Harley Benton/Joyo Dyna Compressor Review
Nov 12, 2015 13:23:55 GMT
gullum, EvolatoR, and 1 more like this
Post by freekingprawn on Nov 12, 2015 13:23:55 GMT
"Behold! The Scorpion of Compression... that is actually more of a Sustainer!"
The Pedal:
People on line say it is a clone of either an MXR Super Comp or an old 80’s Boss Compressor. Either way it is the consensus that it is based on Ross specs.
How faithful it is to its original counterpart I cannot say, but for 30 € brand new I really don’t care. And it beats paying double for the original [or more].
It’s a dead simple pedal: 3 knobs [Sustain, Level and Attack], 9volt jack, Input and Output; has a compartment made of plastic underneath it for a 9v battery that is recessed [cool]; all made of metal; good ol’ “clicky-clacky” footswitch of annoyance so many people seem to love; sturdy; roughly the size of a Boss pedal; is green and is ugly as all hell thanks to that scorpion our Chinese friends decided to put on it.
What has a scorpion to do with a compressor pedal is beyond me.
If you have seen some Joyo/Harley Benton pedals, you know they are not exactly the epitome of beauty. Still it beats having the drawing of 5 guys going all out Kung-Fu like in their Classic Flanger pedal or the 3 guys showing off their packs on the Classic Chorus. Seriously, what were they thinking?* [see end notes]
The Sound:
What is the sound of a Compressor? Well, that’s not how it sounds. Actually I am not exactly sure this pedal should be called a “Compressor”, but a “Sustainer”. And for that matter, I’m not sure the original should be called one either [if indeed it is a faithful clone]. You see, though it does compress the input signal it doesn’t act exactly like a compressor in the traditional sense. It doesn’t seem to push the quieter signal to become louder and the loudest to become quieter as you’d expect a Compressor to act like. Instead it “compresses” the overall signal only enough to allow for more sustain to happen and in the process it rolls some of the top end [the higher frequencies] off.
The result is not only an addition of more sustain but also a warmer overall sound in your signal flow.
I was actually quite surprised by this. But in a rather good way.
Playing single coils can often be annoying due to their sparkly quality and lack of good sustain [though sustain is also dependent of your bridge, strings and nut as well]. Sometimes you want it and sometimes you just don’t and would like the annoyance to just go away without having to fiddle around with the tone knob on your guitar or the EQ on the amp and sacrifice the whole spectrum.
Well, this kind of Compressor/Sustainer helps a lot by softening the top end just a bit while allowing you to play dynamically as you always do. It’s not a drastic change at all, just enough not to have your ears pierced with the natural single coil shriek.
The Sustain knob is self-explanatory. The more you crank it the more Sustain you’ll get.
The Level knob controls the amount of signal flowing out and is co-dependent with the Sustain knob. It also has quite a range of volume. The more you crank it, the louder the overall signal will get.
The Attack knob controls the time in which the Sustain will kick in, or better yet, it controls the amount of delay for the Sustain to be happening. The more you crank it the more it will take for the signal to be sustained. It has no impact on the Level and adds to the picking quality the more you crank it.
The pedal has also a plus to it: It’s dead quiet. No noise whatsoever either using it alone or with other stomps [not even with dirt boxes].
Uses:
Because this not really a “compressor” in the traditional sense [like the Boss CS3 compressor] the uses for it may be better hinted for 3 specific things:
1 – At the very beginning of the effects chain prior to any effect when playing clean [pitch shifters, synths and tuners will welcome the extra help in note definition if you intend to use them]
2 – Before a specific stomp box to drive it further [as a booster would].
3 – After a specific stomp box to compress the sound of that stomp box [especially dirt boxes]
I find it to work pretty damn good as both a clean Booster [albeit that very small roll off of the top end that becomes almost imperceptible with overdrives] as well as a Sustainer.
As an example, putting it after the Marshall BB2 it allows for that soft overdrive to be further compressed and gives it a healthy dose of sustain without the loss in the dynamics [as a compressor would do].
It works even better when the BB2 Tone is all the way down. The sound becomes more pleasing to the ear and begs for a long haunting Solo.
Putting it before the MXR Super Badass will result in a boost that that particular pedal needs in order to go a bit more extreme. After it, adds to the sustain.
Using it prior to a delay and a reverb will result in that warming of the sound when not using dirt boxes, but putting it afterwards won’t make much of a difference, so keep that in mind. It will not level your entire signal as a traditional compressor would do.
If you plan on playing a soft tune clean with just a tad of reverb it will work beautifully since the sound will have that extra warmth. It almost begs for slow finger picking.
Pros:
. 30€ for a supposed clone of an MXR Super Comp pedal [or old 80’s Boss compressor]
. Durable and well built
. Super easy to tweak
. Dead quiet. No noise whatsoever, either by itself or paired with other more aggressive boxes.
. Roles off some of the annoying top end
. A lot of volume on tap. Acts beautifully as a Booster
. Heaps of sustain
. Works perfect with other pedals. No issues.
Cons:
. Damn ugly.
. It’s not a compressor in the traditional sense. Beware when buying it if you think it is.
. Some people may not like the fact that it isn’t totally transparent
. For the more nitpickers the fact that it has a plastic 9v compartment cover [albeit recessed and nowhere near of being problematic] may be an issue [but how can someone be a nitpicker with a pedal that costs 30€?]
Afterthoughts:
This is one of those [very rare] instances I would say the pedal is worth twice what I paid for [yes, I’m a cheap bastard].
Though it’s not a squishy compressor like a Boss or a Keeley, it has a definite charm and has versatility.
It works perfectly for adding sustain and warmth to your sound. And if you happen to play with single coils you’ll find it to work beautifully as it rolls off some of that annoying top end. That extra warmth is always welcomed to tame the single coils particular nature.
Put it before a dirt pedal to boost it or after to further compress it. Sweet.
Whatever kind of voodoo was done to it, the end result is perfect. So much so that you can turn it on and just forget it’s even there; and I can see the benefits of having two Joyo/Harley Benton Dyna Compressors in different positions in your signal chain.
**Just look at them. Seriously.... what were they thinking? :lol: :lol:
it reads: "because only real men use a chorus"
"Beware the 5 moves Flanger Grip of Death"
The Pedal:
People on line say it is a clone of either an MXR Super Comp or an old 80’s Boss Compressor. Either way it is the consensus that it is based on Ross specs.
How faithful it is to its original counterpart I cannot say, but for 30 € brand new I really don’t care. And it beats paying double for the original [or more].
It’s a dead simple pedal: 3 knobs [Sustain, Level and Attack], 9volt jack, Input and Output; has a compartment made of plastic underneath it for a 9v battery that is recessed [cool]; all made of metal; good ol’ “clicky-clacky” footswitch of annoyance so many people seem to love; sturdy; roughly the size of a Boss pedal; is green and is ugly as all hell thanks to that scorpion our Chinese friends decided to put on it.
What has a scorpion to do with a compressor pedal is beyond me.
If you have seen some Joyo/Harley Benton pedals, you know they are not exactly the epitome of beauty. Still it beats having the drawing of 5 guys going all out Kung-Fu like in their Classic Flanger pedal or the 3 guys showing off their packs on the Classic Chorus. Seriously, what were they thinking?* [see end notes]
The Sound:
What is the sound of a Compressor? Well, that’s not how it sounds. Actually I am not exactly sure this pedal should be called a “Compressor”, but a “Sustainer”. And for that matter, I’m not sure the original should be called one either [if indeed it is a faithful clone]. You see, though it does compress the input signal it doesn’t act exactly like a compressor in the traditional sense. It doesn’t seem to push the quieter signal to become louder and the loudest to become quieter as you’d expect a Compressor to act like. Instead it “compresses” the overall signal only enough to allow for more sustain to happen and in the process it rolls some of the top end [the higher frequencies] off.
The result is not only an addition of more sustain but also a warmer overall sound in your signal flow.
I was actually quite surprised by this. But in a rather good way.
Playing single coils can often be annoying due to their sparkly quality and lack of good sustain [though sustain is also dependent of your bridge, strings and nut as well]. Sometimes you want it and sometimes you just don’t and would like the annoyance to just go away without having to fiddle around with the tone knob on your guitar or the EQ on the amp and sacrifice the whole spectrum.
Well, this kind of Compressor/Sustainer helps a lot by softening the top end just a bit while allowing you to play dynamically as you always do. It’s not a drastic change at all, just enough not to have your ears pierced with the natural single coil shriek.
The Sustain knob is self-explanatory. The more you crank it the more Sustain you’ll get.
The Level knob controls the amount of signal flowing out and is co-dependent with the Sustain knob. It also has quite a range of volume. The more you crank it, the louder the overall signal will get.
The Attack knob controls the time in which the Sustain will kick in, or better yet, it controls the amount of delay for the Sustain to be happening. The more you crank it the more it will take for the signal to be sustained. It has no impact on the Level and adds to the picking quality the more you crank it.
The pedal has also a plus to it: It’s dead quiet. No noise whatsoever either using it alone or with other stomps [not even with dirt boxes].
Uses:
Because this not really a “compressor” in the traditional sense [like the Boss CS3 compressor] the uses for it may be better hinted for 3 specific things:
1 – At the very beginning of the effects chain prior to any effect when playing clean [pitch shifters, synths and tuners will welcome the extra help in note definition if you intend to use them]
2 – Before a specific stomp box to drive it further [as a booster would].
3 – After a specific stomp box to compress the sound of that stomp box [especially dirt boxes]
I find it to work pretty damn good as both a clean Booster [albeit that very small roll off of the top end that becomes almost imperceptible with overdrives] as well as a Sustainer.
As an example, putting it after the Marshall BB2 it allows for that soft overdrive to be further compressed and gives it a healthy dose of sustain without the loss in the dynamics [as a compressor would do].
It works even better when the BB2 Tone is all the way down. The sound becomes more pleasing to the ear and begs for a long haunting Solo.
Putting it before the MXR Super Badass will result in a boost that that particular pedal needs in order to go a bit more extreme. After it, adds to the sustain.
Using it prior to a delay and a reverb will result in that warming of the sound when not using dirt boxes, but putting it afterwards won’t make much of a difference, so keep that in mind. It will not level your entire signal as a traditional compressor would do.
If you plan on playing a soft tune clean with just a tad of reverb it will work beautifully since the sound will have that extra warmth. It almost begs for slow finger picking.
Pros:
. 30€ for a supposed clone of an MXR Super Comp pedal [or old 80’s Boss compressor]
. Durable and well built
. Super easy to tweak
. Dead quiet. No noise whatsoever, either by itself or paired with other more aggressive boxes.
. Roles off some of the annoying top end
. A lot of volume on tap. Acts beautifully as a Booster
. Heaps of sustain
. Works perfect with other pedals. No issues.
Cons:
. Damn ugly.
. It’s not a compressor in the traditional sense. Beware when buying it if you think it is.
. Some people may not like the fact that it isn’t totally transparent
. For the more nitpickers the fact that it has a plastic 9v compartment cover [albeit recessed and nowhere near of being problematic] may be an issue [but how can someone be a nitpicker with a pedal that costs 30€?]
Afterthoughts:
This is one of those [very rare] instances I would say the pedal is worth twice what I paid for [yes, I’m a cheap bastard].
Though it’s not a squishy compressor like a Boss or a Keeley, it has a definite charm and has versatility.
It works perfectly for adding sustain and warmth to your sound. And if you happen to play with single coils you’ll find it to work beautifully as it rolls off some of that annoying top end. That extra warmth is always welcomed to tame the single coils particular nature.
Put it before a dirt pedal to boost it or after to further compress it. Sweet.
Whatever kind of voodoo was done to it, the end result is perfect. So much so that you can turn it on and just forget it’s even there; and I can see the benefits of having two Joyo/Harley Benton Dyna Compressors in different positions in your signal chain.
**Just look at them. Seriously.... what were they thinking? :lol: :lol:
it reads: "because only real men use a chorus"
"Beware the 5 moves Flanger Grip of Death"