BB pedal

Do you mean the Xotic BB?

 

Really smooth, kinda Tube Screamer-ish, has a little bit of clean breakthrough so is probably better suited to a crunchy amp than clean.

No fizz at all, good for fusiony lead tones, GREAT with a neck pup, no mud!

Not a crunchy or grindy pedal, nor does it have the mid range of a D*mble type tone, but it has it's own thing going on.

 

I was very into the AC, but when Toshio sent me the BB Preamp I was floored with it as soon as I pluged it in.. And I couldn't go back to the AC anymore, it basically took the place of my AC.. So now I use the RC, and BB only, and my Red Snapper of course.. BB Preamp - What a great pedal..

Shane Pasqualla

 

Shane, how would you compare the AC and BB?

 

They are completly different.. The BB has way more output and has a clearer sound, but is compressed in a good way.. Thats why it is so good for soloing.. But it is really good for rythem work also.. The AC is a good pedal but a little muddy when you switch to the neck pickup, and doesn't sound as big. The BB is a really good blues pedal, and rock pedal, and Jazz pedal, it all depends on where you set you gain.. I can get a SRV sound with the BB with my Les Paul, It just is a very clear pedal and brings out the best in your pickups.. Plus it goes really well with the RC, even better than the AC in my opinion.

Shane Pasqualla
WET ANIMAL
http://www.wetanimal.net

 

Thanks for the info.

I agree about the RC/BB combo, I'm enjoying that combination.

It is great with a neck pup, the best pedal I've used for getting clear and smooth neck pup tones.

 

I felt that the BB on its lowest settings sounded very similar to the RC (a very good thing). I didn't keep it mind you, but it was an excellent unit!

 

I said this in another thread, the BB cleans up better than the AC, and when you turn down the gain all the way you get the RC booster sound.. And the BB is a keeper to me because I can depend on it to sound good with what ever amp I am using..

Shane Pasqualla

 

My 2c on this - having owned 2 (RC and AC) and played extensively with the BB is..

RC - GREAT - still on the board for that slightly edgy-hairy rhythm "push". Excellent EQ controls that actually WORK!

AC is a TS clone to my ears - if you like TSs then the AC is for you - NOT for me as I found out.....

BB - like a little Marshall in a box - more body and girth and grind than the TS, oops, AC Booster.... . Great lead pedal, tons of presence and capable of some real fire.

Nice pedals - but it would be RC and BB for me........

cheers

 

I heard this before I got mine but it doesn't sound anything like a Marshall to my ears, Marshall's are crunchy and gritty and the BB is smooth city, without a trace of grit or fizz.

Great pedal but I wouldn't recommend it for those looking for a Marshall in a box.

 

I agree, I think this pedal is a clear overdrive with a touch of compression, that is nothing like a Marshall, maybe a little like a Dumble sound, but it has that clarity that the AC does not have.. It can make my Les Paul sound a little like a strat as long as I have the RC in front.. I keep the Gain down low and the volume up above unity..

Shane Pasqualla

 

I've not owned any of the other Xotic pedals, but I have a BB.

I would characterize the BB as being dead in-between Marshall and Dumble sounding - not as gritty as a Marshall, not as smooth as a Dumble. Very unique sound (which I like). I love the EQ controls - after using it I think every pedal should have Bass and Treble rather than one tone knob. This provides great flexibility - you should be able to use it successfully with any amp. I've found that I much prefer it with single coil guitars, but it does acceptably well with humbuckers. It's a little more compressed than I'd like, but the clarity and sustain are excellent.

I think BB is a great all-around OD, but tend to use it for medium to higher gain stuff. Highly recommended.

V

 

I just got my AC Booster from Shane and at first I wasnt sure if I would use it but with some playing around and running it into my Deluxe Reverb RI this pedal sounds great, It gets a nice thick OD tone and works great with the Guitars volume knob on my PRS McCarty!

The RC and BB is real tempting to get now it would sound like you can cover a lot of tones with those 3 pedals but for my Medium to high gain tone I'm using a Tonebone Classic which sounds huge and has plenty of control to dial in your tone can easily get some great metal tones too!

I will probably keep my eys open for the RC and BB in the for sale adds!

Shane Thanks again for the great deal on the AC Booster!

 

No Problem bro, glad you like it.. I am a big fan of all three of these pedals.. But I am falling for the BB, RC, Combo..

Shane Pasqualla

 

Scott pretty much nails it.

I use the RC, BB a stock BD-2 and a Keeley BD-2.

The RC I use like an amp front panel, like a Fender type clean to slight breakup.
I love this pedal, it has so many uses for me, clean w/eq, clean boost, clean cut (run into a crunchy amp and set the RC to cut the volume, like rolling down the guitar volume but wth eq)

The stock BD is my light O/D, like a Fender cranked up, great for rhythm stuff, I use the RC after it to boost the lows a little bit.

The Keeley BD-2 is my crunchy rhythm pedal and the BB is for smooth leads.

The RC into the BB is great, plenty of gain and pre/post distortion eq.

I also like the BD-2 into the Keeley for a similar tone with a different flavour.

 

I like my zen for the Dumble-thing, but I am curious how the BB would compare- sounds like the BB likes buckers than the Zen does.

 

Interesting read. I might have a crack at the BB after all.

 

I bought an RC from Shane last year and I love it (Thanks Shane!). Also, I typically have the same "ear" as Shane given his reviews, but I have to disagree on the BB/AC comments.

I've had a BB for a while, and for me, the new AC just slays it. The AC, for me, is waayy bigger sounding, more open and natural, the BB sounds smaller and overly compressed. The BB is off the board and it's the E/RC/AC trio for me.

Different things for different players- even players that have pretty much the same "ear"!!