With the Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer you get smooth sustain, a more balanced string response, and more clarity and punch at any volume. A must for recording. Ideal alone for a clean sound or in front of a distortion or chorus.
Smooth sustain with clarity and punch Balanced string response Level, Tone, Attack, and Sustain controlsClick or call now to get the sustain you want!
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For the price I don't think you can beat this deal or even come close. You don't always get what you pay for, sweet deals do come along.First off, I'd like to say that before you rate a compressor/sustainer/limiter, learn what it does to your signal and how it operates. I hear too much about these devices creating noise etc.
Secondly, I am going to compare it to a Dyna Comp, which I've used for decades and is considered "a standard" by many.
The CS-3 I feel is an excellent device. It does what it was designed to do and has some nice added features. It DID NOT add noise to my signal. If you hear noise it is because you are compressing the signal output closer to the noise floor of your instrument or other devices set in the path before the CS-3. The CS-3 in a A/B comparison to the Dyna Comp comes out on top. This was done with several guitars (including a classical acoustic with a piezo sensor). Both the Dyna Comp and CS-3 are quiet and add minimal distortion. In a way I prefer the Dyna Comp because it's so easy to use with it's one knob adjustment, but, the added features of the CS-3 make it overall a better device in my opinion. I especially like the attack adjustment which lets me customize the amount of "pop" or "snap" I get. The tone is cool too, but not that big of a deal as we have tone controls on guitar, amp etc. Then with the level and sustain adjustment you can come up with a sweet spot for the particular sound you want. Another plus, is has an electronic on/off switch unlike the Dyna's mechanical switch, so it doesnt pop when you stomp it.
I think one major problem people have is that thier reverb unit built into thier amp (especially spring types) is noisy and is placed ahead of the compressor thus raising the noise floor. If possible go directly from your guitar into the compressor and make this the first in the signal path.
Now the negative side of the universe. This unit will suk your batteries dry fast, and if you leave the cord plugged into the input, poof, new batteries will be turned into dead ones faster than Chuck Norris can kick you upside your head. Easy solution, just get a 9 nine volt adapter, which you should have already if you have more than two stomp boxes (call me captain obvious).
I have used many compressors and limiters of the professional variety, Uries etc. in many recording studios. Not to say that this on the same level, but electronics have come a long way over the years, and this device is remarkable for the price. As far as it's ability to withstand the test of time and how rugged it is, I dont know. I havent owned it that long. But it seems practically bullet proof and well made.
To sum all this up, I'm happy with my CS-3, it does what it's supposed to and does it well, and I didn't pay a whole lot for it. Kudos to Boss on this one.
It seems to be well made. Has curb appeal. No problems yet. But I've owned it less than a year. So time will tell
Best compressor I could find for a small price.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.I think a lot of the people who have written bad reviews about this pedal are they type of people who like to turn all the knobs all the way up when they get a new pedal and see what it sounds like. That's great fun, but it's simply something that is NOT going to give you a good sound with this or any other compressor. Unless you plan on using this as a boost/cut of some type, the Level knob should always be near 12 o'clock, otherwise you'll have inconsistent volume with the pedal on and off. The Sustain knob gets VERY noisy when turned past 2 o'clock or so, but that should really be as high as you need it to go anyway, there's plenty of sustain to be found in this pedal without cranking it up all the way (it's just like the Gain/Distortion knob on an amp - why on earth would you turn it all the way to 10 in the first place?). The Tone and Attack knobs can be adjusted to taste, I like a slightly darker tone with my clean parts (which are all I use this pedal for), so I keep the Tone at about 10 o'clock and the Attack at about 11 o'clock.Overall, this is a GREAT pedal for balancing out clean parts. Remember, distortion automatically compresses the signal, and the more distortion there is, the more compression there is. If you're playing with a lot of distortion, you really shouldn't need this pedal for anything other than clean stuff. This isn't going to replace a sustainer system like a Fernandes or anything like that, it's much more subdued, but it does what it does very well.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.My old compressor/sustainer broke, so I replaced it with this one. The compressor/sustainer is the most important pedal on my board. It's the only one I have on all the time. I have it first in my chain followed by octave, vibrato, overdrive, fuzz, wah, phaser, flange, chorus, delay and looper into my Blackstar HR1 tube amp. Today I spent an hour each with my 3 main electrics plugged in to give it a go. My American Standard Strat with hot noiseless single coil pickups, my Godin Icon Classic Type 2 with a Godin humbucker at the neck and a Duncan 59 at the bridge. These can be switched between passive and active through Godin's ingenious revoicer system. And my ESP KH LTD with active EMG humbuckers. I was able to set up the controls on the CS3 so that it worked with all 3 guitars no matter what the pickup configuration is, what other pedals are on or off, or whether I'm playing rhythm or lead. I don't like to diddle with pedal controls if I don't have to. Obviously I might have to do some tweaking as I go along, but this is a start. When I use other effects it's usually just my fuzz for heavy chords and then I'll add overdrive and/or delay for lead. The basic setting I came up with without having too much noise was level and tone in the middle, attack cranked full and sustain at 10 o'clock. I was surprised about being able to crank open the attack mode without having too much pick noise but it works for me. I'm very happy with the pedal after spending 3 hours with it. Sorry for the long winded review. I hope it's helpful, especially for you young guns out there! Keep Rockin!
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.So my guitarist purchased this to give him that compressed lead sound that is so sought after. After fiddling with it a lot he decided he did not like it and bought the visual sound compression. This one was just blown away. But why haven't I given it low ratings? Well just for fun I plugged it in my bass rig, and wow, it really improved my sound. I just leave it on all the time during shows and practice. So just make sure you try out other products so you don't purchase something you won't like.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.I set the sustain to zero and turn the attack and tone all the way up. Really helps bring out the natural growl of single coil pickups and also drives your amp when the level is turned up. Great as a clean boost for leads.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.I do not know why I've never had one of these many years ago, maybe it's because that many years ago we just plugged in to the amp and, played. What a difference this pedal makes in my sound! I'll never go on stage without it. I guess I've never been much of a pedal musician but, this one made me a believer in how much better your sound can be.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.It could possibly be decent with modding or with another setup, but for me it wasn't what I was looking for.
I bought this pedal (not modded) from my local music store. The control options seem decent, but unfortunately, whenever I adjusted it just enough to get a nice sound, I would get crazy feedback any time I stopped playing even for a fraction of a second.
Boss pedals are obviously all very durable, but the electronics definitely could be better.
For such a little difference, it's not quite worth it. Next time, I'll probably get an MXR or something. I of course brought it back and traded for another pedal in the store.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.This compressor/sustainer is perfect.
To save your time, note that it was very thoroughly reviewd by Scott Grove ( a professional musician of many talents including great teaching ability) on
YouTube.. Search there for:
'Compressors for Guitars and Basses' by Scott Grove.
THe device comes with a low-quality 9v battery that is described as being chosen only for 'testing purposes' .. So, unscrww the front pedal 'nut' and put in a good quality battery.
The pedal clicks On/Off , and a red LED displays.
but BOSS says to remove Input plug to prevent drain during storage, so not sure if drainage occurs when LED is 'Off' yet plug remains in the jack ..
This is the best at what it does.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.I use the CS-3 (first in chain of effects) to provide me with a clean tone for a JCM 800. I learned about this pedal from a Paul Gilbert Gear Review. The pedal is absolutely amazing and exteremely versatile. A great kept secret for those playing hard rock with a one channel amp.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
.This pedal works great when creating a rhythmn track; especially when using a very "touch sensitive" amp. Just set your level and bang away. I love it. However, be sure to place it before any kind of mod, reverb or delay in your effects chain.
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer Pedal
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