Blues boy !!!

[fuzzface]

I just bought a blues boy !!! Highly tweak friendly! I am wondering if the bluespro sounds are obtainable on the blue pro?

 

[jeak]

I've been doing lots of A-B auditioning of both pedals, plus a few others. So far, the Blues Pro is my fave. You can tell the BP and BB are related, but they are not quite the same (different ICs, for one). I find the Pro really hard to get a bad sound out of. And it's so simple -- three knobs and a switch. No internal stuff. Those trims on the BB are nice, but as much time as I spent tweaking them, I still do not like the sound quite as much as the BP. The Pro is a bit fuller and deeper sounding -- i.e., more complex and just a tad bassier. I think it also has better note definition than the BB in high registers. And while on paper it has less gain than the BB, it actually sounds gainier to me and smoother at full gain. Finally, I find it more transparent than the BB. BTW, my BB has the 1458 IC loaded.

I should note that all my comparing has been with the melody side of a Stick, not a guitar. So YMMV. For the record, though, my Stick has a single-coil EMG in what you'd call the neck position on a guitar. I run it into a super-super-clean solid-state Phil Jones Bass combo amp. So again, YMMV.

In any case, I recently e-mailed Michael at MI Audio in praise of the Blues Pro. So far, I like it better than the Zendrive, the Barber DD, the Blue Boy, and the Blackstone MOSFET. Granted, these are all very different boxes. You might say apples, oranges, and bananas. Still, overall, the Pro wins my ears. Funny too that it's the cheapest and simplest of the bunch. I guess I'm just that kinda guy I have a Timmy coming soon, and the Blues Pro will be the pedal to beat. Oh, and just for kicks, I ordered a Bad Monkey today to toss into my OD shootout mix.

 

[fuzzface]

Yeah, I read about the Bad Monkey when it first hit the market so I checked it out at the local music store, and I was blown away. I wonder if it can be made true bypass?

Hey nice review! I think I want to try the Blues Pro too! If you might you be able to a/b them with regular single coils and a humbucker guitar that would be very excellent!!

 

[eric-d]

I have to get the Blues Pro... Damnit, my wife's gonna kill me.

 

[Seegs]

My Blues Pro has made a lot of famous costlier pedals go bye-bye...I use mine after a Timmy and they sound great on their own and work really well together...

Chow,
Seegs

 

[fuzzface]

Yeah ,more bad news. Check out mike's site, he is coming out with a Dist/Od for only 99 bucks called the crunch box. He only says he thinks it will his most popular pedal! Not too mention his tube pedal he is making... He is a busy dude! Interesting fellow!
Has anyone a/b'd the blue boy and the blues pro? Are they very different? Does one work more with certain amp or pups? Or is it the tone of the drive section that is different? I wondering if the blues pro will kill my blue boy dead!

 

[El Jimbo]

Not to mention the deluxe version of the TZ...he's planning on putting it in a whole new enclosure with all adjustments external, and the separate mids knob.

Patience has its virtues.

 

[erksin]

I think Mike makes great pedals - the Blue Boy is one of the best dirt pedals I've ever owned. Play on it for a few weeks, and then order yourself an LM833 chip to try instead of the 4558 - nice tonal differences to be had. The tweakability is such a huge plus for me.

 

[SteveVHT]

Michael makes some of the best pedals I've ever owned....
He has cause me to sell alot of my "Boutique" pedals since...
Klon,Tim,RC and AC Booster, Red Snapper, Fulldrive 2 have all been sold....
He also sent me a new prototype that is amazing.
I have several of each of his pedals including 4 original prototypes, 2 TZ's, 2 BB's, another proto, and a Blue Zone custom(BBandTZ together......)
I hit the BB at 1:44 on this recording with the level and tone at noon, and gain at 9:00....
It works with any amp very well...
This is a VHT GP3 preamp....
http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=17528
Steve

 

[BillyK]

If any BB owners like the LM833 opamp, you gotta try a TL072 and a Burr Brown OPA2604 opamp. I recently went crazy for the Burr Brown, but went back to the TL072 last week.

The TL072, IMO, is the most open-sounding of the bunch. Very tube-like.

Interestingly, the TL072 is the opamp so many Eternity owners love. I think a paid about $.75 each for the TL072's.

Try it!

 

[fuzzface]

Nice clip, funkyblues! What chip do some of you Blueboy owners prefer? THe mentioned above or the lm1458 or the jrc4558D or P? Has anyone else a/b's the BP and the BB?

 

[jeak]

Originally posted by fuzzface
Hey nice review! I think I want to try the Blues Pro too! If you might you be able to a/b them with regular single coils and a humbucker guitar that would be very excellent!!

Hey, fuzzface, I'll try the A/B with a guitar when I get a chance. I hardly play anymore since I got the Stick, but I still have a couple. One is a B.C. Rich strat with a double and two singles. The only problem is that it sounds weak through my Stick amp. Hmm, that might actually be better for a true A/B pedal comparison. We'll see. There are also clips of both the BB and BP at www.miaudio.com. They are good clips, but as usual, you can't "feel" a pedal through clips.

 

[erksin]

Originally posted by fuzzface
Nice clip, funkyblues! What chip do some of you Blueboy owners prefer? THe mentioned above or the lm1458 or the jrc4558D or P? Has anyone else a/b's the BP and the BB?

Mine came with the standard 4558 which sounded great - very TSish. I swapped it out in favor of the LM833 and like it much better - still smooth, but less compressed and a different mid emphasis. I've got a TL072 and a LM1458 to try as well - just haven't gotten around to it yet...

 

[Marcello]

Originally posted by erksin
Mine came with the standard 4558 which sounded great - very TSish. I swapped it out in favor of the LM833 and like it much better - still smooth, but less compressed and a different mid emphasis. I've got a TL072 and a LM1458 to try as well - just haven't gotten around to it yet...

the LM1458 is incredibly smooth, it's my new fav !

LM833 is a close second.

 

[BillyK]

I tried the lm1458's - more than one, as I heard these opamps are not very consistent. For me, it was nasaly and kinda thin.

The TL072 IMO is the best so far for my rig. Fortunately, it's real easy to a/b these opamps in the Blue Boy.

 

[jeak]

Originally posted by fuzzface
If you might you be able to a/b them with regular single coils and a humbucker guitar that would be very excellent!!

Hi, fuzzface. I just did the A/B with a guitar instead of my Stick. To repeat, I have a B.C. Rich NJ strat (circa 1985) with a double-coil pickup (bridge) and two singles (middle and neck). Unfortunately I no longer have a guitar amp, as I sold it after I switched to playing the Stick. My Stick amp is a super-clean, full-range, flat-response bass amp made by Phil Jones. The Stick sounds spectacular through this amp, but the guitar does not. It sounds sterile and dull when clean. So YMMV. I’ll also repeat that my Blue Boy has the 1458 IC, which Michael at MI Audio has decided is his favorite. I have not experimented with other chips. Nor do I recall exactly how I set the internal trims. I *think* the character is at 0 percent and the brightness and voicing both around 50.

My verdict:

The differences between the BB and BP are less pronounced with my guitar (again, consider that I am not using a proper guitar amp). They are still noticeable, though, and I still prefer the Blues Pro. But not by much.

Basically, the Pro is still more transparent. Even at full gain, especially when I play Blackmore-style (“Smoke on the Water”) fourths with single coils, I can really hear the guitar’s tone through all that overdrive. With the BB, that little sparkle gets lost, though the pedal still sounds great. The Pro is also smoother and has a touch more sustain. Though the MI website says the BB has more gain than the Pro, I hear them about even at full gain. At various points in the mid-gain region, the BB may have more than the Pro. Even with the super-smooth 1458 in the BB, it’s just a hair raspier than the Pro. However, the Pro with my guitar seems not to have significantly more depth and complexity of timbre than the BB, as it does with the Stick. That “depth” (which I cannot really explain in words) is what sells me on the Pro with the Stick.

With my guitar, these two pedals are kind of a tossup. I guess I’d say if you like simplicity and out-of-the-box great sound with minimal tweaking, the Pro is it. If you want the flexibility of internal trims (soon to be external on the upcoming new version of the BB) and the ability to swap out opamps, then go for the Blue Boy. For me, simple is best, so I prefer the Pro. As I said earlier, I have a Timmy on the way, so this could all change soon. Or -- yikes! -- will the Blues Pro trump the Timmy too? Hmm, stay tuned!

 

[fuzzface]

Hey thanks a lot for the review. I am guessing that your ears are very good, just by the way you related all the textures,tones, and other intangibles. I ordered the BP and the crunch box from Mike!! I really love the BB, too just NEED to experient more. However, really dig these quality pedals! I was playing 5 hours last night! I am curious about these other chips you all are mentioning.......... Where do I buy them? BTW, I feel, in the 4558 chip, the Maxon pedals have the sweetest, but how would I get JUST the chip!!!! I have heard from many boutique makers on the phone that these op amps always vary in character, even the rc4558p or the jrc4558..... Any ideas???? I looked on Ebay just now searching for op amps there are many, but which op amps work? I mean there are numbers here I have never heard, but can all of them be tried or only op amps with certain specs?
thanks all

 

[erksin]

You can find the chips at www.smallbearelec.com - they're cheap, so get a bunch to try out.

Let us know about the Crunch Box - VERY interested in that one!

 

[OldSchool]

I saw this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7355730869&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1


and for $50 I was tempted to bid. But when I went to MI's site I saw those brand new Blue Pros for only $89 and decided it was a no brainer. Some people dig Prototypes.............I consider them the Mistakes made until the Production unit was established.............

 

[fuzzface]

hey thanks for the small bear link. I just ordered a bunch (11.50 worth) of Op amps! I ordered some doubles in some, in hopes that I may find a sweeter one of the two.


Off topic here ( hijacking my own thread)
Has anyone got the new Bon Jovi CD? I heard it at a friends and bought. It is better than I thought! Catchy hooks, great singing. Ritchie is so cool just for marrying Heather, and he must treat her much better than Tommy because they're still together-unfortunately. She was my fantasy babe throughout High School (showing my age here! oops). Anyway, Bon Jovi took a lot of criticism but man, that guy is damn cool. I would love to be him. Everygirl from16-35 still wants him, starred in a few major Hollywood films ( Diamond Daves unrealized dream) and he still great relations with his band and then puts out a kickass CD-possibly the best one that they have put out in the last 10 years....... Oh yeah, they all have HUGE CASH