BBE Sonic Stomp review...

[jgcable]

Picked one up for my Peavey Triple X 1 x 12 60w combo that I use for small gigs mic'd and for band rehearsal.
I have always liked this amp. Its reliable, loud and sounds great. The only issue I have with it is it doesn't thump enough unless its turned up entirely too loud. Problem solved with this little red pedal. I put it in the loop, dialed up the Lo Contour and the thump was there. This pedal is true bypass. It has 2 knobs on it. Lo Contour and Process. Basically... the Lo Contour is a bass control which to me does the exact same thing as the resonance control on a Peavey 5150 amp. The Process control adds what I would call sizzle. That's it. Add too much sizzle and it sounds thin and processed. I guess that's why the knob is called process. Its a great pedal and if you are looking for more clarity and specifically.. MORE PUNCH... this is the pedal to get. I got mine on Ebay for $75.00 brand new including shipping.

You can read volumes about what a BBE Sonic Maximizer actually does. It rearranges the frequencies and puts them in the correct order. To me.. this pedal is resonance (bass thump) and sizzle.

Its cool and I give it

[tomanyjacksons]

I've been using one ever since the first time I tried it. Good review jgcable.

[straycat]

I used the 422A rack unit for years and I believe in them.
I have the red SS on my pedal board and wouldn't be without it.
Its one of those pedals that stays on all the time.LOL

[Grim]

I've got a maximizer and like it. They get a lot of shit, but I keep one in my pedal bin.

[Radiohead]

Used a Rack version as well. I found that using it with modelling systems added a real quality (Boss GT10 & GSP1101). Everything just sounded more lively and active. I did see a video on you tube that did show absolutely that it did colour your tone even when not on. Not sure how this happens with true bypass but you could easily see the change in frequencies when bypassed.

[Hellbat]

I have one and used it the same way jg does. It was a presence/depth pedal. I would dial the bass out in the preamp section of my amp and use the sonic stomp to dial it back in. It helps you get a tighter tone with less flub.

I've seen the video that tries to discredit it, but the fact is they try to sound really scientific but they are only looking at the signal in the frequency domain and not the time domain. I don't really care for comparisons between on and off because mine always stayed on.

That said, my amp is for sale right now because I literally haven't plugged it in since I got my Axe 2, and I don't use the SS with the Axe because it has the tools to achieve the same effect built in to the same box.

[jgcable]

I really can't say enough good things about this little red box. I had people last night come up to me and ask what I did to my guitar sound because it sounds overall better. Its clearer, its more articulate, there are more lows, mids and highs and you can hear all of them.

This is the ultimate solution for a high gain player who has a tube combo amp that doesn't have the balls or thump they need. Throw this in the loop, dial it in (in about 5 seconds) and you are good to go. I am not even sure I am going to play my Rectifier half stack anymore live. My 1 x 12 Peavey 60w Triple X combo has as much bottom end thump and mid to high end sizzle as a 5150 2 x 12 closed back combo. Best $79.00 I have spend musically in quite a while.

[AdRock]

Used a Rack version as well. I found that using it with modelling systems added a real quality (Boss GT10 & GSP1101). Everything just sounded more lively and active. I did see a video on you tube that did show absolutely that it did colour your tone even when not on. Not sure how this happens with true bypass but you could easily see the change in frequencies when bypassed.

It's isn't a true bypass no matter what they say about it. Like in the video it does still color the tone slightly in bypass. They're all like that. It's basically a predetermined eq curve that could be accomplished with any 31 band eq. The BBE's can be great on instruments and vocal channels, but I cringe every time I see on in a FOH PA rack.

[jgcable]

All I can say is there is no reason I would ever have this switched off because my amp sounds amazing with it on. I really don't care if its true bypass or not. Of course.. this is for MY application.

[jdr94]

its a great pedal. it does wonders. as you said you cant use too much of either control. just a lil goes a long way.

oh and if you thought about it, dont try it with the rectifier. the mesa hates it.


edit- i too use it sorta like hellbat. I set my preamp to where my mids are boosted a bit and in the loop i have an eq to scoop the mids. i dont know why, but when done this way its much clearer than if i scooped my mids on the pre. from there i go to the sonic stomp and tighten up the bass and dial in just enough shimmer.
i probably got mine from the same seller jg did, but i was being thrifty and searched all his auctions of the sonic stomp and one had best offer so I saved about $15

[mantis]

I picked one up years and years ago and really liked it. Then I decided to try and go another way with my tone and find a new sound. Years later I picked up yet another one.

I use mine as the last thing in the chain at the end of the loop right before the amp. It's fantastic if you dial it in correctly.

[jgcable]

Did my first gig with it on Friday night. I had it in the effects loop of my Peavey Triple X 1 x 12 combo. I got nothing but RAVE reviews on my guitar tone. Chunky, tight, articulate. It was a PLEASURE to play live. I never turned it off. It sits on top of my combo. I didn't miss my Single Rectifier 1/2 stack at all and that's saying a lot. I am usually not a fan of open back 1 x 12 combo's because they just don't have the thump of a closed back 2 x 12 or 4 x 12. Well... this little red box solves that problem. And the clean tones???? Stellar, shimmering and very balanced.
This is an absolute MUST have pedal for any high gain player who wants thump and sizzle through their small 1 x 12 combo.