The SlideRig has a second stage of compression, if needed, and sounds very similar to the Cali 76 when that second stage is off, so it offers the best of both worlds and has a slightly simpler control interface.
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The beauty of them is that they can blend the original signal back in, like the OC-1, and they have a tone of their own. These aren’t subtle units, they look the part and sound incredible. I started with the Cali 76 CD and ended up with a SlideRig. My final shot at a different compressor was the Origin compact series. Searching for something that imposed on the signal a little more, I looked at the tube driven Effectrode PC-2A, but again it didn’t sound like my trusty old CS-2. The OC-1 was subtle in comparison and didn’t impart a particular tone (that I liked) like the CS-2 did. Then moved on to the Cornish OC-1 because us guitarists always think that there’s something “better” out there. I tried and loved the Boss CS-2, being a Gilmour fan. Some claim it’s nothing more than a regular buffer, but my ears say something different and I’m convinced it smooths out everything, maintains some vital frequencies and just makes things sound beautiful. The common link between each of them was the presence of his divine buffer circuit. I love Pete Cornish’s gear, I’ve had a P-2, P-1, SS-3 and OC-1. 20w Laney Lionheart head, could this be my last valve amp? Pete Cornish LD-1 - Buffer So I used my new found knowledge of impulse responses and the gear I’d accumulated to get it all set up, and bought a Lionheart 5w head which ultimately replaced my Reeves and Mesa Dual Rec, shortly after, went with the increased headroom of the 20w head and have been happy with the tone ever since. I’d had enough of the big amps, I wanted to go back to my beloved Laney Lionheart’s, it was when I had those low wattage combo’s that I felt my most comfortable and most creative. As you can see, I chased a tone based on my favourite artists and in reality, I was only playing in the comforts of my bedroom with the odd day trip to the local practice studio - my efforts to tame those beasts were futile until I found impulse responses. A ‘90’s Fender Twin Amp (not as cool as it sounds!), a Mesa Single Rectifier, two Laney Lionheart 5w combo’s (run in stereo), two 3 channel Dual Rectifier’s and a Reeves Custom 50. In between, I’ve had a Traynor YCV80, my first valve amp. It’s perhaps a little ironic and always makes me laugh that I started with a Laney, a ‘ Linebacker’ 30w solid state that was given to me by a friend who also gave me my first electric guitar, and now I have the immense 20w tube driven Laney Lionheart - my favourite amp of all time. So, after years of searching for the ultimate stomp box - here’s my list… The amplifier 9 min read The culmination of my efforts to find the ultimate set of pedals that define my sound.