Forest Green Compressor CB Review

Right out of the gate the FGC is a fantastic Compressor that is easy to use if you are used to compressors.

Ease of Use:	9
Sound:	10
Reliability:	8
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	9.3
Reviewer rating:	9.3

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: alanjday, on december 06, 2010

Price paid: € 183

Purchased from: Mad Professor Amplification

Ease of Use: On opening the somewhat stylish box, I found a full colour instruction "manual" and the Forrest Green Compressor wrapped in a small plastic bag. Right out of the gate the FGC is a fantastic Compressor that is easy to use if you are used to compressors. If your new to compressors, you can get a great sound simply by setting all the knobs at the default 12 O'Clock position. If you play “country” you'll probably use the "comp" mode. If you play blues or rock you may opt for the "Sustain" mode, available via a 2 position rotary switch. // 9

Sound: I was using a Warmoth Strat running into a Peavy Classic 30 tube amp. In Compressor mode it is very easy to get that country “chickin pickin” sound just wind up the comp control for more. In comp mode the ”Level” controls the OVERALL volume of the unit. In Sustain mode the ”Level” control affects only the sustain level.

The Tone knob works differently to the earlier hand wired version of the FGC, more intuitively actually, as it now adds tops when rotated to the right and gets darker when rotated to the left - the centre 12 o’clock position is neutral, not affecting tone at all. The FGC is very low noise - hard to believe from a stomp box Compressor but I experienced no annoying hiss normally associated with pedal compressors. // 10

Reliability & Durability: The first thing that struck me was how SMALL the FGC is and how heavy it is for it’s size. The finish is a very metallic green and looks like a clear baked coat over a transparent green spayed finish. The down side to this finish is that the metal enclosure doesn’t seem to have had a coat of primer ... this became obvious when I peeled the rubber feet off the bottom to make room for velcro strips ... some paint came away with one foot - right down to the metal. Battery access is slow as you have to remove the back panel by removing 4 Phillips screws. The Circuit boards are neat with all the wiring well secured. Soldering looks good with no flux residue or little solder balls and the copper on the boards is all coated, so tarnishing is not an issue here. It comes supplied with a battery (hence the weight) and can be plugged in right away. Apart from the paintwork, it's built like a brick! // 8

Impression: I play mainly Pink Floyd tributes and have a very David Gilmour type sound which the FGC can totally nail. I experienced clear uncoloured tone with the ability to dial in any compression sound from a subtle "is he using compression at all?" to "chickin pickin from hell" The FGC is an also astonishing sustainer - whack it right up and you will experience controlled feedback the likes of which Santana fans would die for - and that’s even without any overdrive! All this and still no substantial hiss! A keeper! // 10

Comments

[rv_phoenix]

This is arguably one of the first 3 compressors on Earth. To my knowledge, only Pete Cornish makes something better, but his deveice is also more expensive. Yet our fellow didn't grant it a 10, like many amateurs who throw 9s and 10s on crappy makes like Behringer or Stagg or Dimavery...
Excellent review. It just told me why I must consider this compressor if I ever decide to add a compresor to my effects unit. Thank you, felow!