Skip to content

a blog on effects

Menu
  • Home
  • collection (486)
  • Ibanez (111)
  • Danelectro (53)
  • DOD, Digitech (51)
  • Electro-Harmonix (40)
  • Boss (54)
  • Other Brands (177)
Menu

Ibanez CP5 Compressor

Posted on 6/09/2013 by mirosol

CP5

What is it?
Ibanez CP5 Compressor from Soundtank series in plastic enclosure. Serial points to somewhere around ’95-97. Date is based on a educated guess, as always with these.

First off. Ibanez compressors tend to use somewhat obscure OTA replacement in a few designs. The 9-pin  SIP-chip in question is BA6110, which is in fact a VC opamp. The datasheet doesn’t have a word about transconductance. It does talk about voltage controlled amplifiers, filters and oscillators. While the chip is way different from the obvious CA3080(A/E) found in MXR Dyna, Ross Comp and about a hundered different derivatives, it can do the same thing. Ibanez uses the same SIP-chip in only tremolo it ever produced, the TL5 – only there the VCA is harnessed to be used with LFO instead of controlling it with the input signal’s voltage. More about the tremolo once we get to it.. This post is about the compressor.

CP5-guts

To study the schematic, you can check it out on Dirk’s page. His trace is beautiful work of art as always. All the other stuff going on with the circuit are relatively close to Dyna/Ross, so the base design is and isn’t a ripoff at the same time. I’m not quite familiar where in the Ibanez/Maxon design timeline did the BA6110 chip arrive, but it seems that the Master series CPL was the first one. Followed by CP10 and this circuit. Which are, all three of them, pretty much the same thing. In other words, an VCA adaptation of CP9, which uses more traditional LM16900 dual OTA. Which is, CP9 i mean, actually Dyna/Ross comp with dual OTA (second half unused). So the histroy behind this Soundtank CP5 is pretty clear. This time, the design revamped by the Maxon/Ibanez  team is better than the original.

I can say this with confidence. All four mentioned above do work and sound a lot better than currect Dunlop/MXR version of the Dyna.

How does it sound?
One of the great ones. Where as MXR Dyna is a lot more like shock effect with it compressing way too much even on minimum settings – This one can be used on all the time without excess noisy mushiness. Of course it can be turned to the max, which makes it quite close to Dyna. In a few words – Really good sounding compressor with classic feel to its sound. Doesn’t give you as much noisy mush as CA3080 designs, but good compression that thrives with a telecaster.

5 thoughts on “Ibanez CP5 Compressor”

  1. BK says:
    7/02/2017 at 23:56

    Love mine! Got it in the loop of a One Control Mosquite blender to mix in some dry signal and its everything I want in a pedal board compressor!

    Reply
  2. Craig Rison says:
    25/03/2020 at 08:33

    Thank you for such clear detailed info, and for link to Derk’s schematic’s but he doesn’t seem to have one for this CP5. My most important question is it’s input impeadence cause I want ot use it with a piezo pickup in a banjo

    Thank You

    Craig

    Reply
  3. W. James Meagher says:
    9/02/2024 at 00:29

    Great write up but I don’t see the CP5 schematic on Dirk Hendrik’d page.

    Reply
  4. Tony says:
    4/09/2024 at 01:35

    I believe the Ibanez PUE5 multi effect unit has the CP5 compressor, the schematic is here/under service manual/:
    https://www.tonehome.de/ibanez/multi-effects/pue5/

    Not sure about the distortion, the one on the PUE5 has gobs of gain and might be a PL5, or maybe the whole board is consists of Soundtank effects series

    Reply
  5. Tony says:
    11/09/2024 at 08:31

    The CP5 is a very decent sounding compressor, the attack knob has a somewhat subtle effect though.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Craig Rison Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

/usr/bin/locate

/usr/bin/whoami

here used to be a short description of me. however, it wasn't exactly accurate anymore. so i'm replacing it with this placeholder for now. and yes. it's been a long time since my last post. but let me assure you. i'm very much still alive.

Found an error? One of my assumptions is dead wrong? Something else is just not right? Let me know! Leave a comment to a post, or drop a line to mirosol at kapsi dot fi.

I do mods, repairs and custom builds too. For inquiries, use the email address above.

/var/lib/collection

  • Electro-Harmonix (40)
  • DOD, Digitech (51)
  • Other Brands (177)
  • Boss (54)
  • Danelectro (53)
  • Ibanez (111)

/var/lib/tags

Amp Autowah Bass Boost Booster Chorus Compressor Delay Distortion Echo Envelope Filter EQ Filter Flanger Fuzz Harmony Loop Modulation Noise Gate Octave Overdrive Phaser Pitch Power Preamp Reverb Special/Multi Synthesizer Tremolo Tuner Utility Vibe Vibrato Wah

/usr/lib/comments_recent

  • zix on DOD FX55-B Supra Distortion
  • Ali Imran on Ibanez MF5 Modern Fusion
  • Ali Imran on Ibanez MF5 Modern Fusion
  • Schlunzo on Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger
  • Jefferson on Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger

/var/lib/archives

  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • September 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
© 2025 | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme