Duncan Vise Grip User Manual

-VISE GRIP-

COMPRESSOR

USER’S GUIDE

Congratulations on your purchase of the Seymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor Pedal

The Vise Grip is a studio-grade, classic compressor in a user friendly 4 knob format.
Our unique Blend knob and 3 way mini-toggle switch allow you to select the frequency
range of the original uncompressed signal as well as infinitely adjust the amount of “wet”
versus “dry” signal that is routed to the output.

It’s often best to put a compressor at the beginning of your effects chain, but sometimes
it can work more efficiently when placed after effects such as a wah or envelope filter.
You won’t do any damage by putting your effects in the so-called wrong order, so feel
free to experiment and find what works best for your sound.

The Vise Grip can do all of the following and more:

• Add natural sounding sustain to both chords and single notes

• Add extra sparkle to top end of chords and melody lines

• Soften harsh overtones and smooth out dynamics in your playing

Battery Door (on back panel)

HOW IT WORKS

1

Blend – Determines how much of the original

signal is blended back into the compressed
signal. This control allows you to play above
the compression threshold to bring the natural
snap back to individual notes or a riff when you
really dig in.

2

Mid/Full/High Switch – Determines whether

just the mids or highs are blended, or the full
frequency spectrum. Experiment with the
settings to discover very different tones.

3

Sustain – This knob is the heart and soul of the

Seymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor as it
determines the length of sustain. It’s easy: the
higher the setting the longer your notes will
ring out.

4

Attack – This crucial control regulates how quickly

the compressor reacts to your initial pick attack
with the circuit acting to compress the input signal.
For increased dynamics, a higher setting will give
a late attack that allows your pick dynamics to
come through before the compression kicks in.

1

5

11

2

6

7

10

9 8

3

4

5

Volume – Always important, this knob can

be used to achieve the desired level
balance between the sound though the
compressor and the bypassed sound.
Balance this with the sustain knob to
provide as natural an effect as possible.
Alternatively, to use the Vise Grip as a
clean boost, set the output to a higher
setting and lower the amount of sustain.

6

Status LED – Indicates when the Vise Grip

Compressor is active. LED is on when the
unit is engaged, off when in true bypass
mode.

7

True Bypass Footswitch – Removes the

circuit from your guitar’s signal via a
hardwired connection from the input jack
to the output jack.

8

Input Jack – Plug in your guitar

or other pedal cable here.

9

Output Jack – Run a cable to

the input of your amp or to the
next effect in your chain.

10

Power Jack – We designed this pedal to be

convenient. You can use any 9Vdc regulated
adapter (negative polarity center terminal).

11

Easy Access Battery Door – When pedal is

not in use, save your battery life by removing
your guitar cable from the input jack.