MichaelW
Well-known member
- Build Rating
When I saw this pop up under the new offerings over at MBP I knew I had to build it.
Being as obsessive as I am I also decided to build a couple of other compressors as well. The fist was the AionFX version of the John Hollis Flatline documented here.
I also grabbed the Engineers Thumb from PPCB since I don't have a DIY OTA based compressor. TBD on that one....
So this is a really cool original design by the Loco Frijole himself. It's a VCA based compressor using the THAT4305 IC. I don't think I've ever seen one before.
I grabbed the pre soldered THAT4305 from MBP and I'm glad I did, not sure I'd want to solder that SMT, it's a wee little thing.
I've built a ton of compressors but none of them have managed to knock my beloved General Tso off the board yet. And as cool as this one sounds, I don't think it will either. Having said that, it's a great compressor with a small footprint.
It's super quiet even with the controls maxed out. Much quieter than the other VCA compressor I've built, the MBP "Oracle" (Boss CS-3).
It doesn't have as much squish as the CS-3 but more than any of my optical compressors.
It's very neutral sounding and doesn't add a lot of coloration.
I tend to use my compressor as a subtle always on affect and one thing I really love about the Fat General is the treble control. As you crank up the squish you invariably lose a little high end and the treble control on the Tso's can restore some of that sparkle that I like.
Having said that, I'm really impressed with both the Flatline and the Trash Compactor in how neutral sounding they are.
Highly recommended build. I've got 3 compressors on my board right now and have been messing around with all 3. But invariably I always seem to wind up preferring the Tso's (even though it's by a hair).
Super straightforward build and dialing it in was pretty easy.
I used the Tayda Flat Violet enclosure with some dark blue chicken head knobs. Top mounting the MBP 1590B builds is always a bit of a crapshoot.
I just managed to squeak this one in using Lumberg Jacks. The cable jacks clear the components by a hair.....
I recorded a short demo of this pedal with a bit of knob tweaking and also comparing it to the Tso and Flatline.
Being as obsessive as I am I also decided to build a couple of other compressors as well. The fist was the AionFX version of the John Hollis Flatline documented here.
I also grabbed the Engineers Thumb from PPCB since I don't have a DIY OTA based compressor. TBD on that one....
So this is a really cool original design by the Loco Frijole himself. It's a VCA based compressor using the THAT4305 IC. I don't think I've ever seen one before.
I grabbed the pre soldered THAT4305 from MBP and I'm glad I did, not sure I'd want to solder that SMT, it's a wee little thing.
I've built a ton of compressors but none of them have managed to knock my beloved General Tso off the board yet. And as cool as this one sounds, I don't think it will either. Having said that, it's a great compressor with a small footprint.
It's super quiet even with the controls maxed out. Much quieter than the other VCA compressor I've built, the MBP "Oracle" (Boss CS-3).
It doesn't have as much squish as the CS-3 but more than any of my optical compressors.
It's very neutral sounding and doesn't add a lot of coloration.
I tend to use my compressor as a subtle always on affect and one thing I really love about the Fat General is the treble control. As you crank up the squish you invariably lose a little high end and the treble control on the Tso's can restore some of that sparkle that I like.
Having said that, I'm really impressed with both the Flatline and the Trash Compactor in how neutral sounding they are.
Highly recommended build. I've got 3 compressors on my board right now and have been messing around with all 3. But invariably I always seem to wind up preferring the Tso's (even though it's by a hair).
Super straightforward build and dialing it in was pretty easy.
I used the Tayda Flat Violet enclosure with some dark blue chicken head knobs. Top mounting the MBP 1590B builds is always a bit of a crapshoot.
I just managed to squeak this one in using Lumberg Jacks. The cable jacks clear the components by a hair.....
I recorded a short demo of this pedal with a bit of knob tweaking and also comparing it to the Tso and Flatline.
Last edited:
playing the Dire Straights...
