bbe units other than 422 to run with 6505?

[dinky kustom]

i see that the bbe 422 and 422a are discontinued,so my question,is there/what other bbe to run into the loop of my 6505?or any other unit around to do the same job?im not a fan of ebay as yet so prefer to buy a new unit.how about the 882i,482i,362?sonic stomp?boosta grande?

[horns666]

The 422 series are the absolute best match for your amp..IMO!

I bought mine "mint" off E bay for 50 bucks shipped.

less than half the cost of a new one 482, 462..which I have bought and tried.

I conferred with the guys at Barcus Barry when the 462 just came out which I bought because it did not compare to the 422. The 462/482/ has much more "sizzle"..and since I did run mine whith both channels..I found it harder to get an acurate balance..since they changed the knobs from a click with "dots" to a free sweep with no dots..that always bothered me.

They agreed and stated that the newer version were more for PA and recording applications...Cleveland John also spoke with them and was informed of the same.

Although the 462/482/882 and ect would still prolly enhance your tone to some degree..it is far from the warmer, much more "musical" sounding tone you'll get with the 422/422a..

I have already crossed the bridge that you are contemplating and strongly advise to seek a BBE 422/422a either on Ebay or perhaps here.

This was my time , money and experience..

Good luck..

Bill Z

[SEAN RAF]

Hey Bill, why is it so crucial to have a BBE in the loop on a 5150/6505? I really don't understand these things, I'd appreciate a little help.

Cheers

Sean.

[dinky kustom]

once again bill your info is much appreciated and well taken onboard.hmm looks like i need to get me an ebay account then.i would like an opinoin form anyone who has tried the sonic stomp as well.i think it wont come close to a 422/422a but i would still appreciate any experince advice on it.

[horns666]

Hey Bill, why is it so crucial to have a BBE in the loop on a 5150/6505? I really don't understand these things, I'd appreciate a little help.

Cheers

Sean.

To put it simply in MY terms and not theirs..It truly adds much depth, definition and girth to the 5150/6505..by far. It really wakes up the amp and makes it sound more focused and "bigger" overall..it really makes a differenece in a 5150..once you have one..you'll never want to take it out of the loop again..it's like steroids for the 5150.

Umm..OK..the best thing to do is to go to a GC..where they have both the 6505 abd BBE unit in stock..dial up the 5150 to the best of your ability at the moment..then plug the BBE unit into the loop..and just turn it on..it will speak for itself immediately..and that's with the newer units..such as 482/822..which will "enhance" the tone most definitely..you will see the difference..it's just that the discontinued 422 models were much more "musical"..with far less "sizzle"..which sounds very hairy and nerve grating at high volumes levels..the 422 don't have that unwanted "sizzle"..I've heard other player with newer BBEs and it sounded pretty good when they were playing it..but I hear it when I'm playing it..it's weird.

The BBE 462 was a deal breaker with a customer that was on the fence about a Crate BV120..my friend John Comprix (Beyond Fear) is the GC mangaer..they dialed up a pretty good sound..and they let me fuck with it..I tweaked it a bit and they were still undecided..I asked GC dude if he has a BBE in stock..he said "yeah"..I said .."fuggit..get it"..he throws it in the loop and it just came alive..the guys immediately bought both the Crate and BBE..and I didn't get any comission..that was a long time ago..


The BBE is NOT a one size fits all unit..some amps hate them (Rectos, Uber, Mesa,) Some amps really do well with them ( My Marshall rack, Crate BV120) and some amps love them..the 5150/6505..

[SEAN RAF]

Cheers Bill, you know your stuff, especially re 5150's. Will one of the BBE stomp box's do the job? Is a BBE a better option than say a Boss graphic eq?

[horns666]

My favorite geetar player Jeff Loomis uses the BBE sonic Stomp..but he also uses a Krank..

I seen Jeff play since 1996 with several different rigs..his best tone was with his Recto by far., he even sounded good when he used a Pod pro..which I actually prefered over his Krank..which I don't think he uses all the time..I've seem him with a Triple XXX, Triaxis w/, Mesa poweramp, a Pod Pro w/ same poweramp, and the Krank..with Sonic Stomp..his solos came thru very well..but his his crazy palm muted stuff he does came thru pretty muddled..it did when I saw him last...and I love his rythm playin'..I don't know if he used the BBE just for solos or if it was on all the time..

I would suggest to go to GC and try one out in the loop of the 6505..maybe the went "classic" with that stomp..I haven't tried one of those..but they are only 100 bucks new..it just may do the trick.

I will investigate this further, the next time I go to GC..for my own curiousty and yours.

[horns666]

Cheers Bill, you know your stuff, especially re 5150's. Will one of the BBE stomp box's do the job? Is a BBE a better option than say a Boss graphic eq?

Absolutely..I had many eqs in the loop of my 5150's including the Boss GE-7..I sent it back to Muscians Friend..that was some time ago..The BBE is not an EQ whatsoever..it's just a unit based on frequency/sound correction, so they say..they use jarggin saying stuff like "tax your ears" and yada..which means nothing really..

I say, It just works wonders with the 5150, and some amps Marshall, Randall, Crate, Ampeg..but noticed high end amps do not like them..Soldano, VHT, Recto, Bogner, John's CAE and such..they sound like total shit with those amps..I wished they didn't, but they do..

[horns666]

this may be helpful..

http://www.bbesound.com/support/index.asp

[krimson]

You may be able to get away with an 822A which is basically a 422A with more feature in the back panel. There were made during the same time and look exactly the same. Here is one on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BBE-Sonic-Maximizer-822A-rack-mt-2-channel_W0QQitemZ270116067605QQihZ017QQcategoryZ23790QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There is also a 322A which has less features. It only has on set of controls for both channels, as opposed to the 422A which has independent controls for each channel. Here is one that just sold on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/BBE-322-Sonic-Maximizer_W0QQitemZ160108309649QQihZ006QQcategoryZ23790QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm not sure if these two units will sound the same, but they were made during the same time and probably used the same components on all of these.

[dinky kustom]

I would suggest to go to GC and try one out in the loop of the 6505..maybe the went "classic" with that stomp..I haven't tried one of those..but they are only 100 bucks new..it just may do the trick.

I will investigate this further, the next time I go to GC..for my own curiousty and yours.



YOU sir are a fuggin champ.theres two shops in my town and neither have any bbe gear,so for me to have a play with some requires a 3 hour trip.but its a good enuff reason i think
i await your findings as well bill.

[Cleveland Metal]

There is also a 322A which has less features. It only has on set of controls for both channels, as opposed to the 422A which has independent controls for each channel. Here is one that just sold on ebay.

I'm not sure if these two units will sound the same, but they were made during the same time and probably used the same components on all of these.

Dunno, I have a 401 here from the same period tho a bit earlier than the 422, (Dave Mustaine was sposed to have used them a lot) and man, it sounds pretty bad. I just keep it cuz it's odd and I've never seen another one. Would never actually use it tho....

[Inazone]

I bought a 362NR (has noise reduction) to put in my studio rack for fine-tuning tones when recording. It's NOT considered a "guitar model" by any means, and the manual specifically states that it is for general recording and PA use, but the price was right.

In any case, I have a Peavey Rockmaster tube preamp running into a Carvin Tube 100 power amp for my rhythm tracks, and the BBE comes in really handy for trying to dial in that last 10% of my tone. We were having a hell of a time getting a "big" rhythm tone, and adding the BBE in the loop with the Lo Contour and Process knobs both at around 1 o'clock was the shot in the arm that the Rockmaster needed. But with all the Peavey gear I've used, EQ adjustment is a science all its own, so a Sonic Maximizer alone won't compensate for unsuitable EQ settings.