Behringer CS400 Compressor Sustainer – Versatile Compression On a Budget

Controls:
Features:
Performance:
Value:

• Check Price on Amazon
• Check Price on Guitar Center
• Check Price on Musician's Friend

If you happen to be in pursuit of the best cheap guitar compressor pedal, a type of device that will get the job done at a budget-friendly price, we recommend checking out the CS400 from Behringer.

Packed with solid components, build quality and reliability, this is one of the very few pedals this cheap that we actually recommend as useful and applicable to just about any player, but especially new and intermediate guitarists. We have a few words to share, do read on!

Features

The device comes in a turquoise plastic casing, featuring one In and one Out jack, along with a LED status indicator and a classic large on/off foot-switch at the forefront.

Some folks tend to complain about the plastic casing being prone to breakage, and while we do agree that plastic can't beat metal, we never really encountered any durability issues with any of the company's pedals, and we always get back to that ole motto – treat it right and it will serve you right. Don't stomp like a maniac, either.

The device operates through a single 9V battery or a standard adapter, weighs in at 11.7 ounces and features a total size of 2.8 x 2.1 x 4.8 inches.

Control

We're looking at four quite standard control knobs – Level, Tone, Attack, and Sustain. Let's see what they do:

Level – This one is very basic and is used to determine the level of effect that is injected into your signal. The more you crank it up, the more compression sound and less clean guitar sound you will get.

Tone – Use this one to adjust the scope of compression and which frequencies you want affected the most.

Attack – This knob controls how quickly the effect grabs your signal. The higher it is, the tighter the tone gets.

Sustain – This control adjusts the punch of sustain and how much punch and boom will it give to your tone.

Performance

Overall, the word of the day is solid and adequate. When the price tag is taken into consideration, the word of the day is great! Overall, the device will provide you with a well-rounded tone, add boost where it's needed and reduce the volume where sonic peaks are too high.

If you are not sure whether you need a compression pedal, and many guitar players fit this category, the CS400 is not a bad place to start. It will give you a clear image of what this effect can do, and believe it when we say it that you won't know how you got on without compression before once you take it for a spin.

Conclusion

Overall, this fella is a strong contender for the flattering title of the best budget-friendly compression pedal for guitar in our book. This pedal proves it once and for all that you can find killer deals in the affordable section of the market if you dig hard enough. The sound is solid, controls are very easy to use and grasp, and build quality is also solid. If someone new to compression was to ask us where to start at a low price, we'd probably point at this Behringer fella. Neat stuff!

For more about the Behringer CS400 Compressor Sustainer, click here.
For more Compressor Pedals you Might like , click here.