Boss CS-3 Compressor Sustainer

This review is NOT for the stock version of this pedal, but rather for the Humphrey Audio modified version, which takes all that is wrong with this comp and removes it leaving behind the compressor you always wanted.

Very easy to use, super easy to find great tones, especially after I had Humphrey Audio modify mine.

CONTACT HUMPHREY AUDIO:
5humphrey@charter.net

Do yourself a BIG favor. He'll sell you a new or used modded one, or he'll do yours.

The stock version of this pedal gets about a 5 because of all the noise and coloration. The Humphrey Audio version gets a 10 because all of that goes away. I sold My Barber Tone ress, My Carl Martin, My compulator, all GONE!! The Humphrey Audio 'Atyom Smasher' boss compressor just eats em'!!

This is not my first Humphrey Audio pedal. I have his DigiTech 'BADDER Monkey' his DOD Supra SCREAMER Supra distortion which BTW is a complete piece of crap stock, and an incredible distortion once Humphrey gets through with it. I also have his BOSS DD5 analog modded delay, and a modded DOD 'Grunge No More' Grunge pedal, another completely terrible useless pedal until Humphrey does his magic to it. Now it puts out a 'Boston' tone which I can't stay away from.

Anyways,...never had a problem with any of them, and I have them al in doubles, one set on my touring rig in the belly of the bus, and one set on a 'Grab and Go' pedal board in case I get a studio or gig call when I'm off the road.

He answers every email, and is always full of helpful suggestions.
He's a pro player also, and he cares about my tone and my gear as if it were his own.

I play Blues, Rock, Country, just about anything.
I get put in some very low volume situations at times, and this compressor makes my rig stand up as if I were doing stadium work. Also I get on the big stages where I can open it up a little more, and I use this comp the same way there too.

I've been a prefessional player for almost 30 years, and have always either owner, or rented high end amplifiers. I do have some crappy little practice amps which I just heven't let go over the years, and this comp makes them sound awesome too.
Humphrey has built me two of these, and I have two more coming. I intend to throw together 2 more small Grab-and-go pedalboards. One for the studio, and one in case I get a call to play and my main gear is still on the bus.


If I lost this comp or it became stolen or missing, I'd call on Humphrey to make me another one right away.


What I love most about this compressor is that it REALLY does NOT mess with the tone of my guitars and amplifiers like other comps do.
It's so much more quiet that a stock CS3, and it carries a TON of warm low end. It makes my amplified tone tight.


What I hate about this comp is that it made all my other comps pale in comparrison. I initially bought it as an alternative compressor to what I already owned. The others are all gone now. The 'ATOM SMASHER' kicks their butts!


This guy does a ton of other mods, and the ones I own which he did are staying on my main pedal board, period. I plan to purchase more of his modded pedal in the future.

It has four knobs aready decribed a 100 times. I set them all straight up pretty much. I've had it about four years now. I saw a guitar player with a tele and a Peavey Classic 30 and it sounded pretty good. I talked to him on his break at a gig. He said the secret was the compressor. He picked it up when he went to Nashville. He said all the tele guys use them. Well I picked one up, and have been using one ever since. There is something about that squish sound and a tele that just go together.

My setup is a Strobostomp, -CS-3,- Zendrive,-Barber Burn,- Clark Gainster, or an old 808, in to a DD-2 to a Clark Beaufort Amp or a Blackface Super =Reverb. A beat up 60's tele is my normal axe. I've tried a variety of compressors now (Keeley, Carl Martin, Home Brew, Barber and Boss CS-2, Mr Squishy) I alsways come back to the CS-3. My big complaint is the noise. I'm going to get one modded. I like the Barber also. the rest were sold or will be sold. I have mark it down because of the noise.(hiss)

Boss is very reliable

Wouldn't know

I've been a pro player for my living for over 30 years. I've tried a lot of pedals and I have some more coming off of Ebay. I like the Boss CS-3 the best so far, followed by the Barber Tone Press, and then the CS-2. I thought the Home Brew CPR was going to be it till I got it on the job. Some how my rig just lost with that pedal. The Keeley I just didn't like, it was more of an effect pedal. I leave the compressor on all nite.- Maybe I'm just use to it. Many people like the CS-2 better. For me it is the CS-3. If I can just get rid of the excess noise. This pedal is cheap compared to some of the boutique stuff.

no crazy names for knobs, some people seem to have some problems figuring out the attack. Sustain is a little deceptive too. I bought it used so no manual. It was my first compressor too, so it took a few months to really figure it out

i play single coils into a web of pedals into a blues jr. The attack knob doesn't seem to be overly responsive, then again i'm not into too much subtlety, many people here say it's not transparent enough, many say it's super transparent, it really depends on your taste. The sustain knob is not great for sustain. YES it is noisy if turned up becasue guess what? she cranks up any background hum/noise when it increases the signal volume of a dying note. I really don't think you can do much about that, seems to be a by-product of the function. Maybe put an eq pedal in there and get rid of some high end hiss... or just don't turn it up the sustain too much. I have noticed that while the pedal does increase the amount of sustain, if it's turned down it actually decreases your normal sustain. If you're buying this pedal to get infinite sustain or noiseless, significant sustain you should definatly look into the Fernandes sustainer kit. Or if you don't like picks get an EBow+. Sorry abput the rant on the sustain function, but many reviewers seem to have purchased this pedal for something other than it was designed to do.
This is one of those swiss army knife pedals like a line selector. It can do a whole lotta differnet things, and from reading other peoples reviews, it works really well for a lot of them. When i got the pedal i started by putting it at the end of my effects chain to compress the other effects and make it all nice and tidy for the amp. I left it on all the time. since then it has moved around and been put in different places. Now I use it at the front of my chain, just after the wah, and it does a few differnet thigns for me. I use it to tidy up the signal from my single coils and level out the dynamics. I use it as a kind of preamp for my acousitc because the signal from it is quite weak, also i can tweak the tone without touching the sacred eq settings on the amp;). I use it to level out the output signla from my deteriorating wah wwhich is starting to give a volume boost now when on higher frequencies, The CS-3 works well for this. I have a whammmy 4 right after the CS-3, and the compressed signal tends to reduce glitches (not always a good thing)by giving a strong,stable signal. And of course i use it as a boost sometimes and it's good on metal solos and stuff for completely killing any playing dynamics when shredding.

Boss compact pedals have never crapped out on me and i tend to get them used. Get a power supply or a daisy chain, we don't need anymore leaking batteries in the world. It also saves you money in the long run.

Although i've never had to deal with BOSS directly (which I've heard is not worth the hassle) I do use their website to get info and stuff. They have redesigned it and it sucks a lot more than it used to. you now have to submit an e-mail address and postal code/zip (why do you need my zip for on-line support?) this is really the last thing i'd have expected, they're making it harder to get access to their free info for some reason.

this is really a good utilitarian pedal to hang onto even if you're not using it right now. It's not like the overdrive that you replaced and thus becomes obsolete. There'll always be something you need to tighten up in the future and this guy can get the job done. Got an octave pedal? stick this guy infront. got a synth pedal? stick this guy infront. got a pile of effects with no volume pot? put this guy at the end. it works as a basic eq, and volume boost too. the sustain function although limited can be useful in may situations too. And don't listen to people who say "compressor goes at front, modulation goes at back,. distortion goes in middle of the chain." put it where it works. my setup goes guitar, wah, synth, compressor, whammy, A/B/Y, modulation, distortion, modulation, overdrive, fuzz, delay, modulation, distortion, delay, amp. Move stuff around and see what happens. I have markings on all my gear for "the perfect setting" and 2 hours later i have other markings on the same gear for "the perfect setting". I give it a 10 because it's versitile in what it can regardless of how well it does it. And don't buy one new, there's always a dozen on the same shelf used for half the price.

(see my full review)

(ditto)

(etc)

(and so forth)

This is an appendium to my previous detailed review. I couldn't remember the exact settings I used so I dug it out and hooked it up and it all came back to me. I use the following settings for everything. Keeps my clean sounds snappy and my distorted sounds articulate:

VOLUME: 1:00
TONE: 1:00
ATTACK: 11:00
SUSTAIN: 9:45 (yeah that little bit makes a difference)

As I mention in my review, if you want to drive the front end of your amp, put an OVERDRIVE unit after your CS-3 (the compressor ALWAYS comes first) and crank up the level on that to drive your amp (or DIST unit). ALWAYS set a compressor at unity gain and NEVER drive an amp with it unless you like noise.

Here's a little bonus trick I learned: Set the LEVEL of your compressor at *less* than unity gain so the volume is noticably lower when the unit is operating. Compensate with the settings on your OVERDRIVE unit or amp. Use this for rhythm. Then, when it's time for your solo, turn the compressor *off*. Your lead will jump out front and be more dynamic.

The controls are straightforward but it can't be stressed enough that a compressor is an effect that requires the player know what it does and what it's used for. It's easier to get a bad sound out of a compressor than a good one, but the effect that a well-tweaked comp has on an electric guitar sound will make you wonder how you ever got along without one. The way a comp enhances a solid-state distortion box is especially dramatic. A compressor does two things: It significantly extends the sustain of your guitar AND it controls the attack characteristics, giving you a punchy attack for clean sounds or keeping your distorted sounds clearly articulated.

The "level" knob adjusts the output gain of the device. duh? Nope. You should use this knob to compensate for the amount of gain reduction applied by the compressor after you've set the "sustain". The volume during the sustain portion of the note should be the *same* with the unit on or off. DO NOT use a compressor to drive your amp by turning the level up. That's what overdrive boxes are for. If you do, don't complain about the noise.

When a guitar's note is compressed it will change the tonal balance, shifting it toward the bass and burying the treble. *Any* comp will do this so an active tone control is a good feature to have. The "tone" knob on the CS-3 yields a flat tone when set at 12:00, however as you apply the effect, you'll notice the tone getting dull and bassy. Other comps do this too but guitarists compensate for it by adjusting the amp's tone controls. If you turn the tone knob of the CS-3 to 1:00, the tone will be more natural and transparent and you can leave your amp's controls alone.

Most compressors don't even have an "attack" control, which I find to be essential. This knob controls the speed at which the compressor "clamps down" on the note. The attack speed actually controls how your guitar *feels*. The range of the knob is wide and gives you a much greater range of attack values than you'll ever use. You won't need to turn this knob up very far (between 9:00 and noon) and it'll pretty much stay put, give or take a little. You always want the attack slow enough to hear it but fast enough so that it's action doesn't occur much beyond the guitar's natural attack duration. A fast attack will give a clean sound a nice Fenderish snap - even on a solid-state amp. The rules change with varying degrees of distortion. A general rule would be that the more distortion you use, the shorter an attack is required to give good pick attack and note definition.

"Sustain" is the amount of gain reduction applied by the compressor. However, it's also the amount of gain it *puts back* as the note decays to keep it sustaining. Here again, as with the Attack control, they give you way more range than you need. Most noise complaints come from setting the Sustain knob too high. Basically, a comp "borrows" volume from the beginning of a note and adds it to the end. Ideally, the Sustain control should be set to match the guitar's natural decay rate. This keeps the sustain level even and you hardly hear the comp working. It just makes your bolt-on neck sound like a set neck. One consequence: If you try to make up for a guitar that lacks sustain by using a compressor to pump sustain into it, the compressor will "breathe" at the end as the noise floor rises.

I'm not entering an opinion here because your use of a compressor is only as good as your knowledge of how they work and your ears.

I'm not currently using my CS-3 as I've moved up to a rack unit. However I have an assortment of BOSS stomp boxes and I intend to build a backup pedalboard using them.

CS-3 --> OS-2 --> RAT2 --> Crybaby --> BF-3(cool "rolling" chorus -->
--> Behringer BGI-21 --> Line6 "Echo Park" --> Alesis MEQ-230 -->
--> Peavey PV900 pwr amp --> (2) Peavey P.A. cabs

The tone of the CS-3 could be a little warmer. All BOSS pedals are a bit clinical. It makes up for it with excellent clarity. Also, you really need to avoid using too much Sustain because this unit will breathe - and unevenly. As your guitar sustains, you'll hear the volume increase erratically. Adjusted properly, the unit works well and transparently. I haven't had trouble mitigating the noise.

Years ago I had a compressor by a defunct company called Ross that I liked better.

This has been covered ad nauseum. I hate cliches but...well...
"It's a BOSS". It would work after reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

Never needed it for my Boss effects. Never had one break and some of mine are over 15 years old.

I've played original progressive rock for over 30 years. I've done some live performance but mostly record at home. I like a rich, clear, "singing" quality for my solos and I'm pretty fussy about my guitar tone. My music requires versatile equipment since I often change amp/fx setting several times during the course of a song. However I *am* on a tight budget, so I've gone the modeling route. I have a 10-year-old BOSS GX-700 that works as well as the day I bought it. You'd have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers. I play it through the aforementioned Alesis EQ, Peavey power amp, and P.A. cabinets. With the guitar cabinet emulation of the GX, my guitar sounds like it's coming through an amp's speakers while my delays and reverbs are hi-fi. It's a great little compact, versatile rig that can be easily upgraded if I need more power. Which I don't. 120W/side gets me heard above the drummer.

I purchased this because of BOSS's rep for durability and good sound. I wasn't disappointed even considering the minor issues I mentioned. If I were to replace it, I'd probably try one of those retro optical compressors like the BBE Opto Stomp. I listened to the Demeter and it didn't impress me. The fixed attack was too short.

The compressor in the GX approximates the operation of the CS-3 and I use it almost all the time. Sometimes I'll put it in limiter mode and put it between the preamp and speaker modules so it imitates a tube rectifier. Can't do that with a compressor though unless you gate it *hard*.

Good. Just find your right note by turning the knobs, not that difficult.

I'm using a Paul Reed Smith Singlecut (double humbuckers) on a Marshall TSL 602 combo amp. The sound is great, ONLY if you use the clean channel! I use this thing to boost up my clean sound, nothing more! It makes thin clean solo's really great. It pumps the whole sound up and makes it "warmer". Don't try playing distorted with this thing though, it get's over the top. Just buy it if you want to add that extra finishing compressing touch to your clean solo's.

You can throw this thing off a 10-story building without breaking it.

No experience.

I mostly play Mark Knopfler style, it's great for boosting up fingerpicking, especially when passing the 12th fret. It doesn't get too noisy, it's controllable. Just a great compressor for that money!

As with any compressor it takes a while to get it dialed in just right. You can set it so that it is just barely compressing your sound OR you can set it to extreme compression and us it as an effect. Either way, this pedal is pretty easy to figure out. The tone control makes a big difference too.

I know some guys slam this pedal in favor of the CS-2. I have each and this pedal is just as good. They each have their own sound and neither is better or worse. Actually, I think the CS-3 is a bit quieter and more transparent than the CS-2. Again, it depends on what sound you are after as both pedals are good choices.

It's a Boss.

If you are looking for a simple compression unit this is a great choice. For most guys a pedal like this is all you really need for typical gigs. This pedal is just as good as the MIJ CS-2. People who slam the Boss pedals either don't know how to use them properly, or expect them to sound the same as big-price studio units. For what this pedal is expected to do it is as good as any.

I came to compression relatively late in my guitar playing. Like a number of other reviewers I failed to recognise the inter-relationship between compression and sustain.

The CS-3 was bought in Autumn 2003. The manual is rather thin but at least it gives nudges in the direction of some generic sounds. The 'problem' with the CS-3 is that its effects are not obvious like a wah, distortion or modulation unit. Therefore it took time and ear training to appreciate what the CS-3 was actually doing to my sound.

Four knobs tailor the unit's sound shaping. Once I could hear and understand what each was actually doing, the compressor's value and use became significantly greater.

The Level and Tone pots are set at about 1 o'clock (ie a little output boost and a bit more top). Attack and Sustain are set at about 12 o'clock. So not a particularly adventurous set up. But in the context of a blues band, it does add some really useful tonal and textural colours.

On its own the CS-3 is a useful addition and, once understood, is now a key part of my set-up. Its interaction with other effects units opens up all manner of possibilities and that has been the real benefit to both my playing and to the sounds of the whole band.

The CS-3 sits at the front of the processing chain on my very basic pedalboard. Pete Cornish insists this is the right place to locate a compressor and who am I to argue with THE FX GURU?

EFFECTS CHAIN:
Boss CS-3 >> Morley Power Wah >> Rat2 >> Boss DD-3

A stabilised 9v 1,000 mA supply powers all stompboxes.

I put two Les Pauls and a HSS Strat into the pedalboard which then either goes into a Hiwatt DR103 with either 2x12 or 4x12 cabs or a Marshall DFX30 for small pub/club gigs.

The CS-3 is used alone to beef up clean solos and add some ring to funk rhythm parts. Adding some delay to the compressed out-of-phase Les Paul sound immediately gets you into Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac territory (onto which my band frequently encroaches).

With my Strat on neck, neck & middle or middle pickup selections, the CS-3 fills out the blues sound especially with the guitar volume rolled back. Kick in the Rat and it dirties up but without getting messy. The trick is setting guitar volume so that the compressor/distortion combination is on the edge of feedback. At that point the blues can get a little Texan.

I don't like to use the CS-3 with the Power Wah. No adequate or immediately obvious reason why, it's a combination I don't think has any real advantages. It does get noisy [I think] so that must be the reason.

Combinations of compressor with Rat and compressor with delay are most frequently used. Occasionally compressor, Rat and delay. But generally it's CS-3 on its own or with one other effect.

I am not aware of any tonal coloring by the CS-3 but my ears are not too good. It provides clarity when I want it, it adds sustain and depth to single-note lines, it extends the tonal range of the Rat and it enables to use feedback in a controlled manner.

It just took time (a) to learn what a CS-3 is capable of and (b) to train my ears. Having reached this point I have to say that the CS-3 is as important in my pedalboard as the Rat2. And that is quite some admission!

This is my first Boss pedal. I know their reputation for solidity, integrity and durability.

At this point, nothing suggests the Boss reputation is misplaced or misguided.

No contact necessary.

I play in a blues band populated by other over-fifties. We cover a range of 'blues' styles from a jazz-inflected Summertime through to out-and-out 12-bar balls-to-the-wall kicking, screaming and shouting. Not enough SRV in my opinion, Lads!

The CS-3 enables me to play clean Peter Green-like lines, to funk up some rhythm parts and to get close to that teetering-on-the-brink SRV raunch.

Yes, it helps me make music - to answer your question.

I felt I should get a compressor. Boss has an enviable reputation. I sussed out the CS-3 on Harmony Central. I went out and bought one. Simple as that. If it were stolen or otherwise lost I would have no hesitation in getting another. Can't see it going wrong. Maybe if it did go belly-up I might consider an alternative but - come on - what are the chances? It is a Boss, for goodness sake!

Boss CS-3, very easy to use. As with all pedals turn the knobs till you like what you hear. The manual & website gives you good starting points to build on.

I also want to mention that i have modified my CS-3 with T - Von's DIY kit from Superior Sound Designs (http://www.monteallums.com)
For $20 this pedal now rivals any boutique compressor.

In its stock form ot works well, but can be dull and will color your tone in a not so good way.
After installing the kit, this pedal is amazing! It is much more transparent & quieter even when cranking the sustain beyond 12 o'clock. It is on all the time now as it adds more warmth to my sound. It just adds that "missing" element that you dont know what it is till yo uhear it.

4 in its stock form, 9 after the mod.

Well we'll see how long my soldering job lasts, but since i have electronics experience - I have no doubts that it will last.

Never delt with them

I picked this up a few months ago and was struggling to get a good tone out of this pedal, it was ok, but colored the sound to much.
after doing the mod, it is completely different. Its what all those "boutique guys" are doing - but for a lot less.
There's a reason that the major mod cats do not do the CS-3, they want you to spend hundreds on a name driven compressor that does the same as this does with a couple of diffenent capacitors & resistors.

So for just under $100 and 1 hour of my time I got my own boutique compressor with a pretty blue light to.

Rock on

Depending on your gear this can be a tweaking issue.

Godin hmlg and mexican tele(seymour duncan hotrail) thru ernie ball volume pedal -boss tu2 -boss cs3-maxon sd9-danecho-boss ce2-bossrv3-eh big muff (black russian)-traynor valve 40 . I find it can thicken tone of the godin but squash the tele probably due to higher output of pickups. This is where understanding compression 'using humbuckers and single coil seems to make a huge difference on setting the attack. This pedal is sorta sterile I understand why folks rip it next to boutique stuff. I found even the mxr dyna comp can even be warmer.

I've been playing for 25 years and have yet to see a boss pedal die other than a switch break.

never dealt with anyone

I play in a christian worship group my sound ranges from basic pop to noise experimental depending on the spiritual dynamic of the moment. This pedal can effect your tone differently depending on the room . There are times I really notice this pedal and other times it dosen't make much difference-keep experimenting I guess. Compression is something I've recently been toying with so I'm no expert. CS-3 is probably more transparent than higher grad units but that might be a good thing depending on style and equipment.