We couldn't quite believe that this wasn't a brand new re-issue when we took it out the box on arrival, but no, here we have a truly mint condition Boss CS-1 Compression Sustainer from 1982.

Introduced in 1978 as a successor to the Roland AS-1 Sustainer pedal, the CS-1 was produced for 4 years up until 1982, making this one of the last to be made. 

Unlike the subsequent CS-2 and CS-3 that use VCAs to control the signal level, the CS-1 is an optical compressor, giving it quite a distinct sonic character. One thing it is not is subtle! Even on the lowest settings this is a seriously squishy compressor, perfect for funk guitar. Winding up the sustain control introduces a very obvious ducking effect from the initial attack of the note, followed by a very musical bloom that really does feel like it will give you infinite sustain. We can see this working quite well for those Lowell George style slide parts...

The original box is in really nice condition too, and the original instruction manual is present along with some original 80's Boss stickers.

A collection grade pedal from the golden days of Boss' Japanese production, this is a true character compressor pedal with its own unique sound...