Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hi, I've just competed my 5-knob compressor build and I'm very pleased with the pedal in general, it sounds much nicer than my Monte Allums modified Boss CS-3. I'm puzzled by the attack knob though - it doesn't seem to do very much at all. Is this normal? I'm using it with a strat.

It's fairly subtle. Technically, as someone else described to me, its really controls the release, not really the attack. But yes, I could only really get a big difference at opposite ends of the sweep.

SugarBear is right with his response. It is fairly subtle. In my experience, the more you use the pedal the more you will start to notice the difference. Just don't expect any drastic changes.

I've also heard that with high output pickups the difference is more pronounced. I have low/med gain pickups so I can't confirm this.

Thanks for your replies. I'll try it with my ES-335 - when I've put it back together again after painting!

I just finished this thing. (love it) For me to hear what's going on Attack-wise, I palm mute the high E string and repetitively pick- quarter or eighth notes and listen for the volume of the subsequent transients or 'plicks'.

Or play a chord in a higher position ska-style. Listen for the volume difference in the 'plick' of the high string on your upstroke.

Full counter-clockewise seems like it hasn't let go of the gain reduction in time for the 'plicks' to come through and full volume. Maybe that's good.

That's what I hear through humbuckers on a les paulish set up, anyway.

I initially tried the compressor with my strat and only with the tone at certain positions did I notice much difference. I just finished my partscaster and it has duncan 5-2 pickups and there is much more difference in how the pedal sounds-certainly with the attack pot. I've also noticed that I have a 4 position switch (one of the positions changes the phase of the pickups) and again, the range of sounds is very different. I suspect that a lot of how you "hear" the effect pedal can and is due to the type of pickups you are using.

I haven't tried this pedal yet, but perhaps replacing a resistor somewhere would make the attack more sensitive or perhaps a different pot? Would be quite interested. Anyone done this sort of mod? Also would be kind of interesting to have a paralleled input and output jack, be able to use that one knob as attack or as release depending on which way you're plugged into the pedal Not a likely scenario, but i'm somewhat of a studio gear freak so I like to imagine!

Well, the attack knob actually controls how long a note sustains at it's maximum volume before it begins to decay. It's really not an attack control at all in the sense of a rack compressor or even an envelope generator.