Danelectro DJ-9 Surf & Turf Compressor

Gain
Level of Compression

On/Off switch
In/Out Jacks
9V Adaptor male donnector

Does exactly what it's supposed to and the pots allow for a wide variety of tweaking.

At higher sensitivity levels there is a significant amount of noise.
Also at high sensitivity levels, the effect becomes extremely noticable; sounding like a wah wah or volume pedal.

Plastic outer shell with an included toe guard that makes working the pots near impossible. The guard is removable.

Bottom plate is metal.

Never dealt with Danelectro, but I do own several of their effects with no issues after quite a long time of heavy use.

I play Rock, Blues, Jazz.
Been playing many years.
Own several guitars and three amps.

Danelectro stuff is a no frills, just what is says it'll do, no nonsense product. Their stuff works and lasts.
If you know what sound you're looking for, and that is the key, they make a box to fit.

Well just two dials, level and sensitivity... i.e. an output/volume dial and another dial that controls the level of commpression.

Yeah, like a few people have said, this compressor only really works as a booster and has a slight levelling action... as there are no attack or release dials you don't get that pumping sound wich can liven up funky type playing... so yeah, i kina wouln't say this was a versatile compressor at all. But, if you want to add sustain and a bit of body to your sound then i would reccomend it...it doesn't really colour your tone either, wich the boss compressor does.

I got it with the clear plastic dial protector, wich makes it really fiddly to change the settings so i took it off, "can you depend on it" well, i think it's pretty flimsy, but should be ok with reasonable use.

nope.

For me this doesn't do what i'm looking for, i.e. liven up my playing, it does howerver add a bit of sustain and a bit of levelling so i'll make do with it as it is useful for that. And yes as other people have noted it can pick up local radio. I definitely recommend it to add sustain, boost, and to fatten up your tone...i'd give it a 8 for that, as a all round compressor i'd give it a 1.

So easy. 2 knobs, 1 foot switch. No manual, but for compressors,to tweak for transparent compression only, turn the "level" knob so that the output matches the compressor on and bypass. Then you can turn the sensitivity knob up or down depending on how much compression and sustain it'll do on a fixed ratio and fixed amount. You won't be able to change the ratio.... you'd need threshold and attack knobs for that.

If you know how compressors works, you can see that it has two knobs: "Level", which will determine the signal output, either louder for boost, equal for only compression, or quieter for whatever reason. "Sensitivity" on a compressor means it will automatically compress the peak signals and boost the quieter signals - the more sensitive, the greater the compression.

This pedal works great for simply that function: transparent compression. Placed right after the instrument and before other effects, it will keep your peaks from blowing or distorting your sound, and it will keep your signal troughs louder so that you don't have to up the volume. The final product is an even, "big" sound, great for both live and recording.

For specific uses like extra sustain or chicken picken, use another compressor that has specific sustain, threshold and attack settings so you can really adjust your sounds.

Don't use it after any effects since it might boost any ambient effect or line noise after those pedals

Plastic, so be careful, but it came with this "Dano knob guard" that looked like a plastic mouthpiece around the top of the pedal that keeps you from stepping on and breaking the knobs. Looks goofy but it's removable. Good idea though.

never used

Those looking for full tight sound, meaning great even tone from hard picking and fingerpicking in the same song (especially for amped acoustics), this will be a great surprise.

For those looking for a specific sound, as produced by those keeleys or other sustain/boost compressors, don't get this as you're looking more for the compressor "effect" rather than general signal compression.

Even those who are recording might like this, but you'll probably need a more sophisticated unit with balanced inputs and vu meters.

This is fairly easy and straight forward to use - pretty much plug and play. The manual is short and useful. Getting a good sound - well - read below...

If you are looking for a Nashville type of compression - the 'squeeze' compression that sounds soooo good with a clean or slightly dirty electric - you need to look elsewhere. This is more of a level boost with some sustain added. What is adds is more subtle than many compressors.

Noise wise - well - yeah, it's noisy. It's a compressor - all compressors are going to add some noise - anyone saying otherwise is not listening. A top dollar Keely compressor adds a little noise. This particular compressor adds a fair share of noise AND - as a added bonus feature - picks up AM radio stations to boot! No, I am not kidding. I've had tons of pedals on my pedal board and this has not happened before, nor after I got rid of this pedal. It's not the cables or the guitar - it is the compressor. I had it for about two months and it was consistent.

Bottom line - it is an inexpensive compressor and sounds and acts like one. It makes for a decent clean boost and a poor compressor.

Never had any issues in the two months I had it - but it was way to noisy to even consider gigging with.

Never used....

Dano has a rep for good pedals and a bargain price. This particular pedal is pretty much useless as a compressor and way too noisy to be used live. I play country/classic rock with mainly Strat/Tele style guitars and Fender tube amps and get paid to play guitar. Save your money, as little as this will run you, and look elsewhere for a good compressor. I use cheap pedals and am always looking for a good tone on the cheap, but Dano dropped the ball on this design. This truly is one of the worst pedals I have ever played though. I simply cannot understand the '10' sound ratings it is getting here...

Very easy to use - two knobs. The manual is short and sweet. Compressors should be easy to use...

Well, I am less than impressed with the unit, but for thirty bucks what should I expect. It does a decent job as a compressor, but not as well as I had hoped it would. I use it mainly as a boost pedal, and it does a decent job at that. It is a bit noisy - way noisier than any of my other pedals. I use it with a variety of guitars and mainly my Rivera tube amp.

It seems to be rather cheaply thrown together, though it has lasted for me thus far..

I've had no need to contact customer service...

Well - it's a thirty dollar pedal and acts like one. It's a decent boost pedal and a relatively weak compressor. I play all styles of music from rcok to country, and I need a better option than this one since it does not do what I was hoping it would.

If it was stolen I'd be irriated for a few minutes, then buy a better compressor pedal...

This pedal is extremely easy to use--especially for a compressor bonehead like me. I've tried compressors in the past after hearing about how awesome they were for your sound, but...I could never figure out exactly what the attraction was as it seemed that, in order to hear them do anything at all, you had to set them to where they killed your tone and natural attack. Anyway the ones I tried were the 4 knob variety--evidently too complicated for me.
BUT, this surf n turf has only 2 knobs which are quite manageable, especially since one is just a volume knob! All you have to do is decide how you want to use it--as a sustain and/or boost or to smooth out your chords for rhythm playing.

Set up: Les Paul or Strat-->535Q Wah-->surf n turf comp-->Arion tubulator OD-->Marshall Guvnor 2 dist.-->Dano EQ-->EB Jr. vol. pedal(which has a Boss floor tuner hooked up to the "Tuner Out" jack)-->Boss CE-5 Chorus-->Voodoo Labs Trem-->Arion DDM-1 delay-->Amp(either 15 watt class A tube combos or Roland JC-120). All effects are powered by a Visual Sound 1 Spot and daisy chain and the Boss tuner and its own daisy chain.(The 1 spot powers 4 effects plus the Boss Tuner, and the Boss powers the rest)

Noise: This pedal when on or off is DEAD SILENT--even when cranked! It does make a very faint click when switched on, but it's not rude or bothersome and nowhere near as loud as the POP I get from a true by-pass Ross Phaser from the 70s I have.
You'll note from the set-up above that I've placed it before everything else in the chain except my Wah, which is true by-pass. This may be why there's no noise. The reason I set it up this way is because that's what I noticed that Boss does in all the diagrams in their little effects guide booklets you can get at your local store or see at their website. Anyway, I would also like to try it after the OD and distortion to see what kind of sounds that makes, I don't know if I'll hear noise then or not.

Uses: The main reason I got this pedal was to help me get a Faux Acoustic sound from my electrics when I don't have time to switch guitars. I tried the Boss AC-3 acoustic simulator--$100.00 too much for a blah effect. I decided to work with what I had and add the Surf and Turf for 30 bucks. What I've discovered is to use my EQ to remove the electric guitars' mids and most lows and to use the JC 120 which is very smooth and warm. For my Les Paul, the most difficult to get sounding right (Humbuckers and all), I add the Surf and Turf at unity gain and the sensitivity knob at minimum and this smooths out the LP's "spikeyness" on strummed chords while allowing for a decent enough natural tone. The Strat really doesn't need it since I use the Neck/Middle position which is pretty smooth to begin with.
For the Strat, I've found that this compressor's best use is as a sustain boost (and volume boost) for solos and heavier stuff. For this, I set volume at unity gain or above (for boost) and the sensitivity knob btw 2:00 - 3:00. This fattens the tone and adds just the right amount of sustain. Doing this with my LP and I get even more sustain than it already has. This is not really, at least in my experience, a "sustain for days" type pedal but it IS very musical and adds enough.
I don't think this pedal is as absolutely transparent as some claim below, you can tell when it's on, but it does do the job it was designed to do without OVER-coloring you tone unless maxed.

I've only had this for a brief time, but I've had the Dano EQ pedal since Mars Music went under (How many years has that been now, anyway?)and she's still going strong.

Have played for many moons. Right now I play a couple times a week for our Praise and Worship band at church--we cover a whole lot of styles. I'm the only guitarist, that's why I need to cover acoustic and electric playing--sometimes in the same song--without interrupting the flow of the set. Anyway, the surf and turf is good enough for me, it gives me some useful sounds and is priced well. I would give it an 8, but the price/bang-for-buck ratio adds a point to the overall rating.

Very easy to use and sounds good

I bought it to thicken the thin sound of the Pignose Hog 20. It balances the harsh thin pignose squeal and adds badly need sustain.

Haven't tried it with other amps, but it works really well with the Pignose hog 20. It added the missing midrange tone.

It's made of plastic, but it's sturdy.

Don't have to deal with customer support. Because it's so cheap, all you have to do is get a new one.

It's a great little pedal to use with the PIgnose hog 20. Don't know what the deal is with pignose. Their speaker blows real easily and the forgot to add sustain to the sound of the amp.

If you get this amp, you'll need to replace the speaker sooner or later. And you'll need a compression pedal. This pedal complements the Pignose Hog 20 very well.

Simple; 2 Knobs like a Dyna Comp or a Keely.
A. Output Level
B. Compression Ratio

I think that there are two types of compression users.

A. Somwone who wants added sustain and transparent volume control.
B. Someone who wants to squeeze the clean tone and add sustain. When I say "squeeze", I mean the classic Nashville squeeze or the techno squeeze that you hear in 80's music or funk.

I like the B style of Compression. I like the Nashville squish. This unit does the A style of compression. Even with the Compression knob maxed out, you don't get any squeeze in the tone. The volume control and sustain are very nice and mine is absolutly quiet, even with the compression knob maxed out. I was hoping for squeeze like I get from the Marshall ED-1 on my pedalboard. I was hoping for something more dramatic with this back-up unit. If you want transparent volume control and more sustain; you'll love this thing. If you like the squeeze; keep shopping.

Nice little pedal. I have one of their vibrato's and the EQ pedal. I use the EQ pedal often for feedback elimination with my Martin Acoustics in coffehouse applications. No problems ever and the pedals operate fairly quietly.

No clue, I've never needed their help and I've only bought used Dano pedals off E-Bay. I've had no issues with the pedals; all OK.

It's really a nice little pedal; just not exactly the tone that I wanted.

Two knobs. Easy to figure out if you know how to use compression. If you don't that doesn't make this pedal any harder to use. In fact, it having two knobs makes it one of the easier compressor pedals to use.

This thing sounds great! Instantly sounds like compression. While it may not satisfy every compressor fan, it certainly is one 'flavor' of compression and totally useable at that. The controls work very well to help you shape the sound and the unit is very musical. For this price and size you should buy one just as a backup or to add another flavor of compression to your arsenal.

I run this first in my chain and it adds 0 (ZERO!) noise. That is because the guitar and cables before it are quiet. I'm surprised actually, I was expecting to have to live with a little noise from my guitar or cable. Anyone complaining about noise with this pedal may actually be complaining about their noisy pickups and cables which this compressor is only doing it's job by turning it up or they may have a defective unit, but mine is dead silent. Don't give an effect pedal a shitty rating because your setup is sub-par! I've seen this with delay pedals too. Yes, they multiply the noise in your rig, they are doing their job!

I've owned a ton of these mini danos for years and I have to say quite to my suprise I have not had a single problem with ANY of them EVER! Most of them are useable for something and some of them can be used to replace or as backup for much more expensive equipment. If you know what you are doing and can play you can make music sweet music with these dano pedals and without breaking the bank!

I've never needed them so I don't know. Did I mention I also own a Danelectro bass? :)

This pedal is a good respectable compressor. It does not need to appologize to those who don't know how to use a compressor or to those who don't particularly care for it's flavor of compression. It does what it does and it does it well. To get a good compressor like this for under $30.00 is amazing.

Super easy. "Sensitivity" dials in the amount of compression you want, and adjust "Level" as needed. I tried different spots around the Sensitivity knobs for a while before settling on what I like, but it's not hard to find a good spot. Decent amount of sweep in the effect, and the Level knob has a good sweep as well. More below...

Sounds really clean. I have a clean sounding setup, but I do use several other pedals as well. I'm pretty picky about tone, but not fanatical, and either way the Surf & Turf doesn't add noise or corrupt any of my guitars as far as tone coloring goes. It's surprisingly transparent at lower "Sensitivity" settings, very cool.

That said, I got this because I want that certain medium-to-thick compressed guitar tone at the stomp of a toe, and this pedal is plenty capable of delivering. I used to use a boss CS3, but it's much harder to set from one guitar to the next, so lately it's fallen out of favor. Using this 'Surf' pedal is much better, faster, and doesn't have the boss' hard-to-tame hissing.

Speaking of, I don't know why others are getting hiss. Any compressor can boost floor noise, but, really, try some other compression pedals, and by comparison you'll consider yourself lucky. The Surf is a relief, can use with any instrument with minimal fuss, and without noise.

Not "pristine" but for $30 it's a 10 out of 10.

I've had a bunch of danelectro "minis" with no issues. Well, as long as a knob doesn't give out on you. It's never happened to me, but the knobs are questionable. The plastic jacks are dubious too. But no problems for me. They're stronger than they seem, I think.

N/A

Compression can be an acquired taste, but the more you learn to use it, the more you may like it. This pedal gets that cool, compressed tone for pennies. I'm really glad I got my hands on it.

I really like the name, too.