Extensive compressor reviews and FAQ

 
Guitar pedals versus bass pedals:
 
Some pedals are marketed for guitar, others are marketed for bass. Does it matter? Are they really any different? Will one type of pedal work for the other type of instrument, or will something blow up if you try it?
 
Generally speaking, pedal marketing is just that--some words picked by a person in the advertising department, and then painted on the pedal, printed on the box, and copied on the sales descriptions on websites. It usually has nothing to do with how you can actually use the pedal. Don't believe the hype.
 
That said, of course there will be some pedals that roll off some of the lows, and other pedals that will roll off some of the highs. And some will boost the lows, while others boost the highs. Some will "sound good" subjectively with one instrument and not another. But again, this has almost nothing to do with whether the pedal was marketed or labeled with the word "bass" or whatever.
 
Pretty much the only time I'd even pay attention to this sort of thing is with dirt boxes: distortion, fuzz, overdrive. A lot of those lose some low end, so you have to be a little more particular in trying to find dirt that's suitable for bass. But even then, there are plenty of "guitar" dirt pedals that work fine or even great on bass. And from a guitarist's standpoint, it's a total non-issue.
 
Basically it just boils down to: Do your homework to find out whether a specific pedal is going to work for you. Don't rely on what's printed on the box, or what advertising text is cut-and-pasted on a web store's product description. Those words mean very little.

 
 
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