T-Rex Compnova

Easy to use, 3 knobs, comp., level attack, although the "instructions" don't reveal much;
Very transparent efect indeed, wich is good i guess, almost don't hear when its on at all or its not, if not for the pilot light, unless the knobs are scrued pretty high (like 3/4 or so);somtimes I still wander what the attak control actually does to the sound.

As this is my first compressor effect, wich i bought used some 3 or 4 weeks ago, so far im happy enough with what it does to my sound, wich is quite minimal, but leveling the sound of my guitar.
Even though im dying to try some other compressor units out, that ive spotted here and there.
This one has gotten pretty good reviews (that too make me choose it), but I seriously question the value of this thing, considering the price. You see...

...its made in DK, and people there dont (understandibly) produce stuff for free, unlike other more eastern and/or southern countrys.
And it DOES look well built too.
BUT (here it comes), I found it to be plain unreliable, as it let me down just today in the middle of a f*****g gig! Extremely disappointed.
The connection in the OUT plug from the pedal seems to be loose or something, causing (naturally enough) a really nasty and loud HUMMMMMM from the amp, and totally killing the guitar sound. Makes it quite unusable.
Im no electronic technician, but i opened it in an attempt of locating problem and fixing it, but unsuccesfully; i just can't reach into the plugs mechanisms to correct whatevers wrong in there.
While lookn inside the box i realise the soldering joints from the battery cables into the circuit look extremly exposed and fragile, and its a matter of time, (unless you can help pulling ever so slightly from these all too short and thin cables when introducing and removing batterys) it will soon snap off, whithin three or four battery changes at the most i expect. Dear god i need to get my hands on either a power supply or a soldering iron quick!

I dunno'

I wish it worked as it is supposed to and was reliable, then i would be happy.

This is a good compressor. Very easy to use and to get a good sound going.

Using a Les Paul and Mesa Boogie amp. This compressor isn't as noisy as most, just a little hiss.

The compression quality is wonderful. The attack is like all or nothing. It basically doesn't do anything.

DO NOT buy this pedal if sustain is what you are looking for. It DOES NOT sustain at all. It is a compressor, period, and it does compression very well, actually the best I've ever heard.

The switch feels lightweight, but I think it's fine.

Don't know, never had to use them.

I purchased this to get nice sustain and a little compression. This pedal has zero sustain and great compression. Guess I'll have to try a Keeley to get both.

I wish it would sustain a little at least.

Wow, Was I really that Stupid in 2007??? Well, it's 2009 and I'm still a Dumb***, except that I've learned a couple of things since then and 1 of the Big things I learned is. "Don't Buy This Pedal" I got a Boss CS-3 and installed a Mod Kit into it and my CS-3 is 10-Times Better than the T-Rex, and at Half the price!

Very Easy, It kind of brings out the sound of your guitar while giving you an extra bite of sound.

?

Not much info of specs and needs a more clear description of what it will sound like and do for you. Also could use a better description of what a Compressor Is.

?

I like the way it makes my guitar sound more like a guitar that would cost 5-times more money.

The right tool for the right job.

Ibanez RG Prestige \ Crate Vintage 50 All Tube.

Low humming if you use medium price\quality cables.

Again, I believe it brings out more sound and bite of your guitar.

Well, I paid $200 for it New.
When I tried to open the back plastic battery, the plastic latch that clicks to keep it closed broke off the first time I tried to put a battery in. I now use Tape to keep the batter door closed.

The AC plug in doesn't work. I tried several adapters both 9 and 12 volt with 15 to 500 ma and none worked. I was going to return it, but I decided that if I did, the music store that I purchased it would have to order another one because it was the last one they had. I'd probably have to wait 3 to 6 weeks to probably only find out that they couldn't get another one and they would probably try to sell me a different brand or something. I'd bring it home and I bet I wouldn't like it and regret returning this one. I does work fine with a 9 volt battery and I'm sure the battery sould last at least 2 months anyway. 6 batteries a year isn't that much money and Im sure its probably my best bet.
So on a Quality scale, I'd have to give this one a Low Number.

First and only product from your company purchased.

Again, please read the above statement in the "Reliability" section.

I'm now tring to learn some of Joe Satriani's style.

32 years.

Nice Sound But Poor Quality. Improve It's quality and I would try you again.

The $100 compressors were Sold Out so I ended up buying this one for $200.

Better quality and reliability.

I like the sound.

Improve the battery door covers and the 9V AC pluging.

Actually working with the Attack-control takes a bit of tweaking. Maybe a couple of setting samples in the manual would have helped, but that's just me.

Subtle, absolutely uncoloured but effective - this pedal is phantastic! From slight limiting to harder compression it does what I need in spades. I guess I do not like those old-school type of stomp box compressors since they colour my guitar sound too much - esp. humbuckers and P90's.

Well made, fine new solution for the battery compartement (no screws to remove).

Worth every cent, a real step ahead. Put compression back on my pedal board where it hasn't been in years.

It only has three knobs so it was very easy to find a setting I like.

The pedal sounds great but I think the price is a bit too high. I paid almost 200 bucks for it and a guy I know owns a Boss Cs3 modified by a company called Pedaldoc that sounds even better than this thing. He paid about 40 bucks in Ebay for the pedal and about 20 for the kit to modify it.

As I said however the T-REX sounds really good. Very clean and transparent compresion and it doesn??t colour my sound too much. I hardly ever switch it off. Get yourself one if you got the money or get an old Cs3 and modify it.

So far so good. It is very well built.

Never had to deal with T-REX.

Great pedal. A bit expensive but if you got the money who cares? Maybe I should have tried first to modify my old Cs3 though.

It's really not that hard to get a good sound out of this pedal. It has three buttons: one for compression, one for attack and one for level. The manual gives you some basic definitions of these three functions, but I guess that every guitar player considering to buy one of these pedals knows what attack and level means. It's just very easy to use, just turn the three knobs until you get the sound you want.

The sound quality is great. I used a Boss CS3 before this one and that one really got crankend up when I turned up the compression and sustain levels. This one, however, remains decent and clean even at high levels, just as T-Rex states. I'm using this pedal on a Marshall TSL602 and it sounds great. I basically use is to boost up clean fingerpick solo's, and it just gives that extra quality touch to it. Again, the sound is great.

The object seems really reliable. It has a nice vintage green color and looks very solid. I'd use it on a gig without a backup, definitely.

No experience.

The pedal is more pricy than most other compression pedals, but it's worth the money. I use a PRS Custom 22 and a Fender American Strat, and (especially with the Strat) the clean solo's get really boosted up. I don't used it combined with distortion, you could try however. If this object were stolen, I'd definitely buy a new one.

Three knobs - compression, level and attack. Very simple to dial in sounds. It really is hard to get a bad sound so for someone who gets scared by lots of bells and whistles this is ideal.

Use PRS guitars into various pedals on pedaltrain board into a Mesa Mk 1. Place Compnova after my Overdrive and distortion pedals. This pedal is a top quality unit which at moderate settings gives your clean sound a lovely shimmer and lets single notes chime. It is capable of heavy compression but thats not my thing. Once you play for a few numbers you can forget it's there but as soon as you turn it off you really notice its gone. Gives my Ibanez TS9 extra sustain and harmonics and helps create a very musical overdrive. I don't like giving high scores as you can only judge against what you have used.
Will be really tight and give it an eight. This is very high quality pedal and very transparent.

Have used it on a few gigs and to record some demos. Seems well built without being bomb proof.

Not had to deal with company.

Play in a function band. Use PRS and Mesa Boogie with a variety of Boss, Ibanez, Buhda, MXR and Keeley pedals.
If it were lost I would definately consider getting another one.
Have compared it against Boss CS3, Digitech and Line 6 models. I believe it is on another level from these pedals. As with all gear it is up to an individual's taste but this is an excellent option if you are on the lookout for a classy compressor to give your sound a sprinkling of quality.

The pedal sounds great right out of the box. However, I've been using compressors for many years...there could be a little bit of a learning curve for players that are new to the concept (hence the 8). With that said, this is a great sounding unit! The manual is useless if you know what you're doing and even more useless if you don't. The three knobs are not explained in such a way for the novice to grasp the interplay between them. I read somewhere that the Attack knob actually adjusts the Attack and Threshold at the same time (very cool idea for a stompbox comp pedal), but would it have killed them to stick a two sentence explanation of this in there? Otherwise, yes, this is a very easy ped to tweak and to find the sweets.

I run either my trusty old PRS Standard 22 or my Grosh Vintage Tele into a Fulltone Fulldrive> T-Rex Compnova> Red Witch Moon Phaser> T-Rex Mudhoney> ISP Decimator> Guyatone MD3 Delay> Dr. Z Maz38 1X12. The unit is not noisy at all in this chain (a refreshing fact considering the habit other floor comps have of being noise monsters). Overall sound of this comp is superb in every way. That is if you like your compression to be "there but not there". Nice and transparent...evens out your string attack like nothing else. I would have to say that, with certain settings, it does color your sound a tad, but nothing to raise a fuss about. It's a very musical device...sparkles up your signal just enough to even it out and make notes and chords sing. I've used a Keeley and prefer the T-Rex (obviously all of these reviews are highly subjective and everyone's set up/playing style is different, but this ped is warmer and more musical to my ears).

I also own a T-Rex Mudhoney and would have to agree 100% with the previous reviewer: The Compnova seems to be built of slightly less superior materials...at least the knobs and pots. They feel much weaker than the Mudhoney, like a cheaper plastic and the feel while turning seems a little less substantial. No big deal for me because I mostly use my peds in the studio and treat them pretty good. But, if I were playing out, I would be nervous as to how road-ready this ped is. I've never had a problem with the Mudhoney, but the Compnova feels a little bit like a cheat on the part of T-Rex (mostly because of the price). However, again, it's such a great pedal otherwise that it's sad to have to split hairs over something so trivial. However, if you like to abuse your peds...be forewarned. The box will most likely hold up...but those cheap-ass knobs probably won't!

Never had to deal with them. But, as stated below, they offer a 2 year unconditional...pretty hard to beat that!

I play all $tyles when I'm working in the studio, but mostly me and my crew rip heavy experimental prog-improv stoner rock when left to our own devices. Been at it for over 20 years...no signs of stopping anytime soon. If it were lost or stolen I would for sure buy another one...BUT, I would go for a used unit on Ebay...don't think I could part with the two bills twice after getting burned on the cheap production corner-cuts. I've probably used about every comp under the sun and would have to say that this is the best pedal-based comp to my ears. I just don't know why they would cut corners on an otherwise studio-quality unit.

3 knobs, compression, attack and level. Once you dial it in for your taste, you can forget about it. I did have to play with it a little to get the sound just right for me, but now it is spot on. I like being able to access the battery.

I was never a believer in compression pedals until now. I do not arbitrarily hand out ?10?s? , but this compressor has actually helped me define my sound. For me compressors had always seemed to muffle my playing and take the life out of my picking (which is the only thing I am good at). This pedal highlights my picking in a clean, transparent package. I have never been more impressed with a pedal.

So far so good after 6 months. Hopefully I will not have to update this section. There is a warranty though. Yay.

I have not dealt with them.

My band mate uses a Keeley, and I feel that this compressor is on par with the legendary Keeley quality. I play Heritage H-150s and a Heritage H-535 in to an old tube amp. There are a few Keeley modded Boss and Ibanez pedals in my chain, along with a couple of other odd effects. I keep the pedal on all the time, it is true that I did not believe a compressor was useful at all, until I heard one of these in action. Now I believe. Don?t leave home without it.

Very Easy although it wouldn't have taken much to show a few settings in 'the manual'.

Excellent, I was looking for a compressor without too much 'pumping' , I had a Bosss CS2 years ago and could not get it to work for me.

Gibson 336 > Cry Baby > Compnova > Sparkledrive > Tremster > Ibanez DDL > Tech21 Trademark 60

I must add that I was looking for a compressor to make the Trademark 60 warmer, simulating a valve combo. This did the trick, you can leave the compressor on all the time.... great.

I'm looking for a sound similair to Larry Carlton, Robben Ford.... the melodic side of blues/rock/soul.

Very happy with my set-up, portable and a great sound. Had Fender, Boogie, Vox in the past.... too old to carry heavy gear!

Very well made, no b/up required.

Emailed the company and got a response in under 24 hours.

I would say that this is a very nice pedal. If you like that squashed pumped compressor sound go for Boss instead. I don't know what the Keeley comp' is like but i imagine it is similair. Was very surprised that I get a good sound through a solid state amp, read some reviews that some comps' don't sound too good with s/s.

Would give an extra star if it was cheaper.

I don't think any gear is worthy of 10. Guitarists always get excited at first with new gear until the honeymoon period ends.

Very easy to have the sound and the Attack knob is very useful.

James Tyler Elite or James Trussart SteelCaster --> 2 Tone Badcat --> Voodoovibe Roger Mayer --> COMPNOVA T rex --> Replica Trex --> VOX AC30 of 1963 with Mullard Tubes or Twinreverb silverface with JBL speakers.

The sound of the Compnova is very warm. All the sounds are beautiful and there is no extreme adjustment. Is a very professionnal sound and this pedal gives desire for playing all the time.

Try it and you will be obligatorily satisfied. Good job T Rex

Compnova as other T Rex pedals have a 2 years warranty. Good point.

I m living in France and I ve bought this pedal at custom sound (http://www.custom-sounds.com). They are professional with good price so I give them a "10". Thanks Custom Sound.

Very straightforward... it didn't come with a manual because it didn't need one. The three knobs read "Sustain," "Attack," and "Level," and they do exactly what they say.

Sounds great, totally smooth and transparent. Keeping it on the same settings, I can get a thick spanky twang or an empheremal shimmer simply by playing harder or softer. On my amp's distortion channel, it gives a great sustain that's perfect for soloing.

Reliable so far, and I have no reason to believe otherwise.

It's sturdy, but it's not built to survive a neutron bomb like some stompboxes are.

Brand-new, haven't had to call yet.

It's on the pricey side, but I'd recommend it to anybody looking for pro-quality compression.

I bought this as a replacement for a Boss CS-3, which sounded really jerky and totally muffled up my guitar tone. (I play a Carvin, too, so lord knows I'm a tone snob!) The Compnova, on the other hand, doesn't interfere or generate its own tonality. It's great.

Very easy to get the right setting

Very clear, very low noise,
no comparison with other stomp boxes like boss cs3 marshall ed-1 etc.

it's indispensable with clean sounds but it's useful with distorted lead sound.

I'm very surprised about the quality of this pedal i think i will never sell it.
It's very expensive but you can feel the superior quality of this compressor.
I've owned boss cs3 and marshall edward compressor and t-rex is another class of stomp box.

A no brainer.

Unbelievably transparant! Sheer compression without artifacts.

I've had no problems as of now, but the knobs feel kind of cheesy and light as you sweep them. The switch has an odd feel to it as well. Don't know if these are indications of longevity or just unfamiliar Scandinavian manufacture. Time will tell.

No experience here.

If utterly transparent compression is what rocks your world, you have arrived. It doesn't feel as solid as I'd like, but I find myself just leaving it on most of the time anyway, so what the heck.

Dialing this in is pretty straight forward. The attack and sustain knobs will get the most attention.

Smooth and thick. The hardest thing to do with this pedal is figure out how best to use it: only on lead solo's for the sweet sustain extra gain or always on to compliment your clean playing as well.... Choices like this are never a bad thing!

I like the sound of the Compnova on both my Strat and LP. My setup: Les Paul > Rotovibe > Compnova > Analogman modded TS-9 Turbo > 67 Super Reverb

I assume I won't have any problems.

Haven't had to contact them.

Keeley, Analogman, T-Rex Comp Nova: These are the three kings of compression. Ultimately, your ears will make the call. In spite of the price of the Compnova, I love it! It is worth every penny to my sound.

If you understand how compressors work, you'll have no trouble with this 3 knob layout. Simple!

Love it. Live, I use it primarily for lead guitar solos. Talk about musical sustain,,, It's also great for adding a lot of complexity to your clean tone. Meaty full tone. There are a lot of good compressors out there (keeley, analogman, etc), it really comes down to individual preferences.

Solid construction. I'm confident I won't have problems with this unit. They also have a 2 year unconditional warranty. I like that.

Haven't had any problems.

It is pricey. Nevertheless, it has become an essential part of my sound. I would replace it in a worse case scenario...

Very easy to use; the pedal has 3 controls:
- compression
- attack
- level
A good thing about this pedal is that there are NO extreme settings. You can only get usefull sounds.

I've also got a Boss CS3 and and MXR Dynacomp. The most remarkable thing is that the Compnova is completely transparant and doesn't colour the tone. The Boss and Dynacomp can make your tone a bit thin or squeezed sometimes. This doesn't happen on the Compnova.
I use it with a G&L Asat Special, G&L Asat Z3 and Fender Tele 52 RI with Joe Barden pickups.

No experience so far but it's built like a rock soI don't expect any problems.

Danish company so it should be fine I guess.

I play Rockabilly, Country and Blues. I've been playing for 25 years.
If it were stolen or lost I would replace it. What I like most about it is that it doesn't colour the tone and that it can handle chords and fingerpicking without sounding thin. (Unlike the Dynacomp and Boss)