ToadWorks Mr. Squishy

This is a three knob compressor aimed at those looking for as little coloration of their tone as possible. The knobs work as follows:

GAIN: Adjusts the input from your guitar. Basically, your guitar sounds somewhat trebly if the gain is too low. I have it all the way up, or 5:00, with my Strat and a little past 3:00 with my Les Paul.

SQUISH: Adjusts the amount of compression. Since this is a relatively subtle compression, you really have to listen to the changes as you turn the knob clockwise to increase the effect, up until 4:00. But the changes are definite if you know what to listen for. At 4:00 and up, there's a distinct ramp up in the compression effect and drop off in the level. Up to that point, the Squish knob doesn't change the level at all, unlike the DynaComp and its derivatives. I have mine set at 1:00.

LEVEL: Does what it supposed to, makes it louder! I'm playing at bedroom levels right now, so it's tough figuring out unity gain. My general rule of thumb to determine gig levels is find what I think unity is, and then tweak it up a bit. Right now I've got it set a little above 10:00.

True bypass, AC adapter jack, and mine came with a bright blue LED. Fresh on the market, so I haven't had a lot of time to play with it yet.

I play a Strat w/ Bill Lawrence pups and a Les Paul Studio. My amp is a Peavey Classic 30. My effects chain:

SIB Nick Nitro
Sweet Sound UltraVibe
Snarling Dogs Super Bawl Whine-O-Wah
PE Yardbox
Mr. Squishy
Ibanez TS9DX modded by Keeley
Boss BD-2 modded by Keeley
SIB Varidrive
Guyatone VT-X Vintage Tremolo
Boss DM-2
Rocktron Tsunami

I replaced my Analogman DynaRoss with Mr. Squishy. The first big difference was the improved clarity of my clean signal (who says true bypass is a bunch of hooey?!). The main thing about this compressor is the clarity of your guitar's natural tone, and how it just kinda jumps out at you with this pedal on. That bein' said, this is a relatively subtle effect that's more missed when you turn it off. Put a different way, you don't notice much of a difference when you turn it on, but when you turn it off, your guitar suddenly sounds like it's lost some life. Seem like a contradiction, but your guitar sounds crisper and smoother at the same time. A very punchy attack with a nice smooth release along with what sounds and "feels" like a richer version of "your guitar."

The only compressors I can compare it to are the Analogman DynaRoss that this replaced, and the Visual Sound Rt. 66, which is based on the DynaComp but with a tone knob. I like both of these, as they do fatten up my guitar in a good way. However, both of these tend to color my tone, just in different ways. The DynaRoss rolls off a bit of highs where the Rt. 66 has a bit of a mid hump no matter how the tone knob is set. They are also both much noiser than Mr. Squishy.

I guess the big thing to remember with this compressor is that is not a DynaComp/Ross clone. Mr. Squishy works well for the tone I'm after, a full range sound with lots of punchy high end without the icepick-to-ear thing happening.

Very solid construction, except for the loose LED. It's attached to the PCB which flexes when you push on the LED. I don't plan on stepping on the LED, so it shouldn't be a problem. Also, if you don't use a battery, tape the battery connector as it might rub up against the 3PDT switch and make it noisey. Probably an obvious thing, but I forgot when I first turned the pedal on!

Great communication with Ryan Dunn. Comes with a 5 year warranty.

Play in a Christian Rock/Praise band covering bands like Audio Adrenaline, Third Day, Jars of Clay, Lincoln Brewster, etc. Also play classic rock, blues, and jazz. Also play electric violin. I'd get another Mr. Squishy if anything ever happened to it. I'm pretty picky when it comes to retaining the highs of my guitar through my effects, and Mr. Squishy is excellent at that. As mentioned above, I also own an Analogman DynaRoss and Visual Sound Rt. 66. Mr. Squishy is my favorite of the three.