Seymour Duncan SFX-09 User Manual

For Tone That Sets You Apart

Congratulations

on your purchase of the

SFX-09 Double Back™ Compressor

TM

Seymour Duncan

. You can start using your
Double Back Compressor right away and you’ll be able to immediately
crank out the dynamic, throaty, singing tones that this pedal is capable of.
You might want to first read through these instructions in their entirety
to gain valuable information that will enhance your enjoyment of your
Double Back Compressor.

General Information

So what does a compressor actually do? Sure, it’s a refined effect and,
in a nutshell, makes quiet passages louder and loud passages quieter.
A compressor can also increase the clean sustain of your guitar, and the
Seymour Duncan Double Back Compressor does this with almost no
extraneous noise or interference thanks to revolutionary circuitry.
This is the cleanest, quietest compressor around.

Compression allows you to chop notes rhythmically, increase sustain
almost infinitely, or to dial in warmth and smooth mids to beef up your

TM

tone. The Seymour Duncan Double Back Compressor reacts faithfully to
your own picking dynamics to give you yet another tool with which to
make your guitar really stand out. Use it subtly to increase the ‘realness’
of your tone or go over the top with a clean yet natural sustain that can
last all day. It’s up to you.

While compression is a great tool for all instruments, when it comes to the
dynamic range of a guitar, most other compressors can get in the way of
the natural transients and feel. You know the feeling; pick softly and you

Explanation of Controls

Front Panel

Volume – Always important, this pot can be used to achieve the desired

level balance between the sound through the compressor and the
bypassed sound. Balance this with the sustain pot to provide as natural an
effect as possible. Alternatively, for an efficient and toneful clean boost, set
the output to a higher setting and lower the Sustain.

Double Back – Determines how much of the original signal is “doubled
back” into the compressed signal. Gives a cool natural snap to the tone
and ensures that no loss of transients occurs. Playing more softly reduces
the level of snap, giving your dynamics a real shot in the arm. There is
plenty of range in this knob. Most settings will fall in the first half of the
knob’s travel. Use the second half for more dramatic effects, tone shaping,
and extreme boost.

Full/Mid/High switch – Determines whether just the highs or mids are
leaked through, or all frequencies. Experiment with the settings to discover
very different tones.

True Bypass Footswitch – Shut the stompbox off and your signal path is
removed from the circuit. Your tone and gain will remain intact until you
decide to switch the stompbox in again.

can hear that old compressor hesitate as it swells up. Really dig in, and
it clamps down like a hammer, overcompensating until it can catch up.
Not so with the Seymour Duncan Double Back Compressor. Of course
our compression circuit is tailor made to the way guitarists have come to
expect a high caliber compressor to feel, but thanks to the innovative and
unique Double Back feature and associated three-way EQ contour switch,
the Seymour Duncan Compressor lets the original guitar signal leak back
into the effected tone for a natural performance like no other. Different from
a simple “blend” control, the Double Back is an additive feature, which
creates a dynamic complexity previously available only in complicated
split signal rigs. And the Double Back and Sustain knobs have more than
enough range on tap so you’re never left “wanting more.”

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. But it doesn’t stop there. This unique control also simultaneously and
intuitively adjusts the release. Release determines how long the circuit
compresses the signal before allowing it to return towards its original
level. Use this knob to obtain either a smooth and natural-sounding
compression, or a tight and up-front compression that tracks your
every move.

Sustain – This knob is the heart and soul of the Seymour Duncan
Compressor as it determines the length of sustain. It’s easy: the higher
the setting the longer your notes will ring out. Like the Double Back control,
there is plenty of range in this knob. The more extreme settings can

FRONT PANEL

Explanation of Controls

Back Panel

Input Jack – Plug your guitar signal in here (or if compatible and desired,

the send from your amps effects loop). Generally guitar compressors are
preferred at the very beginning, or early on in the effects chain. When you
plug your guitar cable in, the power is turned on. Remember to unplug
your input cable when you are not using the Double Back Compressor.
This will help you get the longest battery life.

(and will) increase the natural noise level present in your guitar signal,
but we wanted the range to be there for use with weaker pickups,
or for extreme sustain and compression when you want it.

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BACK PANEL

Output Jack – Provides the output signal. Run a cable from this jack to

the input of your guitar amp or effects chain (or if compatible and desired,
the return from your amps effects loop)

Power Jack – Connect a regulated 9-volt DC adapter (center negative)
here if you opt not to run the compressor on a 9-volt battery.
We recommend the Seymour Duncan 11802 PSU.

Between Guitar and Amp

Take the 1/4” mono instrument cable from your guitar and plug it into the
Compressor’s input jack. Run another cable from the output jack to the

input of your amplifier or effects chain. Turn the Double Back to zero and

the other controls to 12 o’clock, then hit the On/Bypass footswitch; this is a
great place to start. Balance the sustain, attack and release pots to obtain
your desired level and feel of compression, then use the Double Back pot
to add your desired level of natural transients. Listen to the warmth and
sustain coming through.

Where in the chain?

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 such filter
effects as a wah. You won’t do any damage putting any stompbox in the
so-called wrong order, so experiment and find what works best for you.

Just recognize that compressors increase the volume of soft notes,

and in turn, increase your existing noise floor. So placing compressors
after distortion, or other noisy effects pedals will increase the noise floor.

Example Settings

Compression is a subtle effect, so try some of these example settings out
as a way of finding the best tone for you.

Keepin’ It Clean

Neither too much nor too little, this
will allow your chords to ring and
sustain naturally, just as Seymour
intended. Adjust the Double Back
to taste to further increase tran­sients, and keep it going without
ever sounding forced or artificial.

Sustainimaniac

This will give you more than
enough time to go out and grab a
bite. Great for chords and better for
single notes, this flub-free, musi­cal and virtually silent sustain can
seemingly go on forever.

Funky Chops

Rev up your bridge single coil
and get that picking hand work­ing. Give your rhythmic chops
and single-note melody lines a
rounded edge that sounds great
on the three treble strings and add
muscle to those Studio 54-style
stops. Damn right!

Lo-Fi Superstar

Especially effective when using
humbuckers, try this to wildly
change your tone from warm and
full to scratchy and toppy at the
press of a footswitch. Want to rec­reate that garage band feel? If you
have a use for a skinny ‘bucker
tone try this little trick for starters.

4

Clean Solo Exhumation

You don’t want any additional
drive with a clean boost, and this
setting gives you just that. Adjust
the volume pot to the output of
your amp and balance the Double
Back to the tone of your guitar:
your clean solos need never be
buried again.

Fat Lead Boost

Push your solos up to the front
of the mix while putting some
weight behind the punch. The
Mid Boosted Double Back drives
the amp hard while the Sustain
is the wind at your back.

SFX-09 SPECIFICATIONS

• Compression Ratio: Adjustable from 1:1 to 20:1

• Maximum Compressor Gain: +50dB

• Attack Speed: Adjustable from 3.2ms to 50ms

• Double Back Gain: Fully “off” to +34dB

• Battery Life: 100 Hours with a premium alkaline battery

• Power Source: 9V battery or external 9VDC regulated wall

transformer, center pin negative. 5mA current drain

• Input Impedance: 1 Megohm (1000K ohms)

• Output Impedance: 2.75K ohms maximum

• Output Clipping Level: 7V Peak-to-Peak

• Distortion: Less than 0.3% at 300mV RMS output at 1 kHz

• Noise referred to Input: -102dBV unweighted,
40 0Hz – 20kHz, input shorted

• Type of Circuitry: True bypass, class A

• Compressor type: Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA)

• Dimensions: 4.75” wide X 5.0” tall X 2.3” high

• Weight 1.5 lbs.

• Chassis material 16 Gauge Steel

Limited Warranty

Seymour Duncan offers the original purchaser a one-year limited warranty on
both labor and materials starting from the day this product is purchased from
an Authorized Seymour Duncan Dealer. We will repair or replace this product,
at our option, if it fails due to faulty workmanship or materials during this
period. Defective products should be returned to your USA dealer, international
distributor, or sent direct to our factory postage prepaid along with dated proof
of purchase (e.g., original store receipt) and an RMA number clearly written on
the outside of the box. Please call our factory for issuance of an RMA number.

This warranty does not apply to damage to this product or an instrument
caused by misuse, mishandling, accident, abuse, alteration, modification,
or unauthorized repairs. Product appearance and normal wear and tear
(worn paint, scratches, etc.) are not covered by this warranty. Seymour Duncan
reserves the right to be the sole arbiter as to the misuse or abuse of this
product. Seymour Duncan assumes no liability for any incidental or
consequential damages, which may result from the failure of this product.
Any warranties implied in fact or by law are limited to the duration of this
express limited warranty.

Designed and Distributed by:
Seymour Duncan / Basslines
5427 Hollister Ave.
Santa Barbara, CA 93111-2345 USA
tel: [phone]
fax: [phone]
www.seymourduncan.com

The SFX-09 is made in China. Designed and tested in USA. Printed in China.
© 2009

P/N: 501070-140 REV.A

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