The King of Compression: Robert Keeley & Keeley Electronics

Keeley Electronics is an extravaganza of guitar effect modifications and custom pedals. The boutique offers every guitarist the exact sound he or she is looking for. The best professional guitarists often have technicians who customize their guitar and effects setups for a desired tone and sound. Keeley pedals are a simpler and more affordable way for any guitarist to reach that goal.

The Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer is one of the premier overdrive pedals. Keeley modifies the pedal with new wiring and circuitry, reducing the hum of the drive and adding tremendously to the fullness and color of tone. He also has a “baked” mod for the Tube Screamer that adjusts the level for three times the saturation and response. It’s as if the drive is put from 4 to 14 instead of 1 to 10. You can even have both mods in your TS9 if you want. He also puts in a hot blue LED light in many of his pedals, a mark of distinct craftsmanship.

Keeley creates custom pedals for all types of guitarists. One that I particularly enjoy is his Ross Compressor remake, called the Keeley Compressor. This pedal compresses the level of the sound and adds unbelievable amounts of sustain. It is the highest quality compression used to keep loud overdrives and distortions to a specific level. Better yet, it is perfect for a solo guitarist who needs great feedback and sustain. Combined with the TS9 and/or some other distortion or overdrive, the compressor is out of this world.

The Cry Baby Wah pedal is one of the most commonly used expression effects. This particular wah creates an unusual amount of noise whether or not the pedal is clicked on. It also drains tone to near emptiness. With Robert Keeley’s mod, the pedal is made true bypass so the noise disappears when the pedal is off. New wiring and Keeley's special sauce give the Cry Baby a brand new face. Keely puts in a switch for two different types of wah tone, plus, of course, the LED. He works with Vox wahs as well as the Dunlop Cry Baby.

Keeley has dozens of selections to choose from. His custom products include wooden effects, a preset dual-option Nova Wah – the custom time machine boost favored by Peter Frampton – and the java boost – a treble booster perfect for dual overdrive setups. He has 15 different custom mods for many commonplace pedals such as the Rat, two different Line 6 modelers, and a number of Boss classics like the Blues Driver, the Distortion, and the Tremolo. He even has his own line of custom cables.

This boutique guitar workshop offers players a wide array of options to get his or her setup perfect, but it comes at a price. The Keeley Compressor goes for $219, the full-tone mods for a Wah are $179, and if you own your own pedal to be modded it’s usually around $65. Some of the customs cost up to $300. Though the cost may be an issue, the quality of craftsmanship is the best for its price, and if you are serious about tone and sound, you will never regret purchasing from Keeley Effects.

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