Analog Man Juicer Compressor

too easy, could not be eaiser. Good compressor. I don't use it all the time. Good for solos. Turns the Sunface into a more intense distortion.

Strat into Mazerati. Adds a bit of noise at higher volume. Sounds very good. Works well with other pedals, mostly. The Beano and it make more noise together than I like to hear. Two seperate types of boosts anyway. Great with chorus and overdrive(turn juicer on for solos) great with clean amp.

Come on it's AnalogMan.

The best. I mean it. Really.

Rock. Good pedal for me. Makes playing eaiser. Sound dynamics are squished into a great juicy tone. Had the Barber Tone Press, it sucks out your tone and adds noise. TP has a great blend knob. The juicer is just "set it and forget it" . The juicer is a better booster, more volume range and it adds some grit after 12:00. It helps me make music when I need a change in tone or need to do something "tricky" or needs some sustain.

Very easy...so easy there's no way to screw it up. 99.99% foolproof.

This is my first Analogman pedal. I play an EJ Strat thru a Marshall. Mike recomended I put the Juicer first in the signal chain. My signal goes from the Guitar>AMJuicer>Boss MetalZone pedal>BossDelay pedal(forget which)>DigiTechDelay Xseries pedal>V-amp(set clean with Chorus)>Marshall.
Dang, Where do I start? My sound and tone cleaned up instantly. The notes were full and earthy...and very consistant. This is exactly what I've been needing. I play in a contemporary praise band in church every Sunday. All my notes cut through like never before. It actually made me play better. I played harder and took more chances on the fly. I was very encouraged musically by this little miracle.

I've only had it a week. It is a sturdy metal box with a big metal switch. You'd have to throw it off a cliff or run over it with a truck to hurt it.

Very nice folks...They are musicians, they know the deal. They are ready an willing to answer any questions that you may have. Mike even answered my emails on Sunday. What a guy!

I've playing for a long time. I've bought many effects pedals. I've never had a pedal affect my sound in such a positive way. I turned it on and I did not turn it off, and I don't plan to. This is not an effect, it is very transparent. It lets you sound the best you can sound...period. If you suck, you'll still suck...just not as much. But if you're a good, smart musician, playing for the song...it will make you sound great. If it were lost or stolen, I'd order another one the very next day.

Super easy to use. One knob! One LED! One switch! You get the idea!

This pedal clones the original Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer from the 70's. This clone improves on the functionability, sound and reliability of the original idea. It squeezes and enhances in a beautiful and soulful way. I use it with a dirty tone so I generally kick it on for a solo here and there. It works great after a dirt pedal like a tube screamer. With both of these pedals set at moderate settings, the tone is smooth and sweet. Very expressive and responsive to your playing dynamics.

As with all of Analogman's pedals, this thing is built like a tank and has proven very reliable. No issues whatsover.

Mike's whole repuation is built on quality of sound and care for the customer. I can't say enough good things about him. I currently own 9 pedals that Mike has built or done something to improve the tone and functionability. He's top notch all the way around. No joke!

The Juicer is a great compressor with a truly organic soulful vintage vibe. It has great character, works perfectly and sounds fantastic. The unit has an LED, power jack, true bypass and great quality components. What more could you ask for? And it looks bitchin'!

One knob = lots of great sounds

Well, I've owned this pedal for over a year and promised Mike I'd write a reivew, but just never seemed to get around to it. But I always felt guilty because it is such an awesome box, I felt I owed it to fellow guitarists out there to clue them in and I also wanted to do this as a way to thank Mike for a suberb job of cloning the DAOS! (see below).

1) This is it -- this is the sound! That is of course, if you're into the DAOS sound (Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer) and SoS (Sultans of Swing). 2) But it also is great for country twangin' and riffin' too! When we do songs that require me to throw in some pedal-steel licks, I put the Strat PU selector in the 'tween positon and turn up the Juicer and yahoo! 3) I have five electrics that I rotate/shuffle depending on the song list and I just recently plugged in the SG, and what a surprise. The Juicer takes those humbuckers and pushes them just to the edge of breakin' up with a beautiful, wet, and harmoncially accented, subtle overdrive. Kind of hard to describe, but think of power tubes in that delicate state that's somewhere between clean and just starting to get dirty -- saawwwweeeeeet! This was an added treat that I wasn't expecting out of this box -- this is something completely different than the SoS type sounds it will give you with single coils.

It's handmade AnalogMan -- of course!

Everybody "likes Mike" 'cause he really does stand behind his products and is very responsive -- the best!

Okay, here's the rub. I use this pedal alot; truthfully, I use it too much. I play twice a week in a P&W band (pop/rock/country genres of songs) and this pedal stays on 95% of the time. Not only does it have just a very sweet sound (a delicate balance of just the right amounts of compression, attack/decay, clean tone/volume boost), but you can use it as a volume/solo pedal (it has a MXR styled knob, but it doesn't come with the rubber sleeve for foot use, so I took one off of my DynaComp and put it on so I can change the setting on the fly - [Mike, throw in a rubber foot sleeve for the knob or at least offer them for an extra buck or something], and with non-single coils, it takes on a mild over-drive effect.

But it is so much a part of my sound now, I'm actually getting scared that my ability to control my own dynamics or wrench my own tone out of the guitar may be getting lazy. What I'm trying to say here, is that once you turn this pedal on, it's very, very hard to turn it off -- it has nothing but good things to add to your tone/playing. I feel like an addict (I'm on the "Juice" again ;~) So, I purposely force myself to turn it off on a couple of songs so that I remember what it's like to have to work for good tone and dynamics.

I used to use a MXR DynaComp, but it sucked out so much of the tone and the compression was just too heavy -- but the Juicer has just the right amount of compression so as to not kill all your dynamics and it brings out all of your guitar's natural tone and cleanly beefs it up as a full serving to your amp -- your amp then has a better signal to work with, and with a good amp, you can hear the full spectrum of tones your guitar is really capable of.

I would like to point out that if you are looking for a direct replacement for a clean sustainer like a DynaComp, this pedal will not give you that kind of sustain nor is it designed to. This is really a clone of the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer -- I think of it as half compressor/half aural-tone boost (again, think Dire Straits and some country chicken pickin') Mike offers other compressor boxes that will give you lots of clean sustain, so check those out.

Yes, I'm biased because, to me, this pedal gives my guitars/amps the sweet tones that I associate with good electric guitar/amp tone. This pedal, along with a Tube Screamer(Mike's KWS edition), Vox Wah, and Sweet Sound Deja Vibe are all I use now -- I rate this pedal as a classic and would say if you only buy one of Mike's pedals, this is it. Yes, it may be pricey, but to me, the tone and pleasure it gives every night we play has been worth every penny. If for some reason the pedal does not appeal to you, you can always get like 95% of your money back by selling it on e-Bay, they go like hot-cakes there.

Mike, thanks for creating this and so accurately cloning Dan's OS and putting it in a more usable package -- this is a masterpiece!

Peace, love and classic tones!

Jimmy Ferrara

If you didn't know already, the Juicer is a clone of the legendary Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer. At first sight, the Juicer scores points against the original O.S. purely for the fact that it is a proper pedal, whereas the Squeezer was basically a small box with no external controls that plugged directly into your amp.

The Juicer features one external knob that controls the volume, and on the inside is a small bias trim pot that sets the level of the compression effect. I haven't been game enough to fiddle with that yet, as it involves a slightly more complicated process and sounds great right out of the box anyway. However, there are simple instructions in the included manual that cover this adjustment.

I use this pedal with a stock 2001 MIM Stratocaster. I've never actually played through an original Squeezer, but this sure as hell nails the sound from where I've heard them used. What you get is best described as a squishy, fluid tone with some subtle grit. It's a compressor, so the sound levels become fuller and more even. When I turned it off, I missed it right away. It just adds an awesome, albeit subtle quality to my tone.

Soundwise, the Juicer might as well be a vintage Orange Squeezer, so if you're curious to hear some great demonstrations of a clean strat played masterfully through one, listen to practically any early Dire Straits song -- the effect is all over their first two albums (the songs "Lady Writer" and "In the Gallery" particularly spring to mind).

Seems to be of sturdy construction and the insides are neatly built with high quality components. Put it this way: unless you plan on subjecting your Juicer to brutal violence with heavy objects, it should hold up well.

I don't think anything really needs to be said about Mike that you wouldn't have already heard. He has one of the best reputations in the boutique pedal business, and deservedly so. A nice guy who obviously enjoys his work!

Also, I must compliment him on the speed at which I received my pedal. I ordered it on a Tuesday and it arrived the following Monday. Given the fact that I live in Australia and boutique pedal companies are sometimes reputed to be a little slower, I assumed it was going to take longer than it did.

This little orange beauty will certainly be a permanent resident in my pedal chain from now on. This is a dead-on accurate reproduction of the vintage Orange Squeezer circuit (unlike the sub-standard official "reissue" from WD Music), and in all honesty, I think you'd be crazy to go looking for the original model instead of this. The Juicer has it beaten, even if only in terms of practicality. I haven't compared it to other OS clones on the market, but frankly I don't see any point. You can't get much better than this.

Highly recommended!

Super easy with just one knob you can do so much.There is a LOT of adjustment in just a quarter turn and that's cool. This one knob wonder is very versatile. True bypass switch that works great.

I use both single coils and humbuckers and it works Great for both! A lot of compressors don't like humbuckers but that's no problem with the "juicer". Boy this pedal can really sweeten your solo's up and just smooth you out for a more professional sound. I believe it's very transparent in my set up, It doesn't alter your tone at all it just sweetens it up. At the highest settings there is a bit of boost which is great in the solo mode. This pedal also sounds great for single coil guitars and Fender amps. You can get that great country sound if you want!

I bought this used a year ago and it was made in 2002 and it works perfectly. A battery in here lasts forever,it seems you can put a LOT of hours on a battery without changing it. Very well made high quality compressor. Throw the Boss compressor AWAY!!!

His customer service is second to none!! No problems with this baby.

I play modern and classic rock but this works great for all styles. Many players have never used a compressor, if you get a chance you should try this one out, it can really help your sound be sweeter and smoother without all kinds of coloration.I have found it most helpfull in bettering my lead sound. I always have it on and I wouldn't play without it.

Only one knob, but ... there's really only a small sweet spot in the sweep of that knob that I could find -- the spot I like is right where the the Juicer begins to boost the signal beyond the level of the input signal. It took a while to figure that out, along with the twiddling of the internal bias pot. I'm not sure if I ended up with that set at the original factory setting or not, but it's where I like it now - I think it's backed off just a smidge from the factory setting.

I use a couple of set ups nowadays - (1) Telecaster w/Kinman pups thru a Dr. Z Z-28 head and a 1x12" cabinet loaded with a Weber VST Alnico Classic, or (2) Stratocaster w/Kinman pups thru a '69 Super Reverb w/circuit modded to AB763 spec. I use the same pedals/FX with either setup ---> AM Juicer --->Keeley Compressor--->Keeley-modded TS-9 --->Budda Phatman--->Roland GP-8 (for various chorus, delay, & phaser FX, midi-controlled thru Rolls MidiBuddy)--->amps. What I don't like about the Juicer: (1) signal drops when you first kick it on, then picks back up -- it does this really quick, but it's still noticeable; (2) amplifies the inherent line noise so there's noticeable hiss when a note is not being initiated; (3) really grabs the note(s) by the throat as it starts to decay and then squeezes hard -- chords will swell noticeably, as do open notes -- oblique bends can get out of control if played with an overdriven tone; and (4) very small sweet spot. What I like about the Juicer: (1) with the Strat, it just nails that southern-fried clean strat sound ala Ed King; (2) sounds great when used in front of the TS-9 and Phatman - it just plays real well with these two pedals on either guitar -- great "boost" pedal in that regard; (3) with the Tele bridge pup, I get harmonics w/a little bristle on 'em popping out all over -- very sweet and fun!!; and (4) plays very well with the Roland GP-8 mod FX --- enhances those much better (and quieter) than the built-in Roland compressor ever did!

It has a heavy-duty feel to it and appears to be well-constructed mechanically and electrically. Nice components, no noticeable corners being cut here. I also use the Keeley compressor, but I'm not sure I'd call it a back up -- the Juicer is really quite a bit different from a classic compressor. I use the two for different reasons, depending on the sounds the song calls for. I've had it for about 4 months now and it's not let me down - time will tell, though. All said, the look, feel, and play of it inspire a lot of confidence as to its reliability.

Very professional and responsive - great e-tailers!!

I've been playing for more years than I care to admit, and I think I've pretty much mentioned most of the gear I own (I also have a Guyatone VT-X FLIP Tremolo pedal, Budda Bud-Wah, and an AM-modded Boss DS-1). I'll play just about any style of music, some better than others, but expert at none -- I guess I'm somewhat of a musical "generalist," with my preference being toward anything that has some legit emotional content to it (ha, I say that like I'd know it when I heard it ... oh well). The Juicer: kind of a one-trick pony, and then some. Has lots of unuseable settings of the dial, but the spot that works is very sweet indeed. Once I got it where I liked it, I found it very useful for solo boosts and enhancing single note runs -- but I would never leave it on all the time because of the way the squeeze pronounces on chords and open notes. I've only used it live, so can't really speak to how it records, although I've heard it on one of the previous reviewer's work (Rob Jackson of "The Low Country") -- a CD called "Welcome to The Low Country" (I think that's the name of it; sorry if I got it wrong, Rob, but it's late you see) -- a great piece of pristinely recorded work, by the way -- the Juicer sounded quite nice on Rob's tastefully sparse and plaintive guitar work.

Anyways, if lost, I'd get another -- it's just a lot of fun to play with and is musically inspiring. In my opinion, it's a very professional sounding piece of gear.

I found the Juicer very easy to use. There is just a volume knob and the inside bias pot which adjusts the overall volume and squashing effect. The more you turn it up the louder it will get. The lower you set it the more squashing effect it will have. It's pretty straight forward as far as usage.

I am using various guitars but mostly Strats. I put Fender Texas Specials in my 60's reissue and it sounds great. I am using a Fender Twin Reverb and I needed something to give me a little spunk and sustain because my Twin doesn't have a master volume and although the tone is super, it's very clean. The Juicer adds just the right amount of bite. It's relatively quiet unless you use distortion and even then it's not bad. It's quietest if you use a battery rather than the adaptor. No variations in sound that are noticable with the battery compared to the adaptor.

Anything from Analogman is great quality. There is a lot of research done on their products and they are selling their stuff to the pros so you know that there is not going to be any cheap construction in any of their products. As with all of the stomp box pedals from Analogman, the jacks and internal components are top shelf so I would feel safe not having a backup although I would like extras in case of theft.

I have never met Analog Mike but anytime I have a question and e-mail him he is very prompt in returning my e-mail and cheerfully answers my questions himself. I don't think you'll find that kind of service any where else on the planet. I haven't had any problems with anything that I've bought from Analogman, but I did send him a pedal to be modified and it came back immediately with the mod and it sounded so much better I was amazed. Not only at the service but at the sound improvement as well.

I'm playing in a classic rock band and the Juicer is great for that because I can get a bit of a gritty sound for some of the cleaner solos which is a sound that I haven't been able to get with a distortion box. I've been playing for 30 plus years and I own numerous pedals from Analogman and I wish I had them years ago. I would buy all of them again. I like everything about the Juicer because it does everything I wanted it to do. It adds sustain so you can work the notes a little bit longer and it seems to fill everything out and add a sense of texture otherwise absent. I've tried other compressors and for what I was looking for, this one fits the bill hands down as the best I have tried. It makes playing easier because you can get the sounds that you were looking for and that makes me play with an abandon that makes my creativity come to the forefront with more confidence and exuberance.

One knob-duh! It does have an internal trim pot worth exploring (depending on pickup output) but I am happy w/ the factory preset.

My set up is: Gibson (LP or 335)- Juicer- Teese Wah- Captain Coconut 2- Boogie IV (or Engl Speedster)- Cele. Greenbacks. This unit is not noisy. Very transparent. You really don't notice it's on until you turn it off! This unit is a lot more "subtle" than other compressors (which is my preference).

I have gigged w/ it and it's as solid as can be. All steel box.

THE BEST BAR NONE!!!!! I've had emails answered on SUNDAY AFTERNOON!!

I play in a cover band. I like the sound so much, I leave it on almost all the time. If you like your compressor on the subtle side, I'd highly recommend this unit. For me it's the best product I've heard in this category. Having said that, I'd suggest talking w/ Analog Mike about YOUR specific needs before you buy.

I hate giving all "10"'s, so I'll knock a point off since it's not inexpensive (but worth every penny!).

One knob and one internal "set & forget" trim pot, it's not rocket science but it work's so well.

I use various Tele's into a new Fender HotRod Deluxe or a MKII Boogie and Demeter Tremulator and this thing is wonderful !!, it compresses in such a natural, musical way it's "on" all the time. Best of all it doesn't do that cliched compressor 'thing' where the compressor just suck's all the life out of your guitar and amp, i still have total control of the volume pot on the Tele, if i want to back off i can and not lose any tone. The quality of the tone is great because it doesn't seem to add or subtract anything to the tone i'm trying to get out of the guitar.

Built like a tank, and so am i !!!

Great !!, quick, helpful replies via eMail and when i got to the top of the list it took a matter of day's to reach the UK, it's impossible to get that service here from a company IN the UK.
I've had no real question's since it turned up, it just work's so i can't think of any question's i could ask but i'm sure i would get great service if i did.

Like other's i've spent a whole career using this or that pedal, the "rack mount" route and everything inbetween but i've never had such instant success with a piece of equipment !!.
I play "Telecaster" type music with all that implies and this thing is the perfect mate for a Tele, because the guitar is still controllable so all your tone is still there but with that slightly smoother edge to it, and that's controllable too !!
I just plug it in and leave it and go back to enjoying the guitar and not fiddling with knob's or preset's wondering where my level just disappeared too when i hit that wonderful sounding +9 chord.
I do share the worry about battery changing though, i'm pretty good at having a spare and knowing roughly when i should change but you dont want to be doing it "in the field", it look's complicated in there.