jlbaxe
Banned
Active member
I use a BBE stomp in my Mesa Mk III loop and like it. Try it, you like it or you dont. 
Spaceboy
Well-known member
Damn, I knew this was going to be a shitstorm. 
For the music I play, being "sterile and processed" is not necessarily a bad thing. I would keep the settings very moderate, where most clips I've seen people seem to crank until it sounds like crap. Here's a music video for the style of music I play (just not as good), but although the Ampeg VH140C is shown here, I'm fairly certain this album was recorded with an Engl Savage.
Could it work for getting this sort of tone (not exactly, but in that that direction)? Engls are processed sounding amps, and the Ampeg VH140C is very raw in comparison, so could the BBE Sonic Maximizer on moderate settings make some difference to get more presence and handle the bass frequencies better?
For the music I play, being "sterile and processed" is not necessarily a bad thing. I would keep the settings very moderate, where most clips I've seen people seem to crank until it sounds like crap. Here's a music video for the style of music I play (just not as good), but although the Ampeg VH140C is shown here, I'm fairly certain this album was recorded with an Engl Savage.
Could it work for getting this sort of tone (not exactly, but in that that direction)? Engls are processed sounding amps, and the Ampeg VH140C is very raw in comparison, so could the BBE Sonic Maximizer on moderate settings make some difference to get more presence and handle the bass frequencies better?
rupe
Active member
I used to use one with my MP-1 (going for the Bratta tone) and I liked the results...I'm surprised so many people don't like them.
Motorpud
Active member
rupe":1n47xymv said:
I'm not, the internet hates these things
I've heard it sound good with a few different amps. Randall RG100HT, MarkIII, an old Traynor I had but in reality it was about 50/50 with the amps it made sound shitty. Really sounded atrocious through my old 9200/JMP-1 rig 
It's one of those things I don't think the OP will be able to figure out by getting opinions, he's going to have to try one IMO.
Spaceboy
Well-known member
I'm going to have to dump around a hundred bucks just to try one, and I'm not certain how they resale since everybody hates them.
Motorpud
Active member
Dehumanize":ag7evu6h said:
They don't resale well
Might not be worth it to try one in case you hate it and then have to take a loss 
lame guitarist
New member
I used to use one in a rack back in the 90's, It was with a Marshall JMP-1 and it certainly made a difference, not all in a good way, nowadays I would find it too sterile probably. When it was on it put a lot more clarity in the sound, however when you walked about 6 feet away from the speakers it gave an ice-pick kind of shrill.
ttosh
New member
petejt":37gi2xbo said:
+1 this was my experience, at first when I tried them I thought they were amazing. Then after using it for a while I noticed something was just missing, took it out and even though some of the HI FI went away, certain dynamics and content came back and it felt more natural sounding to me.
Maybe the concept in regards to the BBE is what some boutique amp builders use to get the HI FI sound, or maybe I am way off here.
OldSkoolNJ
Active member
Wow
We may have finally found the only piece of guitar gear on the Internet that you Can't be accused of not dialing it in properly..
We may have finally found the only piece of guitar gear on the Internet that you Can't be accused of not dialing it in properly..
E
emunder
New member
As recommended just try one out for yourself and decide. You can find them cheap on Craigslist and then turn around and sell it if you don't like it for about what you paid for it. I'd just grab the sonic stomp which can be had used for about $50.00 or so. I think it's true that they get along with certain amps and not with others. IMO they seem to do well with SS amps but not so much with tube amps because I've had a couple of these things and tried them with both variations of amplifiers. Loved the way it sounded with my Warhead full stack and other Randall heads like the Century series, RG100ES, and rack mount RG100HT. Not so much though with the Dual Rec and 5150's that I've owned. You can get a pretty vicious death metal tone with one of these things in the loop of a SS head and then boost the front with an EQ like the 10-band MXR. That's how I ran my Warhead and it was sick. Alot of people like them for recording so it's not a bad thing having one around. I have one on my pedalboard right now with my 5150 but I mostly use it for low level jamming to beef up the tone when I'm jamming by myself. When I crank my amp up to practice levels I really have no need for it as I love the tone my 5150 gets with the master at about 3 to 3 1/2.
Motorpud
Active member
OldSkoolNJ":34gh2wmj said:Wow
We may have finally found the only piece of guitar gear on the Internet that you Can't be accused of not dialing it in properly..
It's because there's no mid knob
nevusofota
Well-known member
Just buy one at Guitar Center. You have 30 days to return it if you don't like it. Who cares about resale value.
JTyson
Well-known member
Or not
Spaceboy
Well-known member
I've heard that is reacts better with solid state than tube amplifiers before, which is part of the reason I'm considering it for the Ampeg VH140C. In fact, I don't even own any tube amplifiers right now, although I'm probably going to grab another 5150 sometime soon.emunder":223p7va6 said:
Spaceboy
Well-known member
The closest Guitar Center is two hours away, and the local shops don't have one available.nevusofota":1jtf69cq said:
OldSkoolNJ
Active member
If you want a better tone or sound like that try out a Ampeg VL 502,1002 all tube head.. They have a frequency selector that when set on 1 can do the same thing but better..
You could get that same exact sound except with a more organic tube tone out of the VL's
You could get that same exact sound except with a more organic tube tone out of the VL's
A
aftec
Active member
I once read a really good explanation of sonic maximisers somewhere
that hit the nail on the head as it usually happens t most people,
myself included. I dunno who said it but what I can remember was it
was kinda like this:
sonic maximisers are like a drug.
you get one, plug it in and it sounds amazing, everythings so clear,
'like taking a blanket on your amp'
whenever you disengage it you feel you've lost all your tone and so
feel like you 'need' to have it on all the time.
at one point you try turning it up some more to see what its like.
woah its even better.
turning it down now sounds like you're runining your tone so you
constantly keep it high...
your friends hear your guitar sound and try to gently tell you that
its a bit harsh and piercing.
you get annoyed and tell them to go to hell.
its only when they give you an interventon and let you A/B their gear
with yours that you realise you've been sucked in by a unit designed
to make you 'think' like the sound is better. You realise that the
unit makes you feel like you need to depend on it more and more.
When you finally remove it from your rig, you realise what harm its
done and it never gets used again.
You feel like you need to tell people your story at support groups so
that they don't fall into the trap, and you feel a little better.
My name is John, and I was a maximiser-a-holic
that hit the nail on the head as it usually happens t most people,
myself included. I dunno who said it but what I can remember was it
was kinda like this:
sonic maximisers are like a drug.
you get one, plug it in and it sounds amazing, everythings so clear,
'like taking a blanket on your amp'
whenever you disengage it you feel you've lost all your tone and so
feel like you 'need' to have it on all the time.
at one point you try turning it up some more to see what its like.
woah its even better.
turning it down now sounds like you're runining your tone so you
constantly keep it high...
your friends hear your guitar sound and try to gently tell you that
its a bit harsh and piercing.
you get annoyed and tell them to go to hell.
its only when they give you an interventon and let you A/B their gear
with yours that you realise you've been sucked in by a unit designed
to make you 'think' like the sound is better. You realise that the
unit makes you feel like you need to depend on it more and more.
When you finally remove it from your rig, you realise what harm its
done and it never gets used again.
You feel like you need to tell people your story at support groups so
that they don't fall into the trap, and you feel a little better.
My name is John, and I was a maximiser-a-holic
JTyson
Well-known member
Thank you John, I too am a former user 
. I still have one in my rack
. I still have one in my rack
Spaceboy
Well-known member
M
metal101
New member
I have been using one for about a year not (sonic Stomp) i think its great. I play death metal/doom and what not. It allows me to boost up my lows without distorting it to that sloppy sludge tone. and then even out the highs to assist in filling out the void that my mid scoop achieves. BUY THE SONIC STOMP ITS 80.00 not a bank breaker. Use it if you dont like it after a few days send it back