Legendary British amp manufacturer Orange Amps has unveiled the King Comp—a new Class A VCA compressor pedal designed to bring genuine studio-style compression dynamics and feel to any guitar pedalboard. Heralded as a “monster compressor with the feel of an amp,” the King Comp promises exceptionally low noise and a warm, musical response, making it an essential always-on tone-sweetener for discerning musicians.
Abundant Headroom and Low-Noise Performance
The King Comp is the spiritual sibling to Orange’s popular Kongpressor, continuing the tradition of Class A VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) architecture. However, this new unit boasts super low-noise performance and abundant headroom thanks to its ability to run at 18V DC (requiring an external pedalboard power supply). This higher voltage operation ensures your guitar tone remains clear and dynamic, even when applying heavy compression.
“It brings studio-style compression dynamics to any pedalboard and offers a warm musical response with an exceptionally low noise floor,” states the company.
This focus on high-quality sound processing aims to squash and tame unwanted transients in your electric guitar tone without sacrificing its natural feel and sustain.
Precision Tone-Shaping Controls
While compression pedals may not be as flashy as a new modulated delay pedal or a cutting-edge fuzz pedal, seasoned pros understand their invaluable role as a secret weapon for achieving a professional, polished sound. The King Comp provides players with ample controls to dial in their desired effect, from subtle sustain enhancement to dramatic squash.
The King Comp features a streamlined four-knob design, simplifying the controls compared to its predecessor by removing the active treble control. The knobs are:
- Volume: To manage output level.
- Compression: To control the amount of gain reduction.
- Attack: To set how quickly the compression kicks in.
- Release: To set how quickly the compression lets go.
Orange highlights the versatility of the Attack and Release controls: “The versatile attack control lets you dial in anything from subtle tightening to a pronounced pogoing bounce, while the equally adaptable release control gives long-lasting sustain for notes and chords that go on for miles.”
Perfect for Guitar
Guitarists can achieve various effects by experimenting with these settings: from the tight, ‘chicken pickin” feel favored by country guitar players (slower attack, quick release, high compression) to a smooth, blooming sustain (quick attack, slow release).
Rugged Build and Smart Features
In line with Orange’s reputation for rugged, bomb-proof enclosures (such as their Fur Coat fuzz pedal, which is one of my personal favorites and always on my board), the King Comp features the signature kick bar design to protect the control knobs from accidental adjustments during live performances.
Another useful feature is the top-tier buffered bypass, which is essential for maintaining signal integrity over long guitar cable runs or on well-stocked pedalboards. A clever dual-colour LED acts as a visual indicator: illuminating blue when the pedal is active and switching to pink when the compressor is actively engaging the gain reduction.
While perfect for electric guitar, Orange notes the King Comp will also “work a treat on bass guitars too,” further increasing its utility across different setups.
Price & Availability
The King Comp is available now with a street price of $179/£159/€179. Musicians seeking to enhance their sound with studio-quality VCA compression should consider the King Comp a strong contender for a permanent, always-on spot on their mixing board.
Ready to add a studio compressor to your setup? What’s your favorite way to use compression on your electric guitar tone?
More Information
#Orange Amplification
This article may contain affiliate links to Andertons, DeathCloud, Fender, Gear4Music, Sweetwater, and Thomann that help finance the running costs of GuitarBomb. We will receive a small commission if you buy something through these links. Don’t worry; you pay the same price, and it costs you no extra to use these affiliate links for your purchases.
