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!

Overall, its a super pedal. Its doing its job almost perfect. No coloration, very transparent but you can feel that its there, you need to know a bit how the compression work so you can dial in according to the style that you are playing, there is a video of Mr. Keeley himself go check it.
One thing, It could be a little cheaper, maybe.
Second, sometimes im looking for the attack and release time settings. (There is a pro version for that which is more expensive obviously)
If the compressor is in front of the signal chain, and your tone is bright and present, you can hear the release happening rather slowly, and you can hear that down swoosh type of sound.
So, if im using a huge tone im using preamp first, comp second and using that as a high peak limiter, less compression.
Otherwise, for regular tones, comp first with slightly higher comp and lower threshold.
You can find your sweet spot in the end. Depending on your instrument and playing.