MXR M102 DynaComp Compressor

Feature:
Output and Sustain. Works with a AC adaptor or a 9 volt battery and has an LED. Pretty much all you need on a compressor. Features aren't really what one looks for in a compressor.

Quality:
It's a tank.

Value:
In my book, this is running neck and neck with the Sovtek Big Muff Pi as the best value on the market today. $69.00 is a steal. As long as you don't store it in a salt water fish tank, it will last a lifetime. Do yourself a favor and take the Pepsi Challenge with this and a noise gate vs. the mighty Keeley compressor. Sure, the Keeley will win, but it's four times the price and the differences are subtle. This is one of those pedals that, as soon as they come out with the next, slightly different version, everyone will want this one. The differences between this an a vintage script logo, as far as sound goes, are small. When you throw in the fact that the old version everyone pines for doesn't have an LED and only runs off of batteries, I actually prefer this one.

Desirability:
As far as mass produced pedals go, this one is up there. Even without the script logo, it's still a classic.

Sound:
A fairly transparent compressor. Plenty of output. It can get a bit noisy with single coils when you turn up the compression, but nothing that a noise gate can't handle. There are no surprises here: it's an MXR Dyna Comp. It is what you think it is. Nothing more, nothing less. For my money, a compressor should be able to do two things: 1) Chicken-pickin clean tones. 2) Creamy, singing neck pickup lead tones when paired up with an overdrive pedal. The block logo Dyna Comp can do both very well. It also has enough clean output to drive your amp like a boost pedal. At 70 bucks, you can get two of em and stick one at the end of your signal chain to use like a master volume control.

Ease of Use:
As straightforward as it gets. If you can't figure this one out, maybe pedals aren't your thing.

Overall:
Owning an MXR Dyna Comp is a must for any guitar player. It's one of the essentials. Even if you aren't a huge fan of compression or are too cool to use pedals that normal people can buy in a store, you should own one of these...in fact, you probably already do.

I read an article written about Little Feat and it was mentioned that Lowell George used this device. The next day, Derek Trucks said the same thing in a different article. So, being a student of the slide guitar, I bought it. I now know why they hail this unit. It adds a bit of percussiveness to my attack and warm sustain. Even to non-slide country type licks, it adds quite a bit of flavor. Solid metal construction and solid feeling jacks make this inexpensive box worth every penny.