BBE Opto Stomp

There are two knobs: Volume and Comp. There is a pad switch which I don't use. I usually set the volume at 12:00 and the comp at 10:00. I have had a Boss CS-3 which sounded like crap with a bass. I bought the BBE because I was looking for a compressor pedal to use on bass and read good things about the B-Max so I thought I would take a chance on this pedal.
Compressors can be tricky to set properly when you have threshold and ratio settings. This is by far one of the easiest I've ever used.

I use a Carvin LB75 five string bass and an Ampeg BA-115 with the BBE between the bass and the amp. It is hardly noticeable when setting the comp at 10:00 which is what you want with a compressor. It does a good job of keeping your sound even and natural. I have tried to set the comp knob higher at 3:00 and it seems to take away from the dynamics too much. Another thing I noticed is there is some distortion when used with bass when you crank the volume all the way up.
For guitar, this pedal works really good as well. One of the guitar players in my band tried it one day while playing clean and it sounded really nice.

I've had this pedal for 2-3 months now and have not had any problems so far. I do not have a back-up. I guess if it goes bad then I will go without it until I can buy another one.

I have never dealt with them.

This pedal works well for rock music, especially when really digging in and playing hard. Moderation is the key with this and any other compressor. I like light compression to even out the peaks and valleys. This pedal does that. I have been pleased with this purchase. I wanted a good compressor pedal since I play a combo and didn't want to buy a rackmount compressor. I've used this with a MXR M-80 pedal and that seems to be a pretty good combination as well.

Stupid-easy to use. All settings are useful & sound great.

Telecaster & 335td -> BBE Opto-stomp -> Voodoo Lab trem. -> Vox Ac30tb w/ celestian blues. A little noise on higher settings, pretty normal though through my setup, although nothing distracting. I love how sound is not coloured when it's on or off. It brings the volume & sustain of the high three strings (g through e) up to that of the wound strings, resulting in a very even & pretty-sounding response.

i assume i can.

It's simply a great & natural sounding compresser of the optical variety. Very warm sounding. No whoofiness here or weird chickin' pickin' modern country crap. Just beautifuly simple, subtle, and easy to use. If you're in the know as to how to use a compresser, then this one's a classy gem in any player's collection. I don't give tens but this is so simple & does exactly what it should, & does it nicely!

2 knobs, Volume and Compression, and a 0 or -15db pad switch. pretty simple to use, i think the Compression knob acts like a ratio of dry/wet which yeilds a very subtle and 'transparent' compression.

the manual is mostly warranty info, not a whole lot of info. some recommended settings for guitar models/bass or other instruments would be nice, but with 2 knobs, you can figure it out.

i have plenty of different guitars, but mostly use a 1979 Les Paul Custom with APH1 pickups or a MiM Strat. amp is a 1982 Marshall JCM800 2203.

effects are opto stomp-->TU-2-->custom built wah pedal-->custom modded SD-1-->GE-7-->Rotovibe-->CE-2 *or 3*-->high gain input of Marshall.

its not overly noisy for a compressor, a bit of high end hiss which is normal, and its only apparent if the volume is on max, which is where i like to have it so it pushes the clipping stage of the amp a little bit.

actual true bypass. battery goes dead, or the plug comes out from the wall, just turn it off... and keep playing.

its a very subtle compressor. soft knee, and doesn't change the sound of your instrument, which is important to me. seems to add clarity and definition to chords and solos. pretty much a turn it on and leave it on effect.

makes tuning easier because it gives a nice even signal to the tuner.

sounds amazing on the low gain input, which i rarely use, but is still very usable on the high gain.

great with the acoustic/electric. this pedal will be a part of my live rig either way.

pedal is very light, but solid. knobs feel good, switch is high quality, and input jacks are tight.

5 year warranty, and is completely hardwired true bypass, so if it broke during a song, i could simply turn it off and still be able to finish a set.

effects manufacturers take note. REAL true bypass sells pedals. i had been shopping for a compressor for a while before i bought this one, and the bypass was a huge feature for me.

n/a

i play lots of different styles, but prefer hard rock, classic rock.

if it were stolen, i'd get another one. the value here is great. you get a battery, a wall wart, a high quality pedal and a huge warranty for a very low price. and it sounds good. i'd buy another one the same day.

compared to a dynacomp *which is essentially only a hard limiter* or a cs-3 *noisy, noisy pedal* this is a very musical sounding compressor. it was meant to be played.

a compressor is a strange effect. most people don't know what it does. but in my humble opinion a compressor is a guitar players best friend when used properly. it does not, however, hide mistakes like a lot of other effects do. this is a great effect to own if you want to work on your chops.

the only thing i wish it could do is that super hard knee compressed sound, just for a once and a while fun thing to do. i doubt i'd ever use it in reality, but more options never hurt.

if it were completely noiseless, i'd have bought 2. but such is the way of the compressor.