The Barge Concepts RC-3 Compressor is a compressor stompbox from Barge Concepts, a maker that is no longer in business. It is built on the ROSS Gray Compressor circuit from the 1970s, with the RC-3 using that original design as a launchpad. Like other compressor pedals, it evens out your playing and adds sustain, and it does so in a small enclosure1.
What it does
The RC-3 has three knobs. The Volume, Sustain and Attack knobs let you control the output signal, the sustain amount, and how much of your original signal comes through. Inside, there is a switch for selecting a larger output capacitor, which allows for better bass response, a useful option for players running the pedal with a bass or a low-tuned guitar1.
Pedal of the Day's reviewer, writing in March 2014, described the pedal's character this way1:
"This compressor sounds fairly transparent to some on the market, and really allows your original tone to shine through1."
The same review found it still capable of heavy compression despite that transparency, delivering major amounts of squash and sustain. The reviewer called it "Great for chicken-pickin' licks and long, drawn out notes" and summed the RC-3 up as "a great pedal in a small enclosure"1.
Barge Concepts is no longer operating, so the RC-3 is discontinued. Used units are the only way players will come across one.
Videos
Shane Pasqualla
Sources (1)
- Barge Concepts RC-3 Compressor, Pedal of the Day, 2014-03-06
