Feature Gear Review : Xotic BB preamp
Taking cues from their AC and RC boosters Xotic effects raises the bar with the BB Preamp. Xotic is known for pedals that dont overp
ower your original sound but meld with it and enhance it in a very natural way.The BB sticks with this formula offering a 30db clean boost , not tojust make things louder but bigger and more 3D.
Even taking a lifeless clean tone into a guitar modeling processor the BB is able to enhance that sound and add rich harmonics and sustain to it.
For those not familiar with Xotic, the pedal is handmade in the USA one at a time. Extremely well built and clean as a whistle inside. True bypass switching is standard to knock it totally out of the loop when off. Xotic has also upgraded the stomp switch from the earlier AC and RC boosts to insure many stomps for years to come. Coming in at MXR pedal size the BB is very compact and is able to fit on virtually any crowded pedalboard.
Running low gain at 9 oclock gives a sweet slightly overdriven blues tone with great sustain. Running at almost full gain I was able to coax a nice overdriven Marshall type tone from it. A SOFT Marshall tone , not raging. While the BB is not a rude distortion pedal it can do the hign gain tones with the best of them smoothly.
If youve never tried a gain pedal with a 2 band EQ you will be in for a treat. Unlike say a Tube Screamer overdrive the BB offers a bass and treble control that you can not only keep your low end at unity but actually ADD bass into your sound. Try that Mean Greanie! This a very cool feature to use if you find your base tone is lacking and needs a makeover! We even tried it in front of a gain pedal woth no tone controls. It was like adding an eq, gain push and compressor to that sound, very cool ! This pedal could have easily been called the BB Enhancer.
Running the BB through the Hot Rod Deville I found the BB has found the perfect amount of compression. Alot of other drives can get too compressed and start to sound well bad. The bb has the right amount for a natural amp tone while still giving enough sustain to make your guitar sing at high or low gain levels.
If you are a fan of 3-4 thousand dollar amp tones and dont find yourself able to get one the BB preamp will get you in that sonic territory. The BB not only pushes a great guitar sound over the edge but can take a boring one and inspire it. The BB Preamp gets two big thumbs up. Check out the BB Preamp herePrice 195.00
The BB Preamp offers a wide variety of sound. It's capable of 30dB+ clean boost with adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ's which adds a wide range of harmonic content for your ideal sound.
The BB also utilizes a pre-gain stage which allows the pedal sounds a very pristine clean to a very compressed smooth overdriven sound.
True bypass for eliminating any signal interference when it is switched out.
All hand wired and hand crafted in the U.S.A.
Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery.
" The BB Preamp is a great sounding soft Distortion and Sustain pedal. It really produces a great fat singing lead tone! The BB gives you a more sustained focused lead tone than the AC. Between the RC, AC, and BB, you can cover all your boost, overdrive, and gain needs!
Josh Smith"
Specs
Dimensions (W/D/H): 4.39" x 2.38" x 1.98" (112mm X 60mm X 50mm)
Weight: 0.6 lbs. (280g)
True Bypass Switching
Power Consumption: 9VDC/6mA
Battery Type: 9VDC (006P) x 1
AC Adapter (Optional): 9VDC, Negative Tips (Regulated recommended)
Input Impedance: 500k ohm (min)
Output Impedance: 10k ohm
