The Empress Bass Compressor Blue is an Empress compressor pedal. Close alternatives include the Origin Effects Cali76 MK2 Bass Compressor and the Fender Bassman Compressor. It pairs well with the Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp and the Synergy SL2 Module.
Empress Bass Compressor Blue
Empress · pedal
The Empress Bass Compressor is a highly regarded optical compressor pedal from Canadian manufacturer Empress Effects, designed specifically for bass with Input, Output, Ratio, Attack, Release, and a Blend (parallel compression) control. The Blend control is a key feature enabling parallel compression that mixes compressed and dry signal for natural-sounding bass compression. Available in blue and other colors. Widely praised for transparent, musical bass compression at the highest pedal quality level.
- bass
- optical
- transparent
- compressor
- dynamic
- punch
- attack
- frequency
Genres the Empress Bass Compressor Blue is commonly used in
- Alternative Rock
- Country
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Funk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Soul
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Empress Bass Compressor Blue
Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp
Laney
21% matchInto the Richter's rehearsal-oriented, mid-forward EQ, the Bass Compressor's transparent, punchy squash has a defined amp voice to work with.
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Synergy SL2 Module brings the high gain it's missing
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Friedman BE-Mini Head gives it high gain to fill it with
Egnater Tweaker 88 Head
Egnater
tonal matchRun Egnater Tweaker 88 Head into that transparent platform and it finally gets some low gain
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Ceriatone 2202H brings the high gain it's missing
Friedman Jose LTD
Friedman
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Friedman Jose LTD gives it high gain to fill it with
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchInto a transparent tone, Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 brings the high gain it's missing
Bad Cat Lynx 50
Bad Cat
tonal matchThe transparent tone has headroom to spare — Bad Cat Lynx 50 gives it high gain to fill it with
Pedals that stack with the Empress Bass Compressor Blue
Klon Centaur
Klon
32% matchRun the Klon's transparent midrange push after the Bass Compressor's punchy, dynamic compression so the drive kicks in from an already-controlled low end.
Beetronics Nectar
Beetronics
30% matchThe Bass Compressor's transparent, punchy squash evens out the attack before it ever reaches the Nectar's own boutique low-gain saturation.
Dawner Prince Boonar
Dawner Prince
19% matchAhead of the Boonar, the Bass Compressor's transparent, punchy squash keeps the signal consistent before the delay ever repeats it. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Neunaber Wet Mono Reverb Pedal
pedal
13% matchPut the Wet reverb's subtle, studio-clean wash after the Bass Compressor's punchy, dynamic compression so the decay trails an already-controlled signal. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Vertex Effects Trainwreck
Vertex
9% matchWhat Empress Bass Compressor Blue brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
Z.Vex Double Rock
Zvex
8% matchEmpress Bass Compressor Blue leans toward transparent, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
MXR M281 Thump
MXR
7% matchEmpress Bass Compressor Blue's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying
Mooer The Juicer
Mooer
7% matchWhat Empress Bass Compressor Blue brings here leans toward transparent — that's worth building a pairing around
See all 14 pedals that pair with the Empress Bass Compressor Blue →
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Origin Effects Cali76 MK2 Bass Compressor
Origin Effects
76% similarityShared character: punch, compressor, attack
Fender Bassman Compressor
Fender
74% similarityShared character: blend, punch, compressor
Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Empress
70% similarity“is the second-generation update of the acclaimed Empress Bass Compressor, refining the optical compression circuit with additional controls”
Ashdown Studio Compressor
Ashdown
70% similarityShared character: pedalboard, compressor, attack
Caline Blue CP 45 Caline
Caline
69% similarityShared character: pedalboard, compressor, attack
Ashdown Velvet Compressor
Ashdown
68% similarityShared character: compressor, attack, bass
Boss CP-1X Compressor
Boss
68% similarityShared character: compressor, attack, studio
Boss LMB-3 Bass Limiter/Enhancer
Boss
68% similarityShared character: attack, studio, transparent
Demon FX Optocoupler Bass Compressor Just
Demon Fx
97% similaritysimilar tone character
Ampeg Opto Comp Compressor
Ampeg
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Blaxx BX-Bass Limit
Blaxx
95% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Empress Bass Compressor Blue (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Empress Bass Compressor Blue?+
The closest matches in character are the Origin Effects Cali76 MK2 Bass Compressor, the Fender Bassman Compressor, the Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver.
What pairs well with the Empress Bass Compressor Blue?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp, Synergy SL2 Module, Friedman BE-Mini Head — Into the Richter's rehearsal-oriented, mid-forward EQ, the Bass Compressor's transparent, punchy squash has a defined amp voice to work with..