Marshall ED-1 Edward the Compressor

No problem/versatile/powerful

I compared it to my MXR DYNA COMP because a friend had said that it would do the DYNA and more ..... well... it does do more albeit with a nice bite on everything.

Even when you dial in an interesting feature called EMPHASIS which supposedly compresses different frequencies you can't just get the regular guitar tone you begin with with the pedal off.

On the other hand the DYNA COMP doesn't color the tone other than the normal darkening through extreme compression.

Just got it but I love the look and construction and it seems very very solid.

I do original music in with a wide range of colors and tones. I am planning on recording a Danelectro Longhorn re-issue direct today and I bet it will work great with it. I have used my DYNA COMP for all sorts of things in the past and it will be nice to have a more versatile compressor as well.

4 knobs, it's easy.

ok...well, i bought this pedal for a lead boost and it did the job well. i put it in my effects loop, cause otherwise it doesnt boost your volume, just adds gain, well, unless youre using it with pedals, and not the amps overdrive like i am. ok, so, i'm not in a band anymore, so i dont need lead boosts so i tried using it as a part of my regualr rig. the thing is, it sounds unnatural. it doesnt sound like real guitar tone anymore, it sounds too smooth and clicky. you can obviously remedy this by turning the compression down, but then whats the point of using a damn compressor? so anyway, i delt with my weird clean tone, but with overdive, it sounds too clicky. like, it makes my strat sound toooo stratty. u can hear the single coils too much, instead of hearing the single coils with overdrive. its weird...cick click click. so i dont know what to do....anyone have any suggestions? so...basically, for now anyway, this pedal is a paperweight. i should mess with it some more...

its heavy as hell for being a stomp box.

blah. england. too far.

until i really find a use for it besides lead boosts..i cant really say anything great about it.

I bought the compressor not knowing how to use it. I just read somewhere that it's a vital piece of equipment of care about your TONE. The controls are a bit tricky, but when you figure them out, it's okay. I think the company should have included some more setting samples. come on Marshall. your amps are great.

This box is just one on my pedalboard. I'm using it with a Les Paul black beauty with '57 Classic+ humbuckers, a marshall JCM200 DSL 50 and matching 1960A cabinet. It is very nice if you want a smooth overdrivin tone, but try using the compressor with a good amount of gain while playing the intro to Oasis' "Supersonic". Catch my driftin'???
I haven't noticed any noice coming from the unit...but watch out in high gain situations!!!!!!!!! if you turn it on in the wrong position(to the amp) it'll feed execively. and it's not the good feddback.
This box is really quite good for it's price. I'm sure you can get a better compressor, but you'll have to buy a rack unit taht costs 5 or 6 times as much

no problems yet

For rock 'n' roll music it's a must to have a compressor.
would I buy it again? probably.

Metal-cased (seems sturdier than a Boss, really), silver in colour, with a big logo up front and four rather hard to read buttons on top (gloss black on chrome, onstage, is a pain in the rear.. could we just have had notches on the knobs?!) It's got a real footswitch (like you'd find in a Marshall amp footswitch), and it's true bypass (no power supply, no battery, effect on = mute; effect off = sound comes through) which is really something else considering I've got 5 Bosses, a Phase 90 and a Vox wah on my pedalboard and none of those are... Controls are the fairly well known Volume, Compression, Attack and a tone control called Emphasize, which I can't quite figuire out and just leave at the 1 o'clock position. All in all, it's very solid, though it clicks on and off (not as silent as the Bosses on my board, for instance, but not quite as noisy to turn on and off like my wah). So, ten, minus one for the clicking equals nine.

Guitars are an Epiphone LP Classic birdseye top (gooooorgeous), with SD Jazz neck and 59 bridge pickups, and a Fernandes Stratocaster (LE-1) with DiMarzio Virtual Vintage 2.2, Virtual Vintage and VV Blues neck to bridge pickups. Amplifier is the marvelous Fender Blues Junior. Before settling onto this pedal, I had a short stint with a Boss CS-3, but OH MY GOD, was it noisy. Anything above 11 o'clock on the Compression dial on the Boss was WAY too noisy for me. This pedal can go up to almost 2 o'clock on the Compression knob without making as much noise as the Boss (it does get noisy past that setting, but not quite as much). By tweaking Volume you can get a rather good, unaltered if you set Compression to zero, useful if you want solos to cut through, but then I've got a Boss SD-2 (the dual channel overdrive) right after the ED-1, and I set that Boss's crunch channel to zero drive and full volume. Neck-pickup Stratocaster runs with a clean tone on the amp and around 11-1 o'clock on the Compression dial is heaven. Cranking the amp just ever so slightly higher but still on that setting gives me instant John Frusciante and Dave Navarro. It richens up the Stratocaster sound to a great point, I never seem to use my Strat clean without this compressor on. And the fact that it blows the Boss compressor to bits makes me give it a 10. By the way, I've never been a big fan of compressed humbucking sound, so it's not the pedal's fault, but I never seem to use it with the Epi LP.

It seems sturdier than the average Boss stompbox and I'm pretty sure my Bosses will be around for a long long time. But then, I take GOOD care of my stuff, cause I know how expensive it is.

Don't know who their importers for Brazil are, and don't care. If it breaks and is in warranty I'll want a new one or I'll sue their rears.

Overall, I think it's the best footpedal compressor. It's pretty easy to use (if you go right past the Emphasis knob, or manage to figure out what it does...), cheaper than a Boss, sounds darned fine, has true bypass and feels like a rock underneath your foot. Was it not for the clicking sound when you turn it on and off, it'd be the absolute champ. But as I've said, the fact that it's so much less noisy than the Boss pedal compressor makes it my choice. I'd give it a 9.5 if there was such rating, but I can't give it a 10, so it's gonna be a 9, as in an A rating (not A+).

I have to say that it's easier to use than a rack compressor but not as quiet.
The manual is not hard to understand for what it says, but the suggestions are all for clean settings maybe because they figure that during tube compression when a amp is overdriven actually compresses the signal anyway.

I am using a strat thru a fender amp or Boogie amp, I use EMG pickups but if you dial in past 3/4 on the compression knob it gets "hissy".
This effect is actually better in my mind than the bluesbreaker pedal because it adds compression and boost without the coloration.
It really brings out the sound of the Marshall chorus pedal.

This pedal is true bypass and not a tone sucker.
You can check to see if your effects pedals are true bypass by switching off the effect and while you're still plugged in, disconnect the power supply.
It seems sturdy enough, time will tell. So far so good.

I don't care to comment on this, as far as my experiences go, if you had a problem with this it would not be worthwhile to pay to have someone fix it. Bench fees to troubleshoot it would cost you half the cost of this $78 effect.

It's as good or better as anything out there for what it does, and for a lot less than you would pay for a 'custom' pedal.

Let's put it this way, it's no more difficult to fathom than most "pedal" compressors! In other words, they can seem a little difficult- particularly in conjunction with distortion, (natural power tube), or other.

The sound is fine, and a sturdy little pedal too. By the way, contrary to some opinions, the "Ed" in the name has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Van Halen. The guy who named it, in fact, wrote and told me that. It's actually a pun on "Edward the Confessor" of English historical fame! Another nice pedal (by Tech 21) is the "Comptortion".

Simple to use, make sure you read the instructions concerning direction of knobbage in the 'Hi-Lo' control. This is the diff between a 'round' sound or an 'edgy' sound. I chose 9 o'clock but with the right amp, i.e., a brighter amp, I might go higher. The manual is as good as they get for guitar effects pedals, but don't misunderstand, this is a good compressor, and, maybe the best of the new Marshall pedals. I have owned the Carl Martin, both Boss models, DOD Milkbox, MXR, and Orange squeezer. (They tell me the old Ross pedal is maybe the best but I can't tell you that from first hand experience.) This is worth owning, definitely.

Tele set up for slide, Les Paul set up for Dobro,(I'm serious), Strats and a Yamaha 12 string electric. My amps are: Tweed Super, Rivera M100, Silvertone Silver Medalist(two alnico 12" speaks, one preamp, two power amp sections, kind of like a Victoria Double Deluxe only Dano built, 1959), Tweed Bassman, Tweed Deluxe.
The eddy-1 is quieter than all those other pedals I mentioned, especially the Carl Martin which is radio receptive - ('Welcome to AM radio station, 'Anywhere Local All Day' or call letters, 'A.L.A.D.') The MXR can be set up to perform quietly but it doesn't begin to do what this pedal does when it is equally quiet, nor is it as noisey as the MXR when both are dimed. (And hey, 'dimed' it is REALLY working compared to the MXR.)
The effect is pretty obvious if you want it to be or not so obvious. Yes, you can set it up so you know it's on or dial it back to where you have to look at the pedal to see if it's on.
This is as good live as anything Robert Cray uses in the studio...and, you can track with it for pretty similar results. (Sorry, Mr. Cray.)
I say '10' for a PEDAL compressor, and sometimes it might be all you need going to tape/dat/hard drive...

I took a look inside, actually a good switch, micro components like anything else these days. I have a good feeling about the pedal, I don't perform with a backup of any pedal I own, just a backup amp, so I would say go for it. The pedal is too new, ten years from now I will tell you about reliability.

I've talked to Marshall before about other things but not this pedal. I will have to let you know about it.

Blues, hmmm, elements of many things, fan of Jimi and SRV, Albert King, Ry Cooder, heavey compressed Byrd 12 string solos...
I said most of what I wanted to say. I WOULD replace this pedal if it was stolen because there is nothing else out there that can do what this pedal does. I have tried a few other new Marshall pedals but they did not stike me as something special like this one does. If you were into pedal compressors, you would buy this unit.

Very easy to use. Little to add to what's been said in other reviews. Even if you're a complete novice like I was it shouldn't take you too long to get to grips with it. I found the settings suggested by the manual to be completely useless - but then I haven't found a manual for any pedal that useful. It really is down to you to find a sound that you really like. I'm sure that the people who write these manuals listen to completely different music than the rest of us. Best advice, especially if cash is tight and WHATEVER you are buying is a major purchase for you: try it out fully in the shop and try to get the assistant give you as much data as possible. Better still, if you can, take someone along with you who really knows their stuff!

Personally I find this pedal a little noisy. I currently use four other pedals in my chain and whenever I switch it on I get a slight hiss. That apart the sound's ok. If, like me, you didn't even know what a compressor did before I bought this one, it'll take you a while to figure out the best way to use it.

I wasn't really aware of its full potential until I started playing Mike Rutherford's solo from the song "That's All" which uses stacks of compression through a clean setting. If you play the song with and then without heavy compression you'll see just how it can enhance the sound. I have all the settings on three o'clock (ie about 3/4 quarters full on).

It's also useful for enhancing chordal sounds. I like playing songs like The Jam's "That's Entertainment" through a neck pick-up with loads of compression. It gives me a lovely smooth sound. I very rarely play acoustic guitars and this pedals gives my Pacifica just that little bit more punch and smoothness. It would be interesting to hear how this would sound if used in conjunction with an acoustic simulator.

To date I've only used it through a Marshall G10 MII; it's great because it really boosts the sound without losing too much clartity. The real test would be to use it live, ie in a club, which I haven't done yet. I'll probably update all my reviews once I've tested my equipment out in a live setting; it's only then that you know how good (or how bad!) each effect really is.

I've only given it 8 because I haven't had the chance to compare it against other compression pedals.

Haven't really had it long enough or used it enough to make any worthwile comment.

I don't have enough experience of compression pedals to make a really worthwile assessment. I bought this pedal because I was recently trying out all the new Marshall pedals in a shop and this was the one that I like the best; I was also curious to see exactly what a compression pedal does as I'm always reading that such and such guitarist used compression on such and such song and I wanted to see what difference it made.

This pedal's useful rather than vital, unlike my distortion and digital delay pedals which I use all the time. If I were you I'd try loads of other ones before buying this one.

4 knobs: emphasis, volume, attack and compression. Fairly straight forward. Booklet describes its features well.

The sound quality is good for a compressor pedal in this price range. I use many guitars and many effects, but my main setup includes a G&L Legacy Strat to a Peavey Classic 50-212BT amplifier. This pedal works best for me with compression around 2 o'clock, emphasis around 11 o'clock, volume around 12 o'clock and attack around 4 o'clock. I play blues, rock, and jazz.

Guitar Player reviewed this pedal a few months ago and stated that it has true bypass, however the manual states that it is passive bypass. I can't tell which it is.

Although it appears to be rigid, the switch feels loose and undersized. Additionally, this pedal is not produced by the Marshall factory, they're produced in some child slave labor camp in India. So who knows how long it will stand up.

Typically, I wouldn't buy any new Marshall product because of all the Marshall products I have bought in the last 7 years (mostly amplifiers) they've all been junk and I've had problems that their warranty wouldn't cover. However, this is a pretty good sounding pedal for the price.

Customer support sucks. I have emailed them twice and called once to ask if this unit has true bypass or not - with no response.

Jim Marshall is an asshole who probably has nothing to with the Marshall company as we know it today. This will be the last new Marshall product that I will ever buy, I've had too much bad luck with their products and their lack of service and non-comittal to stand behind their products. I would still buy their used products from the '60s and early '70s but nothing produced now. Buyer Beware!!!

This pedal is O.K. I think the Carl Martin Compressor/Limiter is a much better pedal for professional work, but that pedal costs $199.

For an $80 pedal this thing o.k. for the amateur guitarist (like myself). Don't buy this pedal if you are a serious musician, get the Carl Martin if you want a studio quality compressor.

Very easy to use, although it has two more controls apart from the usual Level and Compression knobs, namely Emphasis (which is a tone control) and Attack. It also has a 9V input. This little beauty is part of Marshall's new line of stomp boxes, along with the new Guv'nor, the Jackhammer etc. The controls are very even and all settings sound good. The On/Off switch is very reliable. It also has a LED light indicating bypass or in use. The manual is OK, with a few suggestions to classic sounds.

I was using a (reissue) MXR Dyna Comp earlier, but sold it after about a year because I felt it was too smooth, ie sucking out all the guts from my tone. I love the character of the MXR but it was a bit too mushy. I play power pop/country rock and my set up is a stock '50:s Reissue Jap Tele (unbelievably good, btw, although I'm planning to refit it with Fralin high output Alnicos) and a Vox AC-30 Reissue equipped with Greenbacks. Recently I bought a 12-string Charvel Surfcaster and to get that Byrds/Beatles sound, you really need a compressor. (I don't use the compressor that much with the Tele, just occasionally if I want a slightly bigger, but not necessarily more distorted sound.) I haven't really been considering Marshall as a serious pedal manufacturer (ever since I had the crappy early 90:s version of the Guv'nor!) but since this one also has a tone control and, even more importantly, an Attack control, I decided to give it a try, and after just five minutes I knew it was the right one.
It hasn't got the same strong character as the MXR; instead it leaves your sound more or less intact. I don't know if it's True Bypass, but it doesn't damage your tone at all while it's off. The compression goes from "just slightly" to "sustain for days!" and the Attack control makes it possible to use heavy compression without killing your guitar's dynamics. The tone control (which Marshall prefer to call "Emphasis") is also great since you can boost the high end, which often gets too soft while using heavy compression. For example, my fellow guitarist's Dyna Comp totally rubs out the heavenly twang of my Surfcaster. With The Compressor, you can actually add a bit of high end complexity, since it's tone control is very subtle and musical.
A lot of people use compressors to boost their signal in order to distort their amp's preamp, and with the Compressor, that's a piece of cake since it's really powerful. I typically set the pedal's volume at about twelve o'clock, and even that gives me a slight boost.
The sound is big, clear and very transparent, offering heavy compression without mushing out the sound. Easily the best guitar compressor I've tried. It does exactly what I want it to do; adding sustain and lustre to my 12-string sound, without changing the personality and dynamics of either guitar or amp. If I kick in my Roger Mayer Voodoo Bass Distortion along with The Compressor while playing my Tele, I get the most awesome lead sound ever! Perfect if you like alternative country rock bands like Jayhawks, Wilco and Son Volt. It's actually less noisy at heavy settings than most pedals are at low settings, which is cool. But of course, you expect a certain amount of noise while using a compressor. I'm afraid I have to give it another ten!

It's sturdy as a tank and made out of high quality gleaming metal so I don't expect it to break too soon. I haven't checked it out on the inside, but not a terrible lot can go wrong in a compressor, since it's simple technology. It doesn't eat batteries either, it appears. However, I guess the on/off switch with will wear out in a few years, since all switches do, no matter how expensive the pedal is. But this is a heavy bastard which has never failed me yet.

Have never been in touch with them. The only other Marshall product I use is a Power Brake with the Vox (something that every non-Master Volume amp owner should get) and it works really well.

I've been playing for about 12-13 years and semi-professionally since '97 and I'm getting real cranky about my sound. The reason I chose the Tele/Vox AC-30 setup is that it's a real simple and dynamic guitar/ a real simple and honest amp. That's the same reason I like Marshall's The Compressor; it's simple, discrete and high quality. I would get one again immediatley if it was lost. The tone and attack controls also separates it from the rest. It seems the revival of the stomp box plus the innovation/competition of custom manufacturers (like Fulltone, Roger Mayer etc) has forced Marshall to do a great job on their new pedals. Compared to the MXR it is more flexible and musical and it totally kills other crappy and thin sounding compressors like Boss's and Dod's. It has "liberated" my 12-string and it soups up the Tele whenever I feel that's necessary. Its usefullness goes beyound my rather limited power pop/country rock scope; metal guitarists will love the Attack control; funk players can't really live that long without its tone control, which takes out the muddiness in your bass strings and ensures that it sounds terrific both with humbuckers and single coils; guitarists wanting a vintage sounding booster to their old Marshalls, Bassmans or Voxes will also be very pleased. It might even work great with bass guitars, Fender Rhodes etc. Another great thing is the low pricing.