BBE Sonic Maximizer

[altruistic8]

Has Anybody tried the BBE Sonic Maximizer and if so do they really make a big of difference in tone as they claim??

[aziltz]

it makes my acoustic sound alot clearer, ala acoustimax preamp/di. i have a taylor 214e with the under-neck pickup.

[jimmycupo]

i don't give a crap what anyone says i love my bbe stingers/maximizers!! hey,if you try it and like it,then there you go!

[rob2001]

Never found a useful spot for one....anywhere.

[spectreman]

I have one...here is my take:

It makes an average amp sound better/good.

It makes a good/great amp sound average.

[pitner]

I have one and it makes my old 1959 Guild 20 watt amp sound more hi fi and less brown. My ear wants some clarity so thats good for my setup.. I could never get a decent clean sound with my amp without it breaking up into a good blues tone but still a bit before I wanted it to. The BBe helped fix that along with a equalizer and a clean boost.

[908SSP]

Doesn't belong in a guitar rig unless you're going for some new sound then it doesn't matter what anybody thinks as anything goes.

[NewarkWilder]

digitized my tone way too much i thought

now waiting for my name to come up on the clinchfx ep-pre list. same kind of concept, much better execution.

imo.

[iacntspell]

I used to have mine on all the time. I've now found that it has undesirable effects with my marshall DSL50 for classic rock tones, but sounds great when I use it for metal (really tightens up the bottom end).

[mobis8]

I used to have mine on all the time. I've now found that it has undesirable effects with my marshall DSL50 for classic rock tones, but sounds great when I use it for metal (really tightens up the bottom end).

+1 to the metal comment. If you are looking for something very tight sounding (think chimera) then this is the way to go. If you are playing anything else but metal I would probably stay away imo. What I noticed the most was an increase in the bass, but a decrease in the mids which made me think I had the tone of a god until I played with the rest of the band. Then I just dissapeared...

[walterw]

I have one...here is my take:

It makes an average amp sound better/good.

It makes a good/great amp sound average.
a good description, similar to how the PA version affects sound systems.

i think of it like salt as a food seasoning: if the dish is bland or otherwise disappointing, salt can help make it ok. if the dish is already great, adding salt will just make it taste worse.

[earthtonesaudio]

A lot of people said using it was "like taking the blanket off the amp." What I want to know is, where's the pedal that puts a scarf, mittens and footy pajamas on your amp?

[shngn7]

I only really like to use it with my acoustic. The only time I use it for electric is if I am using my 5 watt champ at really low volumes. I agree with the makes an average amp sound better/great amp sound average statement.

[jimmycupo]

it best when used in a large rack system,last unit before the power amp! as for the pedal versions,same thing if using a very numerous amount of pedals and cabeling. i feel it gives more definition to my sound and love using the bbe units! it's like anything else you gotta try it and see what works or does not work for you and your rig.

[integris2]

I've had good results with mine. You have to run it through your effects loop, however, to get a good sound. If you don't have an effects loop on your amp, then wait to get a sonic maximizer until you have an amp with one.
It seems like the bass is increased when using it, but it is really just equalizing out all the frequencies. If I am not mistaken, treble frequency hit our ears before bass frequencies due, causing some music (particularly at a concert) to sound muddy. The sonic maximizer makes it so all frequencies hit your ears at the same time. This is why is sounds like the bass is increased.

[this1smyne]

i love my sonic maximizer.... all my friends want a tighter sound, they ask how i get my rig to sound so good, i turn my board over, and the BBE is underneath. sounds great. i usually run it after drives and before delays, tightens the whole thing up, makes muddy OD's sound crystal clear, gives my clean sound a chime to it without an alnico blue speaker. great at low volumes and high, for practice and gigs. a little digital sounding, but tubes warm it up nicely.

[phillygtr]

The Sonic Stomp is a digital pedal right? It's not an analog process correct?