After a recent gig I had someone come up and tell me that my guitar sounded great "especially when you step on that pedal with the blue light". That pedal with the "blue light" he was talking about is the Robert Keeley compressor.

Unless you have been living under a bridge in an old Ampeg 8x10 box, you have probably heard of Robert Keeley. He is at the forefront of the "boutique" pedal makers. And while his other pedals offer outstanding tone (I have his Blues Driver mod and it is fantastic), the Compressor seems to have hit the ball right out of the park.

I have used many comps in the past and while they have sufficed to give me a bit more sustain and dynamics control, there is always a negative side. They all seem to alter the tone in a way that causes a bit of "squeezing" in a bad way. Not surprising since that is a compressor's job, but still not the all good sound quality we are looking for. Enter the Keeley Compressor.

The Keeley comp is pretty straight forward to use. It has a level control and a sustain control. I usually hook it up to the power supply of a VHT valvulator. The sustain control doesn't introduce very much noise until it is cranked. But at the 12 O'clock setting it really shines! I have tried it out on a heavy distortion, and it gave me great singing lead lines. On a mild overdrive it can give you a really punchy sound that cuts through everything else. And when I play it through a clean 70's modded twin it makes the clean notes sound like they are right inside my head! I have experimented with several amp configurations including using it before my pod. The results are all the same - it does what I always wanted a compressor to do, in every amp situation. The notes you play have a clear articulate sound to them thanks to a fast attack on the compressor. Live, setting the sustain midway and then setting the level so it is just a bit louder than my normal signal gives me a great lead boost that not only gives me a louder level, but a great smooth tone as well.

All of this with no negative artifacts. While it is transparent sounding, it is also adding something that seems inherently "good" to my sound. These pedals are all hand wired and when it is the off position it is true by-pass so it doesn't alter your sound. Although once you play this pedal you will find the off position doesn't get used that much!!!

Maybe no pedal is truly a "magic bullet", but this one may come as close as any. I have compared it side by side with many other compressors including rack units that cost 10 times as much, and I always choose the sound of the Keeley. This is a simple, easy to use pedal that makes you sound better. Isn't that what we would all like to have? When someone comes up and says that it "sounds great" when you kick on the pedal with the blue light, you'll realize that this pedal may be just what your playing needs.
Jeff Scheetz
For More info: www.robertkeeley.com