Home › Forums › Review Your EHX Gear › Nano Soul Preacher Compressor

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  • November 3, 2008 at 2:03 pm #77244
    electro-melx
    Moderator

    The Soul Preacher has two knobs (volume, sustain) plus a switch to set the attack speed. (fast, med, slow) …. it’s this little switch that made me switch from a dynacomp.

    It’s also a little more subtle than a dynacomp and I prefer it for my style of guitar playing, it sounds great playing cleanish rhythm.

    there is a massive volume boost on this thing that I could imagine would be great for solo’s and this also means that as you turn the compression up and squish the sound you have plenty of volume to turn it back up to a good overall level.

    The only downside is the noise level, it’s a bit hissy…not as bad as a Boss CS-3 but worse than my old dynacomp, I can live with it though because the actual sound of the pedal is exactly what I need in a compressor. it’s the right price, the right size and it sounds great for my style, so I can live with a little hiss.

    I’m gonna give it a 8 out of 10.

    if it was a little quieter then I wouldn’t be able to fault it for the price and it would get a 10.

    because it has such a big volume boost I’m wondering if there is a way to turn the gain of this pedal down a bit,that might eliminate the hiss altogether….off in search of trim pots!!

    November 3, 2008 at 2:10 pm #86767
    electro-melx
    Moderator

    mmmmm….it appears it does have a trim pot inside.

    ….on the circuit board near where the volume pot is…I wonder?

    does anyone know? I’m a bit worried about messing up a brand new pedal!!

    if that’s the gain trim we could be in buisness here because it seems mine is set a little high.

    November 3, 2008 at 5:26 pm #86793
    janusEffect
    Moderator

    Yep, it’s an input gain trimpot.

    I used to own one a long while back. I had to turn the trimpot down significantly because my Stingray was pushing it into extreme “squashing” even at milder settings. By turning it down, you increase your dynamic range, allow for milder compression, and even reduce the noise.

    It’s probably set high to be ideal out-of-the-box for passive lower-output guitars. Basically, the vintage instrument / classic compression combo.

    November 3, 2008 at 6:08 pm #86794
    electro-melx
    Moderator
    Quote:
    Yep, it’s an input gain trimpot.

    I used to own one a long while back. I had to turn the trimpot down significantly because my Stingray was pushing it into extreme “squashing” even at milder settings. By turning it down, you increase your dynamic range, allow for milder compression, and even reduce the noise.

    It’s probably set high to be ideal out-of-the-box for passive lower-output guitars. Basically, the vintage instrument / classic compression combo.

    oh, thanks mate, that’s great news…..I’ll have a poke around with that later..

    thanks very much. :)

    November 4, 2008 at 2:23 pm #86863
    Fender&EHX4ever
    Moderator

    Great, now I’m having Soul Preacher G.A.S. I’d been eyeing them for a long time, but I ended up finding a great deal on a White Finger in its original wooden box, so I jumped on that instead. I don’t regret it, but now I want both :(

    Speaking of Soul Preachers, I have a Deluxe Big Muff Pi (blend switch version), which has a Soul Preacher built into the circuit. The compression used in isolation (without the fuzz) doesn’t do a very good job of compressing the attack. The compression kicks in just after the attack, and it’s pretty noticeable in an unpleasant way.

    Does anyone know the Dlx BMP well enough to know if it’s supposed to be that way, or if there’s a way to adjust it?

    November 4, 2008 at 2:52 pm #86868
    electro-melx
    Moderator

    thanks MysticBoo, I made a slight adjustment and it’s spot on now…..superduper!

    November 4, 2008 at 2:55 pm #86870
    electro-melx
    Moderator
    Quote:
    Great, now I’m having Soul Preacher G.A.S. I’d been eyeing them for a long time, but I ended up finding a great deal on a White Finger in its original wooden box, so I jumped on that instead. I don’t regret it, but now I want both :(

    Speaking of Soul Preachers, I have a Deluxe Big Muff Pi (blend switch version), which has a Soul Preacher built into the circuit. The compression used in isolation (without the fuzz) doesn’t do a very good job of compressing the attack. The compression kicks in just after the attack, and it’s pretty noticeable in an unpleasant way.

    Does anyone know the Dlx BMP well enough to know if it’s supposed to be that way, or if there’s a way to adjust it?

    you don’t need a white finger, black finger and BM deluxe W/SP and soul preacher!!!! facepalm-1.gif

    ….but….does the BMD have a attack knob/switch or whatever?

    November 4, 2008 at 3:01 pm #86873
    Fender&EHX4ever
    Moderator
    Quote:
    you don’t need a white finger, black finger and BM deluxe W/SP and soul preacher!!!! facepalm-1.gif

    ….but….does the BMD have a attack knob/switch or whatever?

    When have I ever been about “need”? 😆 If we start getting on about “need”, then it’s time for me to sell off about 4/5ths of my stuff. But I have to say, I’m trying my best to avoid the XO/nano reissues, only because I’ll be bankrupt if I start down that path in addition to the vintage lust.

    The Dlx BMP only has a threshold knob for the compressor.

    November 4, 2008 at 3:31 pm #86884
    electro-melx
    Moderator
    Quote:
    Quote:
    you don’t need a white finger, black finger and BM deluxe W/SP and soul preacher!!!! facepalm-1.gif

    ….but….does the BMD have a attack knob/switch or whatever?

    When have I ever been about “need”? 😆 If we start getting on about “need”, then it’s time for me to sell off about 4/5ths of my stuff. But I have to say, I’m trying my best to avoid the XO/nano reissues, only because I’ll be bankrupt if I start down that path in addition to the vintage lust.

    The Dlx BMP only has a threshold knob for the compressor.

    yeah, ok….’need’ is the wrong word…..maybe “wouldn’t seem too useful’

    ahh, what does threshold do? is that like a sustain/compression or whatever you want to call it knob? I like my soul preacher, but I doubt it can do anything that you can’t do with the ‘fingers’ to be honest.

    November 5, 2008 at 4:58 am #87058
    John J
    Member
    Quote:
    Quote:
    Quote:
    I like my soul preacher, but I doubt it can do anything that you can’t do with the ‘fingers’ to be honest.

    If you’re turning down the input gain on the SP then you’re probably right, but I’ve got a Black Finger and a Soul Preacher and they’re completely different (before tweaking anything internally). The BF is a really warm, mellow compressor – the kind of thing I turned on and I instantly sounded better, but I always had a hard time placing why. It wasn’t a funky sound, it was just super smooth and totally rad. Mine’s in limbo right now because I’m an idiot and I was too rough with the ‘compress’ pot when I was trying to replace a cracked knob; I pulled the shaft right out of the pot and I’m not 100% sure where/how to get a replacement.

    The Soul Preacher, on the other hand, is just what the name implies – a funky sonofagun, full of soul and spirit. It’s more like a Dynacomp than a studio compressor, and although it can do the ‘subtle + smooth’ thing really well, it seems all I can do when I dust mine off is turn the sustain way up and play the main riff to McCartney’s “Coming Up” over and over or pretend I know the first thing about country music. Not that I’m complaining, of course! I think the Soul Preacher has way more compressorial ‘range’ than the Fingers, but for me, it plays like an effect whereas the Black Finger played like a tonal upgrade.

    November 5, 2008 at 1:53 pm #87061
    electro-melx
    Moderator
    Quote:
    If you’re turning down the input gain on the SP then you’re probably right, but I’ve got a Black Finger and a Soul Preacher and they’re completely different (before tweaking anything internally). The BF is a really warm, mellow compressor – the kind of thing I turned on and I instantly sounded better, but I always had a hard time placing why. It wasn’t a funky sound, it was just super smooth and totally rad. Mine’s in limbo right now because I’m an idiot and I was too rough with the ‘compress’ pot when I was trying to replace a cracked knob; I pulled the shaft right out of the pot and I’m not 100% sure where/how to get a replacement.

    The Soul Preacher, on the other hand, is just what the name implies – a funky sonofagun, full of soul and spirit. It’s more like a Dynacomp than a studio compressor, and although it can do the ‘subtle + smooth’ thing really well, it seems all I can do when I dust mine off is turn the sustain way up and play the main riff to McCartney’s “Coming Up” over and over or pretend I know the first thing about country music. Not that I’m complaining, of course! I think the Soul Preacher has way more compressorial ‘range’ than the Fingers, but for me, it plays like an effect whereas the Black Finger played like a tonal upgrade.

    lol, maybe you DO need another compressor then F&EHX;!!! 😆

    John, EHX will repair your Black Finger I believe if you send it to them and pay a small fee (if it isn’t under warranty) Fender&EHX;will probably be able to PM you the details of how to do this. :thumb:

    November 5, 2008 at 3:25 pm #87073
    Fender&EHX4ever
    Moderator
    Quote:
    Quote:
    If you’re turning down the input gain on the SP then you’re probably right, but I’ve got a Black Finger and a Soul Preacher and they’re completely different (before tweaking anything internally). The BF is a really warm, mellow compressor – the kind of thing I turned on and I instantly sounded better, but I always had a hard time placing why. It wasn’t a funky sound, it was just super smooth and totally rad. Mine’s in limbo right now because I’m an idiot and I was too rough with the ‘compress’ pot when I was trying to replace a cracked knob; I pulled the shaft right out of the pot and I’m not 100% sure where/how to get a replacement.

    The Soul Preacher, on the other hand, is just what the name implies – a funky sonofagun, full of soul and spirit. It’s more like a Dynacomp than a studio compressor, and although it can do the ‘subtle + smooth’ thing really well, it seems all I can do when I dust mine off is turn the sustain way up and play the main riff to McCartney’s “Coming Up” over and over or pretend I know the first thing about country music. Not that I’m complaining, of course! I think the Soul Preacher has way more compressorial ‘range’ than the Fingers, but for me, it plays like an effect whereas the Black Finger played like a tonal upgrade.

    lol, maybe you DO need another compressor then F&EHX;!!! 😆

    John, EHX will repair your Black Finger I believe if you send it to them and pay a small fee (if it isn’t under warranty) Fender&EHX;will probably be able to PM you the details of how to do this. :thumb:

    I agree, John, the BF is a mellow/subtle compressor that upgrades my tone. It still tops my list as the one effect that is absolutely indispensable to me. I play through 2 vintage Fender amps from the 60s with tube rectifiers, which are rich and warm to begin with, but the BF gives them that extra body and punch without making it obvious that I’m using a compressor.

    I sent a malfunctioning Tube EQ to EHX a couple of months ago. They repaired it within a week for only $15, and did not require a warranty. Now THAT is what I call superior service! :thumb:

    Just use the contact # in the About EHX link above. They’ll get you set up.

    December 4, 2008 at 4:43 pm #88432
    electro-melx
    Moderator

    I love this pedal now, I’ve never felt like this about a compressor before. :love:

    ….for me anyway it strikes the perfect balance between a simple comp like a dyna and something more complicated. The Dyna I couldn’t adjust to how I wanted it and the others I’ve had were over complicated and I could never get them just right….the internal trim opens up a whole new level of ajustability and it’s easy to find the spot that works for your set up.

    December 4, 2008 at 4:48 pm #88435
    julian
    Moderator

    How much extra sustain does it give you?

    Does it hep even out tapping?

    December 4, 2008 at 4:56 pm #88437
    electro-melx
    Moderator

    tapping? :freak: lol, seriously I would have no idea!!

    bags of sustain, feedback and overdrive..just the right amount of squish to level it out without it sounding stupidly processed….it can go from subtle to super compressed if you want though.

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