Keeley's 25th-year Compressor Plus gets a germanium heart
A Japanese-style germanium transistor moves into the Compressor Plus output stage and side-chain, while Level, Tone, Compression and Blend stay put.
The pedal that started Keeley Electronics was a compressor, built by Robert Keeley on a workbench in 2001. Twenty-five years later, that design gets a circuit change rather than a commemorative paint job. The Compressor Plus Germanium puts a Japanese-style germanium transistor at the centre of the Compressor Plus.
Keeley tags the part as a 2SD352 and uses it in two places: the audio output section and the side-chain feedback circuit that drives the compression. The maker is blunt about it. This is not simply an anniversary finish or a cosmetic update, Keeley says; the circuit itself has changed, aiming for a germanium response from a layout players already know.
The family tree is short. The original compressor grew into the four-knob Compressor, then the Compressor Plus, and this version keeps that pedal's controls. Level sets output. Compression sets the amount of squeeze and sustain, Tone shapes the top end of the compressed signal, and Blend mixes your dry signal back in. Keeley treats Blend as the signature control, the one that adds sustain without losing the natural attack of the instrument.
The board-side details are practical. You can switch between true bypass and buffered bypass on the fly. Power is 9V to 18V DC through a standard centre-negative connection, with a 25mA draw, and Keeley designs and builds it in Oklahoma.
There are two colourways: the standard Brushed Aluminum and a Transparent Black that is exclusive to Keeley's RKFX.com Custom Shop. On the Keeley Compressor Plus Germanium product page, Brushed Aluminum shows as in stock and Transparent Black as out of stock.
Video: Keeley Electronics, “Our Finest Comp EVER? Introducing the Compressor Plus Germanium - 25 Years In The Making!”
