The Keeley Compressor is the most popular boutique compressor in the world. With well over 132,000 compressors built (as of 2/7/2024) in our shop we have an expert understanding of compression, limiting, and sustain. We know what it takes to make an instrument sound like it’s been professionally recorded. We know how to make your guitar jump from the mix. We know how to make it fun and easy to play. Keeley Compression is how. The Keeley Compressor Plus is the first true advancement in our 2 and 4 knob compressor line. The new features are simple and straight forward. Now there is a simple Release Switch that is tuned for single coils or humbuckers. No more wondering if you have the attack or release set right. Your humbuckers will have all the attack and punch that they should. Our team designed a gorgeous sounding Tone Control which emphasizes the most sensitive harmonics that can be lost in compression. The Compressor Plus now sports a Blend Control that retains the peaks in your playing and, more importantly, the proper phasing of your guitar signal. The Keeley Compressor Plus offers the same gorgeous push of frequencies and sweetening of tone that the old comps gave you, now with the flexibility to easily handle any instrument.
The Keeley Compressor Plus is a compressor with an expander/sustainer. Not only does it act as a regular compressor, limiting the peaks in your playing, it adds more and more gain as notes fade out. Now you have sustain. Nothing worse than a note or a bend that has died before its time. The Keeley Compressor Plus adds just the right amount of sustain and expressive bloom to your notes.
The new Release Switch on the Keeley Compressor Plus is designed to make it very easy to transition between single coil and humbucker guitars. Humbuckers have more average energy than single coils which can cause compressors to stay in “compression mode” for a lot longer. When this happens, any series of notes you play will sound dull. With the quick release of the new Compressor Plus, your humbuckers remain true sounding, and each note retains dynamic attack and definition.
The Tone Control is our own design taken from analog delays and other vintage effects. Those effects used an emphasis circuit to recover treble and highs after they went through the BBD or other analog delay lines. We took that circuit and made it into a full fledged tone control! We have found that it is the perfect way to gently add back in those highs lost in the compression process.
The Blend Control is a way of getting the peaks to come through while having sustain at the same time. So if you want sustain more than peak-limiting, this style of Manhattan Compression is for you! Keep all the peaks and transients with the Blend and Tone Controls while adding sustain on the back end. Heaven!
This compressor isn’t just for heavy funk or chicken pickin’ anymore. The new Compressor Plus is for players wanting a smooth, subtle wash from their guitar. Remove just the right amount of peaks for an ambient layer and then blend in the right amount of treble for a nice shimmer to your guitar. Use with your favorite fuzz to create a wall of tone like you’ve only heard on records. Looping has never been easier than with this compressor. Consider it an essential tool when creating loops that sound well-balanced. Forget it all and use the Compressor Plus for the best amp boost you’ve heard. Nothing pushes an amp better than the Keeley Compressor Plus.
The new Keeley Compressor Plus is the result of us specializing in compressors for over 15 years. Chief Engineer and founder Robert Keeley said, “Compression was the first effect I found that was hard to make sound good off the shelf, so I set out to create the best sounding compression effect possible.” We have it down to a science but still treat it like art. Since it is at the core of what we do, we can offer it for an incredible price now. The Keeley Compressor Plus is completely made in the United States. Come by our shop and watch the magic happen. We didn’t just start making compressors to look good alongside co-branded coffee mugs and shirts and hats. We’ve worked with and listened to the pros who have had the the original compressor on their boards for 10 to 15 years and found out what it would take to keep it on their boards for another 10, 20, or 30 years…. Add the Compressor Plus to your rig, you and your guitar will be singing for days.
Reverb.com’s Best Overall Selling Pedal of 2021
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Tech Specs:
- 9VDC
- Ultra Low Current = 10mA
- Center Negative Tip
- Power Supply Required or Battery Operation
- True-Bypass
- 100% Analog – Made Right Here.
Keeley Compression, the Industry Standard.
Instructions:
3 in stock
5 reviews for Keeley Compressor Plus
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Benjamin Wilson –
This is the perfect compressor in so many ways. It was a great device to learn how to use a compressor, due to its straightforward nature. In my experience, the best setting is “everything at noon” which makes playing around with it as a beginner, a simple and rewarding process.
However, this is well more than a “beginner compressor”. As you start to learn more about how compression works with a band and studio environments, this pedal grows with your knowledge. I’ve never yet found a situation where I needed compression where this pedal couldn’t do exactly what I needed, and I have never been left wanting more. For that reason, it has never left my board since getting it about 5 years ago. I have never even considered replacing it, because I have never ever had a need that it did not fulfill.
Wether you are looking for Texas twang, funky licks, clean sustain for emo tapping, or just a little extra touch before your drive to give your amp the sound of the power tubes starting to saturate… this pedal will do it all, and won’t quit.
noureddineboustta66 –
I’m a bedroom player, so keeley compessor plus helps me a lot to get the best sound from my guitar gear either clean or lead. For me it’s always on, it is essential. Thank you Mr Robert Keeley for your hard working, also to your Team.
rich –
“Always On” (except when it isn’t) Pedal
You know this one already- probably the most famous compressor pedal in the world. I’ve said elsewhere, but if I had to start my Keeley collection again, I’d buy a Katana and then this- first and second. Compressors are rarely sexy but always useful. This version is both plus versatile- a switch to voice for single coils or humbuckers, a blend control to let your natural tone stay in the mix, and broad sweeping controls that offer loads of options including a boost. Use it a little to even out your playing (always on) or really shape a highly compressed tone. If it’s compressor-related, it’s probably here. A modern pedal classic and deservedly so!
revrannulf –
I own three of the compressor+ pedal and have given away two. They are on three of my four boards and may soon be on the fourth. The simple addition of the “blend” of pick attack and effect makes this pedal brilliant. It does what you’d expect a good compressor to do but allows you to retrieve that lost first explosion from the pick or fingers. I won’t play without one!!
wescott13905 –
Two decades ago, a serendipitous moment brought the Keeley Compressor Plus into my musical realm, forever changing the way I experience my trusty Telecaster. From the instant I connected this sonic marvel, its enchanting spell has never wavered, turning my guitar into an ethereal symphony and ensuring that my Telecaster and the Keeley Compressor Plus are forever entwined.
The Keeley Compressor Plus ignited a sonic revolution from the moment its LED indicator illuminated, as if beckoning to a new era of sound. Its humble stature belies the extraordinary transformation it bestows on each note, chord, and melody. This pedal is more than an accessory; it’s a collaborator, infusing every pluck with a heightened resonance that transcends the ordinary.
One of its most captivating features lies in its ability to enrich dynamics while upholding the integrity of your playing. Every note blossoms with a crystalline clarity, and sustain stretches out like a silken thread, allowing for celestial solos that linger in the air. And yet, the Keeley Compressor Plus upholds the purity of your Telecaster’s voice, preserving its distinctive character while elevating it to new sonic realms.
Its controls embody a realm of sonic versatility. The Blend knob orchestrates a seamless dance between compressed and uncompressed signals, crafting a harmony that feels like second nature. The Tone knob imparts a touch of brilliance or warmth, adapting to your musical narrative, while the Attack knob shapes the pedal’s responsiveness to mirror your unique style. This treasure trove of tonal potential ensures that your sound remains uniquely yours, even within the realm of compression.
Twenty years have passed, yet my Telecaster and the Keeley Compressor Plus remain inseparable companions. Together, they conjure an artistic synergy that transcends time and space, a partnership that breathes life into every note and riff. Whether I’m strumming tenderly or unshackling blistering solos, the pedal responds with an unwavering fidelity, as though it’s been attuned to my soul’s wavelength.
In a world where musical innovation is ceaseless, the Keeley Compressor Plus stands unwavering—a beacon of enduring brilliance that’s etched its name into pedalboard history. To me, it’s more than just a stompbox; it’s a cherished relic of my sonic journey, a testament to how technology and craftsmanship can fuse into an instrument of transcendence.
So, if you, like me, share a deep affinity for your Telecaster, the Keeley Compressor Plus is not merely a pedal—it’s a cosmic liaison. It doesn’t just shape your sound; it elevates your spirit, encapsulating your musical essence and weaving it into the tapestry of eternal melodies.