Effects for cleans!

[Dave Sloven]

Compressor if your main objective is to play Enter Sandman.

Otherwise I'd probably go for chorus or flanger.

Also compressor is a front-end pedal (before amp, and early in the chain).  Flanger, chorus, delay, or reverb go into the effects loop (in that order).  A flanger and delay in your loop should allow you to do most things.

[Alex]

I don't like compressors, I feel 90% of what they do can be done with proper right hand pick attack.

[Telerocker]

I don't like compressors, I feel 90% of what they do can be done with proper right hand pick attack.

That's what I tried to say. You have to know when and how to use it, but on stage often all the subtleness gets lost in the mix.

[gordiji]

Compressors are very useful for cleans especially single string soloing. To a degree a cranked up amp on a clean channel will give some compression but if you want  say a knopfleresque solo sound a compressor is essential. If used sensibily you'll keep your attack, add sustain and fatten your tone. Also useful as a vol boost.  All the country players use them and after all they're the masters of clean soloing. I generally find they work much better with vintagey single coils, but for cleans that's where it's at anyway.

[seancorker]

Compressors are very useful for cleans especially single string soloing. To a degree a cranked up amp on a clean channel will give some compression but if you want  say a knopfleresque solo sound a compressor is essential. If used sensibily you'll keep your attack, add sustain and fatten your tone. Also useful as a vol boost.  All the country players use them and after all they're the masters of clean soloing. I generally find they work much better with vintagey single coils, but for cleans that's where it's at anyway.

Exactly - i'd add that for any kind of funk guitar, the right compression settings will make a huge difference.

[38thBeatle]

I rather like compressors- I use one live a lot . I try to have it set so that it is subtle . I find it very useful for slide given that I am using a fairly cleanish sound and we don't play at very high volumes and it evens things out and gives me a bit of sustain. The old adage of "less is more" is appropriate ( well it is too all effects I think). Coupled  with the delay and reverbs I mentioned I get what I consider to be a decent clean tone and the amp does the rest.

[CommonCourtesy]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, guitars have been tracked now, and interestingly enough I didn't use anything, with added reverb in the mix the only kind "effect" I suspect.

Played the 'clean' sections through a 5150 head on the rhythm channel with the pre-amp gain turned down. Funnily enough I used the same channel with it cranked boosted with a ts-9 for the main sound on the dirty stuff. Sounded great, A/B'd with a JCM800 with the ts9 which also sounded great but too bassey for my liking.

I thought about getting a compressor but what would it be for in my rig? I'd like the frequencies to be more squashed and even but that's for clean stuff and I don't really do loads of cleans.