The MXR Custom Comp is a compressor stompbox from MXR, described by MusicRadar as coming "straight outta the custom shop"1. It sits in the same Custom Shop family as the MXR CSP204 Custom Comp Deluxe, a line that, in MusicRadar's words, "has taken MXR into the upper echelons of the pedal market"2.
What it does
Like any compressor, the Custom Comp evens out the difference between your quietest and loudest notes. On the pedal, the Output level controls the level1. MusicRadar's reviewer described the effect as "fairly unintrusive, though its presence is noticeable with liberal settings"1, meaning that at gentle settings it works quietly behind your playing, while pushing the settings harder makes the compression clearly audible.
The pedal is true bypass, which the reviewer noted avoids "sucking your tone when you're not using it"1. That matters on a pedalboard: when the Custom Comp is switched off, your guitar's signal passes through untouched.
How reviewers heard it
MusicRadar's verdict on the Custom Comp was measured: "It's solid, but not superb."1 The same review flagged the price, calling £169 "a pretty hefty outlay for just one pedal"1.
"It's solid, but not superb."
The Custom Comp Deluxe
For players wanting more control, MXR's Custom Shop also produced the CSP204 Custom Comp Deluxe. Alongside the standard controls it adds a low knob, "which allows you to cut the compressed signal's low-end"2. MusicRadar's reviewer came away more enthusiastic about that model: "we reckon the Custom Comp Deluxe is its best yet. It's easy to get a great tone, and with the low control, it functions as a master tonal shaper too"2.
If you are comparing compressors across MXR's range, the Custom Comp sits apart from the Dyna Comp family; see our guide to compressor pedals for how the types differ.
Videos
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Phil Vickman
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Sources (2)
- MXR Custom Comp review, MusicRadar, 2010-07-06
- MXR CSP204 Custom Comp Deluxe review, MusicRadar, 2015-02-27
