Hi Matt,

Wondered what advice you could give me on compressor pedals for live playing.
I am a fan of McCartney Wings era bass sound, and I play Ric basses through Ashdown Amps, mainly use a pick and sometime flatwound strings.
I am a fan of all your CC work especially the “I wish I was a girl” bass sound. (which I have asked you about before on this forum).

Would I achieve a more classic / vintage tone by going through a compressor – I want good sustain, warmth but while still maintaining some clang and to really cut through the mix.

Not asking too much hey. – just wondered what your views on compressors are?

Luke

Hi Luke! Yes I totally remember you! For live, it doesn’t take a hugely high-end compressor. You’re on the right track wanting some compression coming out of your rig though. In my studio I’ve fallen in love with the UA 1176 “limiting amplifier”. It’s basically a compressor and it gets that magic sound on the bass. For live though, I’m only recently discovering the joys of bass compression and I have been hearing about two “stars” in the live bass world: the Symetrix 501 and this guy: http://www.robertkeeley.com/product.php?id=8 I plan on getting one of the Robert Keeleys blind…just from reading the great write-ups. Let me know how your search goes – Matt