Barber Electronics Tone Press

Much easier to get a handle on than the Carl Martin I used to own! It had 4 knobs- way over my head! Seiously, the Tone Press' sustain knob covers about 3 of those.

I use single coils and HB's and this box works well with either. My 56 Relic Strat has never sounded fatter and my McCarty sings like I always knew it could. I use a Mesa Boogie 4x10 Blue Angel and although it is a fairly low wattage amp, it can be loud when cranked. I like the sustain I get when I do that but I lose definition. The Tone Press allows me to get singing sustain with either guitar without losing definition and without hurting folks' ears. No small trick. It only adds a small amount of noise and that only occurs at high volume levels. The blend knob is a stroke of genius on Barber's part. Your unnaffected signal is added together with the compressed signal and this negates the "pop" that is usually associated with compressors. There is an internal "color" pot that goes from super clarity to more rounded, vintage compression and I haven't even gotten to that yet. And, amazingly, it will do the same sustain thing with clean sounds. You can get pedal steel-like sustain without losing attack and clarity. I was skeptical at first but this pedal delivers on it's promise.

I opened this pedal up to install a battery and it is a work of art. Pristine wiring, hi-grade components. I did a little research before purchasing this pedal I had a good feeling about Barber products. The insides of this box confirmed my feelings. I haven't had it for a long time, but I feel totally confident using it without a backup.

No dealings yet, but their website allows you to contact different people, not just a general email address. That's a good sign.

I'm a glorified blues player if anything. Awhile ago I started to weed out things that I felt did not enhance my sound in an organic way or that were too artificial and non musical. I'm down to about 3 od's, a delay, and a trem pedal. The Tone Press is staying and I knew that after playing it for literally 2 minutes. I've never relied to heavily on any pedal too long- fickle (or just dumb) I guess. I'm a little afraid that this pedal may become addictive. It just makes everything sound clearer, more dynamic, and just plain fatter. The promise of great sustain without a squashed tone seemed unattainable but Barber has made it possible AND affordable. It's a great feeling when you make a purchase and have absolutely no buyer's remorse afterwards. This pedal clicks on everything: Quality, sound, and price.

Compressors are, by nature, difficult to get "right". This one was the easiest!

Quiet, clear, transparent.

Just got it, but it looks bullet-proof!

I spoke to te factory before I bought it and they were very nice... but ther was no isue being dealt with!

I play blues (www.bluesplatespecial.com). This is just right. The ability to blend the signals is the ticket! I always played with no pedals at all, and this one just makes the "no pedal sound" that much better. I worked for years to get the right tone from my rig (Strat with Vintage Noiseless pickups, Blues DeVille with 5331 pre-amp tubes and 4-P10R speakers), and this pedal is transparent. It keeps the tone and just makes it better!
I had a Digitech "Main Squeeze". It was very nice, but got noisy on certain settings and changed the tone.
I'd HIGHLY recommend it.

This is an update to my review. When used on a REAL clean channel(not my ENGL clean) this thing really shines! It also seems to compress alot more than on my ENGL's clean channel cause on a Fender Hotrod you can make this thing pop and cluck!

Hi,

I'm not going to beat around the bush. I never really used a compressor before except for some digital ones built into an effects loop. I do know that I'll want another compressor in addition for a a more extreme use. The tonepress is subtle, but when you turn it off you feel raped. It's definately held with high reguard up there with EQ and tone. You won't believe how you lived without it in the first place. The want for another compressor in addition of this is to get an extreme squash and control of release time.The Tonepress gets it right up to the squash without going over.

I rate this a 9 because nothing is never 100%. It's very hard to get noise on this pedal which is a miracle. The sound is simply beautiful, transparent and well worth $139. There's a trimpot for the color/tone inside which I haven't messed with yet. I must say the inside of this pedal should be displayed in a fucking museum! It's a work of art! Also, My amp had the problem of picking up radio stations on my amps distortion channel(Engle Tube amp). With the tonepress in my effects chain it cuts that out!!! I was like kick ass. Now I don't have to fix that problem! I'm serious. I took it out of the chain and the radio stations were back.

This thing is built with care and precision. This pedal blew me away. Barber, I'll be back when I have more $$$ to get one of your distortion pedals! One thing that made me open the pedal up was the fact that the outjack socket seemed to release the guitar cable easier than the input jack. I though it might not be tight or something so I opened it up. It's actually a different type of jack and therefore one just has a stronger grip. I can't rate the reliability since I only had it a few days.

Overal rating is a 10. It is truely a fantastic deal. If you want something cheaper buy a mass produced MXR and enjoy the noise. It will also hijack your tone. I got my pedal at WWW.PEDALGEEK.COM
Thanks Dan!!!!

Simple to use, three knobs Volume Blend Sustain. Self explanatory aren't they? Blend the amount of your unprocessed signal with your compressed signal (wet / dry combination). Just try the example settings on the sheet supplied then do your own experimenting till you find what works best for your sound.

Yes, I know a 10!! But, if you have been searching for your sound and then finally found it you would have to give it a 10 wouldn't you? Well, I've finally found my sound!!! Beautiful clean clear sustain without killing your tone! Forget fuzz and distortion for sustain why not hear the sound of your guitar? Georgeous strat tones that sustain forever, that's the sound I wanted! I don't want to hear buzz/fuzz so I just add a pinch of overdrive for a killer lead solo sound, purrrfect!! For recording this pedal is a must, no more harsh spikes or clipping in the levels and still allows your true sound to shine through thanks to the blend knob, and Mr Barber of course!!

Only had a couple of weeks, looks very sturdy (bomb proof). I look after my gear anyway so we'll see, can't rate it yet. Wouldn't like to have it fail on a gig, not when your special sound relies on it!!

Haven't needed support so can't rate it. I have read only good things here though.

This is just what I was looking for lots of clean clear sustain, you can't get that unless your compressor has a blend knob!!! Great Idea!! When you find something that lets you get the sounds you've been hearing in your head and that is so musical and easy to use it's a prize winner for sure!! This is really great value for money!! very affordable, actually could be too affordable come to think of it, Hell!! now everyones gonna sound great!! Let's just keep this quiet OK ;-))

Very easy to use. Three knobs. With some tweaking, its easy to get the squeezy sounds of a keely or dynacomp type of compressor, and some of its own sounds as well.

Barber, you've done it again. Another perfect pedal.

OK. I've owned 3 compressers including this one. The first was a Digitech MainSqueeze X series. Not bad for the price, really. I'm using that on bass now.

I was using a Keeley Compresser for the past year. Now, for smooth sounding, clean compressed lead runs, the keeley is fantastic. blows away a dynacomp in everyway.

But my problem is that I have a really heavy right hand attack. If I slammed on a G chord, or even did some low string arpeggios, the keeley would really swuash them to the point where it wouldnt cut at all. I started to wonder if there was such thing as a compressor that would boost single note runs, and still let your chords burst through with all their attack. Lemme tell you, the Barber can do this.

The best way to describe the Tone Press is "Smart Compression". Its almost as if this pedal knows what you're thinking, and responds accordingly. Set the volume to unity gain, the blend straight up at noon, and the compression at 2 o clock. Do some subtle single note runs, clicking the pedal on/off for comparison. The Barber really does bring out nuances of these notes, and lets them sustain ALOT longer than normal.

But the real kicker is this. Slam, I mean SLAM, on a open G chord. Listen how the Barber doesnt take away from your aggressive attack at all. It lets all the attack through, and immediately the compression and sustain seamlessly makes your notes ring out for a long time.

I'm totally sold. I own a Barber Direct Drive SS, and a Barber LTD, and now the Tone Press. Barber is a true innovator; he's not making any "clones". He's assessing problems with some of our favorite classic pedals, and truly refining them, creating completely new and better pedals in the process.

Barber makes his stuff strong, but also thinks ahead. Pots and switches are NOT PC mounted, and are easily easily servicable if need be. That being said, its built like a brick, and I trust it to last a long time.

Barber has fantastic email response time. He'll chat on the phone for 15 minutes if you call him. Very friendly, very knowledgable. Class act.

Worth every single penny. I guess if you're a purist, then a keeley or dynacomp would satisfy you. But the Barber can do everything a Keeley can, and more. Plus, the blend control is a lifesaver to modern, aggressive players. This pedal is truly the best compresser I've ever played though. My search is done.

Barber kicks MAJOR a$$.

Hey barber...PLEASE make a phaser, maybe a wah, how bout a chorus...

Super easy,except the blend control might be something new for a lot of guitar players who are used to the conventional comppresssors.

This is something of a sound I have been looking for all this time. With this unit,you do not have to compromise your tone. Nice work.

It has not given any problems. Just one look inside and you will know that this thing is build to last forever.

Can't get any better than Barber. They are just so great with their costomers that I can't say good enough things about them. Class A all the way!

I havwe now three pedals from them.Direct Drive SS, LTD,and the Tone Press.They are all great.If there is one thing that all these pedals share in common will be that they have a very pristine clear sound. I guess this is a very good start for getting a great tone.I own some other pedals that are considered to be so called boutique,but they cost alot more and offer similar level of tonal clarity. One of the beast deals around.

Three dials...Level, Blend, and Sustain. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it.

I'm an old school funk guy and I've always been a stickler for the basic Guitar-Wah-Distortion-Amp setup. It takes a lot for another pedal to work it's way in my rig. This one has. The way it shaped the clean sound was awesome and I couldn't turn back once I used it. I had tried other comps in the past, including the Dyna Comp and the Boss units, and while they were good, nothing seemed to warrant an extra space in my rig. This one did.

Excellent so far. The true bypass feature is awesome.

This unit is very good for what I do and it doesn't color your sound the way some other units did. I almost got the Dyna Comp, but this one had the true bypass feature, which sold me. It has definitely earned its place in my rig.

Pretty Straightforward.There is a guide that comes with it that has some recommended settings.

50's Reissue Strat with Custom Shop Fat 50's pickups through an Addrock Boostmaster/Tone Press/Addrock Ol Yeller/Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory/Boss DD-20 Giga-Delay into an early 70's Fender Twin.Very quiet pedal and it is true bypass.All pedals work nicely with it. I prefer the Class A clean boost setting which helps me get that Eric Johnson clean tone.My rig sounds naked without it and I never turn it off.Even if you don't care for compression you should try this pedal because it really enhances your clean tone no matter how good your rig sounds.Lead tone will definitely like this pedal also as each note is heard without being trampled on. The best addition to my rig for the price range.

Had no problems so far. I have had it for a year now.

Never dealt with them.

My band plays eric johnson cover tunes.Been playing 21 years and this pedal has put my tone over the top. I would definitely buy another Tone Press if lost/stolen.

No problems here. The Blend knob is the only thing out of the ordinary from your conventional Compressor pedal.

Here,this thing gets a strong 10.the only drawback is that it doesn't sound like what a good compressors are supposed to sound like.(MXR,Keeley),dose this make sense?I have been used to my MXR Comp sound for so long that at first, I was not able to appreciate the Pristine sound quality that this box delivers.If you are still reminicent of the compressors of the yore,you can tweak the internal pot for a darker sound.

Seems like a solid,well built unit.

Great support.Friendly and helpful.

This thing is probably not for someone looking to really compress the signal,using compression as an effect.This pedal has really made me re-think the true role of a compressor.Now I regard the compressor almost in the same reague as an EQ,sound enhancement gear.An eye opning,auditory experience.