processor (rarely used) in the effects loop. Also have a Marshall AVT-50H amp head for a backup.
My guitars are...1988 Gibson Les Paul Standard, 2004 American Fender Strat Deluxe with Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups and Warmoth compound radius neck, 1998 American Deluxe Peavey Wolfgang, 1990 Ibanez Universe UV7PWH, 1985 Kramer Focus 1000 (alder body) with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups, 1983 Ibanez DT155BK X-series Destroyer, 1989 Ovation 1758 Elite 12-string acoustic, 1978 Gretsch TK300 bass, and an Ibanez TR Expressionist Fretless bass.

Analogman's pedals are built like M-1 tanks...damn near indestructable! No cheap, flimsy Korean junk here people!!!! If it was lost or stolen, I would ABSOLUTELY buy another one! In fact, I just might buy another one to stash in the closet for future value!!!!

I have e-mailed Mike a few times, and he has always responded to me quickly! After I placed my order, the pedal arrived to me 3 days later, US PRIORITY mail!!!
Although I have had ABSOLUTELY no problems with my brand new Bi-compROSSor, Mike's reputation preceeds him, and I am completely confident that he would help me out with any problems should they occur!

OK, I can understand anyone having reservations over anyone giving a perfect 10 rating on anything reviewed here...but I cannot express how delighted I am over this Bi-CompROSSor! It truly lives up to the hype and reputation! If you are in the market for a compressor pedal, this is the only way to go!!!!

Enjoy!

Surely the Bi-Comprossor could not be easier to use? There are two compressors in the box; each has an on/off switch and a volume control. In addition, the Ross side has Attack and Sustain knobs.

For people who like to fiddle there are a couple of trim pots inside the box, but I'm happy to leave them at the factory settings.

The sound quality is excellent. I mostly use the unit between my Yamaha 5-string bass and Roland DB-500 amplifier where it neither colours the sound nor robs it of its vitality; it simply does what it is supposed to do.

The Ross side of the unit is quieter than the pre-amp of my Roland amplifier; therefore it is very useful for applying gain to my passive bass. The Squeezer side is a bit noisier, but by no means prohibitively so.

The pedal seems to be very well made. The switches are nice and chunky and I feel sure that it will provide many years of trouble-free service.

My amplifier has a compressor built in which would have to suffice if the AnalogMan unit failed. However, I'd want to replace the Bi-Comprossor as soon as possible.

I have e-mailed Mike with a couple of queries and he has always replied very promptly.

I play bass in church and also in a rock band. I'm sometimes called on for guitar duties and have a Fender Stratocaster. I've been playing for about twenty years.

The Bi-Comprossor is a tremendous little box. Harmony Central warn against uncritical reviews, but there really is not much to dislike here. Having used mine for about six months, there is only one thing that I would change. Battery replacement requires that the box be opened, necessitating the removal of three screws. This is a very small gripe, but it would be a little more convenient if the battery were in a clipped compartment.

I cannot criticise the sound and function of the Bi-Comprossor, especially considering its reasonable price.

Before I bought the AnalogMan unit I had used the MXR Dynacomp, Boss CS-2 and the compressors built into various multi-effects. I was most fond of the Dynacomp and it was on the strength of this (and reviews on Harmony Central) that I bought the Bi-Comprossor. I was immediately delighted with the way it worked. However, even greater than the impact of adding it to my rig was the effect of taking it away. I find it shocking if I have to play without the device! Until recently I was reluctant to use effects with the bass, firmly subscribing to the 'tone is in your fingers' school of thought, so this has been quite a revelation.

For the Orange Squeezer side, it couldn't possibly be any easier to use, since "Volume" is the only control you have.
The Ross side is a little more involved, but again, not quite rocket science. "Volume" for the volume boost, "Sustain" controls the amount of compression, and "Attack" controls how quickly the compressor reacts and clamps down on your signal. Since "Attack" and "Sustain" are pretty interactive and take some subtle tweaking to get where you want to go sometimes.

I played this hooked up through my Fender Prosonic (very under-rated amp), playing a vintage 1959 Fender Jazzmaster. (I haven't used this with my Les Paul yet as it's out getting some modifications. I can't wait)
The sound quality is, in a word, amazing. Perfect transparency. There is zero coloration of the signal. This is true whether the effect is bypassed or active. Off, no coloration of you tone. On, it compresses as much or little as you want, but again it doesn't change the tone at all.
Even though this is basically a hot-rodded version of pre-existing designs, much credit is still due to 'Analog Mike' and his crew. Unlike most compressors, somehow this doesn't seem to amplify much extraneous noise. It really only seems to boost what you want to hear. This can't be an accident, and certainly it wouldn't work this well if this were a simple copy. If you have much experience playing with effects both new and old, boutique and production, it'd would be very obvious to you when using this device that Mike did a very thoughtful case of re-engineering, going step by step and thinking about what could be done to this great designs to make them as near perfect as they're likely to get.
I bought this as I knew I'd need a compressor now and again since I'm finally getting ready to record/perform alot of my stuff, and this thing is so much better than I thought it possibly could be, I can see alot of my tunes that I will want to use this on that I never though I'd have needed it for. The ross side is great for tunes involving many chords with open/ringing notes or alot of arpeggiated chords. Early Beatles/U2/REM/Sunny Day Real Estate sorts of guitar rhythm work are good examples. It also seems very great for indulging your Queens of the Stone age doom rock needs. The Orange Squeezer side strikes me as very good for percussive chording and quick leads. Up tempo rock, or mid temp poppy stuff that cold veer into funk/jazz/r&b territory. I don't see how it can't meet your compression needs.
As a bonus, the Orange Squeezer side seems like a great clean boost for solos in a live context. I know I'll be using it that way too.

Having only very recently received this pedal, I can't give you the "I've dropped it out an airplane and went bungy jumping with it for 7 years" sort of badge of reliability approval. But, what I can say is I have eight years of experience with guitar equipment, synth equipment, and studio equipment (I have my own cozy and capable recording set-up in my home). I know the difference between top-notch and crap build quality. I can say this is built with the among highest quality footswitches, audio and power jacks, and shrouded ultra-high intensity LED's I've seen. If you see one in real life, it will be self evident to you that the only way this will stop working is from severe abuse, or a catastrophic accident.
On another quality note, this paint work is the best I've seen on a pedal from anyone. I'm lucky to have a store nearby (Musical Arts Enterprises in Davie, Florida) that stocks alot of boutique stuff you'd normally only get to read about. You can walk in and play most anything from Z. Vex, a good selection of Fulltone, most everything new Electro Harmonix makes, and several other makers I honestly can't recall the names of. This really is the best finish work I've seen, I'd say only Zach Vex is in the same league.The pictures on Mike's site don't do it justice. This gray/black/silver hammerite paint really looks beautiful, the effect when looking dead on looks almost three dimensional. The white lettering and sun design is very impressive and beautiful, it's as bright white as milk or cake frosting, which is pretty impressive considering the thick dark finish it's layered on top of.

Simply put, Mike is a hell of a nice guy. In my experience, he'll respond to questions super fast, in 4-12 hours in most cases. It would be hard to imagine someone being more congenial and helpful. And this is before I even bought anything. What more could you ask? Considering the build quality, barring getting stuck in the middle of a rock club gun fight I don't see how I could need customer support. But if I did, I'm supremely condfident Mike could handle whatever problem comes his way.

I hate to sound like some yo-yo just blindly singing the praise of a relatively expensive gizmo. I've read alot of that kind of passive bragging in product reviews before.
I paid a little more for it than it normally is new. I bought it from a charity auction for the benefit of victims of Hurricane Katrina. To help those in need, get a great device for my artistic needs, and get to skip the one year waiting list, definitely worth the extra cost.
All that said, I've never wrote a review for anything I've bought before. But since everything involved with this is so excellent, I just had to. So, it's kind of an active thanks to Mike/Analogman.com. Mike is a great guy, this thing has perfect transparent sound quality, and it's one of the best built pieces of gear I've ever seen. Truly an impressive class act. This guy deserves your business, don't hesitate to give it to him.

I have to modify the question for this one - the original question had been "how easy is it to get a good sound out of it?" and that's tough to answer because you can get many variations upon several good tones out of this little box. The combination of two great compressors makes it very versatile, and I probably won't settle on one particular sound, making it nice that you can footswitch in and out of each side. I do know that it sounds great and lets your guitar tone through running either or both sides, and at all the settings I've tried. The only difficulty is picking which sound you want to get!

My signal chain is Les Paul or PRS Custom 22 to Boss TU2 tuner, the Bi-Comp, Crybaby reissue wah (true bypass), TS808 reissue, AnalogMan chorus (see my review on that - it's awesome, best I've ever heard), and finally Ibanez AD9 analog delay, into either a Fender Blues Jr. (small stuff/recording) or Marshall TSL100/4x12 (big stuff/recording when loud).

The Bi-Comp is noisy if you stop playing and it's on a high setting because it is looking for signal. With the true bypass, though, you can easily stomp out of it if you have like a real quiet part in a song where you don't play for a bit. Other than that, whenever it has a signal it's real quiet, or when set at a more reasonable level. Nothing to fuss about here.

It doesn't affect the sound quality or flavor of the guitar's original sound, but it can, on low amp settings, still make feedback/sustain and draw out some really long tones. It's like the bicomp keeps pushing the note after you hit it on the guitar, I guess is the best way to describe it. The OS side adds a little edge to it, and it's fun to experiment with both sides and switching. So far I like using the Ross side on a medium-ish setting and leaving it on, then when I want some extra I kick in the OS side. Lots of fun could be had here, depending on how you play and what effects you have. Mike says it should go at/near the beginning of the chain so it will affect the other stuff.

As far as getting the sound of my favorite artists, I think that's more up to how I play than this one pedal. That said, it does even out my solos a lot more, and things like switching from picking to hammering and then to two-handed sounds a LOT better with this thing on, so I suppose, yes, it does help.

The thing is in a metal box with steel switches and the circuit board is mounted so that even a dent (if that's even possible) would probably not damage it unless it was in a particularly bad spot. I can definitely depend on it and would use it without a backup. I think the only way to stop this from working is to remove it from the signal chain.

As I've said before, AnalogMan is very helpful and quick; once the package was shipped it was here very quickly (priority mail for everything as far as I know), and Mike answered everything via email within 24 hours, usually less. For someone that's as much of an expert on effects and busy with so many orders, it's good to see responses that fast. I haven't needed any upgrades or repairs on it, but I have read customer testimonials that have said AnalogMan is one of the best as far as support goes. On both of my orders (Chorus and the Bi-Comp) I wanted an adaptor and he had to walk me through what to type on the automated ordering system since it was a non-standard order, and he did that without complaint or annoyance. Good company to work with, and I would definitely recommend them for effects and repairs. If he doesn't repair something himself, I guarantee he knows someone who can.

I've been playing for many years and I am rather fond of my Bi-Comp and my Chorus. Over the years I've owned many pedals, boards, guitars, and such, and am finally settling down with a standard setup that I'll use all the time (with a couple parts in and out). Most of my stuff was listed above in an earlier section, so I won't repeat it here. I chose this product because of its versatility with having both running at once (which is unusual but can be really cool) and also having two semi-legendary compressors available in the same box, and constructed to be sturdier and sound better than the originals! How can you go wrong with that? If I had to pick a favorite feature it would be how much sustain you can eke out of the Ross side with the sustain knob maxed and then playing with the other two knobs. Does it help me make music? The only problem I have is that I don't want to stop messing around and playing, so it's cutting into my sleep time. If it were stolen or lost I would want to replace it quickly; there is a waiting list currently and I can see why. It's worth it to have one, though - and I'm sure Mike is working on filling the backlogged orders right now and will be caught up as soon as is humanly possible.

This could go either way. To some one with minimal or no prior compressor experience the Juicer is pretty simple, the Ross is more complex for the beginer. I have had some prior comp experience so the Bi-Comp is fairly easy. I can not give it a ten in this catagory because of the internal trim pots. I have not adjusted them nor probably will, and this is coming from a cronik tinkerer. I wish the "manual" was more desriptive on the function of the ross associated trim adjustment.

My setup is->
iabnez SM37 semi hollow w/ seymore in bridge->Willis King Tone Fuzz Germanium->Vox Reissue Clyde->Q-Tron->TS9Dx->TS9->Ross distortion that has been modded->BiComp->MXR EQ->Ibanez AD-80 original->DD5->stereo->ABY->mono->foxrox Provibe #35->Music Man script 65 112 combo.

I have owned. Marshal ed thcompressor, Electroharmonix Soul Preacher(That I modded) MXR super comp. Have use MXR dyna comp, new block but no script, also carl martin compressor. The Marshal was my favorite when I didn't know any better. I took the super comp out, tries the Soul Preacher one last time to see. Maybe 8 months with the super comp helped. Preacher was way easier to use.
The Bicomp is easily quiter than all listed above. I have been trying to eak a ghost note out of my amp for months. With in 30 minutes of goofing with the BiComp I got at least 2 good note evolutions. This may not sound like a big deal but the amp I use was made to not do that. So blooming feedback is a real treat at any reasonable volume.
The juicer adds just a hint of grit. I'm not sure I see the Doobis bro's conection but there again no preamp tubes in amp so that is purely subjective. I can't waite to get another amp with some 12ax7s in it to see what happens.
I originaly ordered this trying to gain(no pun intended)some of Trey's tone. I realized a couple of things in the process. Differant fingers, differant shoes, differant amps, differant blues. What's the point you ask? I guess I moved on. I want my tone. I want the tones I hear rattling inside my crazy ass brain. This is exactly what keeps some people from shelling out the beagals to pay for this. Sure I could still pay the 265 for Trey's tone, it was still 265 just the same. Mind you I have payed less for a running 4 door sedan but was not nearly as satisfied. This is exactly what happens while you stand at your local paint store needing a brush ready to paint. Buy a 5 dollar brush get a 5 dollar finish. This goes back to the ease of use section. this pedal is for the kind of guitar player more concerned about how the note trails off in the distance than if the string winder is motorized.
I can not give this a 10 at this juncture due to inconclusive evidence. Other than that This has met or exceeded my multi-month backlogged expectation checklist.

not owned it long enough to say. Looks pretty gumby though.

I have spoken to Mike many times, he has always been promt, courtious with a reply to any of the multitude of things I have asked him or tried to trade him for this here Bi comp. He was even polite when I thought he took to long making it and I was a prick to him about it. Sorry about that Mike. Little did I know how long the waite list really was.

If you can not sit patiently through a 2 hour movie, your going to get antsy waiting for this.

I'll still take you up on that back stage pass any time mike.

If I lost it I'll be wiating till the next one comes up on the list.

I'm an idiot with all pedal/amp/equip setting & adjusting. Been playing guitar for 15 years, mostly on acoustic - about 5 years ago switched to electric. I like equipment that sounds good no matter what you do. The OS side has only one knob - volume! Ross side is just as easy, set the sustain and go - it just sounds good.

I've only played on it a few times, just got it a couple weeks ago. I bought a Boss CS-3 a couple years ago but took it out of my rig. The tone was thin - noise got amplified - getting good sounds was difficult. My setup: PRS Hollowbody II->bi-comp->ts9/808mod->ts9->wah->fender concert. I've read reviews saying bi-comps sound better with fenders, but can't imagine it sounding much better than it does with my PRS - this is what I wanted, and it delivers, trust that: unlimited sustain - the ross side is sweet, give it a little fuzz and you get endless notes. fat clean tone - os side is perfect for brightening up my clean tone, perfect name too, it juices up your chords. amplify the subtle sounds - many compressors seems to amplify the crap instead of the subtle picking/percussive sounds, or the pick attack during solos. auto-feedback - used to have to turn up loud and make my guitar do all the work.

analog mike builds tanks

send analog mike an email and you'll understand how good his support is - any question - you'll get a response quickly, even if you don't own any of his products

one thing: analogman needs proffesional style manuals, this one page computer printout doesn't cut it

it's great, would replace it in a second, maybe I'm just on a high cause its so new and so good. i now realize a high quality compressor is a necessity for any lead guitarist

Very simple. The manual explains it all very clearly.

This is it! I use the "Ross" side for my Rickenbacker 660/12 for the McGuinn sound and the "Orange Squeezer" side with my recent American Standard Tele and American 57 reissue Strat. All stock instruments. I use a late 70's Super Reverb and '68 Princeton Reverb from Fender and a Tech 21 Trademark 10. Soungs tremendous through all! The compression is very transparent allowing the Guitars natural tone to shine through. I tried the Aphex "Punch Factory" and thought that it colored the sound too much. It added some treble. Plus the compression just didn't have the quality of this pedal.

Seems like it will hold up. Quality components were used. The box itself is a pressed metal one, not like the MXR double wide type. I'll knock off 1 number because of this.

All I can say is that the box arrived 1 week after I sent a Money Order to Analogman. That's very fast!

I was going to order the "Ross" only compressor but Mr. Analogman suggested the dual version with the Orange Squeezer. I'm VERY glad that I did! It was around $50 more but that makes up for the guilt of spending $265 for a floor pedal! I've been through Dynacomps, and Boss compressors and tried the Aphex "Punch Factory" but was never satisfied with any of those. When you turn this unit on, you automatically think and hear QUALITY!

The pedal is simple to use. Ross side on the left, Orange side on the right. You can even run them both at the same time for a super squashed sound.

I play an Ibanez Jem thru a Fender Vibro Champ, Fender Custom Shop 57 Twin, or Mesa Bogie Dual Rectifier. I thought i hated compressors before i bought this one. Every one i tried was basically a little box that did NOTHING. The sound quality of this pedal is the absolute best. The Ross side is my favorite. I never used to play the guitar clean much at all until i bought this pedal. It makes playing clean so fun. You will want to leave it on all the time. Mike actually told me that in an email and i didn't beleive him because the only pedal i like that much is my original ts808. He was right though, and thats why there is such a huge waiting list for this pedal.

One look inside, and the sheer weight of the steel case will let you know its reliable. I have gigged without a backup of this pedal and will continue to do so.

Mike is a one of a kind person to deal with. He replies to your emails fast and he is very friendly. Once my CLONE Chorus that i bought from him over 2 years ago was having problems and i emailed him and he sent me instructions on how to fix it the very next day and i did and well... What more can you want?

I got on the waiting list for this pedal, not knowing what to expect. I have most of analogmans pedals so i figured it would be nice to have and use once in a while. I was so wrong on that! This pedal has become the single most important effect i use for my clean tone.

I have the large Bi-Comp. 4 knobs. Attack, Sustain & Volume for the "ROSS" side & a Volume knob for the "JUICER" side. Very easy to get a great Ross sound. There are also Bias Trim Pots for each effect on the inside of the pedal. The factory settings are fine and didn't needed adjusting to my ears. The manual keeps it real simple for those who have never owned a compressor before.

My set-up is: Schecter C-1+ > Whammy II > Crybaby Wah > Analog.Man TS9/808 Silver > Analog.Man TS9/808 Silver > Bi-Comp > Boomerang > '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI. The Bi-Comp sounds great after the TS9's. Great sustain! I can hold a note forever. True Bypass when turned off!! The unit does add some noise when on. The Juicer side more so than the Ross side. I'm okay with this. My only problem is when I turn on the Ross side I get a nasty POP when I hit the switch. I don't know if this is with all the Bi-Comp's or I need to ask Analog Mike about this. Because of this I can't give it a 10. I usually leave the comprossor on all the time though. With my set-up I can get a very accurate Trey tone. I also started using the Juicer side more than I thought I would. Before I got the Bi-Comp I used a Boss CS-3 which was a great & reliable pedal. The Bi-Comp isn't for beginners.

This pedal has some weight to it. It is built solid. I think as long as you don't jump up & down on the switches, you'll get years of trouble free use out of it. I'd use this pedal every night without a backup. It's like a brick.

I've emailed Mike a number of times & usually he gets back to me that same night. Email him about products, technical questions, or just to say what's up...he's a great guy! He knows his stuff. He's very caring about his customers.

I've been playing mostly "jamband" improv kind of music for the last few years. I've been playing guitar for over 15 years. Once I started playing with a compressor I was hooked. I haven't tried all of the compressors on the market, but the Bi-Comp is my number one piece of equipment at the moment. I would definitely buy another if it got stolen.

I received my Mini BiComp in record time! Thanks !
>
> I am thoroughly impressed ! My old ( '72? ) MXR Dynacomp never worked
like
> I had wanted it to, but that was what was available back then. I liked the
> Orange Squeezer, but didn't like having an effect that plugged into the
> guitar.
>
> Your pedal is great ! Ballsy, pick attack isn't all squashed out of
shape,
> quiet, definitely a versatile effect.
>
> Opened the case to look at the settings for the trim pots even tho I
didn't
> hear a need to change anything. Amazingly beautiful work of wiring !
Really
> impressive ! Factory produced electronics aren't wired like your work ! I
> may sound like a raving lunatic, but you just don't see work like this
> anywhere.
>
> Definitely an effect with maximum tone & versatility.
>
> I'll stay on the list for the large version, but I'm not sure why at this
> time. Maybe just because the attack adjustment is on the outside & easier
to
> play with. My son in Colorado may get the Mini for Christmas or something,
> if I can convince him to ditch his rackmount digital junk ! Digital
effects
> suck, especially when you're one of those people who just had to have a
> Fuzzface way back when !!!

Fender "Evil Twin", Strat
Amazingly quiet-especially for a compressor-attack is internally adjustable-combination pedal- Ross compressor & Orange Squeezer-very versatile tone, lots of CLEAN sustain

Sure looks that way !

Analog Mike knows his stuff-high quality wiring inside- I don't foresee any problems happening because the guts are assembled from high quality parts & not cobbled up-actually better & tougher looking than factory stuff

Rock, blues, jazz Definitely a match. Been playing for nearly 40 years Les Paul thru tweed Bassman is other rig-played straight,no effects,just cranked amp
would have to get another- actually on the wait list for the large version with the attack pot on the outside of the case-even more versatile-it definitely performs as it should-far superior to my ancient MXR DynaComp-this sucker sings!