The ED-1 "Edward" Compressor is another great guitar effect pedals released by Marshall. Like the other models in the series, the ED-1 is issued in a sleek, metal housing that looks as good as it sounds.

Marshall says this about the new ED-1:

"Add sustain to your solos, even out your attack and get rid of those nasty peaks and troughs. For smooth legato lead, funky clean chords or choppy chicken pickin' call on The Compressor."

You've heard compression used to great advantage on songs such as "Under The Bridge" by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds, just to name a few. Compresion really helps even out your guitar tone. It helps quiet passages, especially finger picking, stand out in the mix. And it also helps to keep the volume on loud passages from being overbearing. It's one of the handiest pedals you can add to your arsenal!

The ED-1 Compressor uses four knobs to control the following functions:

• Emphasis
• Volume
• Attack
• Compression

The pedal also features a passive bypass foot switch, preferred by many purists since it eliminates any trace of the effect when the unit is clicked out of the circuit. The compressor pedal is powered by a 9 volt battery, and also features an external 9 volt DC input jack and status LED.

A review of the ED-1 in the February, 2000, Guitar Player mentions that this pedal is one of the most versatile and quiet compressor pedals that the reviewer had ever heard. In fact, the Marshall pedal was favorably compared to the venerable MXR DynaComp, which is the benchmark of compressor pedals. The Edward Compressor pedal was found to be even more flexible than the MXR unit.

The list price for the pedal when first anounced was $135 US. Check the Buy It! link above for the latest discount price.