MXR Dyna Comp

Not easy to understand for you if you have had the usual compression pedals... This think is alive... You have to have a nice axe/chain/amp if you wanna enjoy it... It really drives ODs and distortion in a great way... It seems like a rock'n'roll machine to me, and I do not even know if it works fine with, let's say, an electroacoustic guitar... It's a bit noisy in a nice way... It's dandy simple if you already have sometime playing (experience)... May not be the best for rookies...

Man! It brings up your whole effects chain... You will just love it... IMHO, is more of a sustainer than many "sustainers" claim to be... Seems there will be a new one with a third knob for "attack"... Well, we??ll see... I love this dandy little red box the way it is...

seems sturdy... MXR has very good reputation...

don't know...

This is a rock, blues and country box... Great sound you do not usually get from a compression pedal... At least not easily... With this you go by ear, and WOW! find so many great tones, with sustain like a damn Fernandez Sustainer guitar...

quite easy to dial in what you want

first of all, this a review for the present block dyna comp.....

its awesome! first thing you'll notice that its so noisy, but actually you can fix that!.. it actually has an adjustable noise gate in it! every brand new dyna comp has it set at a 0 level so you really need to open it, and its very easy.. even a snake could do it


when you open it and get the circuit board you will see a circular thing roughly between the two knobs and it has an arrow pointing diagonally,,, you can use a flat nose screwdriver to turn it... if you turn it either left or right it increases treshold of the noise gate its just that simple

its a red brick.. but the switch is not as sturdy a boss, but still quite strong

....

BUY THIS.. cool

Two knobs.

It definitely colors your tone, as they say. But I like it. I play primarily a Strat, and it works well with it. I particularly like it for rhythm. But those long sustaining notes are great for leads too. I found it sounds better with the guitar plugged in directly, then into the amp, instead of the effects loop. I think I need a boost pedal now, because it really regulates the volume from the guitar. Which is nice for getting rid of those booming E-strings when strumming a chord hard and fast, but rolling the volume up and down doesn't do what it used to.

So far, so good. Sturdy build quality--I also own an MXR Carbon Copy, which is also stout.

I play a lot of jangly rhythms, and use a lot of delay at times. This pedal is the #1 most important in my chain.

The 2 knobs kind of suggest ease of use, and yes, the Dyna Comp is probably one of the simplest compressors you'll ever see.
It's however worth noticing that it takes time to learn to make this pedal do what you want it to.
Don't expect great sound the first time you turn it on (especially if it's your first compressor!). But once you get used to it a bit the 2 knobs make it REALLY easy to control.

This one is not dead-silent. It will and a bit of noise of its own, AND it will boost the noise that's already in your setup as you turn the knobs up.
Hum from strat-style single-coils or P-90s can also be a major problem.
Apart from that - the Dyna Comp is a very nice-voiced little box - far better to my ear then the Boss, the Marshall and other equally-priced pedals.
I use it immediately in front of my distortion (for a boost and a nice accentuation of harmonics) and generally tend to keep it at the start of my chain. This way it also helps to partially get rid of the volume drop from some of my other pedals (just the Small Stone now that I've replaced the old Boss tremolo).

No questions here, it's as sturdy as it can be.

never used it

This is overall a great pedal. It's reasonably priced, it sounds great, it's easy to use and it's built to last a lifetime (hopefully).
First time I tried it I was a bit confused and even slightly disappointed, but in a couple of days I couldn't imagine how I could ever have played without it.
It smoothens out the dynamics considerably even at the lowest sensitivity settings, which gives you enough compression without compromising the attack and affecting the way you play in any way (unless you specifically want it to).
I'm the only guitarist in the band, and have to switch from chords to leads to fingerpicking a LOT, often within one song. And the Dyna Comp
is simply perfect for the task of keeping it all together.

Vintage MXR Pre-LED red Dynacomp box.

It's dead nut simple. 2 Knobs, Output and Sensitivity. One knob (output) controls the amount of signal going out of the box, the other determines the amount of compressing the box does (sensitivity).

Extra bonus: the knobs are big, easy to read and can be turned with your shoes when playing. That's a BIG plus in my book.

Be forewarned: This is a subtle effect. Like all compressors, this box gives you the sound of MORE. More sustain, more harmonic content, more volume, all in less dynamic range. How much less dynamic range is up to you and the Sensitivity knob is the key to this effect.

The output knob sets your output level. With the Sensitivity knob all the way down and the volume knob all the way up, this pedal will produce unity gain (no volume drop or boost). As the Sensitivity control is turned up, the output will also go up, giving a nice bit of clean volume boost, which makes this thing nice for solos.

Like others have said, It's not the most noise-free box in the world. It will amplify extraneous noises coming through your rig. It also adds a little noise to your signal when engaged, so be forewarned.

As the sensitivity knob is turned up, the sound gets louder and thicker, but, as with any compressor, the dynamic contrast goes away.
At halfway up, you get into the realm of twangy Nashville pickers.
At about 2/3 of the way up, you can do a reasonable impression of that clicky sound that you hear on the Cars' "Just What I Needed".

When the control all the way up, your dynamics are non-existant. On the one hand, this means your notes sustain for ages. On the other hand, pick noises, hum and finger scrapes can be just as loud as strummed notes, and all notes are just as loud as each other, no matter how soft you play or how hard you dig in. Since my technique just isn't as pristine as required to truly make use of this setting, I just find it to be annoying, but it is there.

Personally, I place this pedal early in my chain and use it primarily for a clean boost for solos. It thickens up my sound quite a bit. I also like it for driving a distortion pedal. I usually have the knobs set like they're cross-eyed: Output knob at 4/5 up and the sensitivity knob at about 1/4 up for a good, noticeable solo boost.

About the only time it sounds really thin is when the battery is about dead.

Typical MXR quality. Housing is sturdy, Knobs are big, and switch is reliable and sure.

Battery life is also good. I've had this pedal for more than 10 years now and have changed the battery perhaps twice.

The MXR that made this pedal is now gone.
Dunlop now owns the rights to the MXR line, and they're doing a good job with it.
Generally, the circuits are quite similar, so don't feel like you're getting gypped if you get a new one. I just got this one at a price I couldn't refuse.

This was the first pedal I ever bought. Despite that, I wouldn't recommend this for a first pedal.
Not because the pedal is bad, mind you-it isn't. It's a great pedal, very useful, and I use it literally *every single time* I go out to play. If it was stolen, I'd buy another one as soon as I could. It's that useful to me.
It's just that compressor pedals just aren't the stars of the stompbox world. Useful doesn't mean loved, and compressors don't inspire the kind of rabid devotion that you see with, say, a distortion pedal or a REALLY good flanger.

It doesn't make your guitar sound fuzzy, whooshy, wanky or go "wah". There's no drastic alteration in the sound. It just gives you the sound of MORE, which is a hard thing to distinguish from the un-effected sound (I still wish my box had an LED like the reissues).
For a long time, I didn't get what was so great about that.

Now, 10 years on, I know the answer, and I appreciate the box for what it is, a great clean boost for solos.
But if you've got to plunk down a chunk of cash on your first pedal, get something that makes you sound different-you'll appreciate it more in the beginning. By all means, get this pedal, but get it as your second or third pedal.

Two Knobs> That's all you need. Keep it simple stupid

Awsome! It is a very recent model. The newest one's with serial number starting with ABxxxx are true bypass. The ones starting with AA are not. It's quiet when it's on and when its'off. This pedal gives you that slapback sound that no other pedal will and the compression is great as well.

Built like a tank. Like all MXR pedals are.

They spent 1/2 hour talking to me about this pedal.

It's nice to see a company that cares about quality.

It has two knobs....Output & Sensitivity. One controls volume, the other controls amount of compression. Not too hard!

My main electric is a 1992 Fender Telecaster MIM.

My effects chain is as follows:

Boss TU-2 -> MXR Dyna Comp -> Boss DS-1 -> Ibanez CCL Dual Chorus -> DigiTech DigiDelay -> Electro-Harmonix Holy Stain -> Behringer DR100 (Reverb Pedal) -> BBE DI-100x (Active Direct Box) -> Fender Deluxe 85 amp.

This pedal does introduce some noise and coloring into the signal. It works fine with the sensitivity before the 12:00 position. If you set it much after that it will start fizzling out in a nasty sounding wash after a variable amount of time that gets shorter the more you turn the knob up. Mine is a used pedal so it may just be this pedal. I am going to keep the pedal as I got it for free with a gift card and also as I like compression to be pretty subtle anyway, so I don't have all that much of a reason to go past noon.

I suspect that my pedal is defective in some way, and I will admit that I've always bit a bit of a doofus when it comes to compressors. There is after all a reason why this is a classic pedal that the likes of Andy Summers used in the 1980s. Howevever, it still fizzles and washes out as the compression gets more extreme, which is a problem if you want to solo and sustain a note. I'm keeping it under noon.

My Dyna Comp is different from the rest in that it comes housed in a BLACK metal casing. They do not seem very common, I got mine on eBay and these 'black' versions do still come up occasionally. They are not as expensive as the very old retro seventies vintage dyna comps which is a plus. The date codes on the Pots tell me it was made in about 1983, and judging from the MXR information on Wikipedia, mine is part of the '2000 Series' made from 1982 to 1984 when MXR was still MXR (MXR closed their doors in 1984 and that's where Jim Dunlop comes in). Many people say that dyna comps were better before Jim Dunlop came along. I decided to go with that and thus went for an older pedal and not take any risks on newer revisions.

Usually the Dyna Comp knobs are labelled 'Output' and 'Sensitivity' but on my pedal the knobs are labelled 'Level' and 'Sustain'.

The pedal has one Input, Dual Outputs (not sure why, perhaps stereo, anyway I just use either, as they both sound the same). Dual LED's (one for power, and one to tell you if the pedal is engaged or not). Uses Battery or 9V power supply. Note that dyna comps as far as I know have an adjustable trim pot inside them allowing you to make some adjustments on the sound, but this particular revision of the dyna comp doesn't have that.

This pedal is easy to use.

I am using a Marshall JCM 900 valve amp and a Gibson SG guitar. I only ever play with distortion by the way, I don't play clean, so this review is for using a dyna comp in a distortion environment only. I've been through a lot of experimenting with my setup trying to get a sound I like (I ended up actually modifying my amplifier to get a better sound as well as getting some decent valves in there). I didn't like my valve amp and guitar on their own as the sound was a bit boring, and not very 'fat' or lively. In the past I tried an Electro Harmonix LPB-1 power booster pedal. This was pretty good, boosting my sound up and making it fatter, but it wasn't quite what I wanted (but close). I had read that I could actually use a compressor to 'boost' my sound so I thought I would give it a go. I have to say I love the dyna comp, it's exactly what I wanted. But please be warned that I am not recommending the newer Jim Dunlop versions of this classic pedal. I havn't actually tried the newer versions, and I havn't tried the very early, much sought after seventies 'script' logo dyna comps, but this 1983 version of the pedal I have, I think sounds fantastic and if I had to guess, I would imagine my pedal is 'perhaps not quite as good as the earlier ones', but 'better than the later reissues'. This suits me just fine as you can really go too far trying to find the 'holy grail' only to find that 'second best' really was close enough all along (and MUCH cheaper). There are mods I could do on my pedal but I'm so happy with it just as it is, that I am not going to change anything. So what does it do to my sound? Well, it just seems to give it this beautiful old sounding character and my distorted sound is much fatter and more lively, it really sings. Sustain is improved. Sensitivity of the guitar is increased, making things like pull-offs much easier and clearer sounding. Solos sound.. well, I can't even describe how good it is. I'm so getting an analog echo/delay pedal next (I'm gonna go for a belcat Delay, check it out sometime). With distortion basically this pedal is just great for giving your setup a kick up the backside, and adding a real cool fat vintage analog sounding character at the same time. I leave the pedal on all the time by the way, I hate the way my setup sounds without the pedal in there. I'm definately using this pedal forever now. I love it, it's GREAT! If you push the pedal hard you can get a kind of crazy modulating 'buzzsaw' thing going on. A lot of people hate buzzsaw but I love it personally. I can get a kind of early 'live ac/dc' or 'The Who' thing going. Actually, Pete Townshend of The Who describes the dyna comp (which he has happily used for years) as being able to 'make a right racket'. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd uses one too (no more need be said). Oh, one more thing, if you turn the knobs up too high you do get a little bit of background noise (hissy type noise). Mind you I am using a cheap power adapter so that probably doesn't help. It's certainly not noisy enough to be a problem though (and believe me i'm very fussy).

I had to repair this pedal when I first got it as it didn't work (I took a risk and bought it 'faulty' on eBay). The LED's had come loose, the knobs needed a blast of switch cleaner and the pedal footswitch mechanism also needed a good clean and re-adjustment. There was also some dry solder joints to resolder. Bear in mind that the pedal is 25 years old so it's to be expected. It's a solid and well built pedal overall. If you are ok at electonics don't be afraid of buying faulty pedals (especially older ones) as they are often really quite basic in design and easy to repair I have found in my experience (newer pedals are different though with their smaller more refined 'circuit mounted' components so I avoid faulty newer pedals).

I cannot comment on Support as I have not seeked that.

Well, I really love it, it's just beautiful sounding. I wish I got it earlier instead of using my guitar and amp for years and thinking 'This just doesn't sound good enough!'

I can't comment on what this pedal does to your clean sound but if you want some gorgeous rich distortion going on and solos to die for you just have to try a 'vintage' (1984 or earlier) dyna comp! Pure heaven!

Easy to use, set it and forget it

I use it with a strat and a 5watt tube amp with a reverb in the loop. Not noisy and has a range of compression from weak to strong based on the sensitivity setting. I like it as a boost for overdrive and to mellow out the highs. The compression is strong and will do what is claimed.

Great for the clean tones and overdrive without a lot of other effects. I've played for over 35+ years. I like that the battery lasts a long time and that it is small. I've tried the Boss and the Digitec, both are good and have more functions. But I opted for the Dyna Comp for the value

About as simple as it gets. Just adjust the threshold.

With the threshold and output turned up to 3:00 I get the best sound out of my LP Custom on the neck pickup. It gives that clicky, compressed sound. With it on the bridge pickup (active EMG) I get a really cool overdriven sound when on the clean channel (played through a Peavey Classic 50 2/12). The best tone is on the neck pickup going through a TS9 with the overdrive set all the way up. On the bridge pickup it tends to sound a little "box"-y but works for solos (infinite sustain). I'm struggling with using it all the time vs. only without distortion.

very reliable.

?

Overall it's good for what I'm doing (classic rock / bluesy style). This pedal really made me appreciate a crystal clear/clean tone. The only issue I have is it's a bit noisy and a bunch of feedback through the overdrive channel if the threshold and output are too high. When you roll these back, the amp volume is much higher when you bypass the pedal. This may be due however to my lack of experience with fx pedals. I've been playing for 21 years but never really got into pedals - all of a sudden I'm a pedal freak and trying to get used to it (with all the switching of pedals I feel like I'm dancing a bit and sometimes lose concentration on playing because I'm so focused on the pedals. I'm sure I'll get over that once I get used to it).

If you know what a Compressor does then this is obviously very easy to set up but getting settings you can use on clean and distortion channels within the same song is the tricky part!

Great High quality bit of kit!
Sustain and volume boost is great!

Don't know yet only been a week

Never used them

A genuinly pro piece of kit!
I use it as a constant effect its always turned on now matter what song, and no matter what channel of the amp I'm using.

I play through a Orange Rocker30 Amp head using a Fender Strat/Fender Tele/Ibanez Hollowbody/Esp F200/F400 and a PRS custom 22.

I've got it set up so it gives extra bass and a big volume boost on my Orange rocker 30 clean channel and it gives great sustain and what feels like added distortion but without making my sound messy!

One of the most simplist compressor pedal. I bought it in 1982 from United States. I found it very easy to shape your sound. The variable knobs are very effective. I still have its orignal maunal and it describes all the necessary informations. But I do not find its maunal as a key for operation but it rather tells what a compressor is all about. It do not have a variable attack control and it is fixed. I do not like its A/C adapter input jack as it is located at the side of pedal and secondly it is a male input pin-type one. I has a extremely low current draw only 1 mAmp. I probably replace its battery once in a year, amazing!

Simply the best sound quality especially for Clean tones but it still can give smooth sound while using overdrive. I found its overall sound very warm, creamy and punchy. It lacks the Attack control and I found it not so effective for hard rock distortions. Its really gives some of the most pleasant sounds by using Chorus and delay effects with clean sound settings on amp. Its sustain control is very senstive and its really makes noise if you cross the dial beyond 12 o'clock. I mostly use the sustain setting in between 12 to 01 O'clock which gives a tremendous control and dynamic quality to my guitar sound. This pedal does not have a bright sound but it is still very clear and transparent in all respects. It has a very strong effect and it always sound great.

I have been using it for the last 25 years and it is like a rock. In early days probably in 1983 once it stopped working. As I live in Pakistan so we did not have any service center here for it repair. So I took it to a private workshop and there it was found that its Chip got loose. So it was pressed into its grip and it started working again. Apart from this incident it never gave me any trouble whatsoever.

I play rock, blues, popular and country and it fulfill my music style requirements very well. I have been playing for the last 27 years and I have got lot of guitars, amps and Boss effect pedals and few from Ibanez,Zoom and Danelectro. If this stolen I would really become sad but probably I would not buy it again as I already got a Boss CS2 compressor. If I gets a second hand one cheaply then I will buy it again. I love about it is the extemely powerful warm, creamy, punchy and dynamic sound which gives a extra body to your sound. I choose it while reading a guitar magazine and got impressed with its properties. I wish it would have a variable attack and tone control.

It has only two knobs so it is quite easy to dial a sound that you like.
Very small pedal too...nice to carry around if you have to.

The only issue is that this pedal "colours" the tone of my amplifier. I didn??t spend fifteen hundred bucks on an amp to have a cheap pedal changing its sound so much...I have been playing for about five years with a Boss Cs3 modified by Pedaldoc and it doesn??t colour my sound at all...and the compression is much more effective.

Very sturdy. It won??t break on you.

Don??t know. I have had the pedal for about a month and it works like a charm.

Good pedal the only issue being that it colours your sound. It you don??t mind this get one and you won??t regret it.

Super easy to use. With only two knobs, its hard to mess this up. One knob sets the level of compression and the other sets the level of compressed signal that is put out. Easy!

This is where I'm getting off the "OMG-this-is-the-greatest!!!" bus. This pedal might be great for guitar, but it is terrible for a bass. I could not get a compression that did not either a) lose the lower frequencies, b) muddy up the whole tone, or c) distort when the output was turned beyond the 11 o'clock position. I wanted something that was transparent and light, but this pedal gave me that compression-as-an-effect sound. No good.

The pedal is built like a brick sh*t house. It is definitely a bargain there. It was actually one of the selling points over the Aphex Punch Factory, which sounds better, but is not as solidly built. Definitely a huge positive here.

N/A - Returned it to Guitar Center under their 30 satisfaction guarantee.

If I played guitar and could dial in the compression I am looking for without butchering my tone, I'd definitely keep this pedal. But, with the bass it is not so good.

It really doesn't get much easier than this as far as compressor pedals go. You get just two knobs, output and sensitivity. Output sets your overall volume, and sensitivity sets the amount of compression. The knobs are big enough that you can set them with your big toe if you are lazy. Getting a good sound is fairly simple, set the output where you want it and dial in the amount of squash that you want in the sound. Since there are only two choices, you're letting the pedal make some decisions for you so if it does something you don't like you're stuck with it.

If you are looking for a transparent compressor look elsewhere. The dynacomp definatly has its own sound. It adds some warmth to your sound by pulling some of the highs out. With clean tones it's very aparent and you can get the highs back with a quick eq adjustment on your amp, but it definatly colors your sound. If you set your sensitivity past 11 o'clock you'll start to get a thumb/fingerpick kind of sound. I usually keep mine around 11:30 as I find it to have a nice balance in it's effect, not too heavy. With an overdriven or distorted sound its effect is more subtle but very pleasing to the ear (mine anyway). It can really help smooth out some harshness in your tone and even everything out. I like it in combination with my Maxon OD-9, they work very well together. This pedal did introduce a bit of noise into my signal. It's a compressor so of course it amplifies what is already there, but it definatly add some of its own as well. I've also found it to work best off of the battery, no idea why.

It's pretty well used, solid and I'm not worried about it.

I really like this pedal. I play a yamaha strat clone that I've had for 10 years with some Lindy Fralin blues specials in the top and middle positions and a Duncan low-output humbucker in the bridge. The MXR runs into a OD-9 that feeds my Classic 50 head. This pedal matches my tone really well. I play just normal rock/blues/anything and it matches my playing style. I lean more towards blues guitar and this pedal fits in nicely. I love it for its simplicity but its also its downfall; if you don't like something you're screwed because you probably can't change it. If your looking for more of a transparent compressor you would probably be better off with the boss cs3 and I would be tempted to try that one next if something happened to the mxr.

Two knobs--"Output" and "Sensitivity." If you can't handle this level of complexity you really shouldn't be walking around without a helmet.

The "best" sound quality is achieved thusly. The first thing is to put the compresor first in your effects chain. Second, with your amp volume set where you want it, set the "Output" knob so there is very little--if any--difference in your overall volume when the compressor is on or off.

Now, tweak the "Sensitivity" knob (I wish I had a dime for every time I've written that) until you start to hear the sound getting "clicky" and then back it off about 1/16 of a turn or so.

There you have it. Transparency. An equalized signal suitable for finger picking, rhythm playing, etc.

It's not "indestructible," but it's more durable than it has to be.

Back in the MXR days, you could send your unit in for repair/checkup/refurbishment at any time for any reason for little or no $$ Now that the brand is owned by Jim Dunlop I couldn't tell you whether it's worth a crap or not. In fact I couldn't even tell you whether Jim Dunlop as a company actually manufacturers anything these days or if it's a marketing company that sells Chinese-made stuff.

I play guitar. Electric guitar. I have done so and received money for it for nigh on 25 years now. I've done everything from "Elvis Englebert Jones"-type orchestra stuff to 1970s and 1980s rock and metal to occasional punk stuff just to mess with the little bedwetting wanker wannabes at Guitar Center who can't fathom an old guy doing that*.

*BTW, nice Ramones shirt, kid. Did your Mommy buy it for you at Nordstrom? I got one just like it AT A SHOW. IN 1975! YOU LITTLE TWAT!

Just two knobs. Only problem I can see is that it is very difficult to make the battery fit inside the pedal. I would say this happens with all MXR pedals.

Great sound quality but still far from my Pedaldoc modified Boss Cs3. Creamy sustain though and good compression over all frequencies.

Looks very sturdy. I don??t thing you can break this think easily

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Good compressor apart from the battery problem. Not as good however as my modified Cs3 which really sings. Buy it if you are looking for an affordable entry-level compressor.

Otherwise visit the modders sites. They know well what they are doing (I can tell you).

Only two controls so it is pretty easy to use. I however find it always difficult to put the battery into MXR pedals.

Good sound quality with little noise. I have heard that these pedals work better and sound better when the battery is low. I still have to try it. I have been using a Pedaldoc modified CS3 and I would say it sounds better than the Dynacomp (many of my mates agree) but I still have to mess around with this little thing.

Very sturdy. Will last forever if you are just a bit careful.

Never have contacted them.

Good pedal for the price. I have had many other compressors and this is a good one but not as good as some others. Get yourself one if you got the cash or try one at the shop. You may like it. It colours the sound a bit too much for me. I prefer my old modified CS3 really.

This is an update to my prior post. I have now purchased a 1974 Dyna Comp in a bud box. Though it could be voodoo, I definitely prefer it to my current one (70s block logo). This saddens me because I laso have a MXR script phase 45, and its amazing, and have realized I prefer the script versions.... There is a sizeable difference. It could be someone magically played with the trim pot or screwed it up in the other but wow.... Within 5 minutes I was considering putting my other one on Ebay...

Its 33 years old.....

Again 33 years old...

Just wanted to poison the minds of others with the elusive search for the bud box scripts... As if that fire needed more fuel. I really just wanted to share the fact that for me, it was 100% true, and Ive owned and played many!

2 knobs. BUT the sensativity knob is well.... sensative! Actually. the compressor is just VERY strong and quick and the knob, to me, becomes useless after 11 oclock. Of course thats relative to my playing style as well, but very snappy compression.
I have a 1977 block logo and after purchase realized it was true bypassed-NICE! Especially considering this should usually be 1st in the chain. It is everything I expected and more. BUT... I would NEVER use one of the reissues...yuck.

Incredible but COLORED so if transparent is your game- you won't like it. It adds snap and sustain while rolling off the lows set at low sensativity. Wonderful. I don't play funk but I may need to start. I finger pick a lot and this adds pop and sustain- too much if set too high! I am most impressed by it in the mix. It sits AMAZING with out a touch of eq. If you are happy with your tone, this pedal in the right context will place it PERFECTLY... I track guitars quite often and this is just blowing me away. On lead, well I may force everyone to use it from now on and I have an 1176ln and LA2A originals on the rack behind me.

Its 30 years old, with no bottom plate and the logo and text are almost completely worn off. The foam inside has just melted and I removed it with a toothbrush. It is scratched and banged and kicked around and IT STILL SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. These old MXR pedals are worth purchasing REGARDLESS of their exterior condition. Trust me, chances are it will work. And sound like new! Actually better than new cause the new ones suck. Yes its 100% true.

I yelled "help" into the wind.... I heard nothing back.

Its as good as they say. I go strat-mxr dyna comp-cot50-ts9-mxr phase 45-ad900-semaphore trem- 1959 fender princeton and it sounds incredible. My little amp set up is for recording and it delivers like no other! This pedal was the last purchase and it is the icing on the cake. I considered the Keeley and carl martin but went with the MXR mojo- especially because I am in love with my phase 45 which is from the same year-77. This thing is smothered in mojo. I would definitely say to all - THE REISSUES ARE COMPLETE CRAP COMPARED TO AN ORIGINAL. I have played both- there is no comparison.

Bare essentials in a compressor - 2 controls: Output level and Sensitivity (the threshold at which the compressor kicks in). I don't know if sensitivity also affects the compression ratio as well...not sure. The manual is very brief and also available on the website. But it's enough of a quick explanation to how to use the pedal. Doesn't actually explain the basics of compression though.

I bought this cause a friend of mine has one and it sounds freaking awesome through his set up. The compression kicks in quite strongly and noticeably so you don't even have to turn up the sensitivity very high before you get a nice evened-out, warmer and smoother tone.

I am putting it in a chain like so:
guitar > tuner > dyna comp > wah > overdrive > amp loop > chorus > volume > reverb/delay
(amp is a Traynor Custom Valve 40)

I have my output at almost 3 o'clock and sensitivity at 9 o'clock. It does such a good job at balancing the output from my guitars, especially with the coil taps and different pickup selections. Sustain is so sweet and you can get wanted feedback at lower volumes and gain levels. Also makes overdriven leads fuller sounding esp up high on the neck plus hammer ons and slurs are boosted. Oh...harmonics are also louder :)

If you turn the compression up it gives you the strong clicky sound good for funk/blues, but it also has a noticeable delay in response when you play hard (when the compression kicks in to even out the output). Also some of the quieter notes are a bit too loud when the sensitivity is too high. Last thing is that the feedback for the lower notes is too strong and easily occuring when sensitivity is pushed too high. And of course, it gets a bit noisy. Having said that, I just don't turn that control up too high hahaha.

Built like a tank. Haven't had it for long though. But from what I've heard, it will last forever, seeming that the original releases are still around!

N/A

I play mainly rock so the little gadget is great just having it on all the time. The clicky effect on clean sounds is great for that percussive playing. Been playing for 9 years. Gosh there are a lot of questions to answer from those dot points.

It's a must have in every rig. It's just one of those things you realise how much it helps when you finally get one (or if you lose
one hahaha). Some use it as a lead booster...I just like having it on all the time at a low sensitivity to compress my guitar output nicely.

It only has two knobs, output volume and Sustain so no problems here.

Great sound but not a match for my Pedaldoc modified CS3. I find this one a bit too "sharp" for my taste and it colours the sound in a way I find a bit too much. However the pedal sound is very good and I would certainly would give it a try if you are looking for a compressor.

Very rugged case. I find somehow anoying to have to remove four screws to access the battery. My experience tells me this a recipe for disaster as if you are a bit lazy (and I am) or your have had a few beers you tend to screw a couple of the screws and leave the others somewhere for the next time. No need to say that they always disappear...

Never called them.

Good value for money. However you can get something better if you are a little interested in electronics and have and old Cs3. A good compressor for those who have never had this kind of effect.

It only has two knobs, output volume and Sustain so no problems here.

Great sound but not a match for my Pedaldoc modified CS3. I find this one a bit too "sharp" for my taste and it colours the sound in a way I don??t like. However the pedal sound is very good and I would certainly would give it a try if you are looking for a compressor.

Very rugged case. I find somehow anoying to have to remove four screws to access the battery. My experience tells me this a recipe for disaster as if you are a bit lazy (and I am) or your have had a few beers you tend to screw a couple of the screws and leave the others somewhere for the next time. No need to say that they always disappear...

Never called them.

Good value for money. However you can get something better if you are a little interested in electronics and have and old Cs3. A good compressor for those who have never had this kind of effect.

Almost all MXR pedals are designed with simplicity in mind. This is also the case for the Dyna Comp. Just two controls here...OUTPUT & SENSITIVITY.

I have been playing guitar for many years and had some hell experiences with compressors/sustainers, namely DOD. I kind of got scared off compressors after being robbed by DOD of valuable tone and cutting edge.

Recently I purchased a second hand MXR Dyna Comp and have be pleasantly surprised. The Dyna Comp is very versatile and extremely easy to use without having to sacrifice precious tone and the highly sought after cutting edge.

My current rig is....Epiphone Ace Frehley Les Paul, Epiphone Les Paul Studio, Ibanez Lawsuits (1974 Flying V, 1977 Double Neck 6/12), Ibanez PS10, Karina Gold Top Les Paul fed into the following...>Rocktron Short Timer> Behringer Ultra Tremolo> Behringer Hellbabe Wah> Marshall DSL100 stack (2 4x12 cabs)with the following in the effects loop MXR Dynacomp> MXR Distortion +> MXR Phase 90. I find the effects loop works well with my MXR pedals.

My Dyna Comp is set up like this...OUTPUT at 1 oclock and SENSITIVITY at 11 oclock.


This little rocket delivers awesome dynamics and really enhances your sound. As you can see above, I place my Dyna Comp in the Marshalls effects loop before my MXR Distortion and Phase 90. This works great as it sharpens up the whole sound giving it more presence and sizzle than a hot grill at a burger joint!

I am not too crazy about comparing the Dunlop reissues to the MXR originals for two reasons...

1. I could never afford an original MXR and subsequently have never tried one.

2. By the time I start rockin out my musical vibe takes off and gives me the greatest feeling and makes me appreciate what I have got rather than what I have not got!

I have no real issues with noise because of the settings but as previously stated by me and others....the higher you crank it and the more pedals in your line the more noise.

MXR pedals seem simple enough in design and construction and hence their subsequent reliability. I think there's loads of these pedals that have passed the 15-20 year mark without dying...they're generally good for a couple of decades at least!

I have never had to call upon tech support.

I am a 'guitar hero' fan from way back...JIMI HENDRIX, JIMMY PAGE, PETER FRAMPTON, RORY GALLAGHER, ACE FREHLEY, PETE TOWNSEND, RICHIE BLACKMORE, JOE PERRY, RANDY RHOADS, TONI IOMI, VINNIE VINCENT, EDIE VAN HALEN, SLASH and on and on and on.....so I play hard rock and I love that classic 1970's/1980's rock sound.

Of all my pedals the MXR Dyna Comp stays on all of the time. It really works hard for me through clean, crunch and searing lead. Dyna Comp is the only compressor I'll use.

The MXR Dyna Comp is worth it's weight in gold because of its simplicity, ease of use and great dynamic sound. I find this pedal cleans up my sound and adds a new dimension. It makes my guitars come alive with more balance and presence than any other compression pedal Ive tried.

If you have an effects loop, try it there as it really shines.

Alongside the MXR Phase 90, the Dyna Comp would have to be their flagship pedal. You will not regret buying an MXR Dyna Comp....PERIOD!

2 knobs cant fail to make it sound good.

I use this with various Les Pauls, Strats and a PRS with Fender and Marshall and Carvin Amps, its clean.

i have a script logo in 75 never had a problem with it.

Its worked since I bought it new.

I bought this and a Phase 90 in the mid 70s, I still have and use them both. It gave me sustain and output giving more versitility in different environments.