GEAR SPOTLIGHT
ELECTRO-
HARMONIX
TONE CORSET
REVIEW BY DAVID A. EVANS
STREET PRICE $89.50
I don’t know of many
pedal makers who would
approach within ten feet of
the steampunk or Victorian
style market, at least not
without access to a landau
or high wheel for a quick
getaway. In its generosity,
Electro-Harmonix has
targeted this oft-maligned
group with its new Tone
Corset analog compressor.
Just as the undergarment
does to a torso, this new
pedal will beautifully shape,
support, and restrain even
the most shapely tone
imaginable.
So, with quizzing glass in
hand, I first assayed the
Tone Corset’s housing and
controls and determined
46
GEAR SPOTLIGHT //
that they were of a high
quality. True to form,
Electro-Harmonix tolerated
no slipshod work. This
handsome pedal will likely
outlast several generations
of monarchs.
Next, I reached for my ear
trumpet so as to better
discern the Tone Corset’s
sonic merits—but only after
installing my pince-nez
to free up a hand. What
follows is a treatise in which
I describe my findings.
I began in what I believed
was a logical place: with
a slow attack and low-
to-middling compression
levels. A jingle-jangle chord
progression I learned from
a local hurdy-gurdy man
Electro-Harmonix Tone Corset
chimed through with bell-
like clarity. True, I could hear
that the compressor was
working—it lent my tone a
subtle “pumping.” Some
people might find these
artifacts troubling, but I
found them to be perfectly
acceptable and even
charming.
Slow attack, middle-high
compression and sustain
brought out more of the
jangle in my chords, with a
more noticeable wavering
as the chords rang out. This
wavering was the product of
the Tone Corset’s attempt
to maintain an even output
level despite the steadily
decreasing input level.