Barber Electronics Tone Press

As this unit offers various sounds, finding out what is best for your own set-up and taste takes a while. The manual has some very good starting points though, and once you understand it isn't your average Ross or MXR, your in tone heaven.

Well, I must admit: I never liked compressors. I have always felt they were a bit too-obvious, a bit like chorus after 1986. If you're a cowboy you use a MXR, if you're part of Funkadelic you use Ross. The squash was always too much for me. What I was looking for was a studio-like compressor, one that does miracles to your recorded vocal or guitar track. You think your recorded guitar sounds good, until the engineer adds some tube compression...

The Barber Tone Press does exactly this: it enhances your tone. It raises the bass projection but makes sure it never becomes muddy, it adds sparkle to your high end, and it increases to sustain, especially when played clean. This is the kind of pedal you rather keep running the entire gig than using it for specific parts. It makes your guitar just sound much more musical, and it does make YOU sound like a better player (especially when finger picking clean, or playing Curtis Mayfield style licks). I do like that you can sound like an old MXR-unit: turn the blend fully clock-wise, and you have all the vintage squash you need. My rig now is Tone press - Fulltone Clyde - vintage Ibanez AD-9 - Pearl AD-5, vintage Boss CE-2, MXR Phase 100 script, Boss EQ-7, HBE Germania - Boogie Mark IIB / Fargen Miniplex. Guitars: Historic '59 Les Paul, Custom Shop Mary Kaye Stratocaster, '77 Fender Tele, '73 Tele Custom. The best results are with the single coils through the Fargen, mainly due to the fact that the Boogie has a 5 EQ (which also works as a compressor) and I find the Antiquities in my LP do not need much more compression. The Tone Comp is now on most of the time, and with the LP I set the sustain higher for slide playing. For the price of this unit, this is a must have for any serious guitarist.

The build quality is excellent, although I find the casing a bit generic, and especially the way the scews are adjusted is not "high-end". But reliabilty can only be judged after at least 5 years of work, and that's not the case here.

I have never had any contact with any builder or supplier, and I don't I ever will.

Up to this point, I find it a necessity in my set-up, especially if I play the Strat and Tele's. This is a typical case of "why didn't I know about this 500 gigs ago". The price is excellent. I hate it how some manufacturers charge hundreds of dollars for a Ross clone, which basically is 5 dollars worth of '60's electronics and half an hour with a soldering iron. The Tone Press is, for a compressor, quite affordable.

Couldn't be simpler, and lends itself well to experimentation

I'm a big user of slight compression - on a clean or slightly distorted strat. I've previously had a big crush, boss cs3 and mxr dynacomp. When the boss broke down I thought I try something else and the difference is astonishing. Its transparent but warm. My rig is strat into budda wah, barber tone press, dunlop univibe, zen drive (mild o/d) crowther hotcake (full one o/d), boss flanger, boss accoustic pedal, matchless chieftain. You can hear the results at www.doonicans.com

Too soon to judge

Too soon to judge

The instruction sheet that comes with it gives good starting points.

Tried it first with a Strat>Tone Press>Barber DD>Twin. Used the single coil magic dust setting as described. The clean sound was very good. Did add a little magic to the clean. Turned on the DD and it sounds like the two were made for each other. I was able to turn the gain down on the DD and still achieve the sustain that I used to have to add too much gain to get. Very nice. Have to be honest, it was a bit noisy though but, I had my Twin on 5 so, anything would be noisy at that volume.

I have three Barber pedals now and they are all rock solid.

Dave and his company are first class all the way. He modded my DD and got it back to me very fast. Do not hesitate to buy/try on of his pedals.

This has been said a thousand times before. This is the compressor for those that hate compressors. Really is. I did not like compressors before I bought the Tone Press because ones I had tried before did not sound this good. Always too squishy and took most of the dynamics out of my tone. This pedal sounds good distorted and clean. Thanks Dave. The Small Fry is next for me!!!

Simple 3 knobs-volume, blend, sustain. Manual is as simple.
Trimpot on the inside adjusts voicing to classic or modern.
Could this have been put on the outside?? Not a huge deal though.

ernie ball volume,tuner pedal-Tone Press into Bogner shiva.
I have an old lap steel with a pickup that doesn't have a lot of output-The tone press works wonders on this. I won't play the lap steel with out the Tone Press now. Definition, sustain, its all there. My tele, clean, sounds ripping as well.
Distorted, it gives a nice little boost, plus again, giving you great sustain for leads, and awesome attack for everything else. It does all this DEAD QUIETLY!!
Show me another compressor pedal that does that for 140.00.

Appears solid. I don't backup anything. Im not a pro player.

I emailed Dave on a pop it was making when engaging the footswitch. He got back to me within 5 hours and suggested trying a different patch cable. Cleared it right up. Apparently (cheap) cables will "store" signal or current sometimes, and then release it when you step on the pedal, resulting in a thump or pop. I should have tried that before I bothered him. Huge props for Dave on that.

I've tried some other pedal compressors, and while some were more extreme with the amount of compression, none worked as cleanly. Im still experimenting with this pedal, and find myself NOT using this pedal more and more.

Its awesome there are independant guitar,amp, and effect makers. It would SUCK BALLS BIG TIME if we were all just stuck with Boss and Digitech crap. I would probably have quit playing years ago and took up f*$%cking golf. I give this pedal a nine just to offset the constant 10's that get handed out here to everything that doesnt deserve it. The bottom line is, if a pedal makes me want to beat the shit out my guitar, its great. The Tone Press is great.

Ease of use is one of this compressor's strengths. Just dial in as much sustain as you want and set the blend knob for as much uncompressed attack as you want.

I use this with a variety of guitars, but I particularly like it with my Strat, which has a percussive sound with very little sustain unless I use a compressor. I use it with a half-dozen different amps, and it makes all my amps and guitars sound better. I like a lot of sustain, so I can change pitch and add different kinds of vibrato during a single plucked note. Any compressor increases the entire signal, including any noise that is present, but this unit adds no noise of its own. I always use a noise gate for any high-gain playing, that is, virtually all the time. Incidentally, I have had very good luck with the Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, and I have two of those units. NOTE: Don't be afraid to crank the sustain to the max. Some people seem to think this is bad for some reason, but the Barber unit sounds great with the sustain maxed and the blend knob set for only the compressed sound.

I have never seen a unit built with better quality! It's a beautiful unit INSIDE, with high-quality components and beautiful solder connections. I recommend always having a backup unit for key components, however, and I now have two of the Barber units, to be on the safe side.

I've never dealt with the company directly.

I play all kinds of music from clean to grungy. The compressor sounds great in all contexts. I normally just leave it ON. Have you ever heard anyone complain that his guitar has too much sustain? I haven?t! I love the complex sounds a Strat makes, but I often wish it had more sustain, and I was frustrated by the staggered pickup pole pieces, which reduced the sustain of some of the strings. Well, about a year ago, I bought a Barber Tone Press. It was the fourth compressor I had bought. The one I bought right before it was a Carl Martin compressor, which was better than the first two compressors I had bought, but, like my earlier compressors, the Martin unit produced an annoying click or pop at the beginning of the notes I played, something that was very noticeable when I played with a clean sound. I had read that the Barber compressor did not have this problem, so I decided to try it. I loved it! It made all my gui-tars and amps sound so much better, and I got a smooth, natural compressed sound without any of that annoying noise at the beginning of the notes. My affection for the Barber compressor continued to increase during the last year, and I finally decided to buy a second one as a backup unit. Then, today, I got the wild idea to connect the two Barber compressors in series, to see how it sounded. It sounds great! Even more sustain, and without much noise. (I use a Boss NS-2 Noise Supressor right after my guitar, and I get good results from it.) I maxed the sustain knob on the first unit and turned the blend knob all the way to the right (5 o?clock) so no uncompressed signal results. On the second unit, I also maxed the sustain, but I set the blend knob straight up (12 o?clock). This gives a wonderful, lush, full, sustained sound from my Strat. Kind of like a Strat that sustains like a Les Paul. At last, I have the sus-tain I always wanted from my Fender guitars. Thank you, Mr. Barber!

Ease of use? Well, just plug the cables in and go! Ease to get a "good" sound? - A bit more trickey. Yes, there are only three knobs (plus the internal pot) so how hard can it be? Answer- depends on what sound you are trying to get, but more on this later

Probably like you, I had read quite a few good reviews about the Tone Press. I bought online without playing one, just based on that. Compressor sounds, like so many effects, can have a very subjective element to them. What sounds like the bull's eye to one guy may sound completely off the target to another. For me, the Tone Press was off the target. Not that it is "bad" in any way, just that it is not the sound I was looking for. I wanted a clean, sustained sound without a huge "pop" on the pick attack. I thought that's what the TP would deliver, and it does to a certain extent. I felt that the compression had to be set at 1 o'clock or less and the boost blend up quite a bit too. With those settings, there was not much "pop" or noise, and the sound was quite clean. Problem was most of the time, I and the other guys I was playing with were not sure if it was on or not! (Only partly kidding here!) Not a huge amount of sustain/compression, almost more of a limiter-booster sound, which may be perfect for someone whose goal is staying below the vocals. For me, there was not much use for it.

For me, the Analogman Bi-Comprosser is much closer to the mark. I now have the one with the Ross and Juicer sides. Very versatile unit. The Ross with the adjustable "attack" knob turned way up gives a similar sound to the TP when the TP is set with higher compression and lower clean blend. With the "attack" turned down there is that more legato sustained sound, which I was looking for. Plus the Juicer side is an added bonus with a sort of different, more organic sound.

Looks very well made. Did not have it very long for real world testing, but just based on appearance, I give a 9.

No contact

As I said above, the Tone Press was not the sound I wanted. But, I can see there is a fuction it does serve pretty well, so I am giving it a 7.

Very easy to get a good sound out of this pedal. Editing is simple, 3 knobs...SUSTAIN, BLEND and VOLUME. There's also 1 internal trimpot which adjusts the color of the sound. It comes set to 10 for a more transparent type of compression but you can roll it back to get more vintage tones (Ross, for example). The manual is pretty straightfoward and easy to understand.

My setup is Suhr Classic (Bardens /Duncan JB in bridge) into Marshall JCM 1/2 stack.
This pedal is very quiet and only at the most extreme SUSTAIN settings will you hear any noise.
The Tone Press is the most transparent compressor stomp box I've ever heard. The BLEND knob allows you to dial in the amount of compressed signal so you can preserve as much of your attack as you want while still getting extra sustain. I found myself able to get big, open clean tones with nice articulation and super squashed vintage sounds by simply altering the amount of SUSTAIN and BLEND. Really versatile.

I just got it so I can't rightfully say one way or the other but...
this pedal is built rock solid and I would bet it will hold up.

I spoke with David Barber on the phone and he was really cool, very helpful and informative. I paid him through PayPal and he shipped the pedal the next day. 2 days later it arrived on my doorstep.

I play many different styles and this is a really versatile compressor. It's capable of subtle dynamics shaping and sustain, the kind of sound you can leave on all the time especially for clean tones. I don't use the squashed sound much but when I do this pedal delivers in a really musical way. I've had a bunch of compressor pedals over the years and I've used top shelf studio units. The Tone Press has more in common with the studio compressors than the crappy stompboxes. This is a very high end sounding pedal. If stolen I'd replace immediately. With most boutique compressors over $200 the Tone Press is a steal at $140 (direct from Barber). It can do what all the others do, but this kind of transparency from a pedal? That's an feat only the studio boxes can achieve. I highly recommend this pedal to any professional guitarist looking for a great sounding compressor. My pedal board will never be without it again. ( I give a 9 because I hope Barber will out do themselves next)

This pedal is very easy to dial up, the manual is helpful but like most guys, I leave the manual in the box until I have problems.

I first tried this pedal with my electric strat rig & I like the sustained sounds while playing clean but I'm not one to use compression with my overdriven or violin lead sounds at all, it just takes away from the dynamics IMHO.I wasn't blown away by this pedal as I am not a big user of compression,,,,,,BUT,,,,,I recently purchased a Godin Accousticaster.
I never really liked the sound of piezo bridge accoustic guitars because of the terrible quack & the transient spikes assosiated with them, I desided to try the Tone Press with this guitar,,,,& boy am I glad I did.

The Tone Press smoothes out the spikes & reduces the quack enough to enjoy playing solidbody accoustic without squashing the pick attack.
It's very transparent, now I can live with playing this accoustic live, & strum hard till my hearts content without the annoying spikes!!!

The only problem I've had so far with this pedal is the footswitch is a bit inconsistant, but I primerily use this with my accoustic & I leave it on all the time.
For this I'll give it a 5.
Other than that it's been working good.

Havn't tried, I bought it second hand so I am not going to bother, I could just replace the footswitch if I need to.

I would definately get another if this one was lost or stolen, I am excited about how well this pedal works for accoustic, I can't see myself playing a piezo equipped axe without it!

This is about as easy as it gets - 3 knobs. The volume and sustain are pretty self explanatory...It's the blend control that sets this thing apart. Wonderful feature - it's kinda like mixing dry and compressed signals in the studio, only condensed into one knob on a foot pedal. It's relly well designed and it works.

I've used this with a variety of stuff, but the real barometer is on my church gig. I play at a large church in LA, with big sound system...everything is miked up or DI'd and they like low stage volume. I play mostly a great strat, thru the tone press, into an early 70's SF Fender Vibro Champ (6 watts!). No reverb or FX - the sound guys add all that stuff on their end. It's primarily an R&B gig, sometimes I'll add old ProCo Rat and a Cry Baby, sometimes not. The sound is sweet, brilliant, and beautiful. I get so many "ultimate strat sound" comments - I love it. The Tone Press is also a great 7db clean boost when you crank the volume and blend out most of the comp. Just a great sounding little pedal, to the point where, at some setting or another, I almost never turn it off. It's dead quiet, and wonderfully responsive.

Feels solid as a tank. I don't bother with backups - if it were to break, which I doubt would happen, I'd just keep playing. The sound is in my ears and hands, not in the gear, but as far as gear goes, it's nice to have stuff like this that really matches my "musical muse".

I talked to Dave Barbour a couple of times, just talking to him about pedals, amps, bicycling, life, and within a couple of minutes, I knew that just as the Tone Press was a top quality pedal, the guy I had on the phone was a top quality person. I have no doubt, going by our conversations, that this guy is extremely committed to both his products and his customers.

I play everything - lots of sessions in LA, records, jingles, etc. I play casuals, lots of church - the whole pro musician thing. Been playing pro for over 25 years. I would definitely buy this thing again if I lost it. The only thing I would add is a battery access door to avoid having to take the bottom off. Great pedal...yeah, Dave!

The pedal is designed with simple features and very easy to use. Three knobs - Volume, Blend, and Sustain, a pilot light to tell you that the pedal is on, one input jack and one output jack, an internal trim pot, and the actual foot switch. The owners manual is one page and is written in plain English. It is concise and gets you started with some suggested settings that show the versatility of the box and the various ways it can be used. Changing the battery is time consuming since you have to remove the bottom plate to access the battery compartment. Mine didn't come with a battery so I learned this right away. It would also be nice if you could adjust the trim pot with a simple screw driver port located on the top of the box, or by turning an external knob instead completely removing the bottom plate. Voodoo Labs does the same thing with their pedal design. I guess companies can keep their designs simple and the cost down by doing this, but it transfers the problem to the user and makes accessability more diffucult. These are the only negative things I can say about the Tone Press. They are not really significant enough to keep you from buying this pedal.

I typically use an American Standard Stratocaster, or my semi hollow body Ibanez Art Star AS120, which is equivalant to a Gibson ES-335. My amps are both all tube, hand wired, Fenders. A 1977 silver face Princeton, and a 1984 blackface Deluxe Reverb II that was designed by Paul Rivera while working for Fender in the 80's. Both amps sound so good that effects just serve as seasoning to the incredible sound that they produce on their own. I bought the Tone Press to replace my trusty Boss CS-3 Compressor/Sustainer that I always had on full-time while playing. The Boss, for the money, is a good compressor. But mine, after so many hours of use, became very noisy while at idle or while playing at very low volume levels. The Boss is solid and offers plenty of squashy sounds, but it does produce the infamous popping sound if you are not careful with the knobs. In comparisson, the Tone Press is dead quiet until you turn the Sustain knob past 4 o'clock. Even then the noise is so low that you could play with the Sustain knob full on and not be bothered by the amount of added noise in your signal. My favorite setting is Volume: 3 o'clock, Blend: 1 to 3 o'clock, Sustain: 3 o'clock to full on. The idea of turning the blend knob off (fully counter clockwise) to use the pedal as a signal boost is also a great feature. The added boost (with or without blending in compression) that the Tone Press gives your sound is a big plus. Especially when I am using the small 12 watt Princeton tube amp. It brings the volume of the amp up and allows me to use a low wattage amp, wide open, with the tubes really working, and lets you keep up with the drummer in a band setting. I really like the sound I get with this pedal. Too many people over buy and get these large powerful amplifiers and then crack the volume knob open to 1 or 2. You have to open the amp up and let the tubes work. Most players will never play venues that allow them to turn an amp up to 8 or 10. With the Tone Press you get smooth compression, no popping, a meaty signal boost, and zero to low noise added to the signal. It sounds fantastic with clean or distorted settings. My typical pedal chain is a Boss TU-2 Tuner, Vox V847 Wah, Barber Tone Press, Fulltone Distortion Pro, Voodoo Labs Micro Vibe, Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay. According to the Guitar Player mag review, and the Barber manual, if you go inside the box and adjust the trim pot, you can get the more squashy sounds of famous vintage compressors of the past. I have not tried this because I like the factory setting with the trim pot turned on all of the way. The foot switch is quiet and does not add a clicking-popping sound to your signal when switched on. This is a great sounding pedal.

I haven't owned it very long but this pedal is built with military grade components. The inside is very clean and arranged nicely. The true bypass is a great feature, but I will leave the Tone Press on all of the time. Compression is something that I use all of the time. I can't stand to play without it. Even if I were stuck with my old noisy Boss CS-3, I would still use the effect. The benefits of compression are very subtle but the touch of sound it adds is something I can't live without. Once you get used to the effect and then turn it off your sound is just missing something. The knobs on the Tone Press are large enough to tweak with your foot in between songs. The housing is both lightweight and sturdy. My gig bag is getting heavy so this is a great feature. I don't even pack the old CS-3 since the Tone Press sounds great and should hold up to anything that I will put it through. You have to respect your gear. My pedals are packed in their boxes before placing them in the gig bag.

I haven't called because I haven't needed them. Based on other reviews here they sound very supportive. How many companies out there let you talk to the guy who designed the product. Support should not be a problem and the quality of the product should keep the calls down.

I play a variety of music styles. Mostly rock and blues. I have been playing for 33 years. I don't just run out and buy anything on the market. I try to carefully research everything I buy since money for guitar gear is not on the top line of my budget. Mistakes from impulse buying can be costly with guitar gear. If it doesn't add tone then why put it in the chain and why carry it around? The Tone Press is a high quality pedal and the tone is superior. Again, compression is a subtle thing and is something that is not going to knock your socks off when you stomp on the switch. It is not nearly as noticable as a distortion box is when activated. The silk and smoothness that compression adds to any sound, clean or dirty, is one that I can't live without. If I could only own one pedal it would have to be a good quality compressor. My Deluxe Reverb II gives me all of the dirt that I need by using the channel switching feature. After compression, all other guitar effects are secondary to me. The blend knob on the tone press is the best feature. You can mix the compressed signal from the pedal with your unprocessed guitar signal and find the exact amount of compression that is needed. I chose the Tone Press after reading HC reviews and after reading the GP magazine review. GP gave it the Editor's Pick Award. The Analog Man Comprosser and the Keeley Compressor were my next choices. The lower cost of the Tone press and the great features also made my choice an easy one. High quality true bypass, quiet operation, military grade construction, serious hi-fi tone, at a very reasonable price. What else do you want? A great value for the dollar. Thanks Barber for a great product at a fair price. I will investigate their other pedals. Build your guitar sound by starting with a good quality all tube amplifier. This is where most of your tone budget should go. You don't have to spend a fortune for good tone. I have two fantastic "vintage" amps and only spent $550.00 for the both of them. A good guitar is important but secondary to the voice of the amplifier. Sprinkle in effects only as needed.

Easy to use, if you know what you're after. The manual gives some suggested settings that help you find a sound you like right away. The "Color" knob (located inside the box) is a little inconveient to get at, but I just set and forget.

I really like the sound of this box with my setup (Am Tele, Deluxe Reverb). It simply makes my guitar sound "better." Works completely as advertised. I have had no problems with noise. I have to give it a 10.

I use this box in the studio only right now, so it's well cared for. The construction looks both sturdy and clean, so I would not hesitate to gig it without a backup if necessary.

I have not dealt with the company so far.

I play rock music. This pedal is my friend. I have played for 15 years. I own a lot of other gear, including Fulltone stuff (which I like), Ibanez TS9, AD9, etc. I would buy this box again if anything happenend to it. I have used many other compressors such as Boss, Guyatone, Oxygen, etc. I like the Barber the best, hands down. I wish the color knob was on the outside of the box, but oh well. The Tone Press helps me make music.

A bit tricky at first (this is a very original design). Once you get the hang of it you will never want a nother stompbox compresser.

The only downside to most Barber pedals is that there are so many options (he puts internal trim pots in everything) that it can get overwhelming. And having to unscrew the back plate to change batteries or turn a knob is a big pain in the ass.

This is THE best stompbox compresser ever. Yes, really. I have an Analogman BiComp that I waited eight months for. The BiComp is great if you are using single coil pickups, but humbuckers hit it too hard and cause that "pop".

The Tone Press is an original idea that I am surprised no one ever thought of before. The ability to dial in an uncompressed "Class A" boost to the squashed sound is a godsend.

All Barber pedals are built to military specs. I don't see it breaking anytime in the forseeable future.

Haven't needed it.

This is THE compressor in a pedal. Although the Analogman and Keely units are popular, they are old school and are too squashed all the time.

The Tone Press can get just as squashed, but can also breathe some open-ness back in. It is something to hear, really. No "pop", yet the sustain is there. Much more natural.

If Mike Fuller of Fulltone is the king of recreating the old classic sounds (which he does very very well), David Barber is the guy pushing the envelope and coming up with unique ideas that people say "why didn't anybody ever think of that?"

Oh yea, and this pedal is $135 brand new. Hello. Half the price of the Analogman BiComp. And BiComps go for $350 on eBay since there is such a long wait. This pedal is even better and unbelievably affordable.

THIS is the best compressor ever made. A no-brainer.

Extremely easy to use, just use the blend and sustain control to dial in the desired amount of compression. I tossed the manual after the first five minutes of playing through it, you know what you want, twist til you get it!

My dream compressor, and believe me, until now it WAS just a dream, is a compressor that is silent, transparent and twiddle little (not having to tweak endlessly). A great compressor is one that you don't even know is there, its just providing you with that even, yet boosted bandwith that allows you to stretch a note or chord when needed. This is it!

Time will tell, but its built well.

I play all styles, but I mainly use compression for slide and rythym comping (chicka,chicka, chicka). A must have for those applications. Click it out for straight up rock or blues. Keep it on ALWAYS if you're in a Steely Dan cover band (ha!). I wish nobody knew about it, but word gets out fast!

Very simple. Just dial in the amount of sustain you want and turn the blend control till you get the desired balance of compressed and uncompressed sound.

I bought the Tone Press because I read that it allows compressing clean guitar sounds without the annoying artificial pop at the beginning of notes. And it works!!! I have three other compressors, all of which work okay with distorted guitar but which are unsatisfying for clean guitar. Now, at last, I'm getting the compressed clean guitar sound I've wanted for so many years. And it's easy! I don't know why other manufacturers cannot do this. I have a Carl Martin compressor, which is good, but for clean guitar it doesn't sound right, and it doesn't have enough gain when you use a lot of compression. My advice: Buy a Tone Press!

I've only had it a few days, but it looks and feels rugged.

No contact with the company.

I play many styles. I like a lot of sustain from my guitar, and this gives it to me in a clean, pure, natural way. I've been playing 40 years and have tons of gear. I would definitely get another one. If fact, I may buy another one just because I like it so much. The natural, pop-free sound with clean guitar is the best feature, but the ability to blend uncompressed guitar with the compressed guitar provides desirable richness to the sound. The only thing I would change would be moving the tone control from the inside of the unit to the outside, but this tends to be a set-it-and-forget-it feature, so it's not a problem.

This is a tough category, because it's easy to get a good sound out of it, but it takes a bit more time to find the one you're searching for. The blend knob, which is completely brilliant, adds a bit more complexity than the typical compressor. Also, the knobs are interactive, so you'll need to tweak it a bit, but the sound you want (short of a massively squished sound) is definitely in there.

I am using this with a 2004 American Deluxe Strat (with the S1 switches and SCN noiseless pickups) into a Boss TU2==>Tone Press==>Fulltone OCD==>Zoom PD01==>Zoom PD01==>Boss DD20 into a stereo amp setup with a Music Man HD130 and a Music Man HD150. I know you're not supposed to give 10's here, and it is true that there are so many 10's on Harmony Central that it's impossible to tell what is real, so my 9 here means that this is a FUCKING GREAT PEDAL!!! This is the Compressor for people who hate compression (like me). The most important thing I can say about the Tone Press is that it makes my Strat sound more like a Strat. The second and fourth position, which normally are muddied up by distortion, are now recognizable with a little grind on. The overall sound is focused, but never smothered. I can still slam rhythm lines and never feel like the notes are being pinched or overly squashed. I liked my sound before, but now when I turn this thing off, I feel muddy, flabby and low class. Something to mention is that when I first fired it up, I put a slightly weak battery in it, the LED fired up nice and bright, so I thought everything was AOK. At this point I thought it was more of a limiter; I heard a little sustain, but I wasn't overly impressed. Then on a whim, I ran the Tone Press off of the daisy chain from my TU2, and the pedal took off! My sound became so clear I couldn't believe it, and with NO NOISE AT ALL from the power supply. So either use a really good battery, or a power supply, and you will love this pedal. It really is absolutely beautiful, and it's the first pedal I ever bought that I felt I needed to review here (I've given it 5 months, so it's not just the Honeymoon, I really can't live without it). One other thing to mention, which I think other reviewers have already said, is that this thing will not squash the shit out of the notes like traditional compressors; it is more subtle than the old school stuff ( which I never liked). So if you do want massively squashed notes, you might go with Keeley or Analogman.

I opened it up because I wanted to look at the trimpot ( which I still haven't needed to mess with), and this thing is exquisite! I wish that I looked half as good as the insides of this pedal. I actually laughed out loud. I am proud to own something that was so carefully and lovingly made in this plastic and styrofoam, McDonald's, Coke or Pepsi world. I will confidently use it without a backup. I leave it on all the time anyway, so I don't have to worry about the switch going bad, which would probably be the only thing that ever would go bad.

Haven't dealt with Barber, and if I did, I'd just have to tell him how much I love his pedal.

I play big, beautiful, funky, sometimes rough, new classic pop songs, and this pedal has lit the fuse for my tone. It makes me so damn happy, I would absolutely buy it again if I lost it. The other compressors I've played are a vintage Boss CS1, and a Boss CS3. First of all, let me say that the CS1 is so wildly overrated that it makes me sick. The notes were squashed and pinched, the tone was colored, it was awful. Please don't listen to the vintage snobs. I actually played the CS1 AFTER I bought the Tone Press, and for a minute, right before I plugged it in, I was worried that I was about to hear one of those Holy Grail pedals that everybody talks about. Man was I relieved! The CS1 is barely better than the CS3, which is cold monkey dung. I've never tried a Keeley or Analogman, so I can't dis them, but armed with the Tone Press, which is a fraction of the price, I really don't care if I never try them. This pedal helps me make music, because I love my tone and I want to hear more of it, so I keep playing. Fuck it, for the overall rating I have to give a 10!

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.