The BB is not just an overdrive pedal. (This content has been automatically translated from French), Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer - Modded by Keeley. The Xotic Effects BB Preamp is an analog overdrive pedal designed for use with electric guitar. The BB Preamp is loud. It’s one of those true workhorse pedals that can do the job of several with ease. Review: Xotic Effects BB Plus. The BB Plus is based on the famous BB preamp, which produces a more focused attack, a harmonically richer lead tone, and a tighter, more “singing” sustain. And all this while the pure sound of your guitar comes through brilliantly. I was having so much fun with the BB Preamp that I couldn’t resist running it into the AC Booster and RC Booster (Guitar → BB → AC → RC → Amp). This pedal plays well with others, too. Cookies help us improve performance, enhance user experience and deliver our services. I fired up all three pedals and was able to take the overdrive of the AC Booster over the top with the BB Preamp in front. Input your search keywords and press Enter. Xotic's BB preamp is a dirt box capable of providing compressed, fluid gain for elegant leads, crunchy blues style distortion or for pushing a good tube amp into saturated high gain bliss! With uses ranging from a transparent clean boost, to a blistering overdrive, or a singing distortion, this pedal has garnered a reputation among players in the know for satisfying any of those diverse needs and more. That concludes our Xotic BB Preamp review. And the BB Preamp sounds satisfyingly crunchy behind the AC Booster as well. The AC Booster functions primarily as an overdrive, while the BB Preamp can surpass it in gain to enter lighter distortion territory with a subtle compression at higher levels. BB Preamp, Overdrive pedal from Xotic Effects. Let’s do quick comparison of the BB Preamp with the AC Booster and RC Booster pedals. It has four knobs built into it: Gain, volume, treble, and bass. Here, here I say more, except that it is a pedal plug and play, that all sounds good. To even label this pedal as simply a distortion effect doesn’t do it justice as the BB Preamp functions as a superb clean boost and overdrive. I highly recommend trying the BB Preamp with your favorite overdrive guitar pedals and seeing what great sounds you’ll find. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. Let’s do quick comparison of the BB Preamp with the, All 3 are versatile pedals, but while the, This pedal plays well with others, too. And that’s without even tailoring the EQ. It’s clear that this pedal goes for a Marshall “Bluesbreaker” vibe (hence the “BB”), but if you’re also curious about a Marshall Superlead/Superbass style pedal, check out the. I plugged in my Gibson SG and went straight into the BB Preamp into a flat clean amp setting. Thanks for reading. REVIEW: Xotic Effects BB Preamp Peter Hodgson July 13, 2011 July 13, 2011 Xotic Effects USA pedals are used by some of the most respected guitarists in the biz, including jazzer and sometimes bluesman Scott Henderson, Andy Timmons, and the nicest shredder in rock, Paul Gilbert. Top 13 Best Guitar Compressor Pedals of 2020. I previously reviewed the BB+, and after having spent time with the BB, realized that it is different enough to deserve its own review. This pedal offers surprising deep, yet simple ways to hone your overall sound. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. A slight adjustment to the Bass and Treble controls has a very noticeable effect on your overall sound. I highly recommend trying the BB Preamp with your favorite overdrive, The BB Preamp is one of those rare tone-defining pedals that you use to carve out your signature sound or simply leave on all the time. At high Gain levels I hear a slight amount of compression that evens out your sound just a bit while providing a smooth sustain to anything you let ring out. Booster / Overdrive / Preamp in analog pedal format. It is much more a booster, compressor and overdrive pedal (Tubescreamer-like) in one. Xotic BB Preamp pedal boutique 100% analog overdrive, made by Xotic, of course. More about that later. Distortion pedal, 4 buttons! 10 of 11 people found this review helpful. The BB Preamp certainly delivers if uncolored tone with a little boost is what you’re after. However, the BB Preamp break ups fairly quickly, taking it into overdrive territory once you start turning the Gain knob. The BB Preamp by Xotic Effects is a warm sounding true bypass distortion and sustain pedal that is very easy to use. All 3 are versatile pedals, but while the RC Booster and AC Booster may handle your clean boost and overdrive needs, the BB Preamp serves as more of a hot-rod mod to the front end of your effects chain and amp, so to speak, to potentially cover all bases. Even on high gain amp settings, the BB Preamp manages to provide a very useable “boost” to your tone that seems to make everything just a little fatter. The BB Preamp may change what you expect from a boost, overdrive, or distortion as it blurs the lines of classification. Simple. But pulling down the Volume and Taking the Gain up really brings your sound to life. # The BB Preamp offers awide variety of sounds. It has both a 1/4 inch input and output and is powered by either a nine volt battery or power supply. It's capable of a 30dB+ clean boost with an adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ which adds a wide range of harmonic content to your ideal sound. Gain, Volume, Treble, and Bass control knobs for full tonal control, +/-15db EQ allows extreme tailoring of sound, Pre-gain stage ranges from pristine cleans to very smooth, compressed, overdriven sounds, True Bypass footswitch for eliminating any signal interference when switched off. https://www.sweetwater.com/.../BBPreamp--xotic-bb-preamp-pedal/reviews If a diverse range of uses and pristine tonal clarity are important to you, the Xotic BB Preamp may just be the best guitar distortion pedal to suit your needs. And the BB Preamp sounds satisfyingly crunchy behind the AC Booster as well. Xotic's BB preamp is a dirt box capable of providing compressed, fluid gain for elegant leads, crunchy blues style distortion or for pushing a good tube amp into saturated high gain bliss! Thanks for reading. El Músico Loco Wee Beaver Fuzz Review – Best Mini Fuzz Pedal? You can really use it to find that sweet spot where your amp breaks up nicely or add in some of the BB’s smooth saturation to compliment your amp’s already overdriven tone. The BB Preamp may change what you expect from a boost, overdrive, or distortion as it blurs the lines of classification. Your email address will not be published. In my Xotic BB Preamp review, I’ll help you decide if this is the best guitar distortion pedal for you. Let’s run down what all this pedal has to offer. At first glance I assumed it was just another distortion pedal. And again, there’s always a clarity that allows the character of your guitar to come through. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Xotic Effects BB Preamp Overdrive Guitar Effects Pedal at Amazon.com. The BB Preamp works very effectively as a smooth overdrive. Chris Burgess. If you have ever had a problem being heard, this pedal will change that immediately. The RC Booster is primarily a clean boost pedal offering 20db+ of boost, while the BB Preamp offers 30db+ of clean boost. There are few pedals as hard to classify as the Xotic BB Preamp. This produced a searing lead tone that I was able to manage with the EQ settings of the RC Booster. J.Rockett Audio Designs Archer Review – Best “Klon Centaur/KTR” Pedal? Required fields are marked *. I pulled the Gain nearly all the way down, lowered the Volume slightly, and pushed the Bass and Treble a bit to match my tone with the pedal disengaged. It isn't rackable as it is a foot pedal. level bass treble gain. EarthQuaker Devices Palisades Review – Best “Tube Screamer” Overdrive Pedal. This produced a searing lead tone that I was able to manage with the EQ settings of the RC Booster. But the BB Preamp aims to be a lot more than that. If a diverse range of uses and pristine tonal clarity are important to you, the Xotic BB Preamp may just be the best guitar distortion pedal to suit your needs. I was having so much fun with the BB Preamp that I couldn’t resist running it into the, I fired up all three pedals and was able to take the overdrive of the AC Booster over the top with the BB Preamp in front. The Xotic BB Preamp overs a level of versatility rarely achieved in a distortion pedal. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. August 04, 2008. It’s clear that this pedal goes for a Marshall “Bluesbreaker” vibe (hence the “BB”), but if you’re also curious about a Marshall Superlead/Superbass style pedal, check out the Xotic SL Drive for comparison. That concludes our Xotic BB Preamp review. The BB Preamp is one of those rare tone-defining pedals that you use to carve out your signature sound or simply leave on all the time. With the knobs on the BB set to noon, I learned something as soon as I kicked this pedal. Your email address will not be published.