Keeley Bassist Compressor

After a long association with the Empress compressor (my go-to bass compressor), I knew I had to at least try it, based on the previous reviews here and also on the recommendations on the net...This is the first Keeley pedal I've ever owned. I'd heard the stories about how good they were . This limiting amplifier falls into the "how good" category; I love the thing! Right out of the box, within 5 minutes, I was breathing a sigh of relief. It is super easy to set up and get a decent sound from. Simply setup the ratio, adjust the threshold to the amount of signal you want compressed, and then adjust the level to match the bypassed signal. It gets no easier that this! It sounds clean, nearly transparent, and does what it is advertised to do - Limit the bass's peak signal in a similar way that much more expensive (and rare) compressors do, be they rack, stomper, or otherwise. It holds onto the deepest end of my hot output 70's P-bass, as well as dealing with tonal subtleties and agreesive overtones of my Ibanez ATK and Orange O-bass. Since it's loosely based on two very awesome products- the original DBX-160 studio compressor (not the 160A rack) as well as using a THAT corporation VCA chip, its noise levels, fidelity and distortion are all top notch. It doesn't sound like a typical "pedal" compressor (some of which are "pumpy", "breathy" or just downright aweful). I've modded rack compressors in the past with THAT corp. VCA chips, and they are top notch (should be, as THAT corp is run by a bunch of DBX ex-patriot engineers!) and have almost always improved the perfomance.If there is only one quibble that I have (and this ins my reason for only 4 stars), I wish they'd included an Attack control. Hard picking tends to get through just before the attack clamps the signal. This might actually be a GOOD THING in recording or live. Since I've only had the chance to use the Keeley at home so far (through my full rig, of course), I noticed this. You might. then again, you might not. Get one, hook it up, and just play!

This is a fantastic piece of kit. It really is studio grade: I use 4:1 to smooth out the loudest peaks a little, and there's no noise and no loss of tone at all. The gain makeup knob is great if you're using a lot of compression, and it's really easy to set it so there's no volume difference between on and off. That said, it's permanently on for me - it's utterly transformed my sound, and now every note on every string is the same volume. The threshold control and red/green LED makes it simple to set when compression kicks in. I specifically wanted a pedal that wouldn't colour my sound, but instead simply tame my output a little - and this pedal does that brilliantly. It'll fit on your board, too - the box itself is 31mm tall (the switch adds another 17mm height), by 110mm deep by 57mm wide. Can't recommend this enough!

Research:
I spent many hours reading all the reviews and watched all the available videos before taking the plunge.

The decision:
I formally owned an MXR M87 bass compressor, which is a good compressor, but wasn't quite what I was looking for. I had previously tried several brands of bass compressors before settling on the M87, but it did the job until I could find something better.

Verdict:
The Keeley Bassist Compressor is everything it claims to be and more. It definitely produces the sound that I was looking for and it is so much easier to dial in my sound.

Conclusion:
Overall, the Keeley Bassist Compressor is a very professional pedal that cannot be beaten in my opinion. It has taken a permanent spot on my pedalboard.