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Empress Effects Bass Compressor Pedal - Blue
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Your Price: $379.00 CDN
or from $40 CDN/mo
2 models to choose from:
The original Empress Effects Compressor was an instant favourite among guitar and bass players, searching for something more than the typical oversimplified controls found on most compressor pedals.
Improving on this success, the new Bass Compressor offers the same features and controls normally only seen in high end studio equipment. Input and gain reduction metering, independent attack and release controls, a mix knob for parallel compression, an external sidechain insert - and now, a fully variable sidechain high pass filter, PLUS a two position 'tone + colour' circuit which adds gentle tone sculpting and harmonic distortion, giving your bass some delicious character.
Features
• All Analog Signal Path - no digitals in here!
• Extremely Transparent - Add dynamic control without altering the original tone of your instrument
• 3 Compression Ratios - 2:1, 4:1 and 10:1 ratios offer lots of flexibility
• Attack and Release Control - allows for ultimate control over the compression characteristics
• Mix - Blend uncompressed signal in with the compressed signal for parallel compression, New York Style!
• Metering - Meter both gain reduction and input on separate meters.
• Tone + Colour - Adds mild harmonic distortion with a mid range cut or an upper mid range boost.
• Sidechain Send/Return - 3.5mm TRS jack send and return for sidechain compresson.
• Sidechain High Pass Filter - a variable high pass filter that filters low frequencies from the sidechain. The filter frequency ranges from 20Hz to 400Hz.
• Improved Low End Frequency Response - To handle those low low sounds, completely flat down to 20Hz.
• True Display LEDs - Bright multi-colour LEDs always let you know what the compressor is doing.
• True Bypass - The Empress Compressor employs true bypass, so you can be sure that it's not affecting the signal when disengaged.
• Small Size - New enclosure approximately half the size of the original compressor, which is delightfully small when considering all the features packed into this unit.
Specifications
Input Impedance: 1M
Output Impedance: 2.2k
Frequency Response (-3dB): 10Hz - 20kHz
Distortion: less than 0.1%
Noise: -101dB
Power Input Voltage: 9 - 18 V DC (Negative tip)
Power Input Connector: 2.1mm barrel connector (Negative tip)
Power Consumption: ~ 100mA
Enclosure Material: Die Cast Aluminum
Input connector: 1/4" Jack
Output connector: 1/4" Jack
Height (Enclosure only): 1.5"
Height (including controls): 2.5"
Length: 4.8"
Width: 2.6"
Weight: 1 lb
Improving on this success, the new Bass Compressor offers the same features and controls normally only seen in high end studio equipment. Input and gain reduction metering, independent attack and release controls, a mix knob for parallel compression, an external sidechain insert - and now, a fully variable sidechain high pass filter, PLUS a two position 'tone + colour' circuit which adds gentle tone sculpting and harmonic distortion, giving your bass some delicious character.
Features
• All Analog Signal Path - no digitals in here!
• Extremely Transparent - Add dynamic control without altering the original tone of your instrument
• 3 Compression Ratios - 2:1, 4:1 and 10:1 ratios offer lots of flexibility
• Attack and Release Control - allows for ultimate control over the compression characteristics
• Mix - Blend uncompressed signal in with the compressed signal for parallel compression, New York Style!
• Metering - Meter both gain reduction and input on separate meters.
• Tone + Colour - Adds mild harmonic distortion with a mid range cut or an upper mid range boost.
• Sidechain Send/Return - 3.5mm TRS jack send and return for sidechain compresson.
• Sidechain High Pass Filter - a variable high pass filter that filters low frequencies from the sidechain. The filter frequency ranges from 20Hz to 400Hz.
• Improved Low End Frequency Response - To handle those low low sounds, completely flat down to 20Hz.
• True Display LEDs - Bright multi-colour LEDs always let you know what the compressor is doing.
• True Bypass - The Empress Compressor employs true bypass, so you can be sure that it's not affecting the signal when disengaged.
• Small Size - New enclosure approximately half the size of the original compressor, which is delightfully small when considering all the features packed into this unit.
Specifications
Input Impedance: 1M
Output Impedance: 2.2k
Frequency Response (-3dB): 10Hz - 20kHz
Distortion: less than 0.1%
Noise: -101dB
Power Input Voltage: 9 - 18 V DC (Negative tip)
Power Input Connector: 2.1mm barrel connector (Negative tip)
Power Consumption: ~ 100mA
Enclosure Material: Die Cast Aluminum
Input connector: 1/4" Jack
Output connector: 1/4" Jack
Height (Enclosure only): 1.5"
Height (including controls): 2.5"
Length: 4.8"
Width: 2.6"
Weight: 1 lb
Q & A
There are currently no questions for this product.
Reviews
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Empress Effects Bass Compressor
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Orleans, Ontario
Can't say enough great things about this pedal. I'm going. To enjoy discovering everything it has to offer with my set up. Would 10000% recommend if you're looking for a bass compression.
Posted by Jay on Apr 10, 2025
Great Compressor
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Duncan, British Columbia
This pedal is extremely well built. All the knobs are smooth as silk and the fit and finish is beautiful.
The compression itself is great! I use it on 4:1 ratio and have amazing results out of it. It is very responsive, and I can dial it in exactly how I want it. The tone and colour switch are very cool additions to this compressor. I use it on the tone mode to get a little bit of warmth out of it. The tone mode gives it the SLIGHTEST bit of dirt I find if you dial it in right
Posted by Max on Mar 9, 2025
Great Pedal!
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Halifax, Nova Scotia
I used a friend's a few times and knew I needed to have one of these. Now that I have it on my board, I'm super happy with how it sounds with just a nice touch of compression in front of my HX Stomp. Love it!
Posted by Mike on Dec 5, 2024
Excellent Quality Compressor
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Toronto (Bloor St.), Ontario
Very high quality pedal. Sounds amazing, excellent range of controls, quiet operation. Does exactly what it's supposed to do and does it well. This is an always-on, permanent part of my pedal-board now.
Posted by Matthew Douglas on Aug 3, 2024
Amazing Compressor
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Duncan, British Columbia
Absolutely amazing. All the controls you can wish for and the led metering is the best I've seen in a compressor.
Posted by Daniel on Jul 2, 2024
Love the gauge
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Vancouver, British Columbia
I considered mostly all bass compressor pedals on the market and I chose this one because of the light gauge on the pedal. Plus in Made in Canada! (I AM CANADIAN).
Posted by Luke Jang on Jun 25, 2024
Fantastic Bass Compressor
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Mississauga, Ontario
Very impressed by the Empress Bass Compressor Pedal. It really helps when dialing in my perfect bass tone. It seems to be built like a tank and is extremely adjustable with its studio style controls and metering. Also sounds great on my non bass guitars!!
Posted by Bernie Walczak on May 29, 2024
Do you want your bass to just sound better
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store North Bay, Ontario
It's not the flashiest effect, but it absolutely takes your bass tone and adds some magic in there and then sends it out.
Posted by Andrew on Apr 16, 2024
Empress Bass Compressor
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Campbell River, British Columbia
Great sounding and pedalboard friendly bass compressor with good adjustability. Solid and effective.
Posted by Frank on Apr 2, 2024
Fabulous bass compressor
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
I've been using the MXR Bass Compressor for years. I thought I'd try something new for my new travel board. This is a fantastic compressor pedal. Solidly built, easy to use, great tone and the Mix knob for parallel compression is a game changer. Well done, Empress Effects!
Posted by Joe Breen on Mar 20, 2024
WOW!!! This is an amazing bass compressor and more!
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Toronto (Bloor St.), Ontario
This is everything and more than what I was looking for in a bass compressor. I was looking to control dynamics and also fit into the mix better, and it does this beautifully. I just love how this has helped my sound too - with and without the tone options which come in handy for different songs! Beautiful job on this pedal and its the only pedal I need now!
Posted by Ron on Mar 12, 2024
Amazing pedal.
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Bowmanville, Ontario
Transparent, but immediately effective once dropped into my pedal chain. The metering provides a great visual of the compression in action, and all the controls offer tons of flexability. Extremely happy with this pedal.
Posted by Craig on Feb 6, 2024
Excellent!
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Enfin un compresseur sous forme de pédale qui offre l'équivalent d'un compresseur de studio. Le sidechain high pass filter est particulièrement utile pour la basse, et le sélecteur tone + colour pour couper ou booster les mids est très bien calibré et musical. Qualité de construction impeccable. Un must!
Posted by Pascal Grenier on Feb 5, 2024
Mind blowing!!
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Value
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Product Experience I've tried it
Closest Store Sherbrooke, Quebec
I always thought that I would never ever replace my trusty MXR Bass compressor on my pedalboard since I've bought it in 2016. But this pedal has proved me wrong! Very awsome features and also unique features for a compressor that you can't find on any other compressor pedals. Also there is your classic controls that you'd expect to find on other pedals in that category.
Posted by Raphaël Côté on Nov 28, 2023
Great pedal - instant cut-through
1 of 2 customers found this review helpful
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Quality
Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Pickering, Ontario
I did quite a bit of research before deciding to purchase this compressor. Everything I had read about them suggested I should expect "subtle" changes to my tone. I must say that I discovered much more than "subtle" changes when using this compressor. The difference is night and day. I found I could now cut through the mix with ease when playing in a band situation. I could even turn down my volume as it was much easier to hear myself play. There are more than enough controls on this pedal to tailor the sound to your needs. The result: more and less noise.
Posted by Chris on Nov 2, 2023
Best Pedal I've Ever Owned
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Orleans, Ontario
The Empress compression pedal is an always on, instant glorious tone, wonder. I have played countless shows over the years and nothing has caught my attention so quickly as this pedal. From the first time I heard a friend switch one on, I was sold. I play a wide variety of styles and gigs and this thing is the one pedal I always bring. Highly recommend
Posted by Logan Scott on Oct 25, 2023
Always On
0 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Bedford, Nova Scotia
I exhausted the research for a bass compressor and this one is fantastic. It doesn't colour your sound unless you want it to. with a bit of research on how to use compression you can see this unit does everything it is intended for. The metering is very practical and a must.
I ran a signal from the kick to the 1/8" jack to get sidechain pumping for certain songs, very cool! I hooked a footswitch to the kick line so I can switch it on and off as I want.
Empress backs this compressor with a 4 year warranty which to me is crazy because I use this every single day in my signal chain so It works hard.
It's Canadian and Empress has great customer service.
Posted by Jarvis Mushka on Sep 27, 2023
Trop classe
0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Closest Store Québec, Quebec
Je suis très très satisfait de ce compresseur. Il a tout et fait tout très bien. Mon coup de coeur et un gros plus c'est le Tone Color qui cut à 500Hz ou boots à 2Khz. C'est vraiment good. Perso, je préfère lorsqu'il y a des boutons de contrôle, ce qui est le cas sur le Empress, que l'on peut régler... Produit Canadien aussi.Solide et pas chinois (désolé)
Posted by martin jones on Sep 24, 2023
Empress Bass Compressor
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Vancouver, British Columbia
Somehow this pedal manages to add warmth to your tone whilst maintaining a clear, unobtrusive, crystiline nature. Responsive and premium feeling controls knobs make it more than just a squashy gimmick of a compressor; the user-friendly interface allows for the shaping of a useable tonal pallette that cuts through any mix in any room with clarity and sustain. I could rant more about the flexibility of this unit but the proof is in the pudding. Like a good wine, this pedal does best when paired, in this case with a good EQ, I use an MXR 10 Band.
A warning - don't try this pedal out unless you have the cash to buy it. You won't want to leave without it.
Posted by Daniel Witt on May 22, 2023
This thing is perfect
2 of 2 customers found this review helpful
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Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Winnipeg (Pembina), Manitoba
I love the sound of my bass straight into my Ampeg rig, but I just wanted a touch of control and refinement without losing the power and grit.
The Empress Bass Compressor delivers! It is VERY transparent without the colour circuit engaged. My rig still sounds like my rig, just better - more even.
The sidechain filter and the wet/dry blend are key. There are a lot of controls, but if you know how a compressor works, it should take you less than a minute to dial in exactly what you want.
Posted by Jamie Sitar on Apr 2, 2023
Best compressor I`ve owned
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Quality
Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Orleans, Ontario
I`ve been thru many compressor pedals in the past and this one smokes them all. Other pedals I`ve used were good but you could very easily mess up your tone and fiddle with knobs endlessly to try and get it back. This Empress bass comp is just perfect. The mix knob and High pass to by pass the low end is what stood out for me with this pedal. You can compress your signal without losing all the feel and lows. It's great. The metering lights are very nice too. If you are new to compressors they help you see what is going on.
Posted by Lucien Picard on Jan 20, 2023
Awesome bass compressor
1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
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Quality
Value
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Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Oshawa, Ontario
I’m very happy with my purchase of the blue empress compressor bass pedal! It is easy to use and Empress provides some handy settings tips in the included manual. The tone colour switch is the bomb (I mean that in a good way)! I can hear the difference of the compression makes and the tone switch further enhances the sound. It makes my bass and chorus pedal sing, bringing some really nice tonalities. The mid boost sounds like it will add the definition to stick out nicely in the mix.
Posted by Steve on Oct 19, 2022
Outstanding! I'm totally Empressed!
11 of 11 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Stouffville (formerly Markham), Ontario
I purchased this product at Long & McQuade and I am a professional teacher/musician.
I am very picky when it comes to my bass sound and I admit I should be spending more time practicing rather than tone searching, however I think a great compressor is essential to finding the right sound for bass.
I owned, traded and brought back many high quality bass compressors in the past all of which fall short of this product.
I'm completely Empressed!
Things I really like.....
- the quality of the attack and squashed/compression at the highest level is outstanding... (some high end compressors sound terrible when pushed to higher levels making the sound not useable)
- you get three useable voicings.... scoop, transparent, mid boost.... really an awesome tool for finding your sound.
- parallel compression sound blending is a huge must... and this box blends clean & compressed signals so well...
- the HPF enables you to select how much of the original signal to compress... works great!
- the build quality is outstanding... all the pots and switches are super fantastic and of the highest quality!
- no point in getting a compressor if you can't set it up properly.... that's why they give you all the metering lights.... finally a great visual... it's the key to setting a bass compressor just right... (a lot of great bass compressors fall short in this category)
- input AND output gain control makes this work with any bass no matter where you put it in the chain
- finally... input/output at the top of the box...THANK YOU
It is really nice to see a product of this quality made specifically for bass. Sometimes I feel electric guitars get all the high end effects and bass players usually have to settle for second best. Thanks Empress!
Posted by anonymous on Dec 31, 2020
Protect your investment with the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty
A warranty can be a very important factor when making a buying decision. Because repairs can be very expensive in terms of parts and labour costs, manufacturers usually only provide one year limited warranties that generally only cover items that malfunction due to a manufacturer’s defect. With an important purchase such as a musical
instrument or piece of studio gear, however, many people want to have the peace of mind in knowing that their investment will be protected should the product no longer be performing at 100%.
Because of this, Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty supplements the manufacturer’s warranty to ensure that our customers receive complete “no hassle” warranty coverage within their first year.
How does the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty differ from most manufacturers' warranties?
- Performance Guarantee: Normal wear and tear is covered, so your product will be performing as well as the day you purchased it for the entire duration of the coverage. Band and Orchestral Performance Warranty does not include replacing pads or cleaning for woodwind instruments, unless deemed necessary by our repair staff. Ultrasonic cleaning for brass instruments will be provided if deemed necessary by our repair staff, but is not routinely offered under the Performance Warranty.
- Product Replacement: If your product cannot be fixed or costs too much to fix, we will replace it with the equivalent model for no additional charge. If this is not possible, a full refund will be provided.
- No Lemon Policy: Your product will be replaced should the same problem occur multiple times.
- Convenient: Easy drop off and pick up of the product at any Long & McQuade location.
- Guitar Setup: Guitars purchased at Long & McQuade come with 1 free setup, to be redeemed within 1 year for new guitars and 90 days for used guitars.
- Loaners Available: A loaner product may be given while the product is being repaired.
- Power Surge Protection: Your product is covered even if damaged from a power surge.
- Accessory Coverage: Any peripheral devices or accessories that come with your product (i.e. foot pedal, case) are also covered.
- Commercial Use Coverage: Music and recording professionals who purchase gear for “heavy-use” commercial purposes will still be covered.
Long & McQuade reserves the right to restrict the purchase of additional years of Performance Warranty. Used products come with a 3-month Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Some products (i.e. computers, software, cymbals and other items) are covered only by the manufacturer‘s warranty. Consumables (i.e. strings, reeds, drum sticks, batteries, tubes, cross faders) are excluded as they are designed to be replaced. Cosmetic Damage, Accidental Damage, or problems caused by Humidity or Temperature Issues are not covered. Speakers damaged by overpowering are generally not covered. Our coverage does not provide compensation for loss of use. As of June 2018 the Performance Warranty is no longer transferable. The warranty is only valid in Canada.
Purchasing additional years of coverage
Some manufacturers provide warranties for longer than 1 year; however, these are usually limited warranties that do not provide the same coverage as the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Customers interested in more complete and convenient (but not necessarily longer) coverage are still able to purchase additional years of the Performance Warranty.
If you are interested in receiving this coverage for longer than one year, you have the option of purchasing additional years of the Performance Warranty. The pricing is as follows:
- NEW products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- USED products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to increase the warranty from 3 months to 1 year. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- GUITARS: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year. $45 maximum. An additional free setup is not included with additional purchased years of Performance Warranty.
- BAND and ORCHESTRAL instruments: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year.
Great Additions
Reserve in Store
| Product | SKU | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Bass Compressor Pedal - Blue | 742487 |
