Summer School Electronics Debuts The New Half-Day! Compressor, Just In Time For Black Friday

Summer School’s compressor is more of a preamp/boost/compressor/EQ all in one than just a utility pedal.

With their third release of 2023 Summer School has brought a truly new pedal into their lineup. While their previous two could be seen as remakes of their classic fuzz and drive circuits, the new Half Day! marks the company’s first compressor pedal.

However, the pedal feels and sounds quite a bit more impactful than most compressors do. And as Mark of Summer School said himself, it’s like he made a utility pedal into an effect pedal. I don’t use that phrasing lightly either. When you engage the Half Day!, which has dedicated guitar and bass modes to toggle between, you get a lot of chime and depth mixed into your signal.

Yes, it does its job of squishing and squashing your signal. You’ll notice your picking attack will still result in a smoothed over, even signal on all six strings. And it does increase sustain. But there’s also gain, volume, and EQ flavoring to be found in this pedal. The three control knobs (volume, tone, and compression) are very powerful and sensitive, as increasing the compression results in a (what sounds like to my ears) a bit of gain increase. Or at least some sort of harmonic content as the signal is squashed.

This is a really cool take on a compressor, and it is something different from the more sterile, studio compressors I’ve reviewed like the UA MAX or Maestro Arcas. Those compressors had plenty to offer, and I use the MAX still for shaping my bass guitar tone in live settings. But this is more of a true always-on pedal that can compliment any rig, while offering some compression to even things out.

I’d venture that the Half Day! might be the compressor for people who don’t usually like compressors. I myself have never felt a huge need for compression on guitar, though I do rely on it for bass guitar tones. I’ve always been drawn to a more raw, raucous sound. But the Half Day! can still kind of get you there. It’s got that buzz and sizzle that comes with a boost, all while still bringing a roundness and evenness to your guitar tone.

I plugged in the Half Day! to my two UAudio amp sims of choice, the Ruby (Vox-flavored) and Dream (Fender-flavored), with my RWM Tele and Squier P Bass to test each mode. I covered everything from subtle cleans to fizzier sounds and lead lines over loops with the guitar. On bass, I especially like the harmonic body that this thing adds. Like I said, to me it sounds more like a boost, EQ, and compressor all at once.

Since we already released our 2023 pedal rankings ahead of Black Friday, this will count as the first pedal of the 2024 review season. If you like what you’ve read or heard in here, go grab one from their website or consider using my affiliate link to grab one on Reverb (it seriously helps me out).