Ayan Enterprises Smooth & Slim

I don't understand how this unit can be used,,,it just whipes out bass,,,way too much in my opinion. I tried it with a farty tube amp & yes it removes fart, but it also removes bass to an extent where it's just not useable.
I tried it in different places in the signal chain, all to no better result. it may work for you,,,,who knows but the way it was marketed to be used, it just whipes bass out way too much.

ATTENTION BIG MUFF USERS,,,,, Well like I said earlier it sucks,,,,,,BUT,,,,,I thought,,,well why not try it before my old Big Muff to see it it will tighten the sound some.
My Big Muff is an very early 80's version with the tone bypass function.
With the tone bypassed, it has more balls, with the tone pot not bypassed it would sound splatty & crappy & not as thick.
So in order to get the crunch I always would have to EQ it with my Ibanez WH-10 wah pedal to get the chunky crunch as it was very dark, thick & bass heavy to a point where it just didn't cut through & pinch harmonics were not as prominent.
Low & behold I tried feeding my Muff with this passive device & it just made my Big Muff sound so much clearer & crunchier, I find the Ibanez wah isn't nessisary any more & my distortion is actually more natural sounding than it was with the wah as an EQ.

If you have an older Big Muff like mine,, that is so dark & thick that you desire more definition & chunk,,,,try this pedal out,,,it has to be before the Muff, & use a bypass loop selector with them in the loop for best results.

I have to say,,,for a device that dissapointed me in the beginning,& to end up so happy with the way it works for me in the way I chose to try it out,,,,is a surprise.
I was going to sell this thing on Ebay,,,,until & tried using it in my Big Muff distortion loop.
I'm very glad I didn't. This Smooth & Slim is much cheaper than what you would pay for an Ibanez WH-10 these days.

Very easy to use. This unit has a series of different capacitors to switch between to get different sonic results.
No power or battery required.
It works very well for what it is designed for and will produce a smooth sustaining tone and adjust the frequencies required for the type of guitar or amp you use. Ease of use gets a high score, it does what it`s designed to do and is very easily set up and adjusted.

What i really ike about this unit is it can easily fatten a Tele and Strat tone perfectly, and if required will take off some bass frequencies from Humbuckers if needed.
Good examples are: Stratocaster or tele through any good tube amp including vox AC30, Marshalls and Fenders. My Strat sounds glorious running on the dark/fat setting and into my Victoria 45410.
Talk about boutique tones.! Without the smooth & slim the Strat sounds good but it`s just so much better with it. All the Strat tones are still there,like clarity and bite but the signal is fattened up perfectly. I have tried a couple of different EQ. pedals in the past, but they cant nail the sound of this thing.
With a gibson type guitar you have the choice of 2 stages of rolling of the bottom end with either the smooth or slim setting.
Stager 1 is smooth and will take off so much bas and then slim will reduce the Bass signal even more. This is very helpful with Humbuckers at high drive levels. I know the tweed type Bassman amps are quite bass heavy when cranked and this unit will help with that alot.

Has been sturdy for several years of playing.

Have not needed any assistance.

Fattens fender guitars just right and slims down Humbuckers with two choices of frequency roll off.
I have heard a Strat through several amps with this unit and i say there is always an improvement in the tone.
A great unit and easy to use.

Well covered, a passive tone filtering circuit.

I have owned two of these, and had dramatically differen results. First, I used one with a boogie lonestar, and loved the effect it had. The Ls' preamp sections were pretty muddy if you tried to add any bass, and this cleared that right up. I was extremely pleased, but I sold the amp and the S/s with it. I recently purchased a boogie mark I and tried the s/s again, to see what all the hype was about. I was honestly disappointed. I felt it took away too much from the basic tone of the amp. I run the boogie very clean, and get my overdrive from a hermida zendrive, barber ltd or a fulltone fat boost, depending on which guitar I'm using. I wanted to love this little box again, but I just couldn't get it to work for me. I don't want to bash it, because I think that it does exactly what it advertises, I just don't think that's the sound I am after. I found that, with carefull shaping, I can get adequate bass out of the Mark I, without losing any meat to the tone. It just takes a great deal of time. To be fair, I've always had a bit different approach to my tone than most players, I don't like shrill bright amps or guitars, and I set pedals differently than most.

It looks like a rock inside, well soldered and well put together, so I think it'd last a lond time.

No dealings,

As I said, please don't let my review dissuade you from checking this out, but it may or may not be what you're after. Hats off to Ayan for finding something that so many people can't live without, I really am sorry I couldn't find a place for one on my board.
I must say, pedalgeek is the place to buy these, they let you try it out for a week to be sure it's right.

Very easy to use.

Using this with my Mesa Boogie Lone Star 1 x 12 combo with a aNaLoG MaN-modified Tube Screamer and Bi-comp compressor. This amp has a fairly flabby distortion sound, which this unit is obviously supposed to address. And it does, to a degree.

The promise of this unit is that is removes the flabby distortion characteristics of certain amplifier designs, specifically traditional Fender and Mesa tube designs. So, if have bought this unit or are considering it, then you understand what the issue is. If not, lets just say that these kinds of amps do not like much or any bass dialed in with any significant levels of gain or distortion, or they sound like crap.

The unit DOES significantly (but not dramatically) improve the distortion sounds of these amps, so I will keep it. The issue is, in my mind, the value. It does not remove all of the flabby distortion artifacts, it simply improves them. In fact, this unit is nothing more than some form of passive low-cut filter. I would guess there is somewhere near $3-$5 worth of passive RCL's in this little box. You could probably mimic what this box does with a nice EQ box. Just need to figure out what the center frequency range they cut and how wide.

They sell this thing for $119 retail Nice markup. This box should be priced fairly somewhere in the $30-$35 range. Not worth the price, IMHO.

Nothing to wear out except the switches.

N/A

It does help, not a panacea, terrible value.

Extremely simple to use. In/out jacks and two switches. No manual needed, but there is a small one avalable. Mine is the series II.

Excellent quality. I use it between my Strat or Tele and either a Deluxe Reverb, Pro Reverb or Super Reverb. In each case, it cleans up the low end. The most significant improvement is that at higher volumes you can hit the bass strings and not fart out. There is some minor volume attenuation, but just turn the amp up a notch and no big deal. As others have said, you notice the effects most at higher volumes. I get a slight deep hum out of it at high volumes, but only noticeable when you stop playing and really pay attention to it. Point deducted for the hum.

Seems 100% reliable. Rotary switches, box and jacks seem to be top quality. If it fail, I pull it out of the chain and keep playing, so no backup needed.

Have not had a need to contact the company. Website has a fair amount of info and contact information.

I use this playing single coils into vintage Fender amps. It's a great match for any type of music. It essentially cleans up the low end of your EQ and keeps it from muddying up. It's simple, it's easy. You forget it's there. Then one day you bypass it and remember why you have it. Great little product. Again, deducted one point for the slight hum.

Easy to use. A passive, unpowered device you plug into and turn on; a pair of chcken head knobs offer two settings each.

I play this on a good sized Furman pedalboard, after an Analog Man MBC, an Xotic AC, a Teese RMC1, and a Jauernig Diabolical Gristle Tone Manipulator. I'll be damned if I can figure out what this box does aside from slightly attenuating my volume as well as offering slight eq options. I was looking for a little more of the Carlton/Ford smoothness, but my tone tends in that direction anyway, and I was close (to my ears) to begin with. Maybe, as some have suggested, this box works best at moderate to loud volumes. At my normal stage volumes I notice very little difference in my tone when this is engaged.

Not much to break on it, not even a footswitch. Unless I backed my car over it I can't imagine what would damage this pedal.

I play a variety of music in a couple of bands. I recently culled a lot of my stuff but am still a bit of an overdrive junkie and general gear geek. Playing this into a Mark III Mesa I was hoping for sonic nivana, but it's not really here for me. YMMV. Not a ripoff; I simply suspect I would notice more of an impact if I were playing at concert volumes more often than I do. At club volumes this doesn't impact the tone much at all. If stolen... Well, $85.00 could get me my DynaComp mod or another Pedalsnake... I think this is a pedal that requires subtler ears and higher volumes than I use...

Ya got about 4 choices...plus bypass...EASY. And you may WANNA bypass when you're playing softly. This Baby does it's tricks when yer crankin.

No noise...it's passive. It's cut's your signal...this is what you WANT. Some think slamming pre-amp tubes w/a huge signal makes tube distortion. It makes hash & mud. This guy lets the power tubes start to sag...THAT'S the sound we love. I use Twins...this makes em sing by removing flab.

Some may look inside & feel it's too pricey for what's in there. But the guy is honest...has done his homework...and it's built like a battleship. Thank you sir for a fine product!

I've heard good things....doubt I'll need to contact Gil.

I'm a pro...play w/big name acts. Not only does the Smooth & Slim come to every gig...I also get compliments from sound men...who say they have never heard a Strat sing so sweetly as mine! I go into a Blackstone Appliances Overdrive...into a home-made booster....Smooth & Slim...twin.
Yummy stuff comes out!

Smooth and Slim, This device is just about the easiest effect ever made. The device changes the bass freq. going into the amp and allows the player to have more headroom and a much smoother response to your guitar playing. At first I was a doubter but I purchased one from Pedalgeek.com and I have to say that the pedal does everything that the maker claims and alittle more. Two knobs, one is for bass freq. and the other is normal vs dark in case your guitar has to much treble. Input and output jacks, the device is passive and doesn't require any power.

I have three strats, Eric Clapton model, 57 GT LP, CS 336 and a custom shop nocaster. I run my signal from my guitar to a Fulltone Wah - Maxon 808 - Direct Drive - Full Drive 2 - Choralflange - Maxon Delay - Fulltone fatboost - Smooth/slim - Super Reverb amp. I notice that the overall sound improves because you have more control over the bass freq. The amp is much smoother when pushed into overdrive and feels more responsive. Where I was most impressed is that with my guitars with Humbuckers and the EC strat I am able to have a better headroom to work with and the pickups don't overdrive to point that it is hard to get a clean sound.

Should last my lifetime.

Never needed it so I really can't say.

If you love blackface amps like I do than this is an absolute to have on your pedalboard or the in the back of your amp. If it were lost I would buy two more so I would have a spare. Every once in a while something comes along that is actually helpfull and this device is one of them.

two knobs, each with two positions, for a total of four settings. which one of the four sounds best with your guitar & amp? found it? leave it there & never touch it again. move to the head of the class.

1976 gibson s-1 w/lindy fralin p-90's > one of many fuzz/distortion pedals > dan armstrong orange crusher > ayan smooth & slim > custom- built 3-watt tube amp w/8 inch speaker. i'm a home pro tools recording kinda guy (as if the 3-watt amp didn't give that away). lemme tell ya, this set-up is giving me a (relatively) quiet sound that KILLS! i'm not smart enough to say just what the hell the smooth & slim is doing to my sound (i hate all those terms that people throw around--"bottom end","cleans up nicely","boutique", etc.), the ayan website is where you should go if you wanna read the technical stuff. what i DO know is that my lead guitar sound, both through the amp & tracking in pro tools, is getting a major thumbs up from my friends who notice & care about such things. one point deducted cuz, at least with my set-up, when playing aggressive rhythm, the sound gets a little too shrill. so out comes the toneman rangemaster in place of the smooth & slim. this minor beef aside, for solo guitar, the smooth & slim is a total winner. & my guess is that some of the people reading these reviews "like" to play lead guitar.

this box has less knobs/switches/buttons/pulleys/whatever than any piece of gear i own. it would take an act of god specifically aimed at my studio to FIND the thing, let alone DENT it. if it came down to that scenario, smart money's on the smooth & slim.

didn't deal with ayan. from everything i've read, it seems like they're cool guys who care about guitar sounds & guitarists. can't beat that. i bought the pedal from pedalgeek.com. i've waxed poetic about these guys in a couple other of my reviews, so, lest people think i'm a stockholder, i'll keep it short here: pedalgeek rocks, they deserve your business.

the dilemma i face when submitting reviews for obscure, high-end guitar pedals is--should i submit the review at all? i mean, i (and a few others, i'm sure) worked hard to get the cool sounds i'm recording. buying lousy pedals, or ones that may be good but just didn't please me, mixing & matching, changing the order of the pedals in the chain, tweaking knobs a hair this way & a hair that way-- all to get a sound that is both inspiring & uniquely yours. dilemma: why should i share this scientific data? well, first off- i don't think many guitar players really worry too much about gambling their dough on unknown gizmos that may take some experimentation to produce sounds not already pre-approved by the cd-buying/concert-attending cognoscenti. take a listen to the "tones" by "wealthy""hip""rock""stars" on the radio right now-- bloody awful, isn't it? seems to me you don't have to lose any sleep wondering if someone's gonna steal yer ideas off the internet if "the kids" are going to worship this current crop o' chart-topping bozos. secondly, i feel it is important to let the people who design, manufacture & distribute cutting-edge gear know that their work is appreciated. i don't know how to work with capacitors, soldering guns & high voltages; thank god somebody else does. & lastly, if someone out there is inspired to try some of the dumb ideas in one of my reviews & stumbles upon a sound or two that makes the tubes glow red-hot & the landlord call the cops, it'd make my day.

* It's very easy to use and get a good EQ out of (S&S is a passive lo-pass filter device).
* No Editing patches here.
* The information provided with the S&S is clear, complete, and precise.
* This model reviewed is the 1st version of the S&S, the newer version having negligible EQ differences.

I own and play a few very nice lefty guitars. For some time I have gravitated towards Fender Strats as the all-purpose instrument of my choosing. My lefty Les Paul, ES-335, SG, and PRS sound wonderful through the S&S as well. I've used the S&S through various Fenders: Blackface Vibrolux Reverb, Silverface Vibrolux Reverbs, Brownface 63' Vibroverb Re-Issue, Bassman 4x10 Re-Issue, Blackface Bassman Head & Marshall 4x10 cab, Silverface Super Reverbs, and last but not least the Mesa Boogie( MARK I )Re-issue.
* No noise. Because the S&S is a passive filter device, it simply means that the S&S acts more like a filter which re-aligns the lo-end frequencies/harmonics in order to remove flab from the sound.
* There will be some volume drop through the S&S, but by gaining up your amp/effects in order to compensate, then everything is fine.
* I almost always have the S&S settings at: Smooth and Normal, when utilizing my Strats or my Tele (I'm a real utilitarian, get it?), and the sound difference is very NOTICEABLE at higher volumes.
I have (4)-Basic Setups which incl. #1) 57' or Mary Kay Strat-> MesaBoogie V-Twin (GrooveTubed)->Kool Kat Chorus Or Ibanez CS-9 stereo chorus->BOSS DD-3 Or H&K Tube Replex->S&S.
#2) 57' or Mary Kay Strat->Budda Wah w/Foxrox Wah Retrofit->Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive->Foxrox Captain Coconut I with speed pedal for Provibe control(FUZZFOOT->PROVIBE->OCTAVE)->S&S.
#3) 57' or Mary Kay Strat->Rockman X-100->S&S.
#4) 57' or Mary Kay Strat->Korg Pandora FX->S&S.
* I can get great TOYT ( "tight" in Goldmember lingo) sound out of any effects rig because the S&S delivers on what it promises TOYT and powerful bass without the flab.

* Two of my favorite tones are: #1) effects setup through a Fender 63' Vibroverb with (Pair of RubyTubes ToneBone Class A tube socket converters) which reduces the 2X10 combo volume from 40W to about 10-12W Class A power "truly TOYT!". #1)effects setup through a Fender Blackface 66' Bassman Head (4ohm) Marshall 1965-B 4X10 35W Celestion (8ohm) cabinet. Utelyyyysing (again Goldmember!)a jumper from the Normal to Bass Instrument Channel. Truly awesome tone!!!!!!!!!!!
* Wouldn't leave home without it, if I could afford it I would purchase a S&S for (each/every amp that I own.
* The S&S is very dependable.

Gil is very helpful so there's no problem here, no upgrades or repairs, no need.

When I said I wouldn't leave home without it, I really meant it. When I play, I play loud, TOYTNESS gets lost especially with open-back cabinets like Fenders. The S&S TOYTENS the sound noticeably so, especially at higher volumes where this feature is required the most.
* This is why the S&S should be a quintessential piece of equipment that every Guitar or Bass player should own.