Subtle Studio Grade Pedal Modeled After the Legendary LA2A –
When it comes to the PRS Mary Cries, the first thing you notice is what you do not hear. In a world of squishy compressors that pump and breathe, this pedal is a different breed of animal altogether. It is modeled after the legendary Teletronix LA2A which is the holy grail of studio optical compression and it brings that exact level of high end transparent polish to your pedalboard. This is not a high effect transformation. It is a clean up pedal designed to level out your peaks and tuck in your low end while leaving your core tone completely intact.
The beauty here is in the simplicity of the specs. With just two knobs for Output and Compression, it is designed to be an always on utility that stays out of your way. In fact, the compression is so subtle and musical that PRS actually included a multi color LED just so you can see how much it is working. It is the kind of pedal where you do not realize how much it is doing for your sound until you turn it off and everything feels a little thinner and less recorded.
While it excels at that invisible smoothing, the Mary Cries has a killer drive feature if you know how to dial it in. If you roll the compression back and really crank that output knob, the pedal acts as a massive and harmonically rich boost. Because it has so much headroom, it pushes the front end of your amp in a way that feels natural and thick rather than fizzy. It is the perfect tool for when you need your solos to jump out of the mix with some extra meat on the bones while keeping your guitar sounding like your guitar. Ultimately, it is about making your rig feel more professional and refined without any major or unnecessary colored interference.
The Mary Cries is the perfect choice for the player who wants the feel and polish of a studio compressor in a simple and transparent stompbox.