Pigtronix Philosophers Tone Micro

Totally stoked on this pedal.
I bought this pedal to put at the end of my board to brighten, shape and control my tone throughout my delays/reverbs/modulations and various drives, not being pleased with my previous compressor.I simultaneously tried out three comps and this one won out by a landslide. Beyond its sturdy and well build quality, both inside and out, it just sounds fantastic. With most comps you will have a few issues where you will have to compromise somewhere. With the Pigtronix it is a non issue. You can achieve any sound you like. Ranging from plucky to smooth yet bright, from full on comp to just a sliver of beef. But the most important key here is its subtlety! At first it seems like nothing has been done to your sound but as you play your guitar you see it work its magic. No harshness, no overlapping feedbacks from trails and NO HISS! The sustain really is noiseless, which really is an achievement and contributes so much to the pedal. From the moment I turned it on and fiddled with it I knew exactly what to do and you can regain so much clarity without bartering with your other pedals that much.
Absolutely fantastic.
Thomann as usual is fast, clear and no hassle. Wish every company dealt with their costumers as they do.
Superb product, satisfied costumer.

Thanks to its optical design, clever Blend option and a useful Treble control, you can set this compressor to be so subtle you wonder if it's even on, all the way to funk squash (though admittedly it won't go to the extremes that some OTA or VCA type compressors can).

I use compression quite a bit, especially for funk rhythm, but want to keep my tone as close to what's coming out the amp without compression on. This does just that. There are others that can do it, but they are significantly more expensive.

For the money, there's no competition. Unless you can't live without the extra tweability of say, an Empress or a Cali76; or the prestige of a Diamond Comp, this absolutely sits in their league and leaves you a penny or two for a nice drive pedal.

Recommended.

I had the original Philosopher's Tone and loved it. Some of the time I used it as an 'always on' pedal to even out string volume and for some extra sparkle and grit, but it was a bit of a pain to power it at the full 18v for the best headroom.
This updated version is fantastic since it uses internal 18v power rails to boost your voltage from a standard 9v input. Combined with the smaller footprint, I think this makes it a must-buy for anyone looking for a mini compressor, and it can't be beat in this price range. The only thing it's missing is the grit control, but that's a tiny sacrifice to make since pretty much every guitarist that wants some dirt or drive already has a pedal they love for that anyway.
Buy it, you won't be disappointed.