Sultan of Squeeze

"Simple, smooth vintage compressor"

 

   

 

The Sultan of Squeeze compressor rack effect module compares to the original Musitronics Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer compressor pedal.  The Orange Squeezer was used on numerous classic albums Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, and Dire Straits among others.

 

Description

The Sultan of Squeeze, or Sultan for short, compares to the Musitronics Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer, one of the classic guitar compressors of all time.  The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and Dire Straits all used the original to help get their smooth tones.  The original was packaged oddly, which made it a little difficult to use.  But it made up for that with simplicity.  The only control was an on/off switch.  There was a Volume trimmer inside, meant to be a "set and forget" apparently.

The Sultan follows the original circuit design.  We did move the Volume trimmer to an external knob.  There is still a trimmer inside, but it is for adjusting the bias in the circuit.  It should not normally be adjusted.  There is a "sweet spot" for each transistor, and outside that very small zone it will sound bad.  Although designed for guitar, a couple of simple capacitor adjustment allow it to also work well for bass.

The Sultan isn't for those that want a lot of control over their compression, obviously.  It is also not a transparent compressor, or spanky clean one.  It squashes the tone and makes it smoother, adding a little bit of grit in the process.  If you want more control over your compressor, check out our Boa Constrictor.  

The Sultan does the smooth compression trick very nicely, but you might find other uses for it, too.  If you use transparent boost pedals like the Bill Finnegan Klon Centaur, Maxon OD-820,  or Paul Cochrane Timmy (GT Unicorn, GT-820, and Timhi), you might try a Sultan instead and see if that gives you the little something-something you're looking for.  Another possibility is to use it to push a tube amp a bit.  Experiment with how you use it, too.  You might find it works nicely with a cranked amp and controlled with your guitar volume.  Hot pickups might cause some compressor "pumping".  Try stacking it in front of an overdrive or distortion pedal.

 

Configurations

  • Sultan of Squeeze - Compares to Musitronics Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer

 

Buffers

 None

 

Options

  • Custom Op Amp - Switch to a different op amp.  4558D is used like the original by default.
  • Bass Version - Tweak a couple of component values to make it work better for bass
  • No Level Control - By default, you get an external Level control.  If you prefer the "no controls" original, then we'll use a volume trimmer inside and set it for unity gain.

 

Front Panel

  • Level (standard, optional)

 

Rear Panel

  • Audio In
  • Audio Out
  • On/Off Footswitch
  • On/Off Override
  • DC Power
  • DC Power LED

 

Module Width

  • 1.5" standard
  • 2" left wing and 1.5" right wing available 

 

Power Consumption (aprox)

15 - 20mA

 

Base Configurations

Part # Description List Price
MOD-SULTAN Sultan of Squeeze module $189

 

Options

Part # Description List Price
MOPT-SULTAN-OPAMP Custom Op Amp $0-TBD
MOPT-SULTAN-BASS Bass Version $0
MOPT-SULTAN-NOLEV No Level Control -$10

 

Parts

Part # Description List Price
MPT-SULTAN-CA Replacement pot, switch, jack, LED cable assembly $19
MPT-SULTAN-KNB Replacement control knob $2
MPT-SULTAN-PB Replacement power board $29
MPT-SULTAN-SB Replacement switching board $29