Ashdown Engineering makes The Tourniquet/Aspirin, a compressor pedal designed for bass. Ashdown describes it as "a high quality compressor pedal designed for bass", and says it will "help to provide a consistent and even tone/volume by compressing loud signals and boosting s"1. In plain terms, a compressor like this sits in your signal chain to level out the difference between hard-played and soft notes, which is a common want on bass, where low end can jump around far more than on guitar. It belongs to the wider family of compressor pedals and is built with bass players in mind, alongside other bass pedals.
What it does
The pedal works by using the Input control to drive the amount of signal going into the compression stage. Ashdown explains that "using the Input to drive the amount of signal, the pedal automatically processes the compression after you set the ratio", and the Output pot then sets the level going to the amp1. So the workflow is simple: set how hard the pedal is driven and how aggressively it compresses with the ratio, then match your level with the output.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Input | Adjust input gain level1 |
| Ratio | Dictates how much the volume is reduced versus how far above the threshold the signal is1 |
| Output | Adjust output gain level1 |
The three-knob layout keeps things quick to dial in on a gig: input to push the signal, ratio to set the squeeze, output to set the send level to the amp1.
Build and bypass
The pedal is housed in what Ashdown calls "a custom designed steel casing that will stand up to being stomped on night after night"1. It also features true bypass switching, meaning the pedal is removed from the signal path entirely when off1.
Sources (1)
- The Tourniquet/Aspirin, Ashdown Engineering
