BBE 411

The unit can handle instrument or line level signals. In other words, if you run it on the front end of your rig, you use the instrument level in and out jacks. If you are running through the effects loop you use the line level in and out jacks. At line level you have two active knobs, basically bass and treble. At instrument level you also have a gain knob that controls the strength of the signal running through the unit. You can get the manual from the homepage. Very easy to use. It basically acts like a 2 band EQ. It might take a few minutes to get the right settings between your amp and the unit, but if you can't make sense of something this simple you should give up the guitar/bass and take up something more your speed, like knitting.

I play Jackson Rhodes guitars loaded with EMG's and I play old Metallica (pre-black album), old Megadeth (pre-Countdown), Slayer, Pantera, etc. I have used the BBE with a couple different amps. It helps solid state amps a little but I found it makes a much bigger difference with a nice tube amp. I have a Peavey 5150 and Peavey Triple X and they both sound a lot better for my style with the BBE. I liked both amps without it, but I love them both with the BBE. Bottom end that pounds you in the chest and rattles the foundation of the house. The first time my brother heard me playing with the BBE in the effects loop he thought I was playing a bass because the low end was so deep. He almost wet himself when he walked in and saw a guitar in my hands. I keep the "Definition" pretty low because if you crank it you tend to get a thinness to your sound that I am not crazy about, but if I played primarily clean tones I would probably keep it a bit higher because it adds a nice chimey sparkle to your clean sound. If you overdue either knob you will get some awful sounds, but that can be said of just about any effect. You also have to be sure to find the right combination between the EQ on your amp and the BBE.

I have two of these, not because I needed a backup, but because I run them in separate rigs. I have never had a single problem with either one of them, and they are both older units. I would gig without a backup, I don't see this as a tempermental unit that would need one.

Never had to deal with them because everything I needed was right on their homepage.

Simple to use, does what it's supposed to do, very reliable. If it was stolen I'd buy the next one I saw. I play heavy music but this thing can taylor itself to whatever style as long as you are using it with the right amp.

Well, you have three big wheels to turn and a button for effect in/out. That's it, can't get much more simple, can it? I didn't get a manual with it, but if you don't master this machine after 5 mins of tweaking, I doubt that you ever will - manual or no manual.

I got this rack thingy from a guitarist friend who used it in his rig, but got tired of for some reason. So I let myself be talked into taking it off his hands, even though I'm a synth-man myself, and this thing is intended for guitars and maybe vox. I figured "what the heck, you could always use a little extra fatness in the mix", and bought it from him. The guy was terribly convincing when he made it clear for me that this baby would fit like a charm in my synth rack, I might add. So, what did I get for my hard-earned cash? Well, the 411 does *something* to the synth sound I process through it. And I think it could actually sound quite nice, if it weren't for that huge amount of NOISE it generates! It totally screws up my mix, so until I get my hands on a decent noise reduction unit, my BBE will stay UNplugged. Maybe it's just my unit that's noisy due to old age, or it's simply not a good idea to use it in a synth setup.

Built like a bomb shelter.

Never had anything to do with 'em.

Well, as pointed out earlier, this machine isn't intended for use with synths, and it will probably do a whole lot better teamed up with a distorted guitar. The fact that it's also mono (guitar) also makes it limited along with a synth, since most modern synthesizers have stereo outputs.

First of all you should know that I bought it used, without a manual. After about 5 minutes of tinkering I figured out how to use all of the features - change my bass contour, clarity, turn on/off the "process" button (some variety of noise supression?) and use the bypass switch. After another 5 minutes of playing around with the settings my disortion took on a completely new character, and my clean tone had never sounded better.

The 411 made a very impressive difference in the sound quality of my setup. It emphasized my low end, and with some tweaking prevented the bass from being too overpowering. My top end sound -much- clearer, more crisp. Unfortunately, the "process" function does not suit my playing style (heavier music) because its response time is too slow. It does reduce noice, BUT if I am silent for a second then strike an quick power chord or something it won't be at full volume, it's still somewhat supressed. . . =( oh well I didn't buy it as a noise supressor.

The thing is rackmount first of all, so its not going to go through all that much abuse. The casing is very sturdy, presumably made of heavy-gauge steel. The knobs are all metal and the rivets/screws that hold the thing together are shielded from wear and are very secure. Definately would gig without a backup.

Just got the thing, never had to deal with the company, couldn't tell ya.

I play heavier music with a psychedelic edge to it. I use fairly heavy distortion along with "trippy" effects and a good deal of clean sections too. My style is more melodic than just CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH and my main problem in the past was getting a good, crisp sound, whether it was clean, distorted, or some out-of-this-world effect. I play through a piece of crap squier stagemaster that I tweaked a bit (its not the worst but I could to much better) and my chain is distortion/feedbacker->flanger->digitech rp-14D->homemade drop box->BBE 411->marshall mg100 (solid state)->marshall 4x12 cab. The 411 took my clean sound and made it -GREAT-. It took my distortion up quite a few notches, though I still need an EQ and a better tube in my RP14D. It made my psychedelic sounds less muffled and garbled. I now love to listen to myself play. If I lost the thing I would buy another one instantly, possibly a different model considering the 411 is outdated. If you don't have a sonic maximizer already go out and buy one!

Great little effect, they don't make it anymore, very reliable very easy to use. Great manual.

No longer made, but no guitar/bass rig should be without one.

Very reliable no complaints

NA

I won this thing as a door prize several 10 years ago and figured I'd been saddled with a white elephant as they had just started selling these things, boy was I surprised...

The BBE sonic maximizer does something that has been explained to me as: synching up the frequencies as they reach the speaker and subsequently the listener's ear as certain frequencies have an inherant latency....ya, well anyway, I'm sure I don't have much of a handle on it, but these things are dynamite and if you can find one(they seem to go for about $100 bucks used) you would be a fool to pass it up. No other single effect that I can think of does as much to bring out the true tonal dynamic of the instrument.

The 411 was the only model to my knowledge actually designed to be used for guitar/bass live rack application and was discontinued many years ago. No idea if other versions of this wonderful effect live up to my rave reviews.