Hello there, and welcome back to yet another guitar pedal review! Unlike my previous guitar pedal reviews that feature mostly overdrives, distortions and boosters, this time we will look at a compressor pedal!
Table of Contents
I was really looking forward to finally settling down with a nice compressor without busting the bank. Before I purchased the subject compressor, I even went for the infamous Keeley compressor. But, due to an excessive amount of noise and crackling pots, I immediately returned it.
While going through the options on the market, I came across Carl Martin’s affordable Honey Comp and purchased one along with other Carl Martin pedals that I have been featuring here! Carl Martin Honey Comp is one of the most affordable, great-sounding and easy-to-use compressor pedals I have ever tried so far!
So, as I always do, I will introduce this lovely pedal company from Denmark, Carl Martin, to you. We will also have a look at the Carl Martin Honey Comp’s tech specs, listen to a no-talking style demo video where I used the compressor with various settings and provide you with an honest Carl Martin Honey Comp review along with original product photos!
TL;DR
If there is a list of guitar pedals that you need to have access to as a guitar player, compressors is one of them. Although you may not need to use it every time you pickup your electric guitar, you may always need it.
Especially, if you use multiple guitars with different pickup configurations, and would like to record different sections that require different “headroom management“, compressors may be a life saver!
Carl Martin Honey Comp is built on the same pioneering compression circuit that Carl Martin was famous for decades ago. Honey Comp is aimed for bringing the legendary Carl Martin Compressor Limiter circuit with some cool upgrades to the masses.
It offers a very simple layout featuring a compression, a level and a dry knob. The best thing about Honey Comp is that the controls work as intended and as designed, and not placed there on the pedal as a gimmick. It’s very affordable, very easy-to-use, sweet-sounding that comes with a very unique design!
With the dry knob, you can add your dry, unaffected signal to the compressed signal to achieve parallel processing, which will help you gain back the dynamics of your signal that are lost due to the nature of compression.
I don’t often recommend guitar gear without pointing out any negative sides or drawbacks. However, Honey Comp has just become an exception!
cigilovic.com totally recommends Carl Martin Honey Comp who are looking for a reliable, affordable, sweet-sounding (like Honey!) and easy-to-use compressor pedal!
Let’s start with a quick introduction to this legendary brand, Carl Martin, for those who have never heard of it!
About Carl Martin
East Sound Research was founded in 1990 by sound innovator and technology enthusiast Søren Jongberg, who became widely respected among musicians worldwide as the creative force behind the legendary Carl Martin product line.
The company began as a PA rental business, but Søren’s passion for electronics and sound quickly expanded its focus. By 1993, East Sound Research introduced its first effects pedal, the Hot Drive’n Boost, marking the beginning of what would become an iconic range.
Over the years, the Carl Martin brand has grown to include nearly 50 pedals, along with a selection of handcrafted, point-to-point tube amplifiers and cabinets. Best Tools For Guitars at Stewmac.com
In 2023, the music world lost Søren far too soon. He left behind a company admired for its innovation and trusted by countless musicians—both household names and passionate players around the globe.
Søren’s long-standing partnership with DanGuitar.dk, based just a short distance from East Sound Research in Grenaa, Denmark, paved the way for the next chapter. In 2024, ownership of Carl Martin was entrusted to Thomas Svenstrup, founder of DanGuitar.dk.
Today, Thomas and his team—joined by several of the original Carl Martin technicians who worked closely with Søren for decades—carry forward the brand’s legacy. Their mission is not only to preserve the spirit and craftsmanship of Carl Martin but also to push the boundaries with innovations for the future. Here’s a brief product line of the Carl Martin company in chronological order.
1993 – Hot Drive’n Boost (first Carl Martin pedal)
1994 – Compressor/Limiter
Early 2000s – Delayla XL, PlexiTone
Mid-2000s – Vintage Series: Crush Zone, Surf Trem, Red Repeat
2008 – Vintage DC Drive, Vintage Flanger, Rock Bug
2012 – AC-Tone, Bass Drive, TOD, updated PlexiTone
2016 – Red Repeat 2016 Edition (with Tap Tempo & modulation)
2017–2018 – Compact lineup: DC Drive V2, Atlantic Chorus, Axis Flanger, Purple Moon, Panama, TOD Turbo
2020 – PlexiRanger: a versatile Plexi overdrive + dual boost with stackable sections
2022 – Honey Comp: next-gen parallel compressor with dry blend, internal ±12V headroom, compact footprint
Present – Signature and pro-grade models like Andy Timmons Compressor/Limiter, Ampster, Acoustic GiG, and utility tools including Octa-Switch, Pro Power v2, and DC Factory.
Carl Martin Honey Comp
For those who have never heard, Carl Martin actually started with a legendary Compressor Limiter back in the day, which used to be a huge, hand-made in Denmark compressor. This was to bring the studio-grade compressor circuit to the pedalboards of guitar/bass players.
This was loved so much by the musicians that Carl Martin redesigned it into a much smaller format with a fixed Threshold and Response that normally featured only a Comp and a Level knob. The amount of positive feedback Carl Martin compressors received was huge!
However, the company did not want to stop there and release this lovely iteration with some cool upgrades! Now, we can really enjoy the same top-notch, studio-grade compressor with the Carl Martin Honey Comp! Check out the best guitar pickup company, Seymour Duncan here!
It features the same sweet-sounding circuit with a sought-after Dry knob, which you use for adjusting the dry signal and mixing it with the compressed one!
Basically, with this extremely affordable, easy-to-use Honey Comp compressor pedal, you can actually apply the parallel processing technique to your guitar and bass signals.
This means that the lost dynamics of a compressed signal can be further enhanced and revived with the dry, pure signal of your instruments by adding the desired amount of the dry signal to the compressed signal!
Carl Martin Honey Comp also features a proprietary DC/DC converter circuit that enables the pedal to run with -/+12V internally. This means even within a small compact pedal format, the much-loved headroom for the OG Compressor/Limiter can be achieved while using a standard 9V DC power supply!
As mentioned above, Honey Comp comes with a three-knob design featuring Comp, Level and Dry. There’s also a buffered bypass switch to engage/disengage the pedal.
The Comp (or Compressor) knob allows you to adjust the ratio of the compression that will be applied to your signal. The threshold is fixed or preset here. Turning the Comp knob clockwise increases the ratio; therefore, more compression on the signal.
The Level knob (a.k.a. Make Up Gain) can be used to compensate for the softened, compressed signal as your signal becomes softer while you are adding compression. That’s why it’s also called make-up gain.
Last but not least, the Dry knob is used for adjusting the dry signal in addition to the compressed signal, as explained above. This feature can be considered an upgrade as there used to be not many options to have this feature on pedal-format compressors. With this feature, you can retain the dynamics lost due to compression applied to the signal. Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
Before jumping to the review section, let’s first have a quick look at the Carl Martin Honey Comp tech specs below, which is a summarised version of the feature set explained here.
Carl Martin Honey Comp Tech Specs
| Carl Martin Honey Comp | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Input | 250 kOhm |
| Output | 150 Ohm |
| S/N Ratio | 80 dB |
| Bypass | Buffered bypass |
| Comp | Adjusts the ratio of compression |
| Dry | Adjust the amout of dry signal (for parallel processing) |
| Boost | 15 dB |
| Freq | 40hZ-16kHz |
| Dimensions | 110 (W) x 65 (D) x 50 (H) mm |
| Weight | 220g / 0.49lbs |
| Power Requirements | 9V DC, 200mA minimum, negative centre |
| Battery | No battery operation |
| Made In | China |
As explained and presented above, Honey Comp is an extremely simple-to-use compressor pedal with all necessary features that will allow you to quickly adjust and focus on your playing rather than fiddling with many different settings all day long!
Just before the review section, I’d like to share the sound demo video that I prepared for you!
Carl Martin Honey Comp Review & Sound Demo (no talking)
As I generally do, I used the loops that I had already recorded in my Boss RC-5 looper pedal, but this time I added some new arpeggios and riffs to freshen things up! 🙂
In these loops, I used my Fender FSR MIJ Hybrid II Stratocaster, FGN Boundary Odyssey, Cort M600, Fender American Standard Strat, Ibanez AR300 and Epiphone SG Custom Ebony guitars.
Apart from the guitars, I used my usual setup around a tube preamp this time, featuring my Brunetti Mille CR Preamp, Two Notes Opus, RME Babyface PRO FS and Genelec DP8020 DPM.
For the effects, I only used Wave Alchemy Magic7 as my reverb plugin. I also experimented with different channels on my Brunetti Mille CR Preamp to show you what this sounds like on a clean channel, as well as crunch and overdrive channels as a boost.
Regarding hardware effects, I used my Ibanez CSMini Chorus, Ibanez Pentatone EQ (PTEQ), and Dunlop MC-404 CAE Wah, all powered by Cioks DC7 power supply! Music Plugin Deals at Pluginboutique.com
I wanted to test the pedal with my Brunetti Mille preamp, as the preamp offers a great clean channel as well as multiple Plexi-type circuits on the Crunch and Lead channels.
Naturally, you would not like to add a lot of compression to an already distorted signal. So, I tend to stay in the crunch channel with some open chords that utilise every string to hear how the compressed crunch sounds would be perceived.
I hope you enjoy the sounds of this sweet-sounding compressor! I certainly enjoy it and really regret not having purchased it earlier!
Carl Martin Honey Comp Review
As with other current Carl Martin pedals, Honey Comp comes in the standard packaging of the company. As you will see, CM boxes don’t feature a unique branding or graphics for the individual products, but just come with a label indicating what’s inside.
As in other examples, Carl Martin boxes have the clear printed information of the importer (DanMusic Partner based in Denmark!).
Here is the only indication of the product, and the barcode number. I’d like to share it for future reference, as it is sometimes difficult to find box/packaging images of a product in the music industry! 🙂
On the other side of the box, the serial number is located. You can also check and validate the same serial number (hopefully) at the bottom chassis.
When you open the box, there’s not much going on. You have the Honey Comp compressor pedal and the pad.
The Honey Comp is essentially wrapped in a nylon package; there’s nothing else to protect the pedal, as this box style is tightly packed.
You also have this warranty information card, which sometimes comes with Carl Martin pedals. As I mentioned in the other Carl Martin articles on my blog, they sometimes don’t add it to the package. But there’s nothing to worry about, just sharing details with you! 🙂
And the pads! You certainly need these pads with Honey Comp, as it’s a feather-light pedal, and can be easily tossed around on your pedalboard without you even notice it.
As an additional, but maybe not so necessary detail, the pads are Dexerials Corporation-branded ones, not 3Ms.
Here we have the Carl Martin Honey Comp pedal. I think it’s a really good design overall; it gives you the impression of a high-quality, sleek design. Carl Martin uses this template on most of their pedal lines.
I think one thing one should immediately notice is that the screws that keep the chassis together are located on the front! This may look weird, but you will understand why when you see the pedal from different angles. Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
All the knobs, switches, input and output, as well as the overall build quality, are beyond its price tag, I should say. So well done, Carl Martin!
As you can see, the bottom chassis does not come with any screws, as the decision is to keep them on the top part. Bottom chassis only contains the serial information, some labels to indicate quality-related signs and the mention of East Sound Research Denmark.
As mentioned, Carl Martin Honey Comp is made in China, and nothing’s wrong with that!
And here is a clear shot showing why there are screws on the top of the pedal. Basically, there’s a bent metal surface chassis that hugs the bottom part slightly.
To be honest, I really like the design. It’s a fresh look and feel, and definitely a unique design that helps Carl Martin stand out of the pedal crowd.
Here’s another shot to show you how far the top sheet of metal reaches down. As there is no battery operation possible, chances are you will never need to unscrew the top chassis.
On the top side, there are your input, output and power in a tight fit, next to each other. I don’t find this good or bad, as I have enough patch cables and power outlets to make flexible arrangements whenever I need this pedal.
Verdict
As I briefly mentioned in the beginning, I was actively looking for a compressor pedal for a while. Before I got the Carl Martin Honey Comp, and the infamous Keeley Compressor Plus, which I returned immediately, I only had one compressor, by Marshall ED-1 Edwards compressor back in 2006 or something.
My goal was to build a pedalboard for home use, but mainly to have access to hardware/analogue effects such as a compressor, chorus, phaser and vibe, etc. So naturally I tend to go for the best-sellers or the ones that received the best customer feedback.
Therefore, while researching, I just went for the Keeley Compressor Plus without thinking so much about it. Note that Keeley is the number 3 best-seller compressor at the moment. But when I purchased it at the beginning of 2025, it was the number 1 compressor pedal on Thomann’s website for a very long time.
However, as soon as I got Keeley and started playing with it, I hated it and felt like I was fooled by the comments and the rankings on Thomann. All the pots were scratchy, constantly making noises when adjusted. IK Multimedia Tonex - Cutting Edge Guitar Tones!
Even though it offered the blending feature that you could use for adjusting dry/compressed signal mix, and an additional switch to use for single or humbucker-equipped guitars, it sounded so mushy, cloudy and completely unusable for me. Unfortunately, I had to return it immediately. I’m not sure if I had a faulty one, but this was the worst pedal experience I’ve ever had for a long time.
After a while, I started researching compressor pedals again and was ready to invest a little bit that I anticipated earlier; however, I just decided to spend as little as possible since I wouldn’t use a compressor pedal all day long.
Carl Martin Honey Comp exceeded my expectations, unlike any pedal that I have bought, and I must say I really regret not having purchased it earlier. It’s so well-built, impeccable and excellent-sounding compressor pedal.
Works with pure, clean sounds as well as crunchy or overdriven sounds without any problem. The Dry knob really works! You can use it to completely add your entire dry signal to the compressed one, and also keep the compression level at a minimum as a clean, but compressed boost.
Or you can really crank the compression level and lower the dry signal ratio, especially for single-coil pickups. The sounds you will get from this pedal are top-notch! Therefore, even though I returned many items from my multiple orders on Thomann, the Carl Martin Honey Comp has stayed with me!
That’s why I have titled the article “Just Get This!”. Seriously, if you want a reliable, affordable, easy-to-use and sweet-sounding (like Honey!) compressor pedal, just get yourself a Carl Martin Honey Comp compressor pedal. I promise you will not regret it!
Where to Buy Carl Martin Honey Comp?
As always, I got mine from Thomann, and I believe no one can beat Thomann when it comes to the most competitive prices for any given item. So, I suggest you do the same if you are considering one!
While I was already enjoying my Carl Martin Honey Comp, I thought this pedal would be available in every music store, so that I could share it with my visitors. However, right after I bought it, it went out of stock on Thomann’s website.
Although it’s still available, according to Carl Martin, it may not be easy to find this pedal in every music store! I know for sure Reverb has a lot of sellers listing the Honey Comp, but the listings are a bit overpriced in my opinion.
There are many dealers listed on Carl Martin’s website, so I recommend you check out these options as well here across the globe.
I suggest you check it out regularly, and maybe even contact Thomann to supply these again.
Check out Carl Martin Honey Comp on Thomann here
There are also used ones as well as brand-new ones listed on Reverb.
Check out my Carl Martin Honey Comp on Reverb here
Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
Osman Cenan Çiğil – cigilovic.com
Post your comments and feedback here
By submitting a comment, you accept that you will be automatically included in the newsletter. You can always opt out in case you are not interested in the content updates.Check out the best used gear website!
