Fender COM-1 Compressor

Easy to control, as all compressors, plus the whole design of the unit, inlcuding the pedal position, the shape of the chassis and the location and size opf the knobs are somehow very comfortable to use. I esopecially like the unique pedal design.

>fender american standard tele > THIS UNIT > marhsall bluesbreaker /or ibanez TS-9 > ibanez PT-10 phaser > danelectro tunamelt tremolo > ibanez DL-10 delay> fender performer 60 w hybrid combo
>altough capable of compression on some level, this unit does not proviode very apparent compression sound. maybe I would not use more harsh setting if it could, but it would be nince to at least try more extreme sounds. As the previous reviewer, I use it for a clean booster/sustainer pedal. For that purpose, the functionality is also limited. I'd welcome option for more volume, the current maximum is just right, but I dont prefer stretching to the max, which I usually do with this pedal. I set all knobs to max, except for tone (boost lows) and a little less attack speed. I cannot rate sound, think its not really the sound quality, its the features that I feel short of. I dont experience extreme noise or sucking tone, altough its a compressor and clearly not true bypass. No special sound chharacteristics at all, which might be a pro, for the booster function.

yes it is reliable, built like a tank out of solid steel, altough almost all the pink paint went off, but it looks cool, in fact it looks much much cooler than it actually is. A loveble little beast anyway, I dont really need it, i got 3 other overdrive (complete with the FDR-01 which is in the post) that I could use to boost, but it looks so damn serious with its beaten up charm, that i just cant, sorry. snobish, I know.

There is NO customer support, altough it looks genuine fender product,made in japan in the eighties, judged by the labels, judged by available info, it just does not exist. Altough their huge effort to re-wrtite the past, fender has never been recognized for their great effect pedals, maybe in 2013 they reintroduce this as the great lost treasure of the 20th century, if you own one, dont sell it! Once I saw a flanger brother of this in similarly beaten up condition, apart from this, probably mine is the only one on earth. perhaps I bought it from the previous reviewer.

I play my own music, which is blues based. I tend to collect old pedals rather than using them. I1ve found that the best sound can be achived by skipping the pedals as the ALL alter the dynamics of your playing. I did compare it to other compressors, as boss or an old yamaha, and found that they usuaklly have more apparent attack. This is more of a sustainer pedal. I give him a 10 for general because this is a nice collectible item, think i soon put it on a bookshelf.

This pedal is fairly easy to use... four knobs. Volume, Tone, Attack (Slow-Fast), and Sustain (Min-Max). Adjust them to your liking... From the control labels I suspect it may be a rebox of the Boss compressor.

I use the pedal mostly as kind of a "Lead Switch" that I hit to play a solo. As such, I crank the volume, set the tone to 7.5 (halfway between flat eq and high), the attack to 7.5 (fast, but not the fastest attack) and sustain to maximum.

My setup (at the moment) is: Danelectro DC-3 > Fender Compressor > Ibanez Echomachine Delay > Arion Stereo Phaser (the 2nd, unused out goes to my tuner) > Rocktek Vibrator > 60's Rickenbacker tube-type. My influences include Pink Floyd & Radiohead, and the Who, Zeppelin, Simon & Garfunkel, Oasis, & some other stuff.

I've also tried it with the same effects chain behind my roomate's 1960 Les Paul reissue into a Mesa Nomad 45 (not in the effects loop... I put it in front). I also stuck a Crybaby wah behind it and in front of it with good results.

As I said, I use it as a lead switch to pick up highs, volume, and sustain for solos... I also use it to overload the front end of the amp a little bit to pick up gain. It's not noisy, but tweaking it takes a little bit of time.

The volume and tone controls are completely idiot-proof. The range of tones offered is not that wide, and the volume range is moderate as well.

Select the amount of sustain you want and then adjust the attack... if the attack is set wrong, or if you're not playing through enough gain, it'll have that punched-in-the-stomach sound... a burst of pick that hushes into a sustained guitar note. I've found that the more sustain you dial in, the faster the attack you'll need.

Of course, being a compressor, it adds some noise, especially toward the far end of a note, but not a lot of noise.

The footswitch on this pedal is the nicest I've ever seen... instead of focusing your weight on some arbitrary point in the middle of a squarish pedal, the pedal is a piece of plastic angled over the edge of the box... so you push on an edge... very nice feel. The rest of the thing is made of metal and built like a tank. The knobs are recessed so if you trip and fall on it the knobs won't break off. I'd gig it without a backup. Not that I have a choice... but it seems the most reliable pedal in my setup.

The unit is painted in a smooth pink color with black trim and white lettering. The typefaces, angular design, and the colors all scream "I was made in the 80s!!!" although I don't know the year of manufacture.

Never dealt with them. But it is Fender...

I'd replace it with the same thing if I could find one, if not, then I'd probably get the Boss equivalent if I could afford it. My favorite feature has to be the footswitch... if only all of my effects had the same kind of switch... I wish that it would give a bit more of a volume boost, but hey... it's not a preamp...