- PJF Pale Green or The Blackbox Oxygen Compressor. These are the only two units that seem from the outset made to keep your highs intact. Similar price ranges...but this is really the elegance of simplicity verus something with a lot of controls...Tone Dog made a very pervasive case for the Oxygen but I haven't heard anyone really talk about the Pale Green yet.

- Analog Man Clone Chorus or the Retrosonic Chorus (I'm looking for whatever has the best Lesie Cab impersonation/whatever is more verstile in a LIVE environment.

Whatever decision you guys help me come to....Purchases will be made within the week as I have to get my new rig rehearsal ready inside the next month.

Well, I can't help you with the compressor, but from the research that I've done, it doesn't seem to get any better than the Retro-Sonic chorus. Good luck getting one soon though. It appears that everyone is sold out, and the builder is back ordered. I'm ready to buy one right now, but I can't find one!!!

Head

For compressors, I found the Tone PRess the best. The ability to blend in unaltered signal gives you the highs.

I had a Oxy and was not blown away by it. I find it noisy and the gate does take care of that but why does the TP not have any noise in the same position? I could not get the dirt knob to do anything - I think it only works at high volume levels - BUT the comp and limit knobs make it way more tweakable than the TP and I've found myself wishing I had one for my keyboard player.

Never tried the BJF. I had the DRD and the BBOD. Did not like the BBOD, it was an old model so maybe there were updates. The DRD I did enjoy but I felt for the price point, I could get similar results. BJF is a top notch guy and customer support will be right there. I'm a shallow man and the graphics/cheap paint for $275 bother me.

I've got a PGC and although its got only 3 controls...simple it's not...there's a very complex interaction between the body and compression knob that is going on...raising compression appears to change what the body (Eq.) knob does to the overall sound...!!

having said that I havn't found a bad sound in it yet and it is definitly a leave it on all the time box...it enhances my cleans and makes all the dirts boxes really sound amazing...I use it to goose em and add sustain and smoothing...

for me it always comes down to the question...are you a tweaker???...I like simplicity so more than 3 knobs is out of the question and 1 or two is even better...!!

I look at the PGC as more of a sound enhancement tool rather than a compressor...

I've never heard the BBO but the guys here praise it so if you can handle extra knobage then I don't think you could go wrong with either box...

Chow,
Seegs

Can't help with the compressor, since I never use one, but for chorus, and speaking of Leslie-simulation, I give you a third option: Arion SCH1 Stereo Chorus. Not boutique, cheap housing, butt-ugly, but WORLD-CLASS sound. To me by far the best chorus around. Seeing it on the boards of Michael Landau, David Grissom and many others it can't be that bad. Plus, it's cheap. Get one off ebay for 30$ and try for yourself.

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Originally posted by Headshot:
Well, I can't help you with the compressor, but from the research that I've done, it doesn't seem to get any better than the Retro-Sonic chorus. Good luck getting one soon though. It appears that everyone is sold out, and the builder is back ordered. I'm ready to buy one right now, but I can't find one!!!

Head

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Ditto Headshot's comments. I am also ready to buy an RSCE but with the backorder situation, I may be waiting a while...

The best feature is the ability to get a really nice chorus sound AND a really nice leslie type sound and be able to footswitch between the two in a live setting. I had an opportunity to check out Corleone's at a couple of gigs and it was impressive.

Haha...well on ebay they've got one going for about $150 bucks and the auction isn't even over yet...

Take a look...

now I've found an old beat up one on there too...but it ends about ten days from now...so if crazy people start bidding on it early it could go up in price just as badly as this new one in theory...this cheap lookin' lil thing really does lessie sounds that great dude!?

Crazyness...the HC reviews were very positive though people said the battery case and the knobs fall apart easy on them.

Steegs...with the PGC how did it rank up against other compressors you've tried...I mean what made you bite the bullet and pay for it...You're definately describing me...I am NOT a tweaker, I'm more for proper execution of my parts live...without having to worry about every knob being just so...that's why I have a Klon Centaur...the thing is three Knobs and I don't even use the gain...it's more like a clean Treble Booster for me.

I definately want something I can leave on all the time without worrying about my highs.

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Originally posted by Cary:
I definately want something I can leave on all the time without worrying about my highs.

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That's exactly how I use the Blackbox Oxygen.

And finally...whoa..three post in a row haha...

Tone Dog you have been invaluble for info on my quest this past week...I wanted to thank you again...you really made me get into researching these things more so than I have in the past, and it's been an eye opening experience...I concur with your reasoning about having an easy to switch multi effect with the the Retro Sonic...I think I'll wait until I have my compressor picked, and then see about getting one on back order...but if I can score an old grey Arion for cheap I'll definately have a shoot out after getting both together (many mooms from now apparently but backordering is a part of life I suppose. )

So I guess the analog man is definately out.

Cary I've tried the Boss CE3...a Grey Ross and a Tone Press...they all cut the high end too much or thickened up or dulled my tone or just did things to my overall sound which I didn't care for...I don't like to dance to much I'm more of a set it and forget it guy and the PGC is right up my alley...

You can get it to limit or compress or enhance and add some sparkle or cut some flabby bass from your clean tone...plus it will smooth out and make your dirt boxes sing(I also use the BJF dirt pedals and they mate especially well with the PGC)...it's dead quiet...small...very well built and the customer service is just about the best I've run into...

I can't really compare it to the BBO as I've never heard one but the guys here that use em really know their stuff so I think however you decide...you can't go wrong...!!

Chow,
Seegs

Thanks Seegs...I think I've made my choice...now here comes the part I hate...paying for it.

Sorry if that just make your choice more complicated, but there is another option for a compressor that keep your highs intact.If you have a chance give a shot to the T-Rex comp-nova.It's the same size of the voodoo Lab.3 controls: comp, attack, volume.It won't give you "brickwall" compression.But work nicely to control the dynamics or add some sustain.Not noisy for that kind of effect and keeps your highs. The kind of comp that you can leave on an forget about it if you want.

Thanks Gab and it's ok...I'll read up on the T-Rex Tommorrow...I'm pretty sold on the PGC though...in the end it's winning over the oxygen for board space more so than anything since it's so hard to pick I'm only going to have so much space for all this to fit....but I appreciate the input!

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Originally posted by Cary:
Haha...well on ebay they've got one going for about $150 bucks and the auction isn't even over yet...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3754545919&category=41413&sspagename=rvi:1:2

now I've found an old beat up one on there too...but it ends about ten days from now...so if crazy people start bidding on it early it could go up in price just as badly as this new one in theory...this cheap lookin' lil thing really does lessie sounds that great dude!?

Crazyness...the HC reviews were very positive though people said the battery case and the knobs fall apart easy on them.

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Well 150 for the Arion seems crazy. This auction smells funny...... Yes the pedal is plastic and isn't made to stomp onit, but to ently step on it. And yes, it does Leslie sounds that good.

OK then I'm gonna try for the beat up one to see if I can get it...thanks Andrea...I've decided to do a shootoout with the AM Clone and the Arion and maybe the Retrosonic over the course of this oncoming year and just sell what I don't need to someone on here or through Ebay after slowly accruing them all...

(I'm guessing personal preference is pretty much the only way I'll know for sure.)

Get a beat-up Arion and then paint it. I was so inspired by what DonneR does that I started painting all my non-boutique pedals. Here's a picture of my "Gumby Phase" which I've posted before, but was never recognized as an Arion phaser:

Gumby_Phase_edited.jpg (109 Kb, 76 downloads) Gumby Phase