Way Huge Saffron Squeeze Compressor Mk II review

Squeezing a little more life out of this cracking compressor

  • £135
  • $214

MusicRadar Verdict

Familiar vintage, smooth guitar compression at the core, with added extra control for versatility.

Pros

  • +

    Welcome new features.

Cons

  • -

    Few to speak of.

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The original Saffron Squeeze compressor featured just large volume and sustain knobs, but Way Huge has brought it back with extra control in the form of three tiny knobs sitting in a row below the original array.

While the type of natural squash and sustain you get here, like many guitar compressors, is derived from the Ross/ Dynacomp design, those small knobs let you tweak that sound further.

Perhaps most useful is the tone knob, which lets you dial in some top end to counteract any dullness brought on by heavy compression and to give your guitar some presence in a band mix. Alternatively, you can turn it down to reduce hiss.

The gain knob sets the input level to match how your particular guitar's output hits the compressor's input to give you flexibility, whereas the attack control governs how quickly the compression kicks in so you can choose to keep the front end of your note relatively natural, or give it a nice pop.

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.