Review: Retrospec Squeeze Box
The Retrospec Squeeze Box
As a longtime fan of their Juice Box DI, I’ve been eager to get my hands on Retrospec’s Squeeze Box tube compressor pedal for some time. So when I heard that it was being reissued, I jumped at the chance. (Full disclosure: Retrospec founder and designer Ken McKim gave me my first crash-course in tape alignment, but I’ll try my best to avoid being over-biased.) Needless to say, my expectations were high.
The Squeeze Box is an all-tube electro-optical compressor/limiter with RMS detector—similar to the Teletronix LA-2A—with a frequency response of 10Hz to 40kHz, built into an 8”x6” stompbox. The unit supports both 120V and 240V operation for use in the US or overseas, switchable internally.
The chassis is solidly built, and I wouldn’t have any concerns about its durability on the road. Although it does not offer true bypass (signal always passes through the output stage to prevent loading), I found the coloration added a pleasant improvement to the dry signal, adding subtle warmth and depth.
The unit features a variable ratio control, threshold control, and a 2kHz-centered tilt EQ which operates post-gain reduction. There is also a sensitivity switch, which pads the signal prior to the threshold pot, allowing the unit to be used on a wide range of signal sources. (Because the Squeeze Box has a maximum headroom of +20dBm, be sure to use whichever sensitivity setting best allows the threshold pot to be set comfortably in the middle, rather than on either extreme of it’s range). As an improvement to the original design, the reissue features a light-up gain reduction meter just below the threshold knob.
In Use:
For what is ostensibly a guitar pedal, the Squeeze Box is surprisingly versatile, and I found myself using it for a wide variety of applications.
Both ¼” and XLR output jacks are available for driving amplifiers/line-level inputs and microphone level inputs respectively, allowing the Squeeze Box to simultaneously serve as an effect pedal and a DI.
The single ¼” input jack, combined with the sensitivity pad, can handle both instrument and line-level signals. What’s more, the use of a mic-to-line adapter effectively transforms the Squeeze Box into a channel strip with 20dB of gain, suitable for dynamic mics on louder sources such as snare drums. (Indeed, I’ve never been so happy with the sound of my Shure SM7 when recording rock vocals at home.)
In front of a guitar amplifier, the Squeeze Box opened up a new degree of tonal control, particularly with clean amp tones. On an R.E.M.-style guitar part with finger-plucked arpeggiated chords, the Squeeze Box helped tame the bass notes, allowing the higher-string notes to ring out. Combined with the tilt EQ, it was very easy to dial in the bright, jangly tone I was looking for.
The Squeeze Box also proved useful for smoothing out lead lines, as well as for bringing out the tails of guitar harmonics, letting them really pop when overdubbing a dense mix. On bass guitar, the Squeezebox does an excellent job taming any playing discrepancies and smoothing out the overall performance.
The tone is warm and even, and the EQ control is an excellent means of avoiding the dulling of tone that can occur with compression, allowing the user to bring out the attack of the instrument as desired. Used as a DI, the Squeeze Box is a great tool for bass, whether live or recording. As an effect pedal, the Squeeze Box plays well with most other stompboxes, particularly overdrives/fuzzes on lighter settings, or wherever the signal isn’t already being squashed by hard-clipping.
As I’m usually constrained to mixing in the box, I wanted to try using the Squeeze Box in situations where I’d normally use an LA-2A plug-in. (Unfortunately I did not have a hardware LA-2A to compare to.) First, I tried it on the bass buss of a pop-punk mix doing parallel compression, and with very little effort was able to achieve a slightly fatter sound than I managed to get with the plug-in.
Next, I tried the Squeeze Box on a mono room mic from an acoustic performance. By heavily compressing the signal while shifting the EQ balance toward the low end and blending that back into the track, I was easily able to beef up the otherwise thin mix. On male vocals, the Squeeze Box added a presence I couldn’t get from the plug-in, a major improvement to the vocal processing chain.
Finally, I tried it on the female vocal of a live recording I had done, where leakage between the performers had been unavoidable. Soloed, it was really a toss-up between the Squeeze Box and the plug-in, and I found myself preferring one or the other on a phrase-by-phrase basis. In the context of the full mix, however, the slight narrowing I was hearing from the Squeeze Box proved an asset, helping to focus the vocal in the mix.
One final thing to note: The compressor circuit becomes slightly more sensitive as the tubes warm up, so as with any other tube-based gear, it’s best to give the Squeeze Box time to warm up before use. This shouldn’t be an issue in the studio, but for those doing live gigs with quick set changes, find somewhere backstage to plug the unit in and let it get warm before you dial in your settings.
The Squeeze Box retails for $699 and is available directly through Retrospec/Ecstatic Electric and through Vintage King. While more than you’d expect to pay for your average effect pedal, when you consider you’re also getting a high quality tube DI, a line-level signal processor, and a makeshift tube pre, that’s a serious bargain. That kind of versatility, combined with its warm, clear sound and solid build, makes the Squeeze Box a worthwhile investment for gigging musicians and engineers alike.
Gavin Skal is a freelance producer, recording, and mixing engineer based in Queens.
Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.