Boss CS-3 Compressor Sustainer

Pretty self explanatory. LEVEL: Effect Volume TONE: Lower to cut highs ATTACK: Audibility of pick attack SUSTAIN: Lower to act as a limiter, crank to add sustain.

The reason I only give this a 6 is because as self explanatory as the knobs are, dialing in a good sound is quite difficult. It's all dependent on what amp/guitar/other effects you are using.

Fender Strat w/ Seymour Duncan Hot Rail in bridge, stock single coil in the middle, and a SD Lil '59 in the neck.

MARSHALL DSL50.
Distorted channel: Let me start off with saying NOISY NOISY NOISY!! This pedal sounds disgusting through anything with a decent amount of gain. Also, if you don't have a good, clean signal path it adds even more noise to the mix. Make sure your other effects are properly powered, because electrical interference is amplified big time.

Clean Channel: It does it's job fairly well on cleans. With a decent amount of time spent critiquing your sound you will find a fair middle ground on here. Fairly smooth sustain, and compresses with a crisp, natural sound. You'll have to find that 'sweet spot' on the ATTACK knob to hit a fair middle-ground. However, in the long run, this pedal still isn't worth the price.

FENDER HOT ROD DELUXE
Distorted: See above. Same nasty, overbearing hiss. It's quite unavoidable on any dirty channel.

Clean: Almost exactly as said above, but I felt it really brought out that 'Fender Chime', especially with the single coil pup selected. But, yet again, any noise in the chain is amplified, and the hum coming from my single coil gets just that. On the neck pup (humbucking) I received a warm, jazzy tone as long as the sustain was up a bit more than usual. This was the best setting I found for the pedal.

Overall, in terms of sound quality, my Monte Allums modded tubescreamer(808) is infinitely better for sustain, clean or otherwise. It makes a wonderful clean boost, and sounds just as clean off as on. I will be doing the Monte Allums mod for this pedal as well, and will be posting a review of it when ready.

It's a Boss, it's not dying out anytime soon. But the fact is, for the aggressive styles that I play, this thing is almost worthless. I don't believe that qualifies for being very reliable. I definitely wouldn't say I 'depend' on it at all. I won't give it a chance to be part of my live setup, yet. But yes, I would use it (as with any BOSS stompbox) without backup.

Never needed them. Not in almost ten years of using their products.

I play a wide range of styles, but mainly a high gain funk/groove band takes precedence over anything else. I use a lot of bass in my rig. I use a Boss OC-3 octave pedal and a 7-band bass eq with way too much bass pumping through my amp, with a few other effects to allow my guitar's natural sounds and harmonic range to ring out over the bass. I've been playing about 10 years now, and if it were lost or stolen as is, I'd just let it go. It's not worth the trouble to try getting a good sound out of it with my rig. As stated before, I will be doing the Monte Allums mod soon, and posting a review of that. Until then, my Monte Allums tubescreamer offers equal(if not more) sustain, stays quiet clean or dirty, and tightens my overall sound up the way I thought this compressor would.

Overall, I say it's not worth it unless you'll be using it sparingly on your cleans and nothing more. Look for my review of the aforementioned mod shortly.

This review is for the stock CS-3. I'm considering doing the DIY Opto mod, but it's not neccessary at the moment... perhaps when i have the time i will do it.

Some reviews say that this unit is noisy, and needs to be modded. When running from battery power there is just a tiny touch of noise... and thats only when u have max sustain and a fair bit of vol. When using the power adapter, tho... oh boy.. there's ALOT of noise. unbareable.

I use the power adapter on my FZ-3, and there's just a slight hint of noise... (i guess the mod fixes power adapter noise issues?)

4 controls.. easy to use. I find that each control has alot of range and u can get a nice array of tones.

Volume - increases/decreases the output
Tone - low/high frequency colouring
Attack - increase pick attack.. somewhat hard to maintain when on full... but adds huge amounts of depth when soloing.
Sustain - sustains the note/chord.. LOVE IT! if sustain is turned to 0, the unit can be used as a limiter.

Like i said, alot of combinations and alot of tonal variety... the underlying tone of the guitar is not affected, but enhanced. sounds GREAT.. can't wait to see what the mod will do!!!

manual can be found on the bossus website.. but really.. not neccessary.

I love compression and sustain. I play thru an Epiphone Broadway, full bodied, jazz BEAST. The tone of my guitar is not affected.

My standard settings are:
Volume - 1 o'clock
Tone - 1 - 2 o'clock
Attack - Rhthym: 9 o'clock - lead 12 to full
Sustain - Rhthym 10 o'clock or so (obviously depending on the song). When playing lead 3 o'clock to full.

I play thru a traynor YCV50 Blue. I use the amps overdrive, or play thru a Boss FZ-3 fuzz pedal... or sometimes both together (get a deep growly dist.. gotta turn the fuzz down tho.)

The CS-3 does exactly what i expected. Compression/Attack/Tone/Sustain without compromising the tone of my guitar.

i'll give it a 9.. only cos i figure, once modded it should be more vivid and robust. But don't get me wrong.. it sounds great as it is. The controls are dynamic and u can get alot of sounds going from 0 to full on each... Using a power adapter tho, without noise.. is a BIG benefit.

solid as a rock

n/a

i'm working on my own style and sound. I'd have to say it's like a white stripes, simplistic, rhthym/lead hybrid, radiohead, sometimes jazzy... alot of sustained notes, alot of quick pick attack and mute... kinda stuff.

I love sustain, feedback, overdrive, and fuzz. I've been playing for about 4 years.. jam 1-2 times a week, for the last year and a half.. play covers and originals.

been thru a fair amount of equipment.. had an Epi SG, Squire Strat, Squire Tele (Jonny Greenwood Mods), fender hotrod deluxe, princeton chorus, GNX4, RP80.

Now i've found my feet.. i've created a very nice sound with my current setup: Epi Broadway > CS-3 > FZ-3 > Traynor [supplementary overdrive/boost]

sometimes i wish i had the hotrod back, i sold it to a friend of mine, so i still get to use it on the odd occasion. But at the end of the day the traynor is way more versatile.

There's no comparison to the quality of the CS-3 compression to the GNX4 or RP80 digital versions... it's like chalk and cheese.

If lost/stolen i'd definitely buy it again.. whether or not i'd buy the more expensive pre-modded version.. i can't say.. once i perform the Opto mod, i'll add onto this review.

But final words on this: It's a must have! Go and buy one NOW!

The knobs are easy to use and it does a good job of compression for 89 bucks. I am using it for both my old Rickenbacker 481 (needs it bad) and for dj use. Its a bit Radio Compressed sounding for dj'ing but what the hell, I dont wanna blow out my speakers or amp.

It sounds a bit too much compressed sounding but beats the price of buying a dbx 166 just for compressing purposes. I am using it with a Peavey CS800S power amp at 4 ohms. My practice little amp/speaker is a Fostex and when I play my Ric on it it sounds pretty good. I like the sustain.

I've bought Boss products before and they are built well. I've dropped a $400 Boss SP202 sampler many times and it still worked without fail.

what I like about this compressor is that its rather inexpensive, reliable and does the trick. those who thumbs down the CS3 well thats your problem, go get something more expensive for your silly low paying bar gig.

It isn't clear what the dials do. Furthermore, you can change the dials as much as you want, the pedal will always sound the same.
Boo unnecessary stuff.

I play a Baker Guitar into a Reverend Kingsnake.
My pedal setup is: Maxon OD-9 > Ernie Ball Volume Pedal > Budda Wah > Pigtronix EP-1 > Pigtronix Echolution

I had this pedal ages ago. It sounded quite metallic.
Got the job done, however I'd prefer a pedal with true bypass.

Whatever. Sold it before anything happened. I don't consider BOSS to be the pinnacle of build quality. There are much better pedals out there.

...

I play jazz, blues, classic rock, and funk. I have played guitar for 11 years.

I've read beaming reviews of other 'organic' sounding compression pedals, check those out instead. I wasn't impressed and sold mine off pretty quick.

Ive owned it for about a month and I've noticed you really have to tweak it for a while to get a satisfying sound.

It sounds great through my solid state crate 15w, but through my all-tube Fender Blues Jr. it completely ruins my tone, on pretty much any setting. I think the problem is that my tube amp is super touch sensitive, and so it hits the top threshold of the compressor really easily and not only kills the attack but takes a while for it to rise back up. Overall, it really helps a cheap solid state amp sound fuller and richer, but dont use this with a good quality tube amp that sounds nice already, it'll just make things worse.

Very sturdy, no problems w/electronics

N/A

Ive had mixed results with this pedal based on the amp, so I think if your thinking of getting it, you should test it out on your amp before and make sure it doesnt anything funky.

Mine is a HUMPHREY AUDIO MODS refurb.
DEAD EZ to get great tone from, especially with Humphrey's recommended settings.

I'm getting a GREAT Knopfler tone from my Suhr classics and my amps.
It's the compression I've ALWAYS wanted and spent WAY too much money trying to find. The hiss is gone, attack is PERFECT!
Jim Messina (loggins and Messina, Buffalo Springfield, Poco,..) turned me onto Humphrey Audio effects.

I have no worries, however I do tour with a backup.

The company is VERY helpful. Mark Humphrey answers all questions and gives support after the sale.
VERY tone savvy individual.
The comapany has a great reputation among professional players, and I'm seeing more and more Humphrey Audio gear out there.

I'm a spport player behind a popular female artists, and I also do studio work often as well as xcall gigs around the LA area.
I've been a pro player for 18 years, and have quite an array of electric guitars and amps, all of which sound greatwith the Humphrey Audio effects I use. I've send them some of my olod favorites to mod, and those pedals are nothing short of AMAZING!!
They have a website at http://humphrey.4.googlepages.com/humphreyaudiopedalmods

I bought this for bass guitar from Humphrey Audio Mods.
It is FAR better for bass than the regular compressor.

GREAT BIG compressed low end!!!
Humphrey Audio Builds all kinds of Bass Specific pedals, and I have two others besides this one.
Pedals for guitar simply do NOT work for Bass guitar.

I play Pedula basses thropugh Ampeg amps with three pedals.Bass chorus, BASS Monkey drive, and this compressor all from Humphrey Audio.

no issues with these, and i don't anticipate any.

Mark will spend thetime answering questions and setting you up with the right stuff, and the prices are insanely low!!!

I play funk and fusion styles.
Been playing for 30 years.
I would not be without this pedal. purchasing gear from Humphrey is the best money i've ever spent.

Been finding it hard to find setting diagrams on the net,even from Boss. But play with it long enough and it all comes to you.

I use an Epiphone SG through a Peavey Bandit amp. I bought this pedal to boost the sustain, which it did, the gain, which it did, and the tone, which it did. But the big letdown that almost made me take it back to the shop was the noise. As soon as you palm mute the guitar, or even turn the guitars volume right down you get the most awful interference. It really is terrible and if you were playing live the audience would laugh at you.

It's a Boss. Enough said.

The website wasn't all that informative.

I have a video of me playing guitar (using this pedal) on YouTube, and I've been asked if I'm using a Marshall because it really does give that huge sound. If your quick enough with your feet to turn the pedal off as soon as your finished playing a piece, then you might get away with the noise. I'd like to try one with a noise reduction pedal before I decide never to use it again. Try it out thoroughly before you buy it.

I could not find a nice tone/sound while using this product.

I cannot believe that many people actually like this pedal. If you are looking for a loud humming and thin sound, I would recommend this pedal for you!

It sounds absolutely terrible. The unit is loud and hums while on. The tone is not transparent at all. I tried this on my Fender Twin Reverb and all of my guitars (Gibson Les Paul Standard & SG, PRS Custom 22 & 24, and Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster) and it ruined the tone and sound on all settings. I had this pedal for years and I got the same bad results on crappy equipment, too (Peavey amp (puke!) and Jackson & Ibanez guitars). If you have a good tube amp and guitar(s), there is no need for this pedal.

If there is one thing going for this pedal is that Boss is very good on the construction of their pedals. Mechanically, I had no problems with this pedal. However, tone was a HUGE problem!

Never had to deal with Boss/Roland.

I tend to think of myself as an eclectic guitar player, in terms in of styles. I really like anything but country and Nu-metal. I have been playing for the past 14 years and have owned and played many guitars and effects. However, I did not find great tone and a use for the Boss CS-3.

Verdict -

Complete waste of money. I sold this P.O.S. and I would never buy a Boss Compressor ever again. Loud noise and humming and a thin crappy sound ??? there is nothing to like about this pedal? Thank goodness for eBay because it was easy to unload it at a decent price.

If you are looking for a compressor look elsewhere. If money is tight try a MXR Dyna-comp. If money and waiting for an effect are not problems for you, look into the Analog Man CompROSSor.

This review is about IndyGuitarist CS-3 Mod.
I bought a unmoded used pedal with the intention to mod it since I hate the stock ones.
The stock pedal destroy your sound and playing at almost any settings.
There are bad and not so bad settings but it is always .....bizzare. Rate 3
After the IndyGuitarist CS-3 Mod, the controls become very responsive and they DO exactly what they should do, so it becomes easy to get the sound and dynamic response that you want. Rate 10

After the mod, the controls become alive and working all the way from 0 to 10, very responsive. The splat thing is over and it doesn??t has that limiter feel stealing your playing and tone. The sound is big, open, fat and very responsive to your playing at almost any setting.
I tried this pedal and keeley compressor and the sound/playing on the modded cs3 was more natural (for me and for the owner of the keeley). Setting that i??m using:
volume 1 o??clock
tone 1 or 2 o??clock
attack 1 o??clock
compr 11 o??clock
As a bonus it can be a very, very nice clean booster at some settings.

I did the mod myself so if it stops, it should be my fault.

Brian always answered the e-mails. Always very helpfull.

Playing professional for more than 20 years, this is the first compressor that I bought. After trying some new ones (keeley, Demeter)I became interested since they are better now. I was going to buy a barber tone press but I bought an used boss to mod since it is easy and cheap to find here.
If you don??t like compressors or want something different from traditional ones try the Indiguitarist cs-3, you may be surprised.