BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer

very easy...BBE in my mind some how is an acronym for simplicity.

Ok I'm the first one to say this, because I dont think people know what this thing is even for. IF you read the description posted by the company on guitarcenter.com or musiciansfriend.com i mean were ever you can buy it online...It says this is to fix the sound problems for people outputing sound from there amp to loudspeakers. For example, if you had an amp set up on stage in a church or something and you want it for a personal guitar monitor and the church uses a PA or loudspeakers and you output sound directly from the amp...this product corrects the problem loudspeakers have with handling the sound output. That example holds true for any amp output to loudspeakers. This wasnt designed to make your amp at home sound better, it was designed to fix the problem that loudspeakers have outputing the same sound as your amp. So if you bought this to make ur amp and rig sound better your, probably going to have problems, or your going to be disappointed. It isnt suppose to fix problems with your rig or amp, in certain situation is can and does, and sometimes thats just a matter of personal taste. With tube amps the effect is different than digital amps, if ur goal is a different sound at home for your amp. It outputs digital, not analog. so consider that when buying this...

2 knobs and a in/out button.. can't get more simple than that! so easy to use, just a shame it lacks a footswitch option to turn it on n off (but then again.. you wouldn't need to turn this off!)

my rig goes as follows - Gibson Les Paul -> Hughes & Kettner Triamp ->effects loop with the 362 maximizer. simple as that, it just sounds so awesome, all the sudden my low end has become so tight, really giving so much definition to my sound, there's more character and clarity, overall my sound has just improved so much, i don't know how i could ever play an amp without one now!

brought 2nd hand off ebay, there's no noise, no crackling, seems absolute perfect to me!

none needed, but i work in the trade, and know BBE are fantastic at answering their phones ;)

Fantastic, if you've got the chance to buy one, then do, you couldn't possibly ever regret it!

Very simple. Just tweak two knowbs, howver I also had to spend time adjusting the levels of my effects loop.

After reading the reviews, and still searching for the "tone", I went to Guitar Center and picked one up. Came home excited, which quickly turned to dissapointment. The phase and delay of specific frequencies had me thinking this was gonna be great. I inserted this in the effects loop of my B52 AT 100 tube head. With both controls almost off, the effect was subtle and not bad. Then I began messing with the controls on this unit and could not find a satisfactory setting except when both controls were almost off. The contour made my speakers sound like mush. (Yeah, I know, it could be my speakers, but I don't think so). Then, upon raising the Process knob, the sound became more and more brittle, sterile and just plain annoying to me. This was with high gain settings. For clean settings it didn't sound as bad. Not worth $100 bucks though.

Mine worked fine for the 2 days I had it.

Didn't have to use it. I did take the unit back to GC and they refunded my $ no questions asked.

When I took the unit back, I got 4 Celestion Rocket 50's for my 4 x 12 cab. Now the sound is closer to what I'm looking for, but still not there.

I believe from all the reviews of this unit I have read, this is purely personal taste. If you play clean all the time, you may benefit from this. If you like mid scooped metal and have an amp that is very dark sounding, you may also benefit from this. IF you have an amp that is bright sounding already like mine and are going for more of an 80's metal sound, I don't think this is going to do it for you. I can get the same effect with this in high gain mode with an EQ in the effects loop. Again, for clean sounds, it'll add a little spakle and roundness, but not $100 bucks worth.

This is so easy even I can use it!!!! I was buying my first "rack" system at Guitar Center and the sales guy punched the button on one of these and it was fantastic! The manual that comes with this is very weak, but you can download a great manual on the BBE website or on Musician's Friend site.

I bought a whole lot of toys on this day. BBE Maximizer, Lexicon X200 effects processor, Furman Power conditioner, Behringer Feedback Destroyer, Behringer Ultragraph, Behringer Autocom, Crate 18 channel mixer, & Crate 500watt x 2 power amp.

This is a cool toy.

I don't know yet, I have only had it for a week. It is mounted with several other units in a good quality rack.

Never tried to contact them.

I have been playing over 40 years, but have never really owned a rack system for my PA sound --- always used the production company or house PA. This unit is really a stand out effect. It really brings the sound to you -- it is like you took a blanket off of your speakers when you punch the on button.

Monkey boy easy to use. The bypass button does not work well at all, you have to jimmy the button to activate. Manuel does not really give illustrations for a guitar chain. It reads as if this was never meant to be plugged directly into a chain.

I have an Aphex Exciter, which harmonizes tone, in addition to this. This unit sounds as if I were plugged directly into my amp, although I have about 11 effects (3 rack, 8 stomp) running into it. It makes my sound sound as if I was formerally playing through "a sock". I have to adjust tone down because of this. I use this right now with a Crate Taxi amp and some vintage like guitars.

So far so good, owned it for about a week.

Who knows??????

I was looking for an addition to my rack and I got my moneys worth. I hated buying another stomp, until I saw this advertised as a rack unit.

Just two knobs! Very easy..plug and play...just like that!

Using it in FX Loop of a Mesa Triple Recto with Mesa 4x12" Cab.
Other effects are Boss Keeley Ultra Mod DS-1, Ibanez TS-808, Boss TU-2. Boss Volume Pedal, Morley Tremonti Wah
Guitars: Ibanez Jem90th, Ibanez Universe, Ibanez Saber Classic, Ibanez RG620 QM (two of?em tuned from d to d, Universe Std Tuning, Saber dropped B flat tuning)

This thing just kicks ***. I loved my Mesa before I bought this little handy piece, but know I?m in paradise. I just love it when the sound is very tight and right in your face. It so huge now...almost killed the rest of my band when they first listened to it. I?m the guitar player of a Prog-Metal Band with a touch of Metalcore and Thrash.
This thing is the perfect rig to do it. Will buy a G-Major or G-Force
to get some additional effects for lead stuff (For recordings I also use a Line6 Pod XT Live which I used for quite some time as my Preamp with the Recto being used as a Poweramp, but the sound was...well,it was ok I suppose but somehow I couldn?t get that loud and at higher volumes it sounds a little bit like out of a box or something...)

Anyway...this thing is worth a try!

no problems so far

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Great especially for Metal
Been playing for 15 years now (I?m 22), had about everything out there
(at least every good Metal Amp like Peavey 5150, Mesa Dual Recto, Mesa Triaxis-2:90, Marshall JCM 800, JCM 900, Peavey XXX, Carvin Legacy, Soldano SLO-100) but this rig kills?em all!

Metal up your *** ;-)

Super easy! 2 knobs (bass contour, treble contour) and a bypass switch. The manual is pretty informative. One thing though...BBE neglicted to inform me in their manual that the unit should be run as the very last item in the effects loop for best results. Shame on them!

Rig setup: Mesa Boogie Stiletto, TC Electronics G-Major, Rocktron Hush Super C, Ibanez, Jackson and Fernandes axes. Pedalboard setup: Boss MT-2, Keeley DS-1 Ultra, Morley Bad Horsie II, Digitech Whammy IV, Ernie Ball volume, Electro Harmonix Bassballs. Other: Berringher MIDI controller (for the G-Major).
Does color your tone slightly. Almost a minor digitizing effect. Adds tremondous amounts of bass and treble if desired, makes the effects of the G-major cleaner. No additional hiss to mention. Clarity out the wazoo! No more mud, sounds great. Now I want to hook one up to my living room stereo!

Had the unit for about 6 months. No issues at all. Knobs seem to be mounted well. Chassis is sturdy. Yeah, I would use without a backup.

Have not had to use support for this product.

I play anything and everything. Rock, metal, blues, jazz, folk, alternative, country, thrash, bluegrass, industrial, etc... I have been a gigging/recording musician for the last 16 years.Current gigging gear is listed above. I love the fact that I just set the 2 knobs and let it run. I do wish that it didn't color the tone at all, but it really is only a slight change. Really helps the tone sound like it is jumping out of the cabs. If you need prestine cleans with bass or cutting treble that is not too hardh, I absolutely recommend this product to anyone who uses effects or runs gain/od/dist pedals. If you are a blues player using your dad's old Fender amp with no extra effects, pedals, etc this may not be the product for you as it will add a small amount of coloration to your tone.

Easy to set up 2 knobs 2 input and output and a bypass switch... took me around a couple of minutes to find the right setting Lo Contour at 12 process at 9 is the ideal setting for my setup

Jackson MG Warrior with EMG81 in the bridge into Peavey Triple XXX into marshall 4x12 with v30's BBE sonic maximizer in the effects loop... I play mainly very fast and complex death metal shit with scooped mids for my rhythm playing for a heavy punch percussive sort of sound so i want as much clarity as possible without adding mids from the amp eq and making the tone all honky and shitty (which is an inevitable side effect of exaggerating the mids)... i was looking for the maximizer to add some more presence to my sound so to speak to help it cut through and also add some clarity... it did jsut that however it does make the sound noticeably harsher especially at higher gain settings... it can be compensated for somewhat by readjusting the amp eq esp. cutting some treble however the harshness is still there

no problems so far

bought used

overall it's not too bad, but overrated... could do with out the harshness in the sound... i'll be experimenting with a 31 band eq next to add some presence instead of the BBE since i'm not fully happy with the way it colors the sound... adjusting the dials won't get rid of the harshness since the effect is inherently harsh at any level... not overppowering but noticeable either way... in essence it adds a great amount of presence and clarity at some expense of tone quality. 1 word. Overrated. Look out for a sterile tone if you buy one of these.

I use mine in my guitar setup but havent tried recording with it yet. It's pretty simple. i use it with my mesa dual rectifier. for me it was as simple the first time as plug it in and tweak the knobs till i found the right sound. this must always be run in the effects loop. it wont work correctly if it isnt. since mesa's have adjustable levels on their effects loops, i reccommend trying this - first set your send volume at dead center. thats the dry level it should be at and if you turn it up too much your gonna add unwanted gain. then turn your return up to about 70%. yuo can do 100% if you want but i like a little bit of my original tone in the mix. after all i didnt spend 1,500 dollars on a mesa to not like its own tones.

the unit just has 2 knobs - low contour and process. i usually run the low contour at about 11 o clock and the process at about 9 o clock. you do not need alot of this effect when using it in your amps effects loop. the reason it goes up so high is because alot more of it is needed when using it for recording.

first off i use a mesa dual rec with marshall cabinets loaded with G12T-75s and vintage 30's. i play a gibson SG, Les Paul Studio, and epiphone Les Paul Standard. all with EMG-81 pickups.

this is the hard part - the only thing that has made me question how much i like the maximizer is the fact that it never seems to sound the same every time i use it. im sure it has alot to do with your surroundings but sometimes i have found that if im playing live my tone will sound extremely thin. in that case i just switch off my effects loop and to a fast re-EQ and keep going. but i do have very finicky ears and i am very particular about how i want my amp to sound.

when being recorded in the studio this is a great tool to have. if you want a good representation of how this sounds for metal, check out the album "the caitiff choir" by It Dies Today (i actually bought my maximizer fromone of them) this album is a good idea of the realy feirce and heavy guitar tones you get with the maximizer

the only time i ever had a problem was when it came unplugged by accident. since it had no power i lost all sound from it. all i had was the 30% of my amps original tone i was allowing thru in the fx loop. luckily it was right at the end of a song and i plugged it back in before the next one.

otherwise it has always functioned when i needed it to.

i havent had to contact bbe about anythign

this definitely is not for everyone, but if you have the extra money i would highly recommend picking one up. especially for metal or anything yuo want to sound real heavy.

Easy enough to use but I would have liked more indepth instructions explaining what this thing actually does.

When I bought this unit I used a Rocktron Voodu Valve into a Mesa/Boogie 50/50 power amp into some Celestion speakers with a Les Paul and Jackson Dinky. My goal was to improve low end punch, attack and overall better tone. What I failed to realize until much later was nothing I could do would dramaticly improve my sound until I got rid of the Voodu Valve. Yea it's fun to play with and sounds great in your bedroom but for professional use it sucks tone and attack wise. After buying a good preamp, Mesa/Boogie Forumla Pre, I had the tone I wanted and sold the BBE. My advise? If you have good equipment down the line you shouldn't need something to process your tone. And it did by the way make my sound harsh. Got complaints from our soundman all the time. I tweeked my preamp all I could to no avail.

Was very reliable. Never had any trouble with it.

They where easy to deal with.

Style of music from classic rock, alternative, dance, top 40, country and a little jazz. Been playing for 25 years. Current gear: Les Pauls, Jackson Dinky, Mesa/Boogie 50/50 power, Mesa/Boogie Formula Preamp, Rocktron Xpression, Mesa/Boogie 2x12 Cab, Peavey 1x12 Cab, George Dennis Wah. If stolen or lost before I sold it I would be pissed but wouldn't replace it.

Your sound is only as good as the weakest link. If you're a serious player get some good equipment and don't look for a toy to give your rig magic powers.