EBS Multi Comp Guitar Edition review

More pedal magic from the bass masters

  • £149
  • €174
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MusicRadar Verdict

That multi-band facility, rare in a pedal, could make this your go-to compressor.

Pros

  • +

    MB mode opens up interesting opportunities.

Cons

  • -

    None.

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The MultiComp is a guitar compressor that offers you a choice of solid state (Normal), tube simulation (Tubesim) and multi-band (MB) compression modes.

All three modes are easily set up with knobs to turn up the compression and set the output gain, with the pedal's LED handily growing brighter to indicate when you are compressing, and how hard the level of compression is.

When it's in Normal mode, the Multicomp offers clean compression from a mild smoothing to a squashier vibe, with an increase in note snap that's just right for country picking, all with spare output gain to drive your amp a touch if desired. Tubesim offers more of the same, but adds a tickle of pleasant harmonic distortion to the mix.

Most interesting, however, is the MB mode where the bass and treble compressors work independently so neither end of the spectrum unnaturally affects the other. Individual threshold levels can be fine-tuned with internal trim pots, allowing you to, say, keep the sound on your bass strings tight while the top end is less molested.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.