Simply put, a compressor makes quiet passages louder and loud passages quieter. They’re used to make you sound more “professional” by providing smooth dynamics and enhanced sustain. But most compressors can get in the way of your guitar’s natural transients and feel. Not so with the SFX-09 Double Back™ Compressor, the newest stompbox by pickup-giant-turned-pedal-manufacturer, Seymour Duncan. The Double Back feature, which gives this stompbox its name, allows some of the uncompressed sound–specifically the initial “snap” of the string–to “double back” into the compressor output, thus preserving the essential essence and sensation of a string being plucked. And it’s extremely quiet.
At its heart, the Double Back is a low noise, low distortion compressor-sustainer pedal with very wide-range compression, exceptional sustain, and simple, intuitive control of compressor dynamics. One control knob adjusts the compression ratio from 1:1 to over 20:1, and simultaneously sets the maximum sustain, with an extraordinary 60dB of sustain gain being engaged at high compression ratios.
Added to this are three features that preserve the playing dynamics and “feel” that are lost with many other compressors. The first is the “Double Back” control. This feature blends some of your guitar’s uncompressed signal with the compressed signal, thus preserving the essential essence and sensation of a string being plucked. The second is a three-position switchable frequency filter which allows the tone of this sound to be tailored to fit the music and the player’s taste. The third is the “Attack” control which determines how fast the compressor responds to each pick attack. The range of this control is enormous. At its fastest speed, the compressor action is almost instantaneous – the guitar sound is compressed as soon as the pick releases the string. At medium speeds, the initial organic “thunk” of the guitar body gets through before the compressor acts. At the slowest speed, a massive explosion of sound precedes the sustained tone, hammering out the guitar dynamics while still providing incredible sustain.
Like all Seymour Duncan stompboxes, the Double Back Compressor features true bypass and is built like a tank. The SFX-09 is the cleanest, quietest compressor around. And with the Double Back feature, it’s one of the most unique and usable.
About Seymour Duncan:
Seymour Duncan provides a broad range of quality tone expression products including aftermarket and original equipment guitar pickups as well as boutique stompboxes for guitar players. Founded by Seymour W. Duncan and Cathy Carter Duncan in 1978 in Santa Barbara, CA, the company builds legendary craftsmanship into every one of its products enabling guitarists to find the tone that sets them apart. For more information about Seymour Duncan, please visit the company’s website at www.seymourduncan.com
SFX-09 Double Back Compressor Technical Specifications
• Compression Ratio: Adjustable from 1:1 to 20:1
• Maximum Compressor Gain: +50dB
• Attack Speed: Adjustable from 3.2ms to 50ms
• Double Back Gain: Fully “off” to +34dB
• Battery Life: 100 Hours with a premium alkaline battery
• Power Source: 9V battery or external 9VDC regulated wall transformer, center pin negative. 5mA current drain
• Input Impedance: 1 Megohm (1000K ohms)
• Output Impedance: 2.75K ohms maximum
• Output Clipping Level: 7V Peak-to-Peak
• Distortion: Less than 0.3% at 300mV RMS output at 1 kHz
• Noise referred to Input: -102dBV unweighted, 400Hz – 20kHz, input shorted
• Type of Circuitry: True bypass, class A
• Compressor type: Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA)
• Dimensions: 4.75” wide X 5.0” tall X 2.3” high
• Weight 1.5 lbs.
• Chassis material 16 Gauge Steel
• USA MSRP: $225
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