BBE Orange Squash

The BBE Orange Squash is a compressor pedal modeled on the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals describes it as "a FET-based compressor" that is "based around the old Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer," and notes that "the circuit has about three times as many components as a normal one of these designs, for what reason I do not know"¹². The original Orange Squeezer is, in Analog Man's words, "legendary for its smooth compression and 'squashing' tone"³.

An Orange Squeezer variant with FET compression

The Orange Squeezer design works differently from most compressors. In the original circuit, as GuitarPCB's build document explains, "the compression actually occurs at the junction of the 82K resistor and the first JFET": more input signal feeds the rectifier and turns the first JFET on, cutting the signal going into the opamp, while two 470K resistors at the JFET gate reduce gain but linearize the JFET response⁴. The opamp gain stage is the closest thing the design has to a compression control⁴.

On the original Dan Armstrong unit, the compression threshold was "pre-set at the factory," with no user adjustment at all⁵. That fixed, set-and-forget approach is part of what the BBE version inherits.

From Main Squeeze to Orange Squash

BBE originally named the pedal the Main Squeeze. As ovnilab.com's reviewer Cyrus Joaquin Heiduska tells it, "They originally named it the 'Main Squeeze', but Digitech owns that name, so BBE had to change it"². The pedal BBE ended up with is, in Josh Scott's words, "BBE's clone of the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer"². The original was a very different kind of unit: "Those Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezers were tiny little plugin aluminium boxes - with just an on/off switch"⁶, and Analog Man calls it "legendary for its smooth compression and 'squashing' tone," used on many Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers and Dire Straits albums⁶. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan is known to have sometimes used an Orange Squeezer compressor⁷.

The circuit it copies has a long pedigree. The original Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezers were "tiny little plugin aluminium boxes - with just an on/off switch," in Guitar Pedal X's description⁶. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, known for his work with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, is documented as sometimes using an Orange Squeezer compressor, including on the Doobie Brothers' "Takin' It To The Streets" album⁷. Analog Man credits the design with appearances on many Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers and Dire Straits records³.

What reviewers said

Opinions on the BBE version split. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals is emphatic in its favor: "But really, the Orange Squash knocked it out of the park," calling it one of the first compressors that stayed on his board for a significant amount of time¹.

Ovnilab.com's reviewer, writing from a bass player's perspective, was more measured. On the plus side:

• "It does have very solid construction and a 'true bypass' footswitch."²
• "Also, it is about as good with bass frequencies as an OS can be, so it doesn't need modding."²

On the other side, the same reviewer found it "has a little less brightness or clarity than the various boutique-made versions, and less 'funkiness' in the action," and concluded: "So even though it works fine, it doesn't really meet up with what you'd generally expect from an Orange Squeezer." His overall verdict: "The BBE is not bad, but there are better OS options out there for around the same price"². He also noted that the circuit carries "about three times as many components as a normal one of these designs, for what reason I do not know"².

Guitar World's 2007 review of the BBE line praised the build across the board: "The pedals' construction is solid; in fact, it's on par with the toughest pedals I've tested," with old-style button footswitches that give a solid click and metal knobs that are easy to grip. On bypass, the magazine confirmed that all the units in the line "feature true bypass, so they don't suck away your tone"⁸.

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