It's very stout, relatively quiet for a Compressor, and despite having only two knobs, the internal and external switches make it considerably more versatile than I ever would have imagined. I bought it looking for a simplified but fully-functional compressor with a blend knob. Before I was using a Boss CS-3. I won't say this pedal is 'better' than the CS-3 because I have a positive predisposition to it despite its quirks, but for someone looking for versatility and a professional studio-quality compression, this is you guy. Small profile, but heavy and well made. As I said, you might end up preferring a different compressor, but you could do no better than this one. I suspect I will be using it the rest of my life.

Excellent sound and an easy to use compression pedal. A 3-way switch determines the amount of compression: low, medium, high. Use the blend control to get the perfect amount of attack (dry signal) mixed with sustain (wet signal). I have a Wampler EGO which is also a great pedal but the SP is just so simple to use, sounds great, and fits my small pedal board more easily with room to spare. I just leave it on most of the time for my style of playing.

For awhile, I didn't use a compression pedal. I felt I wanted to keep the edges and rely on working hard on my technique. I got this pedal on a friend's recommendation and wasn't that impressed. On a lark I picked it back up and spent some time with it...man was I surprised. After a little fiddling, I dialed in a transparent tone....and was able to add to the sound, without dimming highs or artificially pushing the lows. It seems, I will use a pedal going forward...

I also have a keeley 4 knob compressor but I'm preferring the Xotic pedal right now. The compression is more agressive than the keeley but I find it easier to dial in a good sound, especially using the blend knob, I like to retain some dynamics to my sound. The high/mid/low switch is great, I like it on mid or high, really makes the harmonics come out. There is more volume on tap as well, and I can see how it could also be used as a useful clean boost. The Keeley has a more dynamic and transparent sound but I also find it's noisier than the Xotic. The Xotic is a fraction of the price though and better overall value I think.

Works well, very solid- this little thing weights a lot more than you'd think. Small footprint, which is nice. Very adjustable. Comes with recommended settings for different pickups. Also came with a 9V battery installed, which I only realized after taking the back off to adjust the internal DIP switches.