The Helping Friendly Box is an overdrive compressor pedal from Hochstrasser Electronics that puts three effects in one enclosure: two overdrive circuits with different amounts of gain, in the style of the Tube Screamer, followed by a compressor modeled after the Ross Compressor. Pedal of the Day described it as following the setup that Trey Anastasio uses, in which two differently-gained Tube Screamers feed a Ross Compressor, and noted that combining the three effects gives a wide range of tone in one pedal1.
Where the design comes from
The pedal's compressor section takes its cues from the Ross Compressor, a pedal with its own history. Ross, a sister company of Kustom, produced a line of "me-too" clones whose main three pedals were a phaser, a distortion and a compressor, modeled on MXR's classic offerings2. The Ross Compressor itself has remained a reference design: MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley noted in 2023 that an "Era 2" gray box Ross Compressor was available again as part of a revival of the Ross Electronics name3.
Controls
The Helping Friendly Box splits its controls between the overdrive and compressor sections1.
| Section | Control | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Overdrive | Gain | Controls the amount of distortion present in your signal1 |
| Overdrive | Tone | Balances your hi and low ends1 |
| Compressor | Sustain | Controls the amount of compression present1 |
| Compressor | Level | Sets the makeup gain of the compressor1 |
On the Ross Compressor the Sustain knob is modeled after, Guitar World's Trevor Curwen wrote that "Compression is turned up by the Sustain knob, the action of which basically sets the threshold where compression starts working"4. The same idea carries over here: turning Sustain up means the compressor engages earlier and holds notes longer.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's 2019 review was positive on versatility. As the reviewer put it1:
"Remember, this pedal works for ALL genres of music, not just the jammy stuff"1
Pedal of the Day, 20191
That point matters for players who might otherwise pass on the pedal because of its jam-band association: the reviewer's view was that the combination of two overdrives and a compressor suits players across styles, not only those chasing a particular player's rig1.
Videos
Hochstrasser Electronics
Hochstrasser Electronics
Pedal of the Day
Questions
What is in the Hochstrasser Helping Friendly Box?
The Helping Friendly Box combines two overdrive circuits with different amounts of gain, in the style of Tube Screamers, followed by a compressor modeled after the Ross Compressor. All three effects sit in a single enclosure, so one pedal can cover the core of a signal chain that would otherwise take three separate boxes.
Does the Helping Friendly Box include a compressor?
Yes. The compressor section is modeled after the Ross Compressor, with a Sustain knob that controls the amount of compression and a Level knob that sets the makeup gain of the compressor after it.
Is the Helping Friendly Box based on Trey Anastasio's pedalboard?
Yes. According to Pedal of the Day, the pedal follows the setup Trey Anastasio uses: two differently-gained Tube Screamers feeding into a Ross Compressor, combined into one enclosure.
Is the Helping Friendly Box only for jam bands?
No. Although its inspiration comes from Trey Anastasio's rig, Pedal of the Day's reviewer noted that the pedal works for all genres of music, not just jam music.
What does the Sustain knob do on the Helping Friendly Box?
On the compressor section, Sustain controls the amount of compression present. On the Ross Compressor it is modeled after, Guitar World's Trevor Curwen described the Sustain knob as basically setting the threshold where compression starts working.
Sources (4)
- Hochstrasser Electronics Helping Friendly Box Overdrive Compressor, Pedal of the Day, 2019-06-08
- Aurora Compressor / Sustainer, Aion FX, 2018-06-30
- JHS Pedals resurrects the Ross Electronics brand and relaunches it with five new pedals, MusicRadar, 2023-08-15
- Ross Pedals review, Guitar World, 2024-05-08