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hungrymusician
Bronze Member
Malaysia
95 Posts |
 Posted - 06/13/2006 : 20:28:16
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| Hi,can someone tell me whats the differences between a cs-1 and a cs-2?What is the reasonable price for a 1980 cs-1(silver screw)pedal?and how do i make sure it is a genuine cs-1,thanks a bundle! |
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stahlhart
Platinum Member
1318 Posts |
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hungrymusician
Bronze Member
Malaysia
95 Posts |
Posted - 06/13/2006 : 21:26:46
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| um,does it still runs on the normal psa 9volt adaptor?heard there are 2 versions of cs-1,the momentary led and stationary,is it true that the momentary led ones are earlier made and better than the latter in terms of sound? |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2006 : 10:29:43
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The CS-1 runs of a 9V battery or a 12V adaptor. A 9V adaptor can be used if the pedal is chained to newer pedals designed for the PSA adaptor.
There's no difference between CS-1s with or without momentary LED. When the circuit was changed only a few components that has to do with the LED itself was replaced. |
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hungrymusician
Bronze Member
Malaysia
95 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2006 : 16:58:44
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hmm,this makes me wonder if what this review says is true?
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After years of searching for this supposedly 'holy grail' of compressors, I've stumbled on this fact:
THE 'MOMENTARY LED' CS-1s, ARE WAY BETTER THAN THE LATTER-DAY VERSIONS!!!
Check it out here, as i have, for maybe hundreds of times. Thanks to the reviews here at harmony central, I've done an exhaustive cross-check and comparison of the best compressors (Boss, MXR, Maxon, even the newer Keeleys).
One thing I remember was that some reviewers here mentioned about that 'momentary LED' version, which only lights up when the pedal is actually depressed.
Now, here's the story...
I bought a pretty well-kept CS-1 last year from a buddy, and thought that that was IT. Although it sounded better than the CS-3 and CS-2, I thought that its squawking was not too good. On the 2'clock to max settings, there was this major swell (and pop) that wasn't to my liking. It sounded ok for distortion, but for clean, jazzy sounds, the notes seem to lose a lot of articulation.
Well, after some months, another friend offered me yet another CS-1. Out of curiosity, I decided to borrow it and bring it home. What triggered my curiosity was when he said that, "Oh, there's something wrong with the LED. It doesn't seem to light up."
And so, I figured that maybe, this was one of those late 70s CS-1s, with that configuration. Soon enough, I put a fresh battery in it, and ... lo and behold! On the clean settings, the 'new' CS-1 sounded fatter! (regardless of the setting, even on max) ...
Amazed at this new discovery, I ABd the two boxes and true enough, the stock one (the one whose LED lights up normally) sounded thin, and had poorer sustain than the 'momentary LED' version.
What I like about this new pedal now is that, as I said, even on clean settings, ANY setting on the CS-1 gives out round, fat tones that don't have that unbearable squawking (or pumping or breathing, as some reviewers call it). It just sounds 'right.' I do remember a soundfile of a Route 66 pedal used for a jazz setting, and this CS-1 sounds pretty close. I think a good word to describe the sound is ... milky or juicy.
Satisfied with the cleans, I then put the CS-1 through the acid test: distortion!!!
Oh, if I may mention, the reason why I've been searching frantically for this little blue box is because of my fascination with that 'violin-like' tone of guys like Allan Holdsworth, Eric Johnson and a lot of other fusion players like Scott Henderson.
Well, I must admit now that you can't just get such tones out of ordinary stompboxes. (But hope is a wonderful thing, don't you think?)
But anyway, I put the CS-1 before a SansAmp GT-2 on the Marshall setting, and ... voila! Superb sustain!!
Prior to this, I must say again that I've tried a host of compressors (which I'm now selling one by one) and I must say that they don't give the sustain I've been looking for. I've gotten better sustain by driving the SansAmp with another overdrive box (a Vox Valvetone, a Maxon SuperTube Screamer, Blues Driver, etc). THAT made the thing sustain better.
But with the new CS-1, I couldn't believe my ears! The sustain was WAY better than my earlier CS-1. And when you switch the toggle to treble, it gives this nice 'warmth' to the tone. Unbelievable!
Reliability: N/A
As others have said, perhaps the one foreseeable problem here is when you're using the CS-1 at a gig, and (since the LED doesn't really light up) you can't tell whether it's on or not. But I guess your ears will tell you.
Haven't used it in a gig yet, but it seems pretty sturdy.
Customer Support: N/A
Overall Rating: 10
Considering the prices these things fetch at E-bay ($200-300), I think this is a steal.
As I've stressed earlier on, do watch out for the 'momentary LED' versions. These must've been the earlier versions Boss built. And now that I've ABd that against a 'regular' one, I can pretty much say with conviction that those are the 'holy grail' of compressors - the main reason why these thingies merited such high ratings here.
If I may digress, I should say that it's quite amazing how there are actually very few reviews of this pedal here compared to the other compressors.
And lastly, I'd like to thank these guys who did the reviews below for giving me enough reason to spend endless nights dreaming about that lovely sustain that just makes your tone so amazing. Having a good pedal is one thing, but hearing others rave about it makes you glad to be a member of the six-string fraternity!
Submitted by guitarmaniac_ph at 06/09/2002 07:22
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Edited by - hungrymusician on 06/14/2006 18:51:32 |
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hungrymusician
Bronze Member
Malaysia
95 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 05:32:58
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any opinions,boss area experts? |
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Sunburst
Silver Member
427 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 08:43:39
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| Pedals do sound different, but finding out exactly what makes them differ slightly soundwise is uncertain. Components differ too, within certain limits. Aging of components may be one factor, and also that those specific components used in that particular pedal happen to be performing at their peak together. |
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hungrymusician
Bronze Member
Malaysia
95 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 10:07:08
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i see,i see.In terms of the momentary led version or silver screw versions,which came into my mind,So,can it be put in this way:
These versions(especially silver screw) of boss compact pedals are the 'ultimate' ones to own/collect simply because they are rarer,and are made earlier,therefore the prices and demand for them are sky high nowadays although there are slight differences in sound or maybe none?
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Edited by - hungrymusician on 06/15/2006 10:10:32 |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 10:57:29
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| Some pedals sound different but some reviewers pretend to hear the difference between everything too. I wouldn't put too much trust in HC reviews. There are as many reviewers as there are reviews so a lot of them are bound to be inaccurate. Some guys always give their own gear top scores regardless of what they have. Some guys slaughter everything in their reviews. Without actually knowing these people it is impossible to know what to believe and what to dismiss. |
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Austen
Bronze Member
50 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 12:07:33
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HC = vastly unreliable.
Perhaps the first example of the CS-1 was faulty- popping doesn't sound right to me.
A factor that certainly could affect aging pedals is component aging.
I used to be into 60s cars...no matter how in spec you rebuild things no two of the same model will ever drive the same...they just dont.
Components age too. Heat moisture caps... Especially electro caps.
Electro caps have a limited lifespan think around 20 years is about it and are constantly changing with use/idleness. The cap actually reforms it's conductive layer with a current applied. Short story- play them regularly-keep electrons flowing through those caps.
Electros have wide tolerences when new typically ~20%.
Each pedal will age differently.
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hungrymusician
Bronze Member
Malaysia
95 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2006 : 20:55:31
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well,im not experienced enough to determine which side i should listen to,but from what i have read and experienced so far,i have an inner feeling that you guys are right.Im really thankful.pls keep up the good work,hopefully one day i'll be able to contribute to this 'crazyness'haha |
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cs-1
