The Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver is an Empress compressor pedal. Close alternatives include the Empress Bass Compressor Blue and the Fender Bassman Compressor. It pairs well with the Ampeg SVT-CL and the Traynor SB112.
Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Empress · pedal
The Empress Bass Compressor MKII is the second-generation update of the acclaimed Empress Bass Compressor, refining the optical compression circuit with additional controls and improved specifications. The MKII adds LED metering for compression amount visual feedback and expands the control set while maintaining the praised Blend parallel compression feature of the original. Empress Effects Canadian boutique construction.
What stands out
“Blend parallel compression from the original is preserved and refined”
— from the reviews
“The MKII adds LED metering for compression amount visual feedback and expands the control set while maintaining the praised Blend parallel compression feature of the original”
— from the listing
“the empress bass compressor mkii is the second-generation update of the acclaimed empress bass compressor”
— from the listing
“Its standout strength is the refined optical compression with LED metering and Blend parallel compression”
— from the community notes
“The Bass Compressor MKII delivers updated optical bass compression with LED compression metering and refined controls over the original, providing all the acclaimed Blend parallel compression character of the original with added visual feed…”
— from the community notes
- parallel compression
- compressor
- optical compression
- bass
- optical
- original
- led metering
- compression amount visual feedback
Amps that pair well with the Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Ampeg SVT-CL
Ampeg
8% matchRun the Empress Bass Compressor ahead of the SVT-CL for parallel optical compression before the amp's own growl reacts.
Comes later in the signal chain
Traynor SB112
Traynor
8% matchTraynor SB112's own high headroom character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Synergy SL2 Module after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt goes after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver in the chain
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Ceriatone 2202H after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Egnater Tweaker 88 Head
Egnater
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Egnater Tweaker 88 Head goes after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver in the chain
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H
Marshall
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H goes after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver in the chain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Pedals that stack with the Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Catalinbread Giygas
Catalinbread
7% matchCatalinbread Giygas leans toward octave, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
Electro-Harmonix
7% matchElectro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi leans toward fuzzy, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss DM-2 Delay
Boss
4% matchKeep Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver's compressed voice out front: Boss DM-2 Delay goes after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver in the signal chain so its analog warmth voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Carl Martin DeLayla XL
Carl Martin
4% matchKeep Carl Martin DeLayla XL after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2
Dr Scientist
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2 after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Warm Audio Jet Phaser
Warm Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Warm Audio Jet Phaser belongs after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver, since modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Donner Big Mouth Distortion
Donner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Donner Big Mouth Distortion after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Demon FX Gladiator Double Preamp Just
Demon Fx
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Demon FX Gladiator Double Preamp Just after Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver
Alternatives
Empress Bass Compressor Blue
Empress
61% similarity“is the second-generation update of the acclaimed Empress Bass Compressor, refining the optical compression circuit with additional controls”
Fender Bassman Compressor
Fender
53% similarityShared character: compressor, bass
Providence Bass Boot Comp BTC-1
Providence
53% similarityShared character: compressor, bass
Strymon OB.1 Bass
Strymon
49% similarityShared character: compressor, bass
Demon FX Optocoupler Bass Compressor Just
Demon Fx
49% similarityShared character: compressor, bass
DigiTech XBS Bass Squeeze
Digitech
43% similarityShared character: compressor, bass
Arcade Audio Button Masher Compressor
Arcade Audio
43% similarityShared character: compressor
Joyo R-27 Scylla Bass Compressor
Joyo
42% similarityShared character: compressor, bass
See all alternatives to the Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver?+
The closest matches in character are the Empress Bass Compressor Blue, the Fender Bassman Compressor, the Providence Bass Boot Comp BTC-1.
What pairs well with the Empress Bass Compressor MKII Silver?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Ampeg SVT-CL, Traynor SB112, Synergy SL2 Module — Run the Empress Bass Compressor ahead of the SVT-CL for parallel optical compression before the amp's own growl reacts..