CS-1 Sustain Knob

[Studer]

I have an old silver screw cs-1
compressor that I bought on the cheap. it squashes the signal too  death. great for country but nothing else.
as you know it has a "level" knob, a "sustain" knob and a switch for  normal and treble. Everything works fine except the "sustain" knob seems to do nothing from 8:00-5:00? Is this normal? I changed the 1 meg pot and it still seems to make no difference in the
attack, tone or sustain.
It had a 1 meg pot originally. What if I changed it to a 500k?

any help would be great![/b]

[petemoore]

Try turning the guitar down or somehow boost the signal input, it 'reads' input voltage, when it's high it attenuates the signal output, thus compression.
 The sustain knob probably adjusts the sensativity of the portion of the effect that senses the input level, so that different effect can be adjusted, and if the input falls within a certain voltage range. this knobs influence on circuit function may have a more noticable effect throughout it's range...maybe not...the fact that it's doing what it sounds like it's supposed to do, it's probably functioning properly.
 The pot could be tapered so that the range is more limited, I'd just set it and forget it.

[cd]

Try turning the guitar down or somehow boost the signal input, it 'reads' input voltage, when it's high it attenuates the signal output, thus compression.
 The sustain knob probably adjusts the sensativity of the portion of the effect that senses the input level, so that different effect can be adjusted, and if the input falls within a certain voltage range. this knobs influence on circuit function may have a more noticable effect throughout it's range...maybe not...the fact that it's doing what it sounds like it's supposed to do, it's probably functioning properly.
 The pot could be tapered so that the range is more limited, I'd just set it and forget it.

Wrong!!!  The CS-1 is photocell based - an LDR in the feedback loop of a gain stage applies the compression.  The Sustain knob is a gain control wired as a rheostat, turning it up/down adjusts the response of the LDR.  

The photocell could be bad.  Try removing the pot completely and see what happens.

[petemoore]

Try turning the guitar down or somehow boost the signal input, it 'reads' input voltage, when it's high it attenuates the signal output, thus compression.
 The sustain knob probably adjusts the sensativity of the portion of the effect that senses the input level, so that different effect can be adjusted, and if the input falls within a certain voltage range. this knobs influence on circuit function may have a more noticable effect throughout it's range...maybe not...the fact that it's doing what it sounds like it's supposed to do, it's probably functioning properly.
 The pot could be tapered so that the range is more limited, I'd just set it and forget it.

Wrong!!!  The CS-1 is photocell based - an LDR in the feedback loop of a gain stage applies the compression.  The Sustain knob is a gain control wired as a rheostat, turning it up/down adjusts the response of the LDR.  
  >>>interesting wording ... I'm still not sure there' a 'problem' with the pedals function...
The photocell could be bad.  Try removing the pot completely and see what happens.

[Studer]

I've messed with the volume and it does not change the reaction . I'll try to remove the pot.

THANKS GUYS!!!!

[Studer]

what is a photocell?

Thanks