Zendrive or BB?

[wck]

Hey guys,

I have a zendrive and im thinking of trading it for a BB preamp (hopefully the AT signature) but im not sure of it yet..

btw, i use a strat and i use the zen as a lead boost (i stack it with my SD deluxe clone and DLS) most of the time cos it sucks at chords which made me think of the BB as a replacement cos its quite smooth and i like its compression.
However, ive only tried the Andy Timmon's BB before and im not sure bout the regular/Mid boost one.

I have 2 questions:

1) Can the BB can get the smooth singing lead tones that the zen is capable of?

2) Does the regular BB or BB mid boost have alot less compression than the AT model?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Hugo Da Rosa]

1) Yes, it can. Per Andy Timmon's tone, you get sounds fairly close to that texture regardless of what guitar and amp combination you run it with.

2) Yes, I would say so. The AT model sounds more like a TS variation to me. Very mid-heavy and with a ton of compression. The regular BBs to my ears have a lot more of a growl and bite to it.

FYI - a big reason why I got rid of my BB-AT is because of how it worked rhythmically. The texture is too smooth. Once those rhythm sections got more aggressive, my guitar got lost in the mix quickly. Articulation started to disappear and it ended up just being a wash of sound. It works great for Andy Timmons-type music, if you play a lot of that. But it works well almost exclusively in those circumstances. That's just my experience...maybe completely different for you.

 

[wck]

Thanks man, i was hoping to hear that.

I dont play any of andy timmon's music or even stuff of that genre much haha, i play blues/ rock n roll stuff. I just happened to try one owned by a friend of mine and i really liked how it sounded and the compression of it, much more than a TS for sure.

Think i wouldnt mind a mid boost and the compression when i kick in on for lead work tho. But thanks alot for the info, will take into consideration your point on its articulation cos i play in a band with 2 guitars and cutting thru the mix is much harder..

Any more opinions from anyone else?

 

[AceBSpankin]

I Have both, have used both, the BB is in my chord bag, the Zendrive is on my pedal board. For ever!!

 

[wck]

AceBSpankin: may i ask what did the zen have that the BB could do?

 

[SyKrash]

A BB+ might be your answer

The 'A' Side is like the regular BB. Can get smooth, singing tones. The comp switch adds tons of compression and can add more saturation to get a more Eric Johnson style tone.

The 'B' side has a tons more gain, an EQ and alot more bite and grind to it. It's definitely the side with more 'teeth'. You can also use this as a clean boost by turning the gain off.

Very versatile pedal and could be what you're looking for. It's just a 'twin' pedal and if you don't have the real estate on the board then you imght be S.O.L in that dept.

 

[wck]

Hmm, ill give the BB+ a try soon man. sounds interesting although i never thought much about it, just assumed it was a BB with a boost of some sort. i dont have space on my board but if its really good it might kick some pedals off heh.

 

[wck]

Just tried the BB, BB+ and zendrive all together and i decided to keep my zendrive..

The zen just pushes another dirt pedal so well that the BB couldnt beat it .The BB is more open and works much better with chords tho.

The BB+ is just something else... SyKrash you were right man, the comp switch adds enough sustain to match the AT BB and both sides are very tweakable. Its a great pedal but sadly, not what im looking for as my board doesnt have space for the BB+.

Thanks everyone for your advice and input!

 

[LVC]

Interesting BB and Zen are my two all time favorite OD pedals.

You can dial the BB in to get some of the smoothness of the Zen -- however the BB is a lot denser (if that makes sense) and the Zen is creamier but with more airiness --- hope that makes some sense as well.

Love both pedals. My pedals boards have to have one or the other or both.

Both also stack very well and play well with just about any amp or guitar.

I especially like them both with strats.

 

[oxtone]

I've owned the Zendrive, BB, BB+ & BB-AT. I still have a BB in Orange Glitter. The BB-AT was too compressed for my tastes, although I'm a big Andy Timmons fan - love his tones and playing! But, I sold it.

I just couldn't "bond" with the Zendrive, especially with chords. It's fine for single-note playing, like Robben Ford.

I found the BB+ to not sound so much like the regular BB, and I didn't like the more modern-sounding 2nd channel.

The regular BB does have that Marshall type overdrive, with an edge to it. It sounds especially good through a tube amp that is turned up.

 

[Godspeed64]

BB+ and BB are 2 entirely different beasts.
But it doesn't matter to wck anymore since his Zendrive is GONE GONE GONE!!!

 

[wck]

Lol, it is and I don't have too much regrets about it for now...