Guitar Pedals · owner-verdict comparison

CS-3 Compression Sustainer vs Keeley Compressor Plus: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Keeley Compressor Plus: 61% of 69 owners recommend it, vs 43% of 70 for the CS-3 Compression Sustainer.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

CS-3 Compression Sustainer

43%of 70 owners recommend
43% recommend · 27% neutral · 30% don't
Owners praise
  • Delivers a hard, audible squash and long sustain that owners on both sides of the argument describe the same way, so what a buyer gets is not in dispute
  • Tightens up clean and palm-muted rhythm playing, with several owners saying those parts sit better in a band mix with it on
  • Cheap and durable enough to stay on a board for years, including one owner who has not taken it off in nine
Owners complain about
  • Noise climbs with the sustain control, and owners repeatedly report hiss once the knobs pass the middle of their travel, worse with drive or fuzz in the chain
  • Squeezes the life out of the signal for a good number of owners, who describe flattened picking dynamics rather than subtle control
  • Eats the low end on bass, the most repeated complaint from bass players, several of whom had to add the lows back or replace the pedal outright
Full owner report →

Keeley Compressor Plus

61%of 69 owners recommend
61% recommend · 13% neutral · 26% don't
Owners praise
  • Blend knob keeps pick dynamics intact while still compressing, and makes subtle settings easy
  • Single-coil/humbucker switch handles guitar swaps without re-dialing anything
  • Smooth, largely uncolored compression that owners leave always-on
Owners complain about
  • Audible hiss and broadband noise, by far the most common owner complaint
  • The noise scales with the sustain knob, so the usable sustain range is narrower than the knob suggests
  • Buzz is worst with single-coil guitars, where several owners called it unusable
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the CS-3 Compression Sustainer if
  • ✓Players who want compression they can hear working, with long sustain, rather than an invisible peak trimmer
  • ✓Anyone tightening up clean or palm-muted rhythm parts so they sit better in a band
  • ✓Budget boards where a tough, cheap pedal that stays put matters more than refinement
  • ✓Bass players who want more bite up top and do not mind adding the lows back with EQ
Skip it if
  • Bass players who need the low end intact, since eating it is the most repeated complaint from that group
  • Anyone after a transparent always-on compressor that controls peaks without coloring the tone
Get the Keeley Compressor Plus if
  • ✓Players switching between single-coil and humbucker guitars on the same board
  • ✓Anyone who wants an always-on compressor that can be dialed back with a blend control
  • ✓Buyers stepping up to a first serious compressor who want simple controls
  • ✓Players who also need a clean or lead boost from the same enclosure
Skip it if
  • Quiet clean playing or recording, where a raised noise floor is hard to ignore
  • Single-coil players who are sensitive to buzz and hiss

What CS-3 Compression Sustainer owners say

“The CS-3 is what I want my compressor pedal to sound like. You can get that real squashy sound it's what you're looking for. Mine did eventually fail though, that bummed me out.”
— MLoxxer on Reddit
“Great pedal - somehow less noisy than pricier compressors but not as squishy, although it does the clanky compression very well. Also great as a boost on lower compression levels.”
— procraffinator on Reddit
“I used a Cs3 on my board for like 6 months and really wanted to like it but to me it's a piece of junk for the same reasons you said. Noise everywhere if you surpass the middle of the knobs.”
— carlitox3 on Reddit

What Keeley Compressor Plus owners say

“The Keeley compressor has been on my board for a long time and it works well for me. I switch guitars between a tele and a es-135, so the simple single coil/humbucker toggle switch is a very useful feature.”
— Sensitive-Muscle2606 on Reddit
“I'll say the only reason I left the Keeley for the Wampler was because the Wampler comes in mini... Both are great. Love the pickup switch on the Keeley too”
— chancesteward on Reddit
“My compressor Plus buzzes like crazy with my single coil guitar and it drives me nuts. I find if you turn down the sustain knob it helps, but having extra sustain is kinda the point.”
— MedicineforMadness on Reddit

CS-3 Compression Sustainer vs Keeley Compressor Plus: frequently asked questions

Is the CS-3 Compression Sustainer or the Keeley Compressor Plus better?

Real owners lean toward the Keeley Compressor Plus: 61% of 69 owners recommend it, vs 43% of 70 for the CS-3 Compression Sustainer.

Who should get the CS-3 Compression Sustainer?

Owners point the CS-3 Compression Sustainer at players who want compression they can hear working, with long sustain, rather than an invisible peak trimmer, and anyone tightening up clean or palm-muted rhythm parts so they sit better in a band.

Who should get the Keeley Compressor Plus?

Owners point the Keeley Compressor Plus at players switching between single-coil and humbucker guitars on the same board, and anyone who wants an always-on compressor that can be dialed back with a blend control.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the CS-3 Compression Sustainer is noise climbs with the sustain control, and owners repeatedly report hiss once the knobs pass the middle of their travel, worse with drive or fuzz in the chain. For the Keeley Compressor Plus, it's audible hiss and broadband noise, by far the most common owner complaint.