Thorpy FX The Fat General Parallel Compressor V2

The Thorpy FX The Fat General Parallel Compressor V2 is a compact compressor pedal from UK builder Thorpy FX. It is a parallel compressor: part of your dry signal stays untouched and is mixed back in with the compressed signal, which preserves natural attack while adding sustain and evenness. The circuit is based on the classic OTC-201 optical design, and the pedal is the fruit of a collaboration with Dan Coggins, that circuit's original designer¹.

The V2 is the smaller second version of the pedal. Delicious Audio, which reviewed it in June 2019, reports that it is sonically identical to the V1, with the differences being the reduced size and a move to 9V power supply only operation¹.

A parallel compressor built on an optical design

The Fat General's circuit traces back to the Dinosaural OTC-201 Opticompressor, a now-discontinued optical compressor designed by Dan Coggins. On his own site, Coggins notes that the OTC-201 "lives on in a new guise: as the Thorpy FX 'Fat General' Compressor"⁴. Thorpy FX describes the MKII as "an evolution of the critically acclaimed OTC-201 compressor," delivered through a collaboration between the company and Coggins⁵. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen identifies Coggins as the co-founder and co-designer of Lovetone pedals, and calls the Fat General a re-imagining of his earlier optical compressor circuit with extra features and tweaks².

Optical compression uses a light-dependent element to control gain reduction, which is a different approach from the VCA or OTA circuits in many stompbox compressors. The parallel part of the design means the compressed path never fully replaces your original signal. In Blend mode, some of the dry signal is mixed in proportion with the compressed signal², so heavy compression can be applied without losing the pick attack and dynamics of the clean guitar.

The controls: Balance, Treble and Sustain

The V2 keeps the control set simple: three knobs and a mode switch.

Guitar Pedal X's breakdown of the pedal notes the Blend range runs from 0 to 100 percent, from parallel compression to a full dry mix⁸. The Treble control is a practical answer to a common compressor problem: gain reduction can dull the top end of your tone, and this knob lets you dial some of it back.

Blend mode and Juice Mode

The two modes are the pedal's main flexibility, and they change what the Balance knob does.

• Blend mode: the Balance knob works as you would expect, letting you set the mix of dry and compressed signal yourself¹. Guitar Pedal X describes this as a 0 to 100 percent parallel compression to dry mix⁸. MusicRadar found this mode "naturally lends itself to slide and lap steel, but it's also great for conventional guitar where its superb tone conditioning could be a key component of your sound that you'd want to keep on all the time"².
• Juice mode: the balance is locked at 90 percent compressed and 10 percent clean, and the Balance knob becomes a volume knob¹. Guitar Pedal X calls this "full fat" compression with Balance acting as a master volume⁸. MusicRadar describes the result as "smooth, fat compression that can get nicely squashy at higher settings yet delivers a consistent snappy sharpness at the start of notes"².

On That Pedal Show, Dan Coggins and Mick Taylor demonstrated both modes and placed the pedal's character in context:

Dan and Mick, That Pedal Show⁶

The comparison was to a studio-smooth compressor, with the Fat General landing between that and an obvious Dyna Comp style squash, giving more of the audible compression effect than a transparent studio unit⁶.

V1 versus V2

Delicious Audio's review states plainly that the V2 is "sonically identical to the V1 version, the V2 version is smaller and can only be powered via 9V power supply"¹. For a player choosing between them on the used market or comparing listings, the decision comes down to enclosure size and power, not tone. Thorpy FX also describes the MKII's sound as adding "sustain and balance to your signal without unnecessary noise or signal 'pumping'"⁹, a claim Delicious Audio echoes from playing it¹.

What reviewers said

Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, reviewing the V2 in June 2019, found the pedal "particularly transparent but with a sparkle and clarity that you were missing before," and his verdict was unambiguous:

Paolo De Gregorio, Delicious Audio¹

MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen called it "a high-quality and easily set up compressor that has the added flexibility of two flavours onboard," listing its two distinct modes as a plus². Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, writing about the pedal in the context of his compressor lineup, called it "really sweet sounding - and my rig has rarely sounded better than with this onboard," describing it as an amazing soft, subtle and incredibly natural sounding compressor in Blend mode¹⁰.

The maker's own description of the MKII credits its "premium sound" to the use of premium components inside the enclosure⁹, and Delicious Audio's review notes the build: a stainless steel laser etched center console wrapped in a tough baseplate¹.

Where it came from

The Thorpe and Coggins collaboration was marked by Guitar.com's review of the original Fat General in August 2018, which covered the redesigned version of the Dinosaural OTC-201²⁴¹¹. Aion FX, which documents the circuit independently, describes the Fat General as an updated version of the Opticompressor designed in collaboration with Coggins¹¹. The V2 followed as the smaller, supply-powered version, reviewed by Delicious Audio in June 2019¹.

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