Menatone JAC

3 knobs. it's easy enough but might take a second to get the balance of the 2 volumes(i'm still deciding what settings are overall best for me)-then,deciding on the amount of gain reduction you want is a matter of using your ears...

i agree it's more subtle than a dyna comp or ross in terms of attack but to my ear this can produce a pretty good amount of 'squash',even at moderate settings -since it's clearer than a lot of others i suppose it can seem like it's not doing as much. i like the little presence kick especially with neck pickups-also works great with an OD after it...pristine is a good way to describe the JAC. i have so far used it w/a LP special and a Tele mostly thru a Deluxe Reverb amp,haven't yet needed it for recording.

only thing that would be potentially suspect is the switch(i don't trust these true bypass switches on any pedal)-actually,mine craps out from time to time so i'll have to think about getting it replaced but since the pedal stays on most of the time it's not a big deal.

i work various gigs/recording projects,don't use a ton of gear and don't like to absolutely depend on any one thing-i was interested in the JAC after hearing various compressers in studios and owning an 1176 for a while...i will say that it's the first pedal comp i've tried that doesn't get in the way!

Well, it only has three knobs: pre-gain, compression and post gain. But they all interact with each other and it can be real hard to dial in the same exact sound every time.

I play Warr Guitar (it's a touch guitar like the Chapman Stick). No amps. Into the board live or in the studio. Very finicky pedal IMO, but once you dial in the sound you're looking for all is forgiven. Outstanding. People are saying this sounds like an LA-2A studio comp. I don't hear it...I'd agree with the previous poster who mentioned the 1176...it's an FET comp not optical. It really does have that pro studio type sound. It's not really transparent but it is very subtle. It isn't very good at the squash thing, but it is compressing not just limiting. More useful for recording than playing live I'd say. If you only have the bucks for one high quality compressor, I'm not too sure this would be a good choice, but for project studio recording this could be just what the doctor ordered.

Hmmmm, way too exspensive to be carrying around a spare. Looks pretty solid, but I don't have a lot of luck with even the best built pedals so I'm probably not one to judge.

Never dealt with them...have heard nothing but good things about them though.

I play instrumental rock, prog, world, jazz type stuff. Been playing a long time. I mostly do my own recording and some occasional studio work. I have a Demeter compulator...similar quality..slightly different vibe. If the J.A.C. was lost or stolen, I might have to try some other boutique comps, just cause I like variety.

A bit difficult to dial in. The control are not exactly intuitive in that they aren't exactly like your typical guitar compressor OR your typical studio compressor.

This compressor did not work for me. My complaints basically boil down to two major faults.

1- the pedal adds a lot of high end to the signal. Perhaps for you rig, this is a good thing, but for me a compressor should be heard only in the dynamics, not in the tone. If anything, I would like a subtly fattening of the tone; the JAC seemed to thin my tone out. Keep in mind I am playing into JBL loaded fenders which are very efficient in the treble range.

2- The compression ratio is far too high. It is really more of a limiter. It is only useful when set for a slight gain reduction (threshold set high) to reduce only the highest peaks. When the threshold is set lower to provide more dynamic control, the high ratio really squashed down, limiting louder playing far too much.

built like a tank

na

Useful as a limiter only if you can handle the significant presence boost. Not so useful as a typical guitar compressor OR a typical studio compressor - i.e. to give moderate gain reduction over a wide dynamic range. I would like to get about 6-10dB of reduction at a ratio of 8:1. The JAC's ratio (only guessing) is closer to 20:1. Anyone know for sure?

I was actually surprised how simple this was to get great sounds out of. I can over-tweak and never really settle on a setting, especially on a compressor, but with the J.A.C. I've gotten a number of really useful tweaks that dial in very easily. If you're checking this box out, start with the three knobs at 10 O'clock and roll knobs back or up from there. Two O'clock, nine O'clock, and two O'clock seems to get me pretty far.

I use Fender/G&L single coil equipped guitars into a Rivera Fandango or older Knucklehead. I go tuner-> J.A.C.->Boss Dynamic Filter (or Moogerfooger Low pass filter) -> Marshall Jackhammer (or an older SIB Varidrive) -> Dunlop Tremolo (the one in the wah-pedal casing) -> Dunlop Rotovib (or Moogerfooger 121 stage phaser) -> Morley Saphire Flanger -> Rivera 55W amp (above) running 2 12 speakers. Yeah I need more pedals.

The J.A.C. is super clean, and works pretty transparently. It does nice things to my finger picking as well as really works great when I feed dynamic-dependant pedals like the low pass filter or the boss filter. Maniacs will love what it does infront of distortions and what it does to overdriven amps. This is a great sounding pedal, and it is great for a variety of purposes. It seems there are more than one way to approach these compressor pedals: the Barber Electronics way, the "orange squeeze" way, the Ross clones, and rackmount way, and this J.A.C. which I think is based on the 1176 in some way (don't hold me to that). With that in mind, I don't know if this does what say the Analog Man's Bi-comp does or the Barber or the what ever, but it is an amazing good sounding pedal that compliments a lot of different set ups that i use.

I've not owned it long enough to say, but the Menatone gear has a great reputation. It is certainly built solid, with nothing flimsy or shoddy about it inside or out. I'd be confident playing without a back up.

I called to ask a couple of questions, spoke to Brian Mena himself and he answered my questions quickly, curteously and thoroughly. Can't ask for more at this point.

I play jazzy funk and rock, alt rock, jam band stuff, classic rock type stuff, and straight jazz (standards) and classical (not that the classical matters for this review). I've been playing since 1980. If stolen I'd buy it again, without a doubt. I've used rack mount compressors (behringer, presonus, 1176 but that isn't leaving my studio nor will it be part of my guitar rig) and older crappy Fender comp, and a comp on an ibanez UE-305. This is much better (except for the 1176) hands down. I'd like to check out the AnalogMan's BiComp and the Barber but I really think they'd each sound different and work differently. As it is, this really helps me make music especially when used before touch-sensitive pedals.

3 knobs make the unit easy to use. I really don't think it needs anything more.

I find the sound of this unit to be what I was looking for, I will explain. I wanted a compressor that was very transparent. That smoothly compressed the signal with no added sustain or 'pumping'. I have been using this unit for about 5 months now and have really liked it. My set up has been a 57' reissue U.S.A. strat plugged into the J.A.C. then into a modified Tubester, into a Klon, into a S.I.B. Echodrive, into (most recently) a 63' Vox AC30 (Top Boost). I have also run it through the pedal board into a 64' Super Reverb, 68' 50W small box Marshall Plexi', 66' Fender Twin (KT90's), 64' Fender Tremolux (6K6's with 5Z4GT). The unit adds a little sparkle to the mix which sounds good. BUT, it is really 'dry', I used a vintage Block logo Dynacomp before that added a lot of 'fullness', this has none of that. It works for me.

Hand wired, metal box, pots mounted to the box, I'm not sure if it gets any better than this!

I use this pedal when I play major rhythm parts, raking the strings to play very fast full chords. I don't use it to solo, I personally find that compressors take away from the soloing dynamics. I hope this review will assist any future buyers of this pedal. The reason I bought this pedal was because of other reviews that I had read. This is not the 'end all' compressor, but it does posses a quality that I as a player have been looking for and have found no where else. If you need to email me to ask a specific questions, please do so.

This compressor is modeled after a Urei LA-2A studio compressor. It's extremely intuitive, and so easy to use. Menatones have no manuals and don't need 'em. J.A.C.=(J)Fet (A)udio (C)ompression

The sound is truly superb, and it should be since it's creating the studio type compression. (which is always superior to guitar pedal compressors, anyway) In a nutshell, what goes in comes out...only the level is compressed. The tone is transparent, though. This isn't like the rest in that respect. It doesn't change or add attack like other compressors. (this is good) It's also the least noisy compressor for guitar I've used. (BB Oxygen, Boss CS-2 and 3, Nanocomp, MXR, Ross, Carl Martin, Maxon, etc.)

It has 2 LEDs...one for on/off indication and one for status indication. (fades in and out depending on the amount of compression being applied) It has the usual Boss style barrel jack plug, true bypass, highest quality build and parts, and smokes other pedal compressors. If you rely on a compressor to add attack to the notes, though, (like a Boss) don't expect this one to do the trick for you and replce the Boss. I still think you should replace the Boss pedal, but that's another few paragraphs. :)

I did notice a very nice increase in sparkle to my tone when I ran this pedal second in line after my TU-2 tuner...it was very cool, but I think it was just interacting with the Boss' buffer. It was sweet. When I run it last in the chain it's completely transparent. So, there you go, you can have it add sparkle like no other compressor or have it transparent. You choose.

Main guitars and amps for live use are: Alamo Tonemonger super Strat, Fender Strat with SD Nashville Studio pickups, various Teles, and an Ernie Ball/Music Man EVH guitar.(purple flame maple, birdseye neck, Floyd Rose, and 2 DiMarzio Humbuckers.) These go into a Carr Slant 6V almost exclusively...sometimes a Twin, Deluxe, or Maz Jr. 2x10.

All who complained about previous compressors will find happiness with the JAC. It exhibits NONE of the problems others do and has many more strengths. The other compressor I have (Blackbox Oxygen) will remain on my pedalboard, too, because I need one compressor set for a punchy attack for country pickin' licks. I am equally happy with these 2 compressors, and they serve different purposes. While playing rock music I just turn off the Blackbox. Works great. Brian has really come through for all of us who complained about most guitar compressors...thanks, Brian.

It's a Menatone....enuf said.

Haven't ever had any of my Menatones go bad in any way, so I haven't dealt with him there. I have spoken with him, though, and he's awesome. No worries.

This is a great match for any style...seriously. I've been playing pro for about 2 years. I've been playing music for about 7 yrs. Doesn't seem like much time? I'll send you some clips of my playing if that helps. (don't mean to have an ego, but years and years of playing isn't always an indication of someone's talent) I'd replce it right away if it were broken, stolen, etc. I'm not sure it could get any better than this.