NAMM 2018: Fender Bends Compressor Pedal

Fender showed off their Bends Compressor pedal at NAMM. Fender has done a lot of work to put out effects that will appeal to series players and pedal geeks. The Bends Compressor is probably one of more interesting ones in the group. I long list of features and creative solutions make the Bends a pedal that many are now counting days until they can get their hands on one. While I can't say that this is a impressive preforming pedal, the demonstrations have been pretty solid. I'm looking forward to giving the Fender Bends a closer look.


More Information:

Compression

The Fender Bends Compressor Pedal is designed to provide any type of dynamic compression effect you need to achieve. Compression is a varied term; it can mean many things for different guitar players.

• Some players may want to achieve a subtle 'thickening' of their sound for a natural clean sound with more depth.
• Other players may wish for a sympathetic sustain that lets notes ring on for much longer; such as during epic guitar solos.
• Some guitarists may even require an extreme compression effect that squashes every dynamic; think of funk rhythm guitar parts or country 'chicken picking' styles of playing.

The Bends Compressor has the range of control to let you achieve all these types of compression sound. It does this in a small and lightweight package that is built to last.

Ultimate Control

The Bends Compressor has a control for every important compression parameter, including recovery, drive, and level. This lets you set up the initial note attack and the amount of sustain you require.
The Bends also has a Blend control; this lets you blend in your original clean guitar signal and use the compressor in a parallel-style mode. By blending in the original signal, The Bends can create an extreme compression effect while your guitar signal can be blended in to maintain clarity and pick attack dynamics.

Professional Features

The Bend Compressor has a rugged and lightweight aluminum chassis with a brushed metal finish. This gives it both read-ready durability and a classy-aesthetic that can take pride-of-place on your pedalboard. The pedal is built by Fender who have a multitude of experience in amplifier design and you can be sure that this pedal will last a lifetime of gigging, rehearsing and recording.

Magnetic Battery Door & Jewel Light

The jewel LED light not only looks great, it also adds a handy on-stage visual indicator of the pedal's operation. The pedal has a clever battery compartment door; it has a magnetic latch which means you can easily change the battery with no fiddly screws to worry about.
This is a thoroughly professional pedal - both in tone and appearance - and would make a welcome addition to your pedalboard.

Features

• Versatile compression pedal which can create all sorts of dynamic response
• Multiple controls over the overall compression effect
• Blend control lets you run the effect in parallel and blend in your dry signal for maximum transparency
• Drive and recovery controls let you shape the sustain and attack properties
• Rugged anodized aluminum construction
• Classy brushed finish and jewel light
• Battery door with magnetic latching opening (no screws needed)
• Powered by 9V battery or DC

Specifications

• Effect Type: Compressor
• Controls: Drive, Recovery, Blend (Dry/Comp), Output Level, Bypass Footswitch
• Inputs: 1 x 1/4'' Instrument
• Outputs: 1 x 1/4'' Instrument
• Power Requirements: 9-Volt Battery or DC Negative AC Adaptor
• Power Consumption: 15mA
• Input Impedance: 1M ohm
• Output Impedance: 1k ohm
• Material: Anodized Aluminum
• Colour: Black

NAMM 2018: Keeley Aria Compression And Overdrive

Keeley has had a reputation of putting out products that are extremely practical. The Aria Compressor and Overdrive is no different. Natural, sweet sounding sustain married to a light/medium overdrive circuit is a solid option to start you signal chain. The compact form and top-jacks make the form factor a thing of beauty. The demos make this pedal very tempting. If you are a fan of this type of combo pedals, you should check this one out.

From Gear News:




Keeley has announced its new Aria Compressor + Overdrive/Distortion pedal, which, as the name subtly suggests, combines a compression and a drive channel into one pedal.

Keeley Aria

Each side of the effect has dedicated controls. The left side takes care of the Drive part, while the right side is on Compressor duty. ‘Drive’ is equipped with the usual three controls: Volume, Gain and Drive. In addition, there is a small lever that raises the degree of distortion of Overdrive (Low) to Distortion (High).


The Compressor side also has three controls: Level, Blend and Sustain and below, another, small pot for Tone. A lever in the middle of the effect allows the order of the effects can be changed, so either one can go first in the signal chain.


The Aria looks a little bit like a cut-down version of their Tone Workstation, but without Mid Cut, Boost and whatnot. Check out the official Keeley demo video of the Aria below and then you can get an idea of how it sounds. It does look like a useful pedal, but it would have to have two really good sides to that circuit to make me want to part with my existing drive and compression pedals.
Keeley has a good reputation for compressor pedals, so this one could be worth a punt if the price is right. As of the time of writing, we don’t yet have a price or any more information on the Aria, so keep checking their official website closer to the show.

Ugly Guitar Truth: NUX Masamune Booster Komp

NUX is mostly known for making affordable pedals with plenty of options. However, they have recently released some pedals that look strikingly similar to Strymon. Now, I don't think you are going to actually confuse one of these for an actual Strymon pedal, but it seems that they are going for a more premium look. And they'd have to look a little more premium, because when asking what these pedal will go for. I was told, by NUX that they would fetch $160 street.

Here's what Nux Says about the pedal:

Booster and Compression Pedals are the gigging guitarist’s secret weapon.  Both pedals are now available in one convenient metal housing, and it comes with selectable signal routing.  The Boost Section comes with Boost Level, Drive, and Hi-Cut controls.  The Compressor Section comes with Komp Level, Sustain, Blend, and Clip controls.

NUX Masamune is a sound-crafter pedal.  It forges your dry-signal, enhancing your sound before sending your signal to your amp, and/or any effects unit.  The Booster adds beneficial color to your signal, and, if necessary, after you adjust the boost & drive levels, you can cut high frequencies on your Input signal with the Hi-Cut Toggle Switch.

Masamune’s Kompressor does a remarkable job managing and enhancing your signal:  Komp Level knob adjusts the final Output level for the Compressor, perfectly balancing your Input and Output signals.  Sustain knob adjusts the compression ratio, and increases sustain. Higher sustain levels will squash your signal harder when you hit the strings and creates a longer, richer sustain.  Blend knob adjusts the compressor transparency from 50% to 100%, so you can dial-in the exact amount of compressed dry-signal blend you want.

Clip Toggle allows you to choose the clipping range of your Input signal.  The Toggle-UP position will squeeze the signal for voluminous sound, and Toggle-DOWN will open up more space on your clipping range.

NUX Masamune Booster & Kompressor has inside routing with 3 Functions:
1_Use both effects in parallel connection.
2_Choose which effect you want to come first on your signal chain.
3_Toggle-UP the MUTEX to engage only one effect at a time.

NUX Masamune has an external foot-switch jack Input. You can add Masamune to your pedal chain, and/or you can operate the pedal by using an additional remote switch.

Conclusion

$160 is not an insane amount of money for a nice pedal, but NUX has made a name for its self as being an affordable direct from China. It would be hard to recommend this pedal when there are similar pedals made much closer to home (or rather, assembled here). There is a big difference between buying a cheap Chinese pedal for $20 and buying a $160 pedal from a company halfway across the world. What happens if it breaks? How's the customer service? There is an inherent risk of buying a pedal like this and the high than average price tag takes away one of the strongest advantages to buying from a Chinese manufactorer.

Ugly Truth About The New Keeley Compressor

Keeley has been impressing us since they first started modding BOSS pedals. They were on the cutting edge of the big 'mod' boom. Then they developed a line of original offerings that continues to innovate and expand. Keeley have been able to offer effects that compete with any other pedal for top spot. Their new compressor is likely to be no less impressive. It already has a few things going for it. So let take a closer look.

It's Tiny

Yes, it is another tiny pedal in a 1590A enclosure. Although I do not like skinny, tiny pedal like these, the Keeley compressors have been high regarded as some of the best. Little is known about the particulars of this pedal (it's not even on the Keeley website yet) it resembles the C2 Signature compressor. That particular model is out of production and resembles the ROSS/|Dyna, two-knob style Compressors. So this pedal seems to take a little inspiration from the C2 and adds a Mix knob, which I Find to my liking.

Too Many Compressors

Keeley is no stranger to the compression game. Their four knob compressor was probably the most sought after compressor for a period of time. It's features and fidelity filled a gap in the market that took some of the largest effects manufactures by surprise and introduced guitar players to compressor that made little or no compromises with their tone. This pedal does have some parallels with another pedal in the Keeley line-up, or rather a part of a pedal. The Steak and Eggs pedal by both Keeley and JHS has been praise three ways to Sunday. Notably, the tiny compressor and the compression side of the Steak and Eggs share the same features: Level, Sustain, and Blend. Is this Keeley capitalizing on the success of their joint venture with JHS?

These Pedals Are Too Familar

Take this pedal and put an unfamiliar logo on it. Does it still seem desirable? These tiny pedals have been flooding in from China. My local music store has adopted a line of these tiny guys. They sell for about $40. Put this pedal next to a Chinese pedal and tell me if it's worth two and a half time the price. Maybe it is, but maybe it's not. You could argue that Keeley holds it's value and is a better investment and that dealing with an American company will offer you better customer service. You would be right on all accounts. But when looking at the direct utility of the pedals themselves, it might become difficult to justify the price. (even though the first time I saw the asking price of one of these I thought it was a steal for a Keeley Compressor)

Conclusion

I'm not going to pretend that I don't like this pedal. It's probably the most excited I've been about a compressor, perhaps ever. It's not often that compressor get a lot of hype. They are used as tools, like EQs and boosts. There just isn't the colorful language given to these pedal as there is to overdrive and distortions. But, this pedal has all the makings of a great option if you are looking for a Compressor. It is small, so if you run your Comp 'always on' then you don't have to worry about turning it off and on and how uncomfortable that can feel. The price makes it no more expensive than many others that offer similar (or even fewer) controls. It maybe different or flashy, but it may just be the best option for compression to come out in the last few years.

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