Guitar Pedals · owner-verdict comparison

Keeley Compressor Plus vs Walrus Audio Slo: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Walrus Audio Slo: 88% of 307 owners recommend it, vs 61% of 69 for the Keeley Compressor Plus.

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

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 →

Walrus Audio Slo

88%of 307 owners recommend
88% recommend · 8% neutral · 4% don't
Owners praise
  • Lush, dreamy ambient reverb tones
  • Infinite sustain/latch footswitch for drones and pads
  • Favorite Dream mode beloved by owners
Owners complain about
  • Learning curve to dial in the sounds
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

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
Get the Walrus Audio Slo if
  • ✓Ambient and shoegaze players wanting lush, dreamy reverb
  • ✓Players who want infinite sustain and latching drones
  • ✓Guitarists wanting deep ambience in little board space
  • ✓Synth users layering pads and textures
Skip it if
  • Players wanting standard spring, hall, or plate reverb
  • Thrash and metal players with no live use for ambience

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

What Walrus Audio Slo owners say

“Yes this is the looking out the car window being sad sound I needed”
— @coolrecorderguy4206 on YouTube
“Oh god my wallet”
— @UncoolOcean on YouTube
“Walrus audio slo, I love the art but it's just another shitty Fv-1 reverb with uninteresting algorithms.”
— tails_the_gay_fox on Reddit

Keeley Compressor Plus vs Walrus Audio Slo: frequently asked questions

Is the Keeley Compressor Plus or the Walrus Audio Slo better?

Real owners lean toward the Walrus Audio Slo: 88% of 307 owners recommend it, vs 61% of 69 for the Keeley Compressor Plus.

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.

Who should get the Walrus Audio Slo?

Owners point the Walrus Audio Slo at ambient and shoegaze players wanting lush, dreamy reverb, and players who want infinite sustain and latching drones.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the Keeley Compressor Plus is audible hiss and broadband noise, by far the most common owner complaint. For the Walrus Audio Slo, it's learning curve to dial in the sounds.