Boss CS-3 Compressor Sustainer

4 knobs. 1 Level aka Volume. 2 Tone. So you are really concentrating on the attack and sustain. Couldn't ask something to be easier to use.

ATTENTION!!!
I am a rock player, who just wanted my notes to last for an infinity. I use a Ibanez Jem through a Boss DS-1, and I have a Crate GT-200. I have been on a quest to get those long, vibrato notes that I love at any time I desire. First I had a Marshall MG100FX, and the notes went no where, lasted no time [clean or distorted]. So, I got the Crate, which is stronger and has tube. The solid state is WAY longer than the Marshall, and the tube adds just a little bit more. My DS-1 is hanging out there a very long time and I am very pleased. Lately, I have been having trouble getting over my band during the solo's, so I decided that since the Boss CS-3 Compressor has a "Level" control, I can use it for a boost, turn the Sustain ALL the way up, so my notes could go for an infinity, and I wouldn't care about any "buzz" noise, since I would be using it for distorted solo's only.

I am greatly disappointed. GREATLY!

My notes last longer with it off. All it does is get loud, then shuts off. I tried it every which way I could, with attack, w/o, Tone up/down, etc. It was not enhancing my sustain, it was killing it. I am shocked. I have a Johnson J-Station, and the compressor on there makes notes go on and on and on. I would use the J-Station, but there is no bypass.

You can say I was using it for the wrong reason, but the pedal says "Sustainer", the knob says "Sustain". It does neither. I even saw a video of a guy strumming all the strings on Expert Village on You Tube, and saying it stays longer. Maybe hitting open strings, but hitting one string does not work as long.

AND, you got the buzz. To me, it almost sounds like there is some sort of distortion going on, but very weak.

Like I said, I was really looking forward to this pedal, I actually drove for 3 hours [1 1/2 there and 1 1/2 back] to get the pedal, and it is quite disappointing.

And for just clean "sound", a lot of hiss.

I will be cutting my losses and taking this to the pawn shop tomorrow.

Boss strength. All Boss pedals are made for abuse.

Never spoke.

If you are buying this pedal for the same reason I did, and that is to sustain out the notes longer with and without distortion, do NOT buy this pedal. Do not do it.

It's pretty easy to use to be honest, I don't really use it as a sustainer though, I us it more of a clean boost, just to get the tubes biting, plus get a bit more volume.

There is nothing wrong with the sound, not too noisy, no pops when you stomp on it, I used it as a sustian pedal at first but as said above it works as a really good clean boost, and that's what I use it for mainly. When used as a sustainer you can quite happilly go doing legato really easily, all day long, even string skipping legato, on a clean sound as though you have loads of gain without having loads of gain. I use it through a Bugera 6260 half stack, which is BTW, a very good amp if you get a good un, despite the low price.

It can make a Strat sound like a Lucille, a Les Paul, Buddy Guy (with the tone turned all the way up), or even just a more levelled out Strat.

When used as a clean boost, it still levels all the sound out, and gives compression of course, and in this application gives a very bluesy sound.

It is definitely dependable, certainly strong as an ox.

Not delt with them

Fantaastic, I went with this over a Marshall ED-1 because the guy at the shop said the Marshall would more than likely break as soon as the warranty ran out, which is probably true. I cannot fault the pedal in the application that I use it.

Typical Boss pedal. Four knobs and each one does something distinct. Manual isn't anything special, but Boss manuals usually aren't. If you know what you're doing, you can probably get it do whatever you'd like it to after fifteen minutes of tinkering.

Here's where things get interesting...

First things first, I love Boss pedals. Let me say that again: I love Boss pedals. Everything in my effects chain (with the exception of my EBow, which isn't a pedal) is Boss.

I bought this pedal a few years ago, thinking that I could get some really cool sounds out of it. I played with it a few times and I could never get anything good. I ended up trading it a few days ago because I was tired of having it collect dust on my pedalboard.

Everyone else seems to be giving it good reviews, so I probably didn't know how to use the darn thing, or expected it to do something it wasn't designed for. That being said, if you're expecting an obvious effect, the CS-3 won't do it. Very subtle and while I'm sure it's useful for something, I didn't like it and I never used it.

Can't fault Boss here. Tough stuff, no doubt about that. Never had a Boss pedal fail, and I don't think I ever will.

Boss' Website is pretty good, and I think they upgraded the whole thing a few months ago too. Other than that, I've never had to deal with their customer support. Rumor has it that it isn't very good, but that's just hearsay.

OK...so maybe I didn't know how to use it properly. Maybe I had the wrong idea of what this pedal did. Maybe mine was a lemon. In any case, for me, this was a worthless effect. Never did anything to my sound to convince me it was worth keeping. If you know what you're doing, then maybe this is a great pedal. Just be warned...

Straight forward layout, easy to use, as usual with Boss.

Well it does what a compressor should do, nothing more nothing less.
It is not slow and boingy as the older compressors out there(that too has its charms and usage) but this is a modern fast working unit, I like that it be pretty "invisible" until you turn it off, can be set to more extreme settings if you like.
Suits my needs quite well, keeps my guitar sound even and fattens up my drives as well.
Very silent in normal settings, gets the usual pops and the noisefloor raises when set to extremes, but that is what they do those things, so that is ok as well.
Use it on all the time.

It is a Boss.....

Dunno....but their site is informative.

Have a bunch of different compressor/limiters....this one will not leave my home, as it works as it should, and keeps working as well, does not make any funny decaying noises or anything, some might find it too clean and discrete, I like that in some comps, I have others that colours the sound alot more, but those are only used at occasions where certain sounds are required.
Topnotch compressor, that does what it is supposed to do, keeping your levels even without distracting you.

Level, Tone, Attack and Sustain. Adequate for a stompbox compressor. If you need more control you should probably go with a rack unit. Attack control is very subtle, not much range or audible difference from 0-10. Other controls should seldom stray beyond 12 o'clock.

This pedal is best for clean rhythm playing at moderate settings using a tube amp. Recording direct, more exteme settings might be useful. It will make noise when used along with a distortion or overdrive stompbox, but as a rule can be controlled with a noise reduction unit, e.g. Boss NS-2. To my ears this is a very musical pedal when playing clean or even slightly overdriven, especially with the natural overdrive of a tube amp, but begins to suck tone when distortion is increased. Can be used as a clean boost with decent results in most situations. In my experience, in a live rig this pedal is on about 40% to 50% of the time, and in recording applications it often is left on even longer. I would call it extremely useful on those terms. I've owned it nearly 10 years. During that time I have owned/used VS Route 66, dbx 266 rack unit and various modeling units with compression effects: Digitech, Line6, etc. Sound-wise I keep returning to the CS-3.

Countless Boss pedals have come and gone, none have ever failed.

Have never needed it.

Used properly and judiciously, a very good-sounding, time-tested compressor. A safe choice.

The first thing I would have to say is LEARN TO KNOW WHAT COMPRESSION IS before using compression, if you don`t know what "attack" is or "sustain", inform yourself and then you will have a better understanding of what it can do.
Also compression is not made to be used at all times, work much better with clean/overdrive , don`t use it if you play with lots of distortion, the distortion sounds good when playing solos though, not chords.

I`m using a HB-35 Washburn, a Marshall 250X

The pedal can create noise if the sustain is past 1:00, but this is what a compressor doesn, might want to try it with a Noise reduction pedal, but I suggest that people don`t go over 1:00, doesn`t make it sound better, though there is much more sustain, with a slight bit of overdrive that sustain can be longer.

It obviously doesn`t always sound good, you have to be the judge, know when you need it on and when you don`t, if you do take off the effect and then put it back on, make sure your level on your pedal is leveled with the level of your guitar when the pedal is not on.

Warm chorus and overdrive sounds good with this pedal, not distortion, distortion will sound good is you`re playing solos, but not chords.

Does the work when I need it to do the work.

Never had to get customer support, Boss pedals are made to last

Overall this pedal is very good, I think I will still go ahead and try different compression pedals, see what the difference is.

I wish it had presets for people who don`t know how to use it

I do hate the fact that it makes noise, but again.. you can`t avoid it, especially if you have lots of pedals plugged into the chain, get rid of the ones you don`t use, or use a A-B pedal and have two rigs.

Before we get started I'll note that I don't have this unit anymore and I was new to stomp boxes when I owned the unit. That being said...

4 knobs and a bypass switch. Level, tone, attack, sustain.

This is a little confusing because I'm not sure which of these is supposed to control, well, -compression-. Attack I guess? If I still had the unit maybe I would be able to tell now...

Signal chain was thus:

Epiphone Sheraton II >> Boss CS-3 Compressor >> Vox 847A Wah >> Boss OD-3 Dist/Overdrive >> Boss DS-1 Distortion >> EH Big Muff Pi (Russian) >> Boss TR-2 >> MXR Phase 90 >> MXR Carbon Copy Delay >> Fender Princeton Chorus Amp

At gig volume level, the compressor was noticeably hum-y when clean and went to hiss, crackle, pop, etc. etc. with any sort of gain box turned on.

Admittedly, you can probably blame at least a little of this on the length of my signal chain and lack of noise gate. But unuseable is unuseable.

The CS-3 is digital sounds like it. It produces a pretty noticeable (well, to guitar players anyway) digital sheen that coats the rest of your sound. So much for that new tube amp.

I'm giving a bonus point here because I do like the Sustain function; it couldn't quite sustain a clean sound well enough to do the intro to "With or Without You"... but close! With a little gain it would sustain 10-15 seconds.

Despite my otherwise low opinion of the pedal, I've gotta give Boss props; although the knobs are probably slightly more vulnerable to breaking off than some other Boss pedals, the case would probably protect the internal electronics from an indirect nuclear strike and could be used for hand-to-hand combat in a pinch.

Didn't deal with them.

Maybe this pedal just had more features than I needed. I had it on my board for a few practices and a gig before I noticed I wasn't using it very much, and was spending most of the time that I was using it wishing I had never bought it.

Again, a few bonus points for the Sustain function. Unfortunately it, like every other knob on the unit, ups your volume very noticeable. It's possible that with a good noise gate you could set the Level down low, the other controls dead center, and then use the CS-3 as a second compressor just for the sustain function, but I didn't bother with it.

I bought an MXR DynaComp with the trade in money.

Pretty simple to use, like all pedals. Once you get to "know" it, it's easy to get the compression you require. Standard Boss manual.

Pretty transparent and very subtle. Don't know why some of the other review say it changes their tone by that much, but I didn't notice it myself. With "sustain" at maximum I got noise, but that's expected (it's a compressor - it's its job). IMHO, the tone control low pass filter cuts of too many highs when below 11 o'clock.

Yeah, very reliable. Metal casing. It will probably outlast me, he-he.

I've been playing for 7-8 years and was reluctant to get a compressor because I thought it would "squish" my dynamics. It does no such thing at my settings, as I've said it's very subtle. I plug my guitar straight into it and then on to other pedals and it's perfect for correcting the "little mistakes" I make. Good value for the money.

It's easy to use, the manual is sensible, easy to read and understand.

I bought this based on the reliability and reputation of Boss effects, primarily to use in conjunction with my Rickenbacker 12-string. I'm a big fan of The Beatles and the Byrds, and that jangly electric 12-string sound of the 60's. After I got it, I realized the sound was wrong for my purposes. I wanted a Janglebox, but the Boss was cheaper. I got what I paid for, I'm afraid. The CS-3 pinches and contricts your tone terribly. It was totally wrong for the sound I wanted. I generally don't use compression on my 6-string guitars, only the 12-string. The CS-3 was totally inappropriate for my needs.

I'm sure it's reliable. Boss effects are known for reliability.

I have nothing but good things to say about Boss's CS. I have a Boss trem pedal that I like just fine, but the first two of them went bad on me (one didn't work right out of the box). Boss replaced the second one without argument. Nice people and very easy to work with.

After using the CS-3 for about three months, I bought a Janglebox, which is what I wanted in the first place, and sold the CS-3 on Ebay. Needless to say, I'd never buy another one. The Janglebox is perfect for my needs. The best compressor available.

Four standard knobs, not really too difficult to deal with. The level, tone and sustain parameters are fairly self-explanatory. The "attack" knob, however, doesn't really do what it's supposed to!

This is a noisy pedal. There's a loud, annoying hiss, especially when played through humbuckers. When the "attack" setting is positioned anywhere past 0%, it only gets worse. Even gently tapping a muted string with your pick produces a dull, nasty thud when the attack knob is anywhere past 6'o'clock. If you want some nice subtle compression whilst perserving your natural guitar tone, I suggest a Barber Tone press. Or get your pedal modified by Humphrey Audio for a great, versatile compression sound.

It's built Ford tuff. Just kidding, its actually very sturdy.

n/a

If you are just starting to play guitar (and you are in that cheap axe + little solid-state practice amp phase), then this could be a fun pedal. For people with high quality gear, this stompbox is not for you. After all, what's the point of playing your $2000+ PRS through a CS-3 if it'll make it sound like crap? For pedal novices, this little guy could be a lot of fun. You experienced jerks should know better. Send yours to Humphrey Audio to get a mod (or buy one new from his eBay store). **I am no way endorsed or related in any way to Mark Humphrey or his company**

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.

Easy to use. Turn the knobs, listen, done.

Sounds great, all of the wankers on this site who dont know how to use compression properly, will say it sux. It is very important that compression always goes first in your chain. Not last. Where you place the pedal has a huge impact on the sound. You want to feed a nice, clean compressed signal to the rest of your setup, not the other way round. I see this mistake all the time.

Boss. Tough, they dont break.

Never had to use it

Pop/Rock, studio work. Playing for 20 years.

Boss CS3 is easy to use. LEVEL increases the level, TONE enhances Bass or Low freq.. and Attack / Sustain.. everyone of us know what is Attack and Sustain in a compressor.

It sounds Bad. bad simply because u lose YOUR sound, sound of your instrument. the best way to play with CS 3 and your sound is the baypass mode! the sustain control makes noise if you pump it up above half position.

As all BOSS stomps

I play Bass guitar, my opinion is about bass. i play electro - pop music and I do love fat full bass, but MY fat full bass, not a fat full BOSS Bass!!

This review is for the Humphrey Audio Modified Version

When I first got the stock CS-3, I plugged it in and like a lot of you really didn???t hear a difference even after I played around with the controls for a while. The attack was annoying. As I turned it up, the effect seemed like it stepped up and it was very noticeable. I was ready to return it to the store where I bought it until I decided to send it to Humphrey Audio for the modification and I???m glad I did because when I got it back the controls actually worked.

After the modification it was unbelievable. The sound quality reminds me of the difference between a bad, noisy recording and a professional one, clear and crisp. I did notice a little noise but I know it???s from one of my other pedals, which I???ll probably send to Humphrey Audio for mods at some point.

I have other Boss pedals, which I???ve had for many, many years and never a problem.

I've never needed any customer support from Boss. My experience with Humphrey Audio has been great!

The stock CS-3 was not worth the money. At $90 I would expect an effect pedal to be able to make a major change in the sound and the stock version didn???t do that. I would suggest if you want a compressor/sustainer pedal buy one from Humphrey Audio. You really can???t believe the difference until you hear it. The modification was $50 and well worth it!

I understand what the controls do but can't seem to find any worthwhile settings.

What a poor pedal, especially for being one of Boss' higher priced single-effect pedals, which are usually good. I couldn't find a good setting that didn't kill my setup's tone or ruin the dynamics of what was being played. The only settings that don't do that are subtle enough to be worthless in the scheme of things (for rock anyway, maybe country players would benefit more from this pedal.)

On top of that, this pedal is NOISY. If you don't have a noise gate, buy one. If you already have one, turn it up.

This pedal is a paperweight. I'm selling it to buy something more useful.

It's Boss so you know it will last but do you really want this thing around?

Never dealt with them.

It's either too subtle or too overwhelming with very little middle ground. Your average rock player might benefit more from buying a different type of pedal altogether - overdrive, distortion, flanger, maybe a nice wah, whatever.

On top of general complaints about the effect itself, the thing is noisy! Unbelievably so. I haven't heard such a noisy pedal in years, if ever.

If you feel that you need a compressor, I recommend buying something else. I hear MXR DynaComp compressors are good. Personally, I prefer the basic compressor in my cheap DOD multi-effects board from about 8 years ago. That's how bad this Boss pedal is.

It's not terribly hard to get a good sound out of this, but to really dial it in it takes work

Compression is a MUST if you are doing any kind of delay work first of all and secondly if you are playing through a very "open" sounding tube amp like a Vox AC30 or a Fender Hot Rod series [I play through both], I like to run this pedal at all times.

All of my Boss pedals have been fantastic as far as reliablility goes.

Easy to use if you don't overdo it.

Produces a good sound as long as you don't go overboard with the attack and sustain. The stock pedal sounds so so, but it can easily be modded to sound killer. I did it, thanks to Brian Wampler, and this is always on my pedal board. The Les Paul sounds so much fatter with this, as though I really needed that!

I'm only giving it a 9 because it sounds great only after mod, otherwise it is so-so.

Built solid.

Never used.

Great compressor IF you have it modded. Otherwise it kills the bass. I'm happy with it, won't sell it. I'm giving a 9 because it needs some effort on your part to make it sound nice (modding).

Try to understand what it's made for/what the use of the knobs is and you'll be fine.
Try different settings to find your own satisfying sound. It might take a little while...

I think this pedal sounds great. I play death metal with a lot of distortion and with the CS-3 between my guitar and amp it makes a lot of difference. It makes my sound less muddy and makes the dist. a bit more defined. The sound of the amp comes out a bit clearer.
It is noisy but I use a noise gate and it works excellent.
!! Set the gain on the level that makes the sound OK for you > then put the CS-3 before your distortion with the following settings: level 6/7, tone 5, attack 4, sustain 6/7. This will make a difference! but you have to crank your sound/put the volume up !!! (otherwise it will not work)
I use a Marshall Dsl 100 tube amp

uhhh built like a tank
I play many live gigs and it will never break down.

It really makes my sound better and even with a huge distortion like I play with. I want my sound to be tight and awesome and without muddy s*#. I love that it pushes my amps sound a little bit further into something I'd call "oooooww yeaaaahhhhhh"

IMPORTANT ! >>> If you use it on low volume it will not sound good enough !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and get a noise gate)

Mine is a Humphrey Audio version.
Dead easy to use too. The tone is active and adds to the gain of the pedal. The attack is subtle and just right for guitar.

He's here:

http://humphrey.4.googlepages.com/humphreyaudiopedalmods

Great sound quality compared to the mundane and noisy stock version.

I use an EJ strat, a PRS, a John Suhr classic, and an old ES 35 Gibby.
I'm currently playing through a Mesa Roadster 4 channel tube amp.

I use all Humphrey Audio pedals now.
His modded GCB-95 wah, this compressor, Humphrey home made Tranni-Booster, Humphrey Modded Boss MT-2, and a 'Badder' Monkey for low drive tones.

Happier than ever with my live tone. ELATED!!

I depend on this gear, and it's largely bulletproof.
I gig without backups currently.

Not a problem dealing with him at all.
He answered all questions and emails promptly and to my satisfaction.

I Play primarily high production Blues-Rock stuff.
The gear I currently use is perfect for what I do.
I have a pretty good collection of old stomp boxes and guitars.
Humphrey is modding my old pedals a few at a time for me, so I can play them at home and in the studio. It's great to have them sound better than ever, and perfor more quietly as well.

If any of my Humphrey Audio equipment were lost or stolen, I'd do whatever it took to get them replace with the same exact pedals ASAP!
I really don't care to use anything else.
I've played and/or owned most of the funky expensive 'Boo-Teek' stuff. No thanks. I have my very own pedal guy just an email away.
What could be better than that?

It`s simple like it should be, it`s a stompbox!

Well, when i was bying this thing I wonted to make my sound a little biger then it is, but trust me, if you have a good tube amp you really don`t need this thing. If your in possession of a some week tranzistor you`ll need this to get a good distortion and fat clean out of your amp. But again if you have a tube amp it will crash your tone.It dosen`t make any noise or enything like that but it wont do any good for it as well. So I`ll give it 2 when running with tube amp and I`ll give it 8 when running with tranzistor small power amp.

You can depend on this box. It`s built like a tank. Never failed me(used on gigs,home etc).

Don`t know, never had to deal with them.

I play all kind of different stuff, mainly heavy. Like I said before when I was running it thruogh a tranzistor it did a good job, but when I get a powerfull tube it sounded crapy and really disturbed my tone.My advise: get your ass to your local music center and try it out on a gear simillar to yours it will do the best.

This review is for the "modded" Humphrey Audio "Atom Smasher" used on a bass guitar rig. I've always thought the CS-3 was a good pedal and pretty easy to use (keep the sustain between 10 & 11 o'clock and you're good to go). The modded version is just as easy and gives you some versitility as well.

The original CS-3 does "slightly" color your tone, especially on the lower notes. For the duribility, price, and convience of a pedal, I feel it's worth it. With the modded version your tone is not compromised what-so-ever. I ran the pedal in front of an Ampeg SVT-3 pro with two 4 x 10 cabinets and more recently with the same head but two Ampeg classic series 1 x 15 cabinets. I'm running a 72 p-bass into it.

I use it without a back up. Long term I don't know. I do trust that if I did have problems Humphrey Audio would be more than accomidating.

The guy just does this on the side from what I'm told. He imediately answered all of my questions in much detail. Everyone I've talked to speaks very highly of him.

The CS-3 is a very good pedal on its own (I'd rate it a 7) The "mods" done to it by Humphrey Audio make it great (10). The guy that does it is only a couple of hours away and I'd heard some positive things about him already with his "mods". Since this is the one pedal/effect I use it was worth taking a chance. I am very happy I did.

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.

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.

You'll need to spend some time twisting knobs, and your ears will tell you what sounds good and what doesn't. The manual gives you a few different settings as starting points, but it really comes down to hands-on usage. After all the hype for the Keeley compressor, I'd sure like to get my hands on one, but I don't forsee spending the cash ($200+) any time soon for a compressor. Instead, I found a nice mod for the CS-3 by T-Von on eBay that seems to have warmed up the pedal and made it more transparent.

After years of front end use through various tube amps, I found that I prefer the sound of this pedal when used in the FX loop of my Peavey JSX or Marshall JCM 900 amps. Fortunately, there are send and return pots on both amps, and I don't really need to crank the pedal that much, as either amp has nice tube compression. I did find that it added some depth to my tone, and a bit more after I did the modification. It's also easier to get that country twang with this pedal, but be careful not to crank the attack and sustain knobs too much, because then you will get that "gluck" sound everyone speaks of. I don't really use many other FX in conjunction with the CS-3, and at the moment the only other pedal is a Guyatone MD-3, although I would like to find a nice reverb pedal for the JSX. Anyway, I've been pretty satified with my CS-3, even if it's not an LA-2A, or some boutique pedal.

I took it on the road several times, and played many a weekend gig without it breaking down on my, and without a backup. Actually, this is my second CS-3, because when I was in Germany many years ago, a bass player friend of mine "borrowed" it. He really liked it too, and I gave up trying to get it back from him after I rotated out of the military and back to the U.S. If it broke on me, I'd probably get another one, and modify it like the one I'm using now.

Luckily, I've never had to deal with customer service. Hopefully, I'll never have to find out if they're good or bad.

I play all types of music, same as most of the other folks writing reviews here. I use an American Standard Strat with Texas Specials that I swapped in shortly after I got it; a Les Paul Standard; a Mexican made Nashville Tele with the piezos. All have a different sound in conjunction with the CS-3 pedal, however, any pedal tweaking is usually minimal while I'll usually just go for the EQ knobs on the amp instead. I really like that it's built to last. I'd get another one if it was stolen or lost. I wish it had one of those pretty blue jewel lights on it! Just kidding, I'd get one of those other boutique pedals, but then I'd probably just get buyer's remorse. All in all, I liked what the CS-3 pedal could do before I modded it, and I like it even more now. If you have one, you might want to check out T-Von's website (www.monteallums.com) and look up the mod. It's not very hard to do yourself, provided you can do a little soldering. I think if you can make your own guitar cables you ought to be able to perform the modification. But it's a pretty good pedal to start with.

Can be difficult to get a good sound out of the unit. However, with working at it for a half hour, you'll get the sound you want if you wanted this sound in the first place. Compressors aren't easy to get a desired sound which is why I sold mine in order to get a unit that could easily attain what I wanted, which was a volume boost for leads.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard - Vox V848 - Pro Co Rat II - Ibanez TS9 - Boss BD2 - Boss DD5 - MXR Micro Amp - Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (1x12 tube).

This pedal can get very noisy if sustain is put past half way up. This pedal can sound weak and great. I like to try to minimize the gluck sound and use this pedal for leads. While playing a lead most of the time, you want all notes to be the same volume, which this pedal will do. You shouldn't need this pedal on all the time if you have a good tube amp and the settings correct on the amp.

I wish the level was more responsive on this pedal, I constantly found that max level was not enough volume for a lead boost. The tone on this is great, it can give you back the highs or lows the compressor has taken from you. The attack is very useful but hard to find what you want. This sound can become very clicky if you use the attack wrong. I'd recommend keeping the attack low. I wouldn't put the sustain past 12 o clock unless you want noise and feedback when not playing.

Very reliable. 5 year warranty. Boss is the most reliable effects pedal company by far.

I like to play rock. This is only reason I wasn't a huge fan of this pedal. If often made my sound very clicky which I disliked. I wanted just a simple volume boost for leads which is why I switched to the MXR Micro Amp. I'm not saying that this pedal is bad, it just didn't suit my taste. I love how it evens out your notes when soloing. I disliked the gluck noise that sometimes occured. My favorite feature is the tone knob. Compared with MXR Micro Amp, MXR Super Comp, Boss SD-1 Overdrive, and this unit lost. My order from best to worst was MXR Micro Amp, MXR Super Comp, Boss CS3, Boss SD1. It's not that the other pedals sounded bad, it's just that the Micro Amp perfectly suited my need.

OK, if you talk about a compressor which is easy to use... there is no. as you can see in the reviews, the opinions diverge. it is my first compressor and i checked the mxr too and in my eyes the boss wins. yes, the mxr is easier to use, but only because it has two knobs. it is very easy with the boss to push your sound a little bit or to give him a fine color. with a good pair of ears and half an hour you get great results.

the sound of the cs-3 is very versatile. the varieties of the attack and the tone knob are fascinating. there is only one minus: the sustain. the only thing it produces is noise and a real bad attack. it sounds like playing your guitar with a stone. but if you don't turn it over 11 o-clock, it pushes the sound and gives a fine warmth. attack is not easy to use, but gives great results, as well as tone. i use it with a fender hot rod and some other effects, and i turned on almost for every song with different setups. one fine setup for me is: tone on 2 o'clock, attack on 9 o'clock, sustain on 10/11 o'clock and then adjust the level-knob between 11 and 1 o'clock. it doesn't destroy the amp-sound it only pushes things forward.

after a short period of studying this effect i can definitely depend on it, no matter if i play live or do some recordings. the typical boss-design makes it hard to destroy. there is no other compressor you can get for 75 euros which you can relie on like on the cs-3.

i play a modern mixture of rock, electronic and jazzy stuff and i depend on a clear, warm and soft sound. i rarely use distortion. i only use the effect to push my clean sound. i play the guitar for 17 years now, and i don't have the money to buy compressors which costs more than 100 euros. so this is a fin solution for me. if i would lose it, i definitely buy it again! i love the attack knob,... it makes such a fine difference in your play. turn it down for clean solis and up for softer sounds (for example if you use a acoustic simulator). great effects!! the same for the tone-button. i almost never touch the level-knob since i found "my position". as i said i compared it with 2 compressors of mxr and in my eyes they don't have this fine tuning. you have the same noise-problem with the sustain for example but no other possibilities to get some character out of it.

It's really hard to get a good sound out of it. I played around with it for almost 2 full days and still didn't get the tone i wanted. I returned it and bought a MXR Dynacomp. That one rules.

I use single coil guitars. I tried with telecaster and stratocaster (both Fender) and i just didn't get a good sound out of it. Also, this thing isn't true bypass. It has all kinds of weird boosters and stuff to get the sound trough. This does give you a higher output, which is good if you have a long FX chain. BUT it does suck your tone, very noticable. It really thins out your sound when it's off. When it's on it sounds a bit fuller, but it colors your sound really bad. It compresses the sound, but it also colors it.

I give it a 5, because it's not the worst, but by far not the best either.

It's Boss, built like a brick. The knobs feel a little cheap though. Still, i think this thing will live longer than you and me when treated right.

Giving it a 9 because of the knobs.

Haven't dealt with them.

My advice: Spend a little more to buy the MXR Dynacomp, or spend a whole lot more to get the Keeley compressor (it's the best by far, the holy grail, but you have to sell your house if you want one).

This compressor compresses your sound, but it gives a nasty color to your tone. The "sound" from your guitar is lost when played trough this pedal. Plus, it's a bitch to use and it also sucks your tone when switched off.

I just got the MXR Dynacomp, which is a couple of bucks more, but you won't hear a change in your sounds' character. It compresses your sound, and that's all it does. Plus that one IS a true bypass.


But enough of that, my final verdict: a 5

Very easy to misuse.. tempting to crank the knobs full, but this isn't going to work for most people. Its not that difficult to use, but if you don't experiment with the knobs, it will probably not sound like what you want.

I have a great custom tube amp that I am very happy with. The CS3 is transparent enough my amp's sound keeps its character. I'm using the pedal as a solo boost pedal. It is noisy when the sustain is turned up, and you are not playing.. but that's just like good tube amps and single coil pickups..

The pedal is the 1st thing in my signal chain after the guitar and before my overdrive pedal. This pedal makes it sound like the preamp tubes are really being pushed, great booster pedal. Haven't had time to find a useful job for it playing rhythm yet.

It is reliable.

?

I'm using the pedal as a solo boost pedal in an indie guitar pop band. It really helps the solos to stand out. The sustain at around 12 o'clock and level up as needed gives solos an extra drive. Really its adding sustain, but as a result, all the extra harmonics make the overdrive sound fuller and more on the edge.

That said, it is easy to get this pedal to sound like crap. It does exactly what you tell it to.. the sustain all the way up and attack all the way down will probably sound bad to most people.

It's interesting how debated this thing is. When I first got mine (maybe 10 yrs ago?) I have to admit I initially wasn't too impressed. I had then and still use now mostly rack compression, and at first thought this Boss Compressor was just way too over-the-top. But after really exploring it's capabilities I love what it does.

I agree with a lot of the opinions here that emphasize that compression is NOT meant to be used for effect-like sounds but instead as a subtle treatment for audio management. I agree that's mostly the case, BUT think in the case of this Boss CS-3 compressor that's not exactly true.

It IS a potent effect. I think that's why so many people have trouble with finding how to use it. It can be used for a subtle twist on your signal, but these lovely "sweet spots" don't exactly leap out at you. ONCE you get to know it though it's capable of multiple sounds and easy to use.

I didn't get a manual because I got mine used. No, it's not easy to use right away. But if you hang in there you'll be fan.

" * What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with? * Is it noisy? On what settings? * Are the effects weak or do they always sound great? "

well EVERY effect is is vunerable to mis-use, but a CS-3 actually works well in TONS of situations. Even though it's not as set-and-play easy as other pedals might be, it's a versatile studio tool that goes a lot further than your average "effect." I'll let you find your own magic, but it can cover straight-up signal boosts, basic EQ, fat compression, and beyond...

well "Beyond" is a little hard to explain, but one of the things I like about this pedal IS the EFFECT potential of it. Having a "tone" knob really opens up the pallette, and the "sustain" knob is wild. Works great as a fast-set EQ as long as your not needing drastic surgery. Not great for rhythm playing, but I'm a die hard rack compression user at this point, so it might work well and I just haven't explored it enough. It can also be set to "Lo-Fi" your signal like a compressed radio-like playback or an old-fashioned field recording effect. This is more MIS-using it I guess, but can do some weird things, like even volume swelling. Really heats up a passive bass signal, maybe not to everyone's taste, but it's definitely rock and roll!

The BEST though is, in my opinion, the how it can do this really smooth C&W guitar leads, adding just a bit of warm squishy sparkle and things seem a bit clearer and shiney in a way.

George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" is what the sound of this pedal reminds me of. I think you might know what I mean.

You'll have to find the settings that work for you, and switching guitars can mean switching settings, but I haven't taken it out of my chain in the decade I've had it.

No doubt in my mind. 10 years I think I've had it and saw a lot of abuse before that (got it from a friend, so I know). Might need to clean it from time to time, but it's rock solid.

Their products are durable enough that I haven't yet needed to contact them, good for them. I dont know how "increbibly kind" they are but I can comfortably give them a 9 rating.

A very useful tool, even for mending studio problems on the fly, like basic EQ and signal boosting and a good overall compression. It's NOT the easiest thing to zero in on perfection right out of the box, it's just a little heavy-handed, but a little experimenting combined with my gear has made it a real asset. In fact the friend I got it from seemed to miss it right away, but hey it's my toy now. I would replace it with the exact item if something happened to it. I have tried a lot of gear and own other compressors, but this is a unique effect, even amongst over compression pedals.

The bottom line is:
rack compression for transparent operation,
and CS-3 for buttering your buns to taste :)

Everyone who had tried this pedal would hav fussed a lot (like me) when adjusting the Attack knob. The others r ok, but the Attack knob is not as user-friendly & needs some understanding to what it does....& that's adjusting when u want the comp to start in ur signal.

Many ppl who reviewed bout the bad Sustain is quite correct....in fact, I would say that is doesn't really sustain a note (like a feedbacker), but it actually compresses that note/chord (or whateva u're playin'). Too high a level will definitely mush up the whole signal, unless it was already, before the comp, overly bright. BTW I use this pedal for a tint of natural compression when playing especially chords. If u put a chorus after this, it would sound lush & close to Roger McQuinn's 12-string Rickenback (oh yeah, he uses comperssion....I think 3 tube-comps). If u want it for distortion or overdrive sounds, put it BEFORE the OD/DS, or it'll just end up compressing ur possible noise & AMPLIFY it (& maybe this where some of the negative reviews originated). That's why I never had problems w/ it (maybe except for the Attack knob earlier on), cos I use it before my distortion & only set it for playing chords & clean stuffs; my setup also works for lead boosts (u may hav to crank the level for this). Anyways, alone, this is a wonderful box, quiet too....& if u hav problems with it, it's whether u misunderstood it in the 1st place, or if u still can't comply or just won't cooperate w/ its true ability....U SUCK.

Definitely dependable, it sits @ the front of my pedal board, just after the wah & before the MT-2 distortion. Thank god the wah is quite & so, no noise issue. Also very giggable & can w/stand regular stomping....though I'm quite delicate in doing this.

I never wanted to call that number or use that E-mail....call me paranoid, but I guess I just don't need it.

I guess it's just like most of the BOSS boxes....many ppl just don't understand them & if they do, this will show why it's a top winner for creating ur own signature sound, granted if u don't hav those insanely pricy tube-cored equipments.

UPDATE on an earlier review.
This pedal works good for clean tones, w/a little bit of gain only.
I used this pedal for a couple months in my other band more UFO, Deep Purple type rock (you get the picture). This pedal doesn't work well with gain at all unless you back of the attack. If the attack is set too high it clips your signal. It's still a good pedal just not nearly as good as a MXR Super Comp for Hard Rock.

The pedal loses it's transparent tone when used in a distorted/gain setting. Still a nice pedal, just not what I thought it was.

OK, by reading all the reviews on this box, you'll notice that there is some argument over how to use a compressor. If you don't know what you're doing, you can easily get your guitar sounding like crap in no time. I'm no expert, and I'm not here to say who's wrong, but I do know a little about the "science of sound," so I hope this helps folks get the most out of this effect.

OK, here's my philosophy of tone: I take a nice guitar into a nice tube amp, and use effects very SUBTLY. Currently I'm playing a Fender Nashville Tele into a Fender Hot Rod Deville (4x10). My pedal board goes Boss TU-2 tuner, Boss CS-3, Bixonic Expandora (reissue), Boss GE-7 EQ, and Boss CE-5 Chorus. I play country, blues, and rock.

When I bought it, I didn't really know what a compressor did. I was expecting smooth, endless sustain. Needless to say, I thought it was a piece of junk and I hated that "gluck" sound.

Anyway, if you're thinking of buying your first compressor, or can't get a decent sound out of the one you've got - take a minute and read the article on this site under "Effects Explained." I found it very helpful, and here's a sample:

"One popular use of compression is to increase an instrument's sustain. This is technically incorrect since a compressor doesn't change an instruments behavior, and it only operates on an audio signal. The compressor will try to maintain a constant level of output by amplifying the incoming signal to maintain that constant level. For example, after a string on a guitar is plucked, the voltage produced by the pickups gradually dies away. A little compression will keep the instrument's level from changing radically after it's plucked, which is perceived as increased sustain or a 'smoothing' of instrument. A release time longer than the instruments decay will preserve the instrument's sound."

Another thing the article talks about is "attack time," or the amount of time it takes for the compressor to start compressing a new signal. I believe this is what the "attack" knob on the unit controls, and not the sound of your guitar's attack.

OK, with that being said, here's the way I set my CS-3. I set the Attack at 3 o'clock, Sustain at 10 o'clock, and Level and Tone to match the dry signal from my guitar (in my case, Level 2:00 and Tone 1:00) This gives me a subtle smoothness with no "gluck" or squashed sounds, and does increase the sustain a little bit (but not much). I find this pretty usable for most anything I play.

Boss hasn't let me down yet.

Anyway, hope this helps, or at least keeps someone from pitching a perfectly good pedal. Just don't expect it to change your actual tone ... it's really only meant to affect the volume of your signal, and keep wild dynamics under control. A little bit of extra sustain is just a bonus :)

Happy strummin' everyone!

This pedal can be tricky if you dont know what your doing or what you want to acheive.

Too many people dont know how too use it properly.

boss!

Your pedal order should be Wah, cs 3, dist ,eq, trem or chorus eg , delay , reverb. this set up is basic and can be change to suit your needs. Anyone who say s this is a shit pedal doesnt know how and why you use this pedal. It does nt change your sound it shapes it, making your guitar sound smooth and even and clearer. if not set up right it will sound shit ! If you dont have any other pedals i wouldn t get this first. get something cheap like zoom 505 you ll have heaps of fun.

Definately takes some tweaking to get the sound just right. Gennerally the manual for Boss's give some example settings in the manual but this one doesn't, so you're kinda on your own with figuring out what kind of setup gives you what sound.

Right now as I'm sitting here, im going from my Squire Bullet (if you could really call it that after rewiring and new pickups), to the CS3, to a Fender Frontman 25R. After a good bit of tweaking, I am pretty happy with the sound. It does add a little noise when using distortion but really sounds great while clean.

I give this a 15 just like every Boss pedal out there.

Persoally, I'd be suprised if Boss had a costomer support team. Has anyone out there ever had a Boss pedal break. The're like little tanks that could be thrown off a skyscraper and run over with a steam roller and still be and sound like new.

As with any Boss, this is a quality pedal that should not dissapoint. At the store(L&M Music in Chattanooga, TN-The Best) I tried this, the MXR DynaComp, and the Line 6 Constrictor. The Line 6 (about 30 bucks more) did give a few more options and a built in gate, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the price. Between the CS3 and DynaComp, the sound was pretty much the same, I went for the Boss because the MXR only had level and sustain controls so with this, i had more control over my sound.

I'm giving this a 7 because it has 4 knobs and does take some time figuring out how to dial in the best sound.

Again, this gets a 7. I play Fender Strats (American Deluxe, US Highway 1) =>compressor =>keeley modded Boss BD2 overdrive => Voodo0 Lab Tremolo => keeley modded Boss CE2 Chorus => Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp.
I wouldn't call this one tone-sucking, but it is not whisper quiet either. I can definately tell when this pedal is engaged. It colors the tone, not unpleasantly, but noticeably. It takes tinkering with the knobs to get a good sound. I had to spend time with it in order to get the compression/sustain ratio I wanted, while avoiding the 'pumping' effect this pedal can create.
I could not find "set it and forget it" settings. It required constant tweaking for me.

I assume this is as reliable as most Boss pedals are. I've not had a Boss pedal breakdown, and I don't know anyone who has.

Not ahd to deal with Boss customer support, ever. Probably due to the reliability.

I play mostly rhythm and some lead in a working classic rock and blues band. We gig several times a month and practice at least twice a week. I have been looking for a quality compressor in a stomp box format for quite some time. I have read all the reviews on all the main players. If price were no object, I would probably try the Keeley compressor, The Carl Martin, Analog man's products, and a couple other high-end stomp box compressors, but at $200+, it's more than I want to spend. I focused my research on the MXR Dyna-comp, the Maxon CP-101, the Boss CS-3, and I looked at the new Line 6 Constrictor. I used the Boss CS-3 for a couple of weeks, but I ordered Maxon CP-101 from Musicians Friend. I tried them side-by-side and took the Boss back to Guitar Center for a refund (no problems from GC). See my review of the Maxon CP101 if you're interested.
For my ear the Boss, while providing a really good compression effect, was just too noticable. The string 'clicking' sound was too processed. If you are on a budget and want to try a compressor to see what it can do for your sound, then I would recommend the Boss CS-3, with these caveats: You will hear what compression will do, but your tone will be noticable altered. That might not be bad to your ears. There are quieter and more subtle compressors available, but they will cost $20 - $150 more.

Compressors take a little more understanding of the guitar signal and what you want to do with it to use them correctly, so it's a bit more involved than just sticking some other stompbox in your effects chain. There seem to be a lot of different approaches to using this pedal judging by these reviews. I would never say that anybody is wrong in using it the way that works for them, but if you use it in the traditional way that I think it was meant to be used, it's a very valuable tool. The manual is pretty good for explaining the best uses for the compressor, but leaves it open for your experimentation (there are 8 setting memo diagrams for you to record your favorite settings!).

I think the sound quality of the CS-3 is awesome, i.e., it's transparent as you want it to be. I use mine as the first pedal on my board, to smooth out the volume spikes during rhythm AND solo work. I use it more as a limiter than a compressor, and it works just great for me in that capacity. I'm not sure how someone would use it as the LAST pedal in their setup, b/c the compressor "squashes" the guitar signal. It lowers the volume (volume spikes) of your playing, therefore making your leads and rhythms smoother, but it also boosts the lower volumes of the guitar signal...including pedal noise and hum. To use it last would get pretty noisy. And as far as it not affecting tone... anything you put in your signal path can potentially affect your tone. The pedal has a TONE KNOB! You can pump up the treble, or cut it. Pushing your rig with the level control will affect your tone. That being said, this pedal is an enhancement tool, not really a tone shaping tool. The reason I like this pedal so much, is that it can be subtle and transparent, or you can really squash the signal, if that's what you're into. If you want it as a boost, using the level control, you can do that. It's definitely not a tone-shaping machine like a EQ or OD pedal, but it's not supposed to be.

Have had mine for probably 8yrs. Boss=quality.

never needed it

I play blues rock (Bonamassa, SRV, etc) and use a pedal board of 7 pedals. The compressor "sets the tone" of my whole pedal board. It's the cherry on top. Makes everything sound clearer and more defined. Takes the rough edges off. A subtle but very invaluable tool. I would most definitely but another if I had to. Don't expect this pedal to drastically change your sound. It's more a tool to improve your already existing tone.

READ THIS REVIEW ONLY, READ THIS REVIEW ONLY, READ THIS REVIEW ONLY, READ THIS REVIEW ONLY, READ THIS REVIEW ONLY, READ THIS REVIEW ONLY,READ THIS REVIEW ONLY, READ THIS REVIEW ONLY,READ THIS REVIEW ONLY, READ THIS REVIEW ONLY,

As far as this portion of the review is concered; this pedal is kinda tricky to use, but once you got it just right, it is just right!!!

Alright guys and girls, this pedal is not supposed to effect your tone or sound when turned on. This pedal is a tool and it is a priceless tool. All these people with reviews about how much it either sounds bad or makes my rig sound awesome are the last people who should be leavin reviews on this web page.

I love you Harmony Central, I visit this web site before buying anything, and you people should too. That why im leaving this review (for everyone else), I hope it helps you all make better educated decisions.

This pedal has two functions only!!!, none of which deal with sound or tone!!!

One, this pedal is used at the end of a chain of effects. Why? This pedal helps to make each output of those effects have the same volume level. Hence compressor, it is compressing all volume levels of each effect to a certain, common level. This aspect of the pedal stops you from wasting 10 minutes setting up for a gig, getting all the volume levels of those pedal effects at the same level. Besides, if you have to turn your equipment up or down durring the show, which you will have to do, you'll have to reset all those volume levels on your effects (like I said this pedal is priceless, cause all you have to do it turn the CS-3 comp. sustain pedal's volume up or down and the effects behind it will follow).

Two, it takes the harshness out of your playing style. What I mean by harshness is: we all fight to be heard on stage, this pedal makes every note and chord you play on your guitar be near or at the same volume level. This means the audience will hear more of everything you play and not just the highs or low tones. It take all the sounds you make with your guitar and puts them in an output that is at a constant volume level. Why would you want this pedal to sound like anything else than what you are playing??? Again, it is a priceless tool that is not supposed to effect your tone.

As far as sustain; I guess it does help, because as the volume of the sustained note goes down with respect to time (the longer you hold the note), the pedal keeps the volume of that sustained note at a constant volume level. Dont expect infinant sustain however.

If it had a true bypass switch I'd give it a 10, but Boss pedals really dont hurt tone too much when turned off. If you really want a good compressor I recomend this pedal or the MXR DynaComp or the Robert Keeley Compressor. The other two pedals have the same features plus a true bypass switch.

I hope this helped, it should!!!

Never broke a Boss pedal before!!!

Never had to deal with them, thats a good thing, right?

The value of this pedal depends on what you expect it to do, but its a very cheap and useful tool.

easy to use if you can hear...i mean really hear, instead of just jumping on bandwagons.

i use tube amps.
i got plenty of em.
i buy em broken and fix em up.
i own lots of guitars.

sound quality is excellent for such a cheap device.
one reviewer nailed it..he said turn the sustain knob to nine oclock.
thats all you need. boss put a lot in the sustain function to cater for the psychos out there.
level at 12 to 3 oclock tone at about 1 oclock and the attack wherever you want.
nice and transperant..why on earth does someone need to color their tone with a compressor? if their guitar sounded like shit i'd understand maybe.

i can rely on this item not growing legs and running away on me.

they supported me in the first place by making this thing.

i play plenty of different styles, ive played guitars for long long time.
if it got stolen, big deal, id play without one until i found another one for fifty bucks.
this is a funky device, very cool to play with, and it does smooth out your sound.
good for experimental stuff as well...maybe its worth sixty bucks.....

This is a sad day for me.....

After reading all the reviews on this wonderful pedal it still is apparent that what this pedal has to offer is still undiscovered by most. Only one in 30 posts speak of what this pedal can really do.

Even the Boss manual fails to inform the purchaser what this pedal is really geared for.

Lead guitarists especially need to listen up to what I have to report here.

I say it's difficult to use only because no one seems to "get it".

Hey, do you like Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Schenker, Ted Nugent, Jimmy Page, Dime Bag Darrell (r.i.p.), Suicidal Tendencies, Warren DiMartini, Scorpions, etc.?

So you don't have an old plexi Marshall that you can crank to 10?

I went through dozens of distortion boxes until I accidentally discovered what the CS-3 is capable of.

Today's modern amps all have something in common....they all suck compared to old tube amps from the 60's and early 70's.
Why is this? I suspect modern amplifier manufacturers fail to release what made old amplifiers so great....and that it...natural amplier compression.

Does Van Halen's early tone have a ton of distortion...no! Not really! What Eddie and all the other greats I mentioned earlier all have in common is a huge amount of COMPRESSION.....

Now, all my distortion boxes sound AMAZING! And why you ask....because I turn the distortion or gain levels on all my distortion boxes to almost OFF! YES.....OFF! sure, they sound like crap like that BUT then, I slam the boxes with the CS-3!!!

THAT"S THE KEY!

Crank the level on the CS-3 ALL THE WAY UP!

Set the tone, attack and sustain knobs about straight up.

This set up send a super hot signal into the distortion box and produces the most amazing solo and rhythm tones.

I don't rightly know why but this set up makes my Boss Metalzone, Boss DS-1, Zoom Tri Metal, Hot Chile Tubester and most other boxes just sing!

Who would think that the Tubester could be used to nail early Van Halen? But it does just that with my 2000 Fender American Series Stratocastor into a Boss Phaser PH-1r, Boss CS-3, Tubester, Boss DD-2 Digital Delay and into a 2004 Fender Frontman 25r. I put a DiMarzio HS-3 humbucker in the Stratocastor.

In front of an old tube amp that's cranked all the way up the CS-3 is usually useless as these old amps tend to have enough compression on their own but in front of anything else the CS-3 takes one's guitar tone from average to UNREAL.

So don't waste another dollar buying vintage Marshall's or Fenders. Don't waste your money on expensive amp mods or high dollar distortion boxes. Just get with the CS-3 and learn how to use it the way I do.

....turn the distortion way, way down and the CS-3 LEVEL all the way up!

This is the great secret to amazing guitar tone. Call it compression or call it line boosting or dirt box slamming or what ever. I'm still unsure why it sound so great. It doubt it's really about compression as much as it is about line boosting but my ears know what it's about.

You will not be sorry......

do it do it do it.....

20 years old and still like new

I wouldn't even consider a back up.

I play blues, rock, metal and grunge.
I've been playing since 1969!
I play in a church band every Sunday.
I play everyday for at least and hour or two.
I have 5 vintage Marshall halfstacks and a bunch of vintage guitars.

On 5/20/2003 I submitted a review reflecting all this but sadly no one seems to "get it".

Oh well, I'm trying....

So I guess there is a good chance I'm actually using this pedal as a booster more than a compressor but it does work perfectly for this.

I saw an old picture of Eddie Van Halen on stage back in the early days of Van Halen....and there is this little blue box next to his old Marshall......hmmmmmmm

Level, tone, attack and sustain. Attack controls the picking attack and sustain controls the amount of sustain of your guitar.

It is a litle bit noisy, can work as a compressor limiter, that also controls the sustain. I think it works best when working in conjuction with boss pedals. I also have a Marshall ED-1 compressor.
I use it in my pedalboard BCB-6 with boss pedals and it enchances the sound whatever dist. or od. you are using.

It is a boss, very reliable

I play all styles but as an hobby, I like to change the setup of my pedals, but the CS-3 is always on. I use it with a BCB-6 pedalboard, loaded with boss pedals into a Roland JC120 amp. I stolen or lost, certainly I would buy another.

4 knobs, but need some tweaks and twists to figure out a usable sound though

Well. I hate the " slaping or clicking" sound on every note plays.It is absolutely not the characteristic of your guitars should sound. It cheapens it. It also sucks away some dirt from the overdrive or distortion pedals. sucks less when it is placed before the overdrive.
I can only use it when the attack is dialed a hair before it is fully closed. Sustain never go beyond 12 O'clock.

N/A

N/A

Don't over do the attack. Keep it low.

I've owned and extensively used this pedal for 4 months or so. This is my first compressor and the only compressor I've ever played through.

The pedal itself is easy to use. Level and Tone are pretty standard. So the only dials you have to mess with are Attack and Sustain.

By boosting the Attack you get tighter picking of notes for arpeggios and riffs.

By boosting the Sustain your notes have a better longevity.

The hard part about using this pedal is finding a decent place in your setup for it. For me, it doesn't work very well in my FX loop (which is where I typically would want a compressor). When I put it in my FX loop, my volume dive-bombs (which sucks). The only way to get around is this turning the Level on the pedal all the way up (which degrades the sound). So I put it first in line (after my guitar) in my effects pedals that go direct to the amp. It works out that way.

Because of this lack of versatility (i.e. not being able to place it post pre-amp in my FX loop), I'm giving it an 8/10.

My setup is as follows:
Gibson SG Special --> Boss CS-3 --> Ibanez TS-9 TubeScreamer -->
Laney AOR 100w Tube Head [FX Loop: BBE 482 Sonic Maximizer]

The CS-3 makes my clean channel sound great (especially with the Sustain dialed in around 50%). My notes ring forever it seems and everything sounds fuller. Arpeggios sound beautiful.

It is hard to notice the CS-3 with my overdrive, but if you listen carefully you can tell that everything is a tighter and has longer sustain. When you boost the Attack to about 60%, my riffs sound more defined and tighter.

It isn't all gravy, though. If you boost the Sustain too much your notes will start to have a ghost effect which can make your tone sound unnatural and cause some wicked feedback. If you turn the Sustain all the way down, though, you can have it act as a limiter/noise-gate which comes in handy but kind of dampens your tone. I've been able to find a middle-ground though.

I think with all Boss pedals, you have to find that middle ground to get the best sound. When you find that sound, though, it is excellent. Thats why I'm going to give it an 8/10.

It is a standard Boss pedal, so its very dependable. I don't know about the battery life because I use it with an AC adapter. Overall, I've never had any real problems with it not working.

Overall it is worth the $75. If it was every lost or stolen, I would probably buy a rack-mount compressor, though.

I play mostly hardcore, metalcore, and rock but I am not a newbie/amateur guitar player. I've played in multiple bands and have studied many styles and techniques including blues/jazz, classic rock, and classical guitar. With my setup, I can get a variety of tones from thick metal, warm blues, and crisp clean sounds.

I love the tone my clean channel achieves with this pedal. Coupled with my Sonic Maximizer, I sound amazing.

It annoys me that I can't make it level out in my FX loop (i.e. post-EQ). I would rather place the Compressor right before my Maximizer to help compress my overall sound. Boss's website says that putting a compressor after a distortion can degrade the tone, but thats probably with solid-state distortion boxes (i.e. not tube overdrive). Most people I know have compressors in their FX loops, thus compressing their post-EQ, post-overdrive sounds.

If you are a professional musician and have the extra money to spend, I suggest you buy a studio-quality, rackmount compressor.

If you are just beginning to play shows or record and are on a tight budget, I suggest the Boss CS-3.

Update to a review I made back in 1998. Now that I've been playing for a few more years, I actually like this pedal now. I've got a standard strat playing into this pedal, then a TS-808, and finally a marshal micro stack. I tend to use it with varying level, tone @ 3 o'clock, attack @ 8, sustain @ 3. If you put that sustain up much higher than that it'll sound real hissy when the compression kicks in alot. That may not be true with a better guitar of course. I vary the volume depending on what I'm going for... if I want a nice clean tone, I'll keep it low to where it doesn't try to overdrive the amp. If I want a little more bite, I'll crank it up a little higher. Overall I'm very satisfied with this effect now. I just didn't know what to do with it when I first bought it.

I thought it was broke when I first bought it... It was just a bad battery. Pretty dumb eh? Other than that no problems, and I've had it a while now.

I like this pedal for just about everything I play. Hendrix, SRV, Metallica, Alice in Chains, etc. Basically I always have it there in my setup. Is it the best for the buck? Hell I don't know. Some of the other people posting here say there are better ones. If this one broke, I'd go out and try some other compressor pedals before running out and buying this one right away.

It has 4 knobs. One of the best pedals to find that perfect sound.

I play a Fender American Standard Strat thru this pedal and a line 6 dl-4. I use both an old 150wt Crate and a Marshall VS-100 Half Stack. I normally crank the attack pretty high at around 3:00 to get that funky Frusciante sound. I normally keep the sustain low, barely on...sometimes when I want to play around with noise, I'll crank it up further for great feedback. By far, the most important piece of my rig.

I've used this pedal for almost a year without any problems. I use this pedal regularly at shows without a backup...just some extra batteries.

Never had any problems.

I picked this pedal up new at Guitar Center in a package deal with my Crate amp (used) and some mic stands for my acoustic electric guitar. I might have paid $30 for it - I made out like a bandit. Luckily, the salesman had no idea what was going on...I'm in sales myself.
Anyways, I've been playing a hybrid of rock, funk, and punk for a little over 10 years in different touring bands. This pedal is by far the most important part of my set up. If anything happened to it, I'd run out and grab another one immediately.
I shopped around for about a year and a half before I finally picked this up. I couldn't justify spending $80 on a pedal (I prefer used gear) - I'm glad I saved myself some cash but I'd gladly pay $80 for another.

Its not the easiest to use to be honest.You need to spend a couple of days with this pedal as the manual is aimed more towards people who have certificates in sound engineering.

At first its hard to hear exactly what it does until you can hear your higher postioned chords sounding much clearer and even . Noisey yes, but when you put your pedal board through a boss noise supressor it wouldn't matter if it actually blew up.
I havn't tried any other compressor's out there, but after making excellent use of this one i won't actually have to.
I have an american Fender deluxe fat strat hss, mesa boogie rectoverb 50 combo, boss ls-2, cs-3,df-2,ph-2,tr-2,sd-1,rv-3, dod 440 and fulltone clyde deluxe.With my set up, the cs-3 is irrelaceable.
The key is to set it the level of the cs-3 to match the level the clean chanell of your amp exactly so there is no volume change when stomped only a noticeable brightness and crispness. Someone in an eariler review wrote that it should go before distortion , wah etc. I pesonally think it belongs near the very back of your chain . I have tone-12oclock attack 1-oclock sustain 4-oclock (level knob to match clean channel) and it works as a 'brightner' to the cleans and a 'chruncher' to driven or distorted sounds. I have one of those rare dod440's which i cant actually use without a cs-3, and since by level knob is at 9.30 (to be exact) you can turn all the rest of your pedal levels up really high knowing that the cs-3 will do its job on them before reaching your amp.
I have a minor gripe about the 'gluck' noise that comes especailly with overdrive its not really that noticeable at best of times though and i think if you were to spend half an hour fine tuning the 'attack' knob it acn be minimised even more.
I havn't as i said used any other compressor out there , but even still the added sustainer knob on this pedal which just about works (when maximised!) always give you that extra option when you need a 'ringing' tone.

Totally rely on it , stays on all the time, and long may it continue.

A defiinate 9/10. Somebody told me that with a compressor and a humbucker you can get a wonderful plucky banjo sound from your guitar ,(eg 'the thrills' verse part of Big Sur) i havn't achieved this with the cs-3 so i won,t give it a 10!

Easy to use, nearly impossible to get a GOOD sound, though.

There's a lot of experienced tone purists out there who will slag on using compression for guitar at all. I'd bet this is largely due to the proliferation of BOSS CS pedals in the market. If this was the first comp I'd ever tried, I'd probably hate compression too!

As it is, I've used several compressors before trying this one, and I have to say that this pedal blows! My guess is that most of the positive reviews here are written by people who havent tried the competition. Then again, who knows, maybe if your tone sucks now, using this will improve it somehow. However, if you already have a great, full natural amp tone, putting this pedal into your signal path will make it suck pretty bad, almost instantly. It's not so bad at the more subtle settings, but at moderate to higher settings it just creates a weird, clicky, pumping, lifeless, artificial sound with no beauty. Yuck.

BOSS pedals have the best case design out there, WAY better than most of the 'boutique' units with the knobs sticking up so you can step on and break them.

N/A

Been playing many years, live and studio, gig most weekends, yadda yadda. I had an old Dyna-Comp on my board for many years before it got stolen. After that, for a while I worked live with a BOSS GT-5 multi-effects, as it was a quick way to re-create all my required effects with just one piece of hardware. Actually, the comp in the GT-5 was pretty good, much better than the CS-3. Currently, I'm testing, aquiring, mixing and matching individual stomp boxes again in an attempt to create the ultimate, mostly analog pedalboard setup for my needs. I NEED a good compressor on my board, I've come to rely on it. This CS-3 just doesn't cut it. I might try to find another old Dyna-Comp, but I'm going to ear-test some others first.

Does what it needs to do, with ease. Boost's solo's & thickens tone bigtime. Easy enough to dial in. Paid $65 on Ebay - used w/power supply.

I use it for a solo boost/volume gain. I will never use another Distortion or Overdrive pedal for playing live (I've had them all). This thing does what you'd think a Distortion should but can't. I play through a Marshall Bluesbreaker w/Strat's & Tele's. I don't know what the hell I was doing buying Overdrive/Distortion pedals all these years. It's a bit noisy until you dial it in to your set-up. This is the pedal you need for playing live.

Works great so far. I'm sure at some point I'll have to change out the switch like I do on most my Boss pedals.

Boss is cool to deal with. You can get switches from them for about $3.

I play straight ahed Rock, AC/DC to Uncle Tupelo. Been playing 25+ years. It's a nice pedal that I would replace if I had to. Do yourself a favor, if you want a nice thick tone on solo's don't buy a Distortion pedal. It's a nice transparent tone that comes out of this pedal.

It really is pretty easy...not everyone needs/wants a compressor though so some may not like(or may not know)what it does or how to use one. you can actually make it sound 'worse' if it's set wrong for your style/amp/guitar...listen and it will be clear soon enough.

It's kind of funny how some people think this isn't a good pedal-if you set it properly it is not noisy...depending on what the rest of your rig is(or isn't)any compressor has the potential to be noisy especially if you deck it... it can sound great when used in the right application and for what it does/how much it costs you can do a lot worse than a cs-3.

...

I've had and sold/traded quite a few pedal compressors over a few years-this isn't my first cs-3(had the cs-2 for a while, it's also good)...others may have a certain vibe or character or whatever special parts inside which is cool, but this is totally workable and lots of really great players use this very pedal and sound just fine... just find what works for you and don't buy something just because it's supposed to be 'better'.

Easy to use........if you know what you are doing. Comes with a manual. It may be helpul for those who don't have much experience with these kind of pedals. the LEVEL knob is for how loud you want the effect to be. The TONE knob is just what it is..tone...from mellow to un-mellow. The ATTACK knob adjusts the intensity of the attack in the picking. Lastly, the SUSTAIN knob is how long you want your note to be sustained. The more you turn it to the right the longer the note is kept and visa-versa. If you tweak the knobs and play with it for 5 min or less you can acheive a good compressed sound or a long sustained note. If you know about effect pedal placement on pedal boards, you would know that you are supposed to put the compressor before your distortion and modulation effects. The wah wah is different though. This is based on how you want your wah wah to sound. But you can put this compressor before or after your wah and still get a good sound.

I am using this Boss CS-3 in front of a Boss Crybaby Wah; after the crybaby I have a ProCo Rat 2 distortion, then Boss Bf-2 flanger then Marshall Supervibe Chorus. I play all of these through a Mega brand 20 watt practice amp, which I use for recording. This pedal is ONLY noisy (makes a microwaved sounding humm) when you use a cheap non-Boss brand AC adapter. Using a boss brand Ac adapter or a good 9v batter like a Duracell or Energizer should give you a nice compressed or sustained sound without the humm. What I like about this pedal is that it gives a "clicking" sound when you pick notes and strum chords. This makes your notes sound more alive. This pedal is good for making soft notes louder and louder notes softer or evening out the levels in notes. You have to have a good ear to know what settings to set it on for these functions. No specific settings for any of these , all depends on you and your style of play. This is good for "Cheating". It makes it sound like you are playing faster than you really are. You can also play sustained notes for many seconds without plucking the strings.

I just bought it actually but I know I will always use it for future recording on my pc. IF I ever got into gigging ..which I doubt .. I would still use this pedal. I would certainly gig this without a backup because ALL Boss products are sturdy and stomp strong. Stomp on this for hours....days....years........no matter..just be sure to keep extra 9V battery handy for long time playing.

Never had to mess wit em

This is good for any style. clean picking .crazy distortioned solos.....R&B Blues...Jazz...gospel...country...pop ....anything....If it were stolen, or lost ... I would surely buy another. Nothing really wrong with it, just complicated at times to get a good setting..but once you DO get that setting you want ....that is all u need.

The controls are standard variety (see the other reviews for the specifics). Most of the Boss pedals are very simple, which I actually appreciate. The manual was horrible, although that's forgiveable since it isn't all that important for a simple effect pedal. However, it would have been nice if the manual had had some sample settings to get you started.

This is tricky. I have a love/hate relationship with my Boss pedals. Sometimes they sound spectacular to me, and sometimes they sound cheap. Well, they are cheap...lol. The point here is that I have difficulty in getting this unit to consistently impress me. If I'm playing palm muted, distorted rythms, this unit can help tighten things up a bit. If you're playing clean, it can get you that nice clucky sound. But, it will take plenty of experimentation for anyone to find an appropriate setting in either situation. You probably should NOT rely on this pedal for adding sustain to your signal. The more you crank the "sustain" knob on the pedal, the more noise you'll get on your signal...not a fair trade in my experience. If you really wanted to ad good sustain to your signal, buy an EMG active pup and throw it in your axe. Tons of sustain for not much more money...and with zero noise added to your signal. As for evening out your tone (compression) the CS-3 doesn't cut it most of the time. The attack sound on the start of your notes (when the effect is on) is waaay to noticeable. The initial sound is like a slap to your ears...very fatiguing to listen to. If you adjust the attack down, it just sort of deadens the notes. Also, if you're using active pickups, this effect (along with all of your other effects, by the way) will sound different. In fact, if you have active pups installed, you should probably skip this unit altogether. I wish I had.

In all the years I've been playing through stomp boxes (10 years), I've never had a problem with a single Boss unit. Enough said.

I play a mixture of light, plucky/chimey stuff and speed metal. Sometimes I play melodic death metal. I tend to enjoy faster, palm-muted music. I've been playing guitar for about 14 years.
The set up I play through-->ESP F-207 w/EMG 707's, Yamaha fat strat, and US Master's Versatek Artist with EMG 81/SA/SA pups-->original Crybaby wah-->Boss TR-2 tremolo-->Boss PH-3 phaser-->Boss BF-3 flanger-->Boss CE-20 chorus-->Boss RV-3 reverb/delay-->Boss DD-6 digital delay-->Boss GE-7 equalizer-->Roland JC-120H-->Kustom Tuck'n'Roll cabinet loaded with Celestion G12H-80's (80 watt) speakers. I also own a Boss Metal Zone, Digitech Metal Master, and SansAmp Tri-A.C. that see little to no use. The CS-3 won't be used until I get an amp with a decent effects loop. One of the reviews below mentioned that this effect is better sounding in an effects loop, so I'll keep it around for a while and see what happens. By the way...never sell your pedals, even if you dislike them. Pedals can sound terrible or phenomenal depending heavily on the gear you're using. You'll never get enough money out of a pedal when you try to sell it (notable exception being very old and/or rare effects units). So you might as well hang on to it and see how it reacts to the changing equation that is your rig. You may be suprised eventually.

STAY AWAY from this thing!
It has an non-stabilized 9v input to start with, so if you use a decent psu(like ibanez ac109) the led stays shut, and tone is even worse.
About tone it is dull, lifeless, alters your guitar even in bypass mode, and to top it all it's not simple to set.
Far too over-priced, the marshall works far better and costs less.
But I sold it too, for now I only have the dod milkbox and it works almost fine.
In fact I really doubt about the real-use of this kind of compressors, at least the dod does produce this nashville chunk without noise and with better controls.
Boss sucks...

it took awhile to dial it in but once i did it was very clean sounding.

i use this in front of a custom distortion pedal. i play bass and have a 1974 p-bass and an ampeg v4 head and 8x10 cab. once i dialed it in, i got it to sound pretty transparent. volume at 2 o'clock. tone at 11 o'clock. attack at 5 o'clock (or all the way up till you can't go up no more). sustain at 11 o'clock.

haven't had a problem yet. have used it in the studio and on 2 tours so far.

N/A

i play in a suped up rock-n-roll band. like MC5 meets a hardcore band. i guess. i have had it for 6months now and haven't had a problem with it. i actually don't like to not use it now. i'm sorta a tone nazi so for me to give it the thumbs up is a good thing. i wanna try out the electro harmonix compression unit before i make my final decision. but till then this is a good pedal.

Super easy to use

* I use this pedal exclusively with my '66 Rickenbacker 360-12 guitar to play BYRDS music. It NAILS this classic sound!

* Totally quiet in operation.

* Always sounds great.

* I play through one of the following: Roland JC-90, '72 SFDR Fender, '68 Fender Bassman

* NAILS the sound of Roger McGuinn (BYRDS)

* Totally dependable like all BOSS pedals

* Never need a backup

This is an outstanding pedal for playing BYRDS music on an electric 12 string guitar (preferably made by Rickenbacker).

It sounds pretty good after you tweak it i spent like an hour just trying to get that sound i wanted out of it, the level and sustain are easy enough but with some annoyences. the manual is basically pointless only gave it a 5 because it takes so long to get the sound, unlike say a flang where you just dial in and go, same with distortion, with all the pedals ive played with its never really been a ok lets sit down and try every combination possible, usually its just oh ok sounds good, yep a lil too middy, ect ect.

k my setup right now is my practice set up, im using my original amp, a kuston 16 watter, i might post again when i get home in a few days and get to try this out with my peavey xxx half stack. the guitar is a jackson rhoads v, custom electronics, emg 81 85, afterburner boost, into a DOD death metal dist with the level a little over noon, lows near maxed mids 3rd or quater up and highs 75% or 80% up then into the CS3 then a korg PX4 for reverb, used to use it for comp... this little thing is NOISEY after the sustain is near 12, i like it at liek 12.5, but 11 is quiet. all in all it does sound good, great clean i get a really good cowboys from hell pantera tone right now, which is basically what im aiming for, the cs3 adds to the warmth like in the cowboys from hell verse riff, it REALLY makes that part sound great. the distortion is pretty good with it, im deff into this compressor, i tried the digitech one and it was.. too transparent, and maybe you want that but i dont really care for it, i wanted the sound that my px4 was giving me, but i wanted to be abel to tweak it more

i depend on it right now, and im deff bringing it to gigs, and if it ever dies out on me, ill just use the comp on my px4 again, i hear the battery usage is horrible, but after about 4 hours no problems, i am gunna get the power supply soon anyways tho. it seems to be built well, annd after 4 years of guitar my first boss, i just never really got into them, but they are pretty good, im sure if i tried i culd mess it up so after a year of gigs or whatever it might need a little reshaping or something, switches, but hey nothings perfect

havent had to... on the account that ive had it what... not even 10 hours?

I like this alot, i play metal, speed metal, thrash metal, nu metal, all sorts of metal, and some clean stuff liek nothing else matters and cemetary gates and such, it really adds to the cleans, if you like jazzy stuff or anythign clean get it its wicked cool, if i lost it id prolly look at an mxr super comp, and either get that or this one, id deff get a new comp tho, it really adds to solos and tapping stuff too. i tried the digitech one liek i said, but it just seems like a volume boost. i wish it had an EQ on it instead of tone, especialy somethign to get the lows. it helps with harmonics some, or it seems to. i deffinitly like it tho and if you like pantera and arent getting that crunch and havign a little trouble with harmonics, even with hot pickups and good technique, just getting them to ring and getting that beuatiful acoustic sound, go check this thing out.... its pretty cool.

Very intuitive.

I'm using a Fender YJM Model - Dunlop 95Q Wahwah - BOSS CS-3-Marshall VS-100. The reason for CS3 was a little "push" on solos, but I discovered amazing clean sounds too! No hum (when well tuned), more clear high notes, much more facilities on tappings, hammers, etc. Don't care much about sustain knob: Increases sustain, sure (a lot of you want), but this could be a nightmare of noises. If you own a strat, select the bridge/middle combination and taste a "shred country" sound! In the bridge pickup, hear the beautiful clean sound with total dinamic control... Shredding, I got the Yngwie sound... In clean sounds, I got versatility!

It's almost a must have for me. I can play without it, but it's not so funny and confortable.

No support needed.

Try connect this in a acoustic (classical) guitar. GET THE YNGWIE ACOUSTIC SOUND! I tested and bought imediatelly! First play passion.

Piece of cake.

I just want to clear up one thing. This is not a "sustain" pedal. The name is misleading. As far as I know There is no such thing as a sustainer. This pedal is designed to level out your signal so that your notes will go into your amp at around the same volume. Make sure you want a "compressor" if you but this pedal. If thats what your in it for, this pedal is fantastic.

Very reliable. But don't use batteries; they'll be sucked dry within a few uses.

I play funk/fusion/jazz. The pedal is great for rhythm playing; riffs, chords, and great with a wah pedal.
I have a Gibson SG that I run through a Fender Super Reverb amp. Sounds great.
Almost all pro players use compressors. But before you go out and buy one make sure you know what a compressor does. If you think you want one, the boss CS-3 is the one to get.

At first it is a bit difficult to produce a good sound from this pedal. But now I have a good setting.
You don't get much support from the manual. On the Boss web-site you can listen to different settings, but it is mainly listening to your own sound in a live setting and adjusting the knobs.

My settup: Telecaster American Standard with Seymour Duncan pickups (one hotrail in bridgeposition) , Boss CS-3, Morley (Bad Horsey)Wah, Ibanez TS-9, Boss Chorus Ensemble, Morley Volume Pro, Boss GE-7, Boss DD-6 to a Yorkville Traynor YCW80 4x12 tube amp.
With this settup I can produce almost every sound I like for my Rock/Crunch band (check out www.chasemusic.nl).
The CS-3 is doing his work very well. The settings are: Level 12, Tone 13, Attack 12 and sustain 13. I get a beautiful sustain in a clean and also in a "dirty" setting, the sound seems to be more open and there are more harmonic sounds to be heard (high notes jump out more). I only have to get used to the "plok" sound every time i hit the string in a solo part. But hey, that is what a CS is made for (making "tiny sounds" louder) and it sounds like Slash from Gun's n'Roses, so what is there to complain.

It is solid made and it's a Boss !!!!!!!

Never have had to use it.

If it was stolen I bought another right away. I have been playing in this band for 5 years now and I am glad I bought this pedal a few months ago, I should have done it earlier.
I read that a Carl Martin CS is better, but in my view this is a good pedal for a good price and for the price of a Carl Martin you can buy another Boss pedal.

Very easy unless you're dumb. Don't need manual.

This is the saddest thing. I hardly get any difference in sustain between using it and bypassing it. I could only notice a little more sustain, even when I tweak the sustain knob over 3 o'clock -- which gets you much noise. Play hard rock and all round music all the time.
My set up : Ibanez RG guitar - CS3 - Korg AX1000G - laney combo amp.
I would be very happy if somebody can give me a clue why it doesn't work with me. I just bought it so I give it a 3 because who knows I will find it more useful someday (otherwise, 2 would be too much)

It's a submarine. No worries.

no idea

Been playing for 10 years, just for fun. No gigs.
I read that this unit is a good sustainer, so I give it a shot. But I can't find any different in sustain. Anybody know what wrong?
I will probably keep it a while, though, in case something comes up. Otherwise, I'll sell it someday.

volume, tone, attack and sustain knobs...pretty easy enough.

my set up, Strat delux > CS 3 > Hiwatt wah > SD 1 > Fender Deville 4x10. not too crazy about this pedal. on my tube amp, it doesn't really make much of a difference on the sustain. I also don't like how the pick attack gets emphasized and gets kind of a sterile sound. I'll be returning this box pretty quick. This was not exactly what I was looking for in this box. I though it would be more natural sounding with more sustain.

not sure

not sure

It's really easy to use. The sound, well, just wasn't for me. It just wasn't what I was looking for.

I sat down for an hour or so, and went over each setting to get an ear for what it does. Then I found a base setting and pretty much leave it at that, changing a knob here/there to suit. Get to know it. It's a 9 when you take the time to figure it out.

I play in church a Yamaha acoustic directly into CS3 -> delay -> Digitech Xseries Multichorus (YEAH). From there it gets complicated with a volume pedal, mini mixer, and an FX500, stereo out direct into a system (no amp). Level boosts the quiet stuff, sustain squishes the loud stuff. You can imagine in extreme combinations you'd have ALOT of noise. That's just how compressors work. If you exhibit self-control, you can find a balance. But what a HUGE difference with an acoustic! For a "transparent" pedal, I can't imagine playing without it. I guess in theory you could put a noise filter before it? Idunno.

Boss rocks.

This thing is great. Solid 9 (nothing's perfect). Like I said, I leave it on indefinately with the acoustic, and it interacts well with the other effects, especially the tone control.

well this is quite tough unless you know what you're doing.

I sure didn't!
The manual was useless. There are 3 suggestions for settings on the boss site, but they are great for only clean guitar I think.
Quite tough to find something good here.

I'm using an LTD EX with dimarzio X2N and FRED pickups, and at the moment only a roland cube-30 amp.
I use this mainly for metal type music. I'm not sure why I bought it; I didn't really know what the hell it did. I just thought you know, everyone should have something like that.
It has taken me a year and a half to finally arrive at a good sound. Before that I was quite frustrated with the thing, and couldn't see why anyone would ever use one. But, now I think it's quite a good unit. I was trying to get crunch by using this, and it wasn't seeming to do that at all. It really took my crunch away! All this gain I had, then turn on the compressor and poof it goes away and its like WTF? How can it just take all that away? Now, I had no idea how the damn thing worked so it's just ignorance. I just read some reviews after thinking about the thing sitting in my case, not being used, and saw a few hints there. Now I have the level at 2:00, tone at 2:00, attack at 2:00, and sustain at 11:00. This seems to be the best balance I can get, between basically not having it do anything, or sucking my tone out like crazy. I still get a good crunch with this somehow, but it's a bit brighter, and the lead sounds extremely interesting and full of life. I still have no idea exactly WHY this sounds better, as I have no clue how this affets sound, but I think it's a pretty good sound.
As for clean or less-rotten sounds, this things is really quite great and I love it. I just don't play clean guitar that much really. I use a lot of drive and I found it hard to keep that characteristic with this.
I'm not sure if death metal guys use these things. I don't know who uses them or for what purpose. I think the best part about it is the lead sound you get, with lots of drive anyway.

I guess it's great. (no, I will NOT say "it's a tank"!)
I haven't really noticed a problem with any pedal really, regardless of brand...you just turn it on and off and don't jump on it....
This is a reliable product. get a powersupply though!

I don't know.

For the metal I play I'm not sure this is absolutely necessary, but it does add some interesting elements to the sound. For the shredding solos it would definitely be a valuable tool, riffs I'm not so sure.
If this thing were stolen I don't think I'd buy it again anytime soon, but if money was no object I would. Sure there are more expensive ones but this one seems to do the job...probably because I don't know what to look for in a compressor but anyway.
This is probably a lot more useful for those who use cleaner tones, poppy shit or hillbilly music. It can however add a nice touch to your metal solo. It sorta cleans up the sweep picking a little, making it sound a bit cleaner. I don't know how or why, or even if it would actually do that, but to me it seems to do that.
Overall an interesting but not indespensable unit.

Quite easy to use considering you know the theory of compression. Many guitarist do not unfortunatly (as you can see by 80% of the reviews). All the controls i need, and none i dont.

Let me start of with the face that I play in a covers band playing ALOT of Red Hot Chili Peppers. I could very well be the biggest Frusciante fan there is and ever will be. I know every riff, lick and chord progression to every song. It's not that I want to be him - I don't. I just belive that when you play someone elses song, you must be as accurate as possible. I hear far too many sloppy, tone deaf guitarists who couldnt care less about re-creating the tone of the origional guitarist. If you want a great example of the kind of effect this pedal will have on your tone, listen to Soul to Squeez or Under the Bridge (intro), and many other RHCP songs from the BSSM era. It gives your tone that almost vocal like quality. Kind of hard to explain, thats why its best just to listen to those songs for a good idea. On the other hand if you know exactly what this pedal does, it does it very well. Very smooth and creamy. You will hear alot of people complaining about it being a noisy pedal. Go study sound for a few years, then you will understand why it can get noisy. It will boost the quiet signals, and attenuate the louder ones - creating a balanced and diminished dynamical range. So, in short, compression is all about the reduction of dynamics in a signal. Sorry to babble, but I was looking for this pedal for a single reason, that being that John Frusciante used a CS-3 when recording BSSM. After using it extensivly, I've realised that it is a valuble unit to any guitarist rig. I was lucky to get mine for $50 Australian in new condition. But all in all, if you want a compression pedal, get a CS-3.

Very Reliable, no need for backup. Just spare batteries.

no need.

Get it if you want a compression pedal that will be reliable and sound great. Especially good if your playing guitar in a RHCP tribute-quality covers band.

Its pretty simple, though a little tricky if you dont really know what youre doing! The most fun Ive had with it is just to sit down and turn the knobs around....just experiment. But its a really fun pedal

Ok heres where I get weird.....heres my setup : I play a Taylor 814CE acoustic with a boss tuner, boss chorus ensemble, then the boss comp/sus, and an Ibanez tube screamer, plugged into an L.R. Bags direct box...yeah thats weird i know...but it works for us!
The CS2 is noisy if and only if you dont use it correctly...keep the level knob down a bit and adjust from there. It works very well with all my other pedals!

VERY DEPENDABLE!!!!
Ive taken it everywhere ive ever gone to play, plus it gets used at least twice a week, guaranteed...it wont let you down!

never had a need for support for any boss products

Im a worship leader at a church in TN and we play some pretty rockin stuff, so the pedals I mentioned above get used allllll the time...Ive been playing music my whole life...guitar for almost 9 years.
I would have a hard time without my CS2, its a really great really fun little pedal..not good for every song of course, but there are a lot of songs that really need that punch that a low attack and high/med. sus brings....its really incredible. Email me if theres anything else you wanna know!

To get it to work nicely you need some "training" with it, altough it's a very good pedal, i love the combinations it makes when I use a volume pedal with it,

ow yeah, the manual sucks :p

the sound is very clear, doesn't make any crappy buzzy noizes or anything,

the only minor point to it is that it turns down my volume a little bit when i activate it

you really can depend on this thing in a live situation, when i play live i'm really hard on my gear, jumping on my pedals is not an exception, & trust me, it doesn't break :p

never dealt with them

I play death metal in my band & neo-classical at home, in the death metal section it lacks a bit cause i don't really need it there, but for the neoclassical it rocks, it nicely accentuates my vibrato

Not easy if you dont know what a CS is used for, or when to use one. If you use it properly you can make great use of it.

Well I use this thing on occasion. I play through an epiphone elite es-335 dot. I get a lot of the good feedback from this guitar. I use the CS pedal mainly to get cool musical, harmonic, controlled feedback right away, on demand. Whenever I need extra feedback I just step on it. I also use it when I make noise through my guitar during certain parts of songs. The CS levels out the noise and keeps a consistent output. Sometimes I use it w overdrive, sometimes I don?t. I like using it on clean a lot. Sounds great on clean chord work. BTW this thing can get quite noisy

Epiphone ES-335 >> CS-3 >> SD-1 >> PH-2 >> Digitech Time Machine Rack >> Line 6 AX2 (I bypass the amp compressor)

It can serve as a great bomb shelter for The Littles.

never dealt w/em

I don't have it on all the time. I was fortunate enough to acquire this pedal for such a good price. So even if I use it occasionally for certain applications, the price I paid justifies it. I wouldn?t pay full price for it. But if you could find one for 30, 40 or even 50 bucks, grab it.

Takes a while to learn this thing, but then again, this is my first compression pedal. Manual is horrible.

I was sceptical of the pedal at first, it didn't seem to change anthing except make the signal louder. Then as I learned how to use it, it got better. Now, I play with it on all time. Here is what I've learned so far. The level must be past 12'oclock or else the other knobs have little effect. My setting is on 1. The sustain is really nice, in fact it's worth the cost just for the sustain. The attack knob seems to do almost nothing. I know what it does, (affect how soon the effect activates,) but still I can't tell much difference in turning that knob. I'm using a Fender M80 amp. Only giving it a 9 because you have to turn the level up so high.

Enough said already about Boss....they make dependable pedals.

Not sure, never contacted them.

I play classic rock and the pedal is a must for me now. I love the way chords sound with it. Yes, I'd get another one if this one was lost. I wish the manual explained "attack," more, and I wish the attack knob made more of a difference. As it is, it's more of a sustain pedal then compression.

Well its got 4 knobs each one does what it says... trying to get a good noise out of it was a very different story.

I use a late 70's Gordon Smith, a ProCo Ratt and a Boss Chorus into a fender 75 combo with a 15" speaker. I wanted a unit that would add a little natural sustain at times (somthing distinctly lacking in my guitar). This unit does not offer that option. It has a very strong character. if you want an 'Ironed Flat' sound this is your dream unit. And yes it does hum more than any other compressor I have ever posessed. Placed befor distortion the hum is usually overpowering after its just too heavy. in my oppinion it should loose the tone and change it for a Mix control.

Its well built and like all boss pedals I have never felt worried about stepping on it.

Dont Know

I play 80's goth, 60-70 psychodelia, folk and the occasional jazz standards (bit of a mix)my overall oppinion of this unit is that its just too much. to be frank I don't use it. I used to have an MXR Sustainer which although very limited was alot better. There are better pedals out there in this price range and most are less noisy.

4 knobs, its a no brainer, I never needed manual because I always use my ears when messing with the knobs.

This pedal really improves my tone alot better. I use it AFTER my distortion pedal and it totally makes my sound fuller, rounder and warmer. It certainly took away alot of the harshness in the tone. It can be noisy if the settings are too extreme. This is the settings that I use: Level & Tone 1pm, Attack 9am, Sustain 11am. This is the best tone I could get in contrary with the noise level.

For the money i bought used, it is definitely a fantastic value, this is no honeymoon review, I have had this pedal for about 6 months before I decide on a review. There are times when I was really disappointed with the sound, but I manage to set it up right to sound great with all my gear.

Up till now I still could not understand the 'Transparency obession' by many people. Placing compressor before my dirt pedals is actually quite transparent, just seem to add gain and nothing else. I did not like it that way because I find it really ironic to buy an effect pedal that does very subtle effect on my tone. So I put it after the dirt pedals and it colors my tone in a nice way. That was what I wanted from a compressor, it does a MUCH better job in enhancing my tone than a GE-7 I used to own.

This is for me the power of CS-3. You have 4 knobs, they are very easy to configure.
A good sound in few minutes.

The compressor works real well... The sustain not as the compressor...
I have a Fender Strat ( the Hendrix one :), a fender deluxe 112mod.
You must to use it with the chorus CH1... Music...

So, i don't know... Ya it is a very good Boss, but i think that it isn't one of the Best.

No idea

Good work :)
For me it isn't one of the best, but i need of it... so... :)

Four knobs, logically marked, doing whatever they say they're doing. Despite almost completely useless 'manual' the unit's pretty easy to grab. It compresses and adds sustain, and does it very pleasingly.

The 'level' knob is pretty self-explanatory, as is the 'sustain' (ie. the amount of compression). The ones to really work for different sounds with are the 'tone' and the "attack". Lots of different shades of color there.

Some other reviewers have complained about the unit's being noisy. I beg to differ. Sure, you can get some REALLY noisy sounds out of it. But the noise don't originate in the CS-3.

As the highes settings of the 'sustain' knob applies some really heavy compression to the signal, the unit just amplifies whatever noise is present in the signal BEFORE the unit. If your guitar pickups (or your cord!) pick up a lot of noise (or if you have bad picking/fretting technique) everything will be audible, and how.

To my ears, the CS-3 seems to preserve my guitar's natural tone, just adding very musical-sounding compression.

Haven't had the unit more than two days. Never had any trouble with Boss pedals, though I haven't gigged with them a lot.

I bought this unit after learning Bonnie Raitt uses one (or at least some blue-coloured Boss compressor model 8-). That's easy to believe: with a open-tuned Strat (w/ heavy strings) and a slightly distorted tube amp, it was very easy to get a convincing Bonnie Raitt / Sonny Landreth melodic slide sound - which got even better by adding a Danelectro Tuna Melt tremolo (with very moderate settings) between the CS-3 and the amp.

That's what I bought the unit for, and that's what I got. Probably will find other uses, too. So I'm pretty happy 8-)

Easy, it only has 4 knobs, not 40 so there wasn't the need to read the manual even.

I use the compressor Level:12 Tone:2 Attack:3 Sustain:11
I like the way the tone knob brightens up my sound and the compression to set in only after awhile giving me the sudden increase in volume as the sound starts to fade off. It also makes my tone smooth and punchy. Actually I like the Sustain at 12 but I just can't stand the noise. 11 is the max that this thing can go. I am not after a subtle compression effect. I'm actually looking for a compressor effect to really smooth out my sound, give it a real punchy and creamy tone for rock sounds, I want a compressor to really affect my tone, I see no point in having a compressor to just add sustain, that's kinda waste of money and space on pedalboard. Anyway, the CS-3 did not really give me what i want, it was kinda transparent, I A/B it against my tone without it and I find it does not affect my tone much, or at least to the extend that I want without adding TONS of noise. I'm keeping this until I get a real high quality compressor that can really squash my sound without adding that bee buzz.

But on clean sound, this thing sounds good to me, I especially like to fingerpick with it. It makes my clean sound brighter, thicker, and the sustain is nice. For distortion this thing is noise city.

For the price, no harm getting this until you save up enough to get a real high quality compressor.

"Attack" and "Sustain" knobs can be a little weird, but if you just twiddle the knobs, a wide range of compression effects from subtle added fulness to to 80's quack can be achieved.

It's a compressor so yeah it's noisy. I use it with a Fender tele w/ old fashioned single coil pickups and often combine it with a boss phaser and/or ds-1. In this set-up, a noise supressor unit is a MUST when gigging or recording. So I use that too. I have an MXR Dyna Comp too, and compared the sound on this unit is less warm. But if like me you dig 80's funk sounds (Prince, Jesse Johnson, Roger Troutman), you'll have a lot of fun with the CS-3. It gets a lot more percussive than the MXR. Also, because you can set the attack time, your sound gets less squashed. A squwashed sound can make you have to work to hard with your picking hand, possible ending in RSI or in my case, a very tired arm. Put is before a DS-1 and the DS-1 really gets cooking!

I can rely on it, and would gig without a backup. (The only thing I couldn't gig without is a guitar :-) ) I've been using Boss gear for 15 years and only had one unit break down on me, which was a delay unit I'd bought second hand and it turned out the previous owner had used the wrong kind of AC adapter.

The second hand Delay unit (which was about ten years old!) was repaired within three weeks, the store didn't charge me for it. That's as good as customer support gets.

I'v been playing voor 17 years, lately I play funk from Prince to Maceo. The sounds I use definitely aren't for every guitarist. But in a funk group with horns and keys, I need sounds that cut through without getting in the way of other instruments. The CS3 achives exactly that. The tone knob gives a little extra definition in the highs, the compression keeps my output even and smooth (nice for fitting in with sommther keyboard sounds) and makes my dry "chucking" stand out. There's only one question if you consider buying this: do you enjoy clean 80s funk sounds? If yes, buy.

As with any compression unit, its easy if you know your stuff. I know my stuff, so it was easy. 4 knobs :
Level - Adjusts the output level (level it starts to compress at)
Tone - Adjusts the....... tone?
Attack - Changes the attack time of the compressor
Sustain - Changes how much it boosts lows, or switches it into a limiter if sustain is turned down very low.

I use it in a variety of setups. My guitar setup is
ESP F-200 -> Jim Dunlop Crybaby -> Boss NS-2 -> Boss LS-2 -[effects loop A]> Zoom GFX-707II ->[end effects loop A}> -[effects loop B]> Boss CS-3 -> Zoom TM-01 -> Zoom GFX-707 -[end effects loop B]> Peavey Bandit 112 and a Marshall MG412B cab. In this setup, I use the compressor for lead work, mainly 2 boost my sustain when I have distortion on, but to also boost my guitar when doing clean lead work. My lead guitar stuff is normally like later Smashing Pumpkins (Machina era), Anathema, Paradise Lost (in like Lost Paradise and Gothic) as well as stupid stuff like Arch Enemy and Children of Bodom. Also do funk and jazz stuff every now and then, just for fun.

My second application for this pedal is when I play bass. I go Fender Mexican P-Bass -> Boss CS-3 -> Peavey Combo 115. I use this pedal just as a limiter so I dont overdrive the amp and also to make slap and fingered work the same volume. The tone knob also helps me tweek the sound ever so slightly to get exactly what I want instead of just close to what I want.

Compressors are not meant to change the sound at all. If you set the tone knob right, it doesn't, but when it does change the sound, it sounds great.

Many many people are like "Its Boss, its a tank" blah blah blah. Generally, I slap people who say that, cos I have broken Boss pedals in the past. Admittedly, never in a live situation though, so I can depend on it. I've had my other Boss pedals for about a year and a half and they havn't borken yet (yeah, that aint that long, but I practise like 5 times a week for 3 hours at a time). I have toured with this pedal and it lived quite happily, so I would gig without a backup quite happily.

Never dealt with them, but I hear its quite pathetic. Also, whenever I order Boss pedals, there is a 6 month wait normally, because of the shipping plans Boss have. Of every 5000 made, 100 go to Europe and 4900 go to the USA. Its a bit nasty.

I play lotsa stuff : death metal, doom metal, black metal, cheese metal, post-hardcore, emo, comedy, funk-ska-circus music, goth rock, synth stuff, the occasional pop song for humour value, then stuff like Jeff Buckley which is a catagory of its own. It fits in everything, its a compressor, what you expecting? If it was lost or stolen, I would do what I do whenever something of mine disppears : hunt down the guy and smash him over the head with my bass (has happened, someone stole my tuner once). The only problem I can think of with this pedal is its battery life, its like 7 hours or summin, which isnt bad but isnt that great either. My favourate thing bout it is its blue :D Some form of gauge to show the level of compression wouldnt go a miss however. Another problem with Boss pedals are that they are generally quite overpriced, but this one wasn't to bad.

On a somewhat irrelivant note,just because Zoom use plastic doesn't mean their pedals break easily, mine have been literally thrown of stages, down stairs, had guitars bashed off them, gone though a bus storage compartment, and are still in one piece. Zoom use quality plastic.