Boss CS-3 Compressor Sustainer

Put me down as another 'Humphrey Audio' modded CS-3 user.
It kicks the crap out of the stock ones.

I read the review before this one.
The guys himself told about all the problems with the stock ones, then thinks they're the same as modded. He NEVER tried a modded one, I can tell you that!

I found GREAT tone in 30 seconds, and use all my guitars with mine.
THAT'S the difference!!

VERY naive to think BOSS would spend the money to build stock versions as good as modded version as long as there are people buying the stock ones. 90% of all pedal sales are to 16 year old rookies who don't know the difference. For the ones who DO know the differences there are companies like 'Humphrey Audio' who fix the problems.

BOSS is NOT going to put a ton of cash into higher end componants as long as the rookies are giving them stacks of money for their same ol' same ol'.

My stock one is largely un usable. This modded one lives in by setup.
NO noise, and I get TONE for days. It pulls the tone from my amps and guitars where they were lacking before, especially when performing at lower volumes.

It's the dream comp!

I use mainly PRS guitars and Les Pauls through many different amps depending on the call.

Don't forsee any problems, however I did buy a spare from Humphrey.
I play live everywhere from large venues to the Talk show circuit as an artists support player. I have a spare EVERYTHING!!

Humphrey is great!
Great emails and the product is beyond what I expected.

Jazz, rock, blues, all of it. That's what I play at over 300 dates per year. I wouldn't be without this comp.
I chose this one because Humphrey Audio has gained a great reputation among the players I know. I'd given up on compressors completely until this one.

First off OMG these reviews are lame. Here is the truth:

If a mod was better than the original Boss would have copied it and made it better, nuf said.

It took about 16 frustrating hours to find the right setting as a general tone enhancer.

Both clean and dirty tones are left mostly intact while attack and sustain are greatly improved.

Noisy? ROTFL With a pro rig it adds no audible noise what so ever.

On my fender guitar/amp it's always on for clean, overdriven, and dirty.

Level 75%
Tone 50%
Attack 0%
Sustain 20%

No other usefull settings were found.

Boss is a quality manufacturer. I only had one Boss effect fail DD-5 and I bought another right away.

My strat and tele rigs will never again be without it. It's an absolute necessity for Funk, Country, Spanish, and many other music styles.

Like all compressors if over adjusted bad players can sound a little better.

Cons:
1. Little use for it with a Les Paul.
2. Hurts bluestones except for plain clean styles.
3. No significant improvement with speed metal.
4. Parameter Adjustments are unnecessarily extreme.


I you already have a good tone this will definitely improve it.

I have 20+ years experience.... bla, bla, bla.

Mine's not a factory Boss pedal.
It's a Humphrey Audio Refurb I bought off their store on eBay.

DEAD EZ to get great tones from. The stock pedal is a doorstop compared to this one. Just amazing!!

I can get a GREAT 'Dire Straits' tone with the amp set clean, and with it in front of my drive pedals my tone is dimensional and straight off a CD clearand punchy.
No way the stock CS-3 can do this. NO WAY!!!

I play Fender Strats old and new, got a couple old Teles, a PRS Santana, a Gibson Firebird, an SG,....you get the picture. Pretty much all are high end guitars custom tweaked by a pro tech.

My main amp of late has been a Carr Mercury for studio or club jobs,
I also have a Budda Twin Master head through a Genz-Benz 4x12 cab.
I have a mass collection of amps, but these are my working mans amps. For Larger stages where I need the headroom I use a Fender Tonemaster head through an EV loaded Marshall Tweed reissue cab.

I use this compressor ALWAYS!! It lives in my rig. No way would I be doing this with any other compressor.

Boss Build with Humphrey Audio Tweaks inside. I'm NOT afraid!

I bought this pedal from Mark Humphrey back in December of 05.
I stil;l email him at least once a week to dicuss tone techniques.
He's a brain for tone, and an incredible player too from what the homies here in town tell me.

He's beyond customer service. He's my go-to guy!!

I play SRV Stye blues, Jeff beck, Clapton, etc.
I also play Modern country progressive, and just a TON of other styles.
Been at it 25 years.
I have a list of guitars and amps that goes for days. This compressor helps them to be all they can be.
I Love everything about this pedal. I've tried/owned every other compressor on the market including Diamond, Martin, Barber, Vintage Ross, etc. This one KICKS BOOTY on them all.
One thing I wish it has is a control to make me a better Jazz player. LOL!!

It's a truly inspiring pedal to say the least.

First of all, this one is a Humphrey Audio Modified version.

5humphrey@charter.net or Humphreyaudio mods store on eBay.

It KILLS the stock Boss one. (Did I mention it KILLS the stock version?)

Okay,.......Easy to use because Humphrey has added so much rsponse to the controls. You CANNOT get this version to sound bad!

This Humphrey Audio version doesn't have the shortcomings of the stock version. There's no squish out of my tone, NO HISS, and he got rid of that clacky attack thing. Also the 'HIGH' control is centered at a much sweeter spot and I need alot less of the 'SUSTAIN' to get what I need from this pedal.
There's nothing I don't like about it as much as I HATE to see these reviews with '10' on every heading.
Also the Honeymoon factor is out for me because I've had this one for 7 months. I continue to love it!

I can get the sound af about any artist, and that comes in handy because I'm a professiona Nashville sideman and I never know when I may need to get those tones. This compressor is always a part of my sound too.
A rundown of my stage guitars would include:

Three Fender telecasters standard tuned. They are a 1960 and a 1967 model.
Two Fender Telecasters Eb tuned. One is a 90's American Std, one is a Custom Glaser Tele.

Four Fender Strats. One is Eb, one if F tuned, one is slack G for slide, one is standard tuned. They are 1967, 1972, 1984 and 2001 models respectively.

A custom Glaser Long Horn Bari guitar.

1976 Les Paul Custom
1980 Les Paul Std
1980 Gibson SG std.
2001 PRS custom
2004 PRS Eb tuned.

Amps I use are Two Fender Black Faced Twin issues one year old.
Dr Z MAZ 18 JR 210 combo
Egnater TOL 100
Dr Z Stangray Head through Z-Best cabs.

It's a BOSS frame and I DO NOT doubt the man who's been inside of it performing his miracles.
I have 6 Humphrey Audio Modded pedals. ZERO troubles whatsoever.
Oh BOY!!! I've gotta' put another '10' here too!

He answers emails about tone and rig questions I've had and has supported all my purchases with quick answers that work.
Customer Support is an understatement. Kind and helpfull, DEFINATELY.

I play Old and new country, hard rock, classic rock, Bluesrock and trad blues, Texas blues, and whatever I'm hired to do.

As mentioned earlier I use six different Humphrey Audio Modded pedals on my main board.
This Compressor
His DigiTech BADDER Monkey
His 'BADDER BASS' Monkey for my Bari Guitar
The DOD 'SUPRA HUMP' modded distortion
His BOSS SLO-DIEZEL Boss MT-2 (Oh MAN!!!)
An Ibanez TS9 he converted to an 808 and did ther tweaks I wanted to it. Again, OH MAN!!!
and last but not least a Transistor Mini Booster he built for me which stays on almost ALL the time.

I've had all the expensive stuff,...sorry...Can't see it. Not when the Humphrey stuff is priced the way it is and the quality is ALL there. It's also nice to actually talk to the guy that sells, mods, or builds my pedals.

Yep, another '10' here.

Its pretty easy to dial in nice tone. Dont have manual, coz i bought 2nd hand

I sound like 'ME' haha :D

I like it coz i can scoop out my sound, and especially when i play clean, mann i love it, i can hear the pristine sound thru my amp

yes, it is a bit noisy. Im planning to buy BOSS NOISE SUPPRESOR hopefully next week. But hey! i gotta sacrifice a few bucks to get good tone right? hehahehe

I use my peavey valveking 212 combo thru this thing. Sounds great.

Yeah , i can depend on it.

In fact, i accidentally drop this and it still working hehehe

I play metal, pop, rock, alternative ala nirvana, pearljam, smashing pumpkins etc.

Been playing for 13 years, own peavey valveking 212 combo, ibanez sz520 with EMG81 on the bridge, Yamaha AES620, Godin freeway classic. My fx chain: GUITAR --> BOSS CS3(COMPRESSOR) --> DIGITECH BAD MONKEY (OD) --> BOSS GE7 --> MXR PHASE90 --> BOSS DD3 --> AMP

just love this thing, i paid 2nd hand and its still good

this review is for the MONTE ALLUMS 'OPTO' modification which i performed on this pedal. without this modification i think the boss CS-3 is not a very good pedal. i would only give it 6 out of 10 without the modification, but 9 out of 10 with the modification. i wouldnt give it 10 out of 10 with the modification as there is still some noise remaining when you turn up all the knobs on the pedal, but it's nothing to worry about and not too noticeable.

i got a boss CS-3 pedal and at first i didnt like it at all. i use a marshall all valve 50 watt amp combo (a JCM 900), and before the modification the boss CS-3 through this amp just didnt really do anything. it was also noisy (hissy) when i turned up the knobs to max. so i looked around the internet and noticed a guy called MONTE ALLUMS was offering a modification to this pedal, ..by swapping some components in the pedal for some better quality ones, allegedly a nicer pedal could be born. i did the modification and am blown away, the pedal is really great now. now when i turn up all the knobs on the pedal when i am using the clean channel on my marshall amplifier (but not too clean, i have some very mild distortion) i get a really fat rich kind of slightly 'overdriven/distorted' tone. it sounds really kind of 'analog and valvey' and not a modern thin digital sound. it is NOT a nasty over the top overclipped sound either. when i play my guitar now (a gibson SG) through my marshall amp with this pedal it basically sounds much 'hotter', my strings are much more sensitive (great for pull offs), and i get much more sustain and more attack. it sounds like my guitar is on fire its great. someone like angus young of AC/DC when he played live, hit his strings really hard to get that really hot screaming sound, but this pedal does it for me so i dont have to play like a maniac which is great. i love this pedal now after the monte allums modification, but if i didnt do the modification i would throw it out the window (or to be more accurate, pass it on to some other sucker via ebay).

seems fine so far. it's blue, ..wish it was black. i like black =] im going to add a toggle on/off switch to the casing connected to the battery so that i can turn the battery on and off without having to unplug the guitar leads from the pedal every time i finish a practice (in order to stop the battery from being drained overnight!)

i dont really like Boss because they use cheaper components in their pedals to make more profit and dont care about the people =]

Boss, we have to modify your pedals in order to make them sound how they should have sounded in the first place.

it's just a few better quality components needed. i doubt it would add on more than $5 to their pedal build cost. And the difference in sound for these few extra better quality components is PRICELESS.

it was fun doing the monte allums modification to my pedal (i like electronics a lot) and hearing the end result really puts a smile on your face. so for the adventureous out there, go and modify your pedal. this probably sounds like some kind of plug for monte allums but i assure you i dont know him (im just someone in England UK who ordered the modification kit from him online based in USA). basically im really happy with the modification, so i am happy to give him a good review here. awesome stuff.

Count me in on the list of users who bought this pedal modified from Humphrey Audio 'Atom Smasher'. The stock one is not even a shadow of this one. Contact them at 5humphrey@charter.net

All the complaints of the reviewers who say the BOSS CS-3 "Hisses like hell!" Detroys tone, etc are right on the mark. The stock version is a waste of time, However the Humphrey Audio Modded ones take it clear to the other side of the scale where you'd be hard pressed to find a better comp and probably 3-$400 dollars poorer even if you COULD!

DEAD easy to find your tone. you cannot make it sound bad, and it'll also do the Clean Boost thing VERY well.
The stock manuals were included with my Humphrey Audio Atom Smasher. I bought a new one, but he also offers used refurbished ones, both are on eBay.

I'm mainly a Strat guy, but I also have a Gibson Fire Bird, a Les Paul Classic, and an older Gibson SG, and a fleet of various Strats.
My stage amps are:

Carr Mercury
Dr Z Stangray head and Z best 4x12 cabinet
Dr Z Carmen Ghia Head and Z best 4x12 cabinet
Fender Blackeface Twin Reissue

I use a variety of effects depending on the job, but this comp stays in my chain no matter what. I could pull off most any gig with the atom Smasher and maybe one drive pedal with little problems ate all.

The noise is gone afgter Humphrey worls these things over, anf the warmth is outstanding!
This comp also backs my low and medium overdrive pedals VERY well. I found a whole ne Pallet of tones with my amps AND effects because of this compressor.

I have no worries about this comp. Boss's design and Humphreys handy work leave little to worry about.

Humphrey built me an extra one because I do use a backup pedal board that is a scaled down version of my main board. I hook it through an ABY switch just in case I lose my signal on the main board. I do this for Live television gigs or any event where losing my signal even for a moment wcould be a disaster.

Mark Humphrey did everything but come out on the road and hook this up himself. I also had alot of other gear questions once I figured out that he knew his stuff about live gear, and he helped change my stuff around MUCH for the better. Things like putting my Wah before the Compressor to chop the ear piercing peaks off, and putting my volume pedal AFTER the compressor to get a full sound even when the volume opedal is barely on at all. Also I've turned my drive down on my low overdrive pedals and let the compressor carry them, just stuff like that.
VERY helpful.
I learned about Mark through other musician I met out here. Glad I know him.

I play anything I get hired to do basically.
I've been a professional payer since 1980 and have sided with many artists and guested on many recordings, etc. This is what I do 7 days a week. I love everything about this compressor. I learned about it through Lanice Morrison who plays with Michael MacDonald.

I'd buy it again without thinking about it. I've been using compression for 30 years and hated it. This one is what compression should be like.
Hats off to Humphrey Audio. Every Time I step down on this pedals I know it's going to be a good day.

Four knobs and a little bit of twiddling, one should get a good tone from it,while all actually depends on the right sound that you want. Generally, you can get pristine sounds from this thing, from weak, bright to loud...and mine is to get the loud and crunchy punch. Sweet.

I use a standard tele/tele tex-mex to a CS 3>OD-3>GE-7>proco rat2>Moogerfooger stagephaser>EH Pulsar>DD-5>Line6 Verbzilla>Line6 DL-4>Roland JC amp.I have to say, this is a tricky pedal, you can get tonal enhancements (or vice versa) fr it, but it could be a little noisemaker as well, especially when used with single coil guitars which is frankly, predictable. If this is a problem 4 all u singlecoilers, i suggest getting your guitar shielded first. The great thing is that i previously used this to act as a mild overdrive before i got my od 3 and my rat.It really worked the crunch here. Personally, the knobs are kinda sensitive especially the sustain knob. Thats where all the unnecessary noise come from. My favourite setting for this would be 'level' at 3oclock, 'tone' at 2oclock and 'attack' slightly past 3 o'clock. 'Sustain' knob is set just a little past 12. Noise from this setting is tolerable, at least for me.

Some call it tank, some call it rocket...unfortunately, i had my power input screwed up within a month...so i fed it with batteries. Cheap batteries is a no no for this pedal, it will eat it up like there's no tomorrow. So use alkaline batts at least or get an adaptor.

Never

I play anything from indie rock, psychedelica, downtempo, to shoegaze.Ive been playing for about 10 years and this pedal well, serves its purpose just okay. Its does its job in compression and could well be handy in recording in a studio. Its pretty cool that this could help you to get the 'bitier' tone...but just it does not sound very natural to me although for the price (cant remember, but it was a bargain, this ones an absolute keeper.Should it be stolen or lost, i would not get another, i'll definately try other comp/sustainers around, hoping it will offer less hiss of course

Easy to use. I use mine for a door stop as it is useless otherwise due to the noise.

Noisy. With the level above 10:00 o'clock, it hisses like hell. Lower on the level it sucks out the volume and tone.

Sure. The door never moves.

Don't know. Never called them.

I haven't purchased a replacement brand and probably won't. I was trying this out to relieve some of the compression in my tube amps. I like it quiet though. This thing destroys volume and tone.

Mine is also a Humphrey Audio modded version at the advice of reviews here on HC, and also after reading an article on one of my alltime favorite players who uses Humphrey Audio Pedals.

Easy to use by all means. Just a GREAT compressor after Mark Humphrey is finished with it. You can contact them at 5humphrey@msn.com

Mark doesn't have a website because he's a pro musician and doesn't want to have more work that he can handle and still be worth a crap on stage. LOL!! (His words.)

Seriuosly I tried to hook him up with our web guy, but he doesn't want to sacrifice his quality and customer service for quantity by being overrun. If everyone were in their right minds and knew about him, he would be overrun right now.

My guitars are:
Charvel Model 5
Ibanez JEM 777
Ibanez RG550
1976 Gibson Les Paul Standard
1966 Fender Telecaster
1986 Fender American Std. Strat

I play through a Fender Tone Master Head w/4x12 cab
a Marshall JTM 45 reissue
a Fender 65 Blackface Twin reissue
Dr z MAZ 38 2x12 combo

The compressor sound pristine with all guitars and amps I have.
They took out the hiss and this thing has GREAT bass response too.

I've had mine for around 2 months and gig with it 3 times a week minimum.
I don't forsee any problems.

I sent Mark Humphrey a bunch of emails over the past 6 months. He answers all of them in depth.
You can tell he's really a tone freak and meticulous.

He modded my BOSS SD-1 and my BOSS Metal zone pedals and they turned out absolutely great! He built me a booster pedal also, and it's just perfect. It sounds expensive, it's hi-fi and quiet, and kills the one I spent almost 200 bucks on.

If something ever happened to any of these pedals I'm certain he'd hook me up, no problem.

The wait is no long at all to recieve the pedals. MUCH quicker than any of the custom shops I ordered from previously.

I play Heavy rock, metal, and other variuos types of music.

I've been playing 17 years, and have owned TONS of gear.
If any of my Humphrey pedals were lost or stolen, I'd call Mark crying to replace them ASAP.

I have zero complaints about his gear. It just fits my tone and my other gear. HUGE Bang for the buck.