BBE Opto Stomp

Simple two knob operation

I went looking for a new compressor pedal because I wasn't happy with my Marshall "Edward the compressor." Lately I've been getting into country players ( love Brad Paisleys tone ) and wanted a decent pedal to round out my sound. I tried the Keeley first and loved it, However, it was over 220.00 and I didn't want to spend too much. The BBE was quiet, and overall, somewhat subtle. After comparing it to the Boss CS 3, I went with the BBE because I thought it generated less noise and had a slightly better overall sound. The Boss gives more "squash," though, I realized I would probably get more use out of the BBE because I would set it and forget it for both rythym and lead playing. In the end, I went looking for a more dramatic compressor and wound up with this pedal (go figure.) If you are looking for a heavily compressed sound and are a country fanatic..I would save and buy the Keeley (or Boss as a cheap substitute) If you like a broken up James Honeymoon Scott (early Pretenders) or milder "country squash," Crank the amp up or toss in a mild dirt box and check out this pedal, you may end up liking the sound.
I used Tele and Deluxe reverb at the store and will use it with my Tele, strat and Bassman reissue. Bye the way...I rated a 7, which I consider very good, because I constantly read rave reviews for products on here and am attempting to be honestly critical.....

Overall a solid 7....I own a Tele, Clapton strat, 60th anniversay strat, Lonestar strat, and 57 Goldtop LP reissue...I usually play through a Bassman reissue (not the LTD version) and play blues, classic rock, and country. I've been playing off and on for 30 years. I thought this pedal sounded very good with a strat or tele and fairly clean sound....

This pedal is very easy to use but ended up not being what I wanted. Important to read the manual.

I play metal and I wanted to try a compressor to try to smooth out some of the razor sharp high mid-range peaks I get from my half stack at moderately high gain levels. I have found that rolling back the gain on my amp gives me more clarity and dynamic options in my distorted tones but it also increases the amount of "snap" I get from high output pickups (Duncan JB's). That snap coming out of a 4x12 through a 100 watt high gain tube amp can be painful.

Anyway, using this pedal in front of my amp wasn't great. If I turned the compression up too high, it killed the feeling of my playing. Too low and I couldn't even tell it was on. On the plus side, this is an extremely transparent effect and it won't color your tone at all.

Now, I know that the manual specifically says that the pedal's input is designed for "instrument level" signals, meaning this isn't made to be put in the effects loop of an amp. I tried this anyway, and it actually sounded really good. The peaks coming from the preamp where leveling out prior to the output stage and the feel wasn't changed since signal from my pickups wasn't being squashed. I could even turn up my master volume a little more than I usually do in rehearsal to get more power tube/outpu tran. juice. It sounded pretty sweet for a while but then I started to get a fluttering sound in the lower frequencies so I took the pedal out of the chain and everything went back to normal. Definately not to be used with line-level signals.

Overall the best sounds I was able to get out of this pedal in front of the amp was with the level at 3:00 to make the volume equal with the bypassed signal, and the comp at about 10:00, pad off.

The first one I ordered arrived defective. The second one was fine. All the BBE stuff I've used seems very well built.

I don't think this pedal is a good match for metal or rock where you have a lot of very loud, high gain, instrument layers simultaneously, unless you are just trying to play Meshuggah, Fear Factory type music where the guitars, bass and kick drum all blend together like a single instrument. Used properly, this pedal is probably ideal for a strat or a tele playing light or classic rock with low gain and more instrument separation. It will fatten up single coil pickups very nicely.
I would've really like it if this pedal was designed to be used in an effects loop. But even though I can't use this pedal I at least have an idea of what direction to go in to improve my sound.

The 2 knob configuration makes for a quick dial-in

doesnt color your sound, tone rings true

I have abused this thing and never worried at all.

BBE has done it again! I have been playing for 20 years and have used some of the worlds best equipment and also along the way some of the worst. This little gem is an outstanding pedal. I don't even want to plug in without it. It is a quick fix for any room and doesn't color my my sound at all, its very transparent, totally even, and totally quiet. Active or passive, 4, 5, or 6 sthing bass rings through into my Ampeg full and rich with the natural tones of the insturment. I use it in front of my BBE Sonic Stomp ( another awesome pedal )and can generate the same punch, warmth, and tone as my Ampeg while running out of a direct box to a PA. If on the other hand you are playing a cheaply constructed insturment this pedal might not be for you.

This pedal is very easy to use with two knobs (volume and level).

I'm using this pedal with a Fender Custom Telecaster and a Gibson ES Artist through a custom built 5F6-A Bassman clone. My pedalboard contains Dunlop Crybaby Classic, EHX Q-Tron, BBE Opto-Stomp, Visual Sounds Jekyl & Hyde and Tech 21 Boost RVB in that order. I play in a jazz fusion band and a country folk band. My sound is very clean yet pushed. The only effects that I have on at all times are reverb and compression. I've used many other compressors including Boss, DOD, Carl Martin and Electra and the BBE is by far the best yet.

The compression is very subtle and transparent. If you are looking for something that is really going to squeeze the tone, this is not the pedal for you. It fills out the tone and adds definition. This is also the quietest compression pedal I've ever used.

I've only had it for about two months and eight live performances. So far, so good.

N/A

As I stated earlier I play jazz fusion and country in two fairly active regional acts. I've been performing on a regular basis for about 14 years playing jazz, rock, country, jamband. If it we're lost or stolen I would definitely get another one.

Very easy to use, two knobs a toggle switch, jack input and outputs, power supply and battery compartment.

Im impressed with this compressor, very quiet, and also very subtle.

Well I have owned many BBE pedals and they have been solid no problems at all.

Never used them.

Well I have no complaints about this pedal, its is very quiet, very usable on Bass and Guitar, even sounds cool on Acoustic Guitar too.

2 knobs no waiting

utter GARBAGE. I thought that BBE's Orange Squash was lousy, then I played the OptoStomp. This hunk of junk enters a whole new level of sewage. This product is so bad that I will never even look at another BBE product. On the other hand, if you're at the store and see this box, plug it in just so that you can get a good laugh.

who knows. if their sound quality is any indicator, I'd say it will last a matter of minutes before it implodes.

never contacted BBE, and never will

Should be in the Hall of Shame. I have one piece of advice for you before you buy a compressor - play it through YOUR rig first. Every compressor sounds uniquely different, depending upon the guitar, amp, etc. I've heard the Keeley sound absolutely perfect on one rig, then sound thin on a similar (but not identical) rig. For me, it's the Frantone Sandwich all the way.

Very, very, very easy to use! There are 2 knobs, one for volume and one for compression level. Some compressors add a lot of extra knobs to complicate things, but this one is very simple. There is also a pad switch which comes in handy if you're using an active instrument with a vintage amp.

This is the perfect compression pedal for bass guitar. It seriously sounds like a rack unit, but it's small and lightweight. I use it as an "always on" effect because I can't really see a reason to turn it off. I keep mine set at about 35% compression, 75% volume, and this is the perfect combination for me. It doesn't flatten the tone or rob the low end, it just smooths everything out a little. I have never tried this pedal on guitar; since the first time I tried it on bass, it's been a permanently fixed to my pedalboard.

I've only owned mine for a few months, but it appears to be pretty solid. I get the feeling it will last for years to come.

I bought mine used and everything is in perfect order. I've never needed them so I have no opinion.

I sounds like a rack compressor, but costs much less and does require and extra rack space. I would highly recommend this pedal as an "always on" effect for bass guitar.

2 knobs: Comp & Level. Easy. Also a switch to drop the output 15db. I guess this is for line or instrument level (maybe for use in a recording setup?), but it I keep it at the normal switch position. Comes with a power plug but any normal Boss-style will work.

The sound is great on this. It's a very subtle compression, and even if you crank the comp, it's not going to give you a ridiculous squish. But that's fine by me. I was looking for something subtle, to add sustain to my lead tone and to even out my cleans. I have the comp up to about 3oclock and the level around 4 oclock (for unity). At this setting, there is practically no added noise. Even with a TS engaged before it, the comp adds almost zero noise/hum. I was impressed.

I bought this for my bedroom rig, which is a 70's SF Fender Vibrochamp. The chain is:
Guitar (single coils) > Tonefactor Analogue Filter > TS9dx > BBE > Pedal Dr DD5 > amp.

The BBE really helps even out my amp tone, and when I crank the amp, the natural breakup is much nicer. Adds nice sustain.

Got it on ebay for $100 shipped. Great price, especially considering it includes a power adapter. i bought it mainly for my bedroom rig (described above) but am going to try it out with my main rig as well (which consists of a Mesa F100, Lovepedal boost, Keeley 2knob Comp, and a bunch of other pedals), to see if I like it better than the Keeley in that setup.

My only complaint is the size. I really would like something MXR-sized, and I imagine this would fit fine in an MXR box. But the price was right, so...

And again, the absence of noise was fantastic.

So long as you know how to make a compressor work for you you'l have no trouble making this one do it.

I play a '50s reissue Strat or ES335 type guitar through an all-analog pedal set-up into a silverface Deluxe Reverb.
Absolutely beautiful, transparent and subtle compression. Not a compressor for getting those mega-squashed pedal steel sounds, or for getting huge amounts of sustain, but will take your signal and enhance it. Chords ring out much more evenly, single note lines are punchy and have a little extra sustain.
There is minimal loss of top-end (my other compressor is a high-end boutique Ross clone and the Opto Stomp compares favourably for tonal integrity) and no loss of bass or mids.
There isn't a huge amount of volume boost available (in fact with v high compresson ratios you'll find you need to max out the volume to get unity gain) so if you're after serious compression with volume boost then look elsewhere.
But if you're after a classy, warm compression that will not get in the way (but will defnitely be missed when it's turned off) then this will do the job perfectly.
Works v well with bass too (a '72 reissue Jazz).

Great size and ruggedness with a sturdy switch. No worries here at all.

As stated, not a pedal for severe compression, but will work well as a 'leave on all the time' pedal.
True bypass is a nice bonus, and price is very reasonable indeed.
Vaule for money-wise it's excellent.

Couldn???t be much easier... One knob for volume and one for compression with a pad switch for 0db or -15db. Simply adjust the compression level to taste and turn the volume knob accordingly. Easy!

I???m building a pedalboard for my basses and ordered the Opto Stomp to ???get by??? until the EBS Multicomp is off backorder, but I???ve been happily surprised by this pedal! So far, I???ve tried it with a MIM Fender Jazz, Modulus Quantum 5 and Peavey Cirrus 6.

I???ve read comments that this pedal is a little noisy at higher levels, so I cranked it up - volume at 3:30 and comp at 2:30 (I leave the pad switch at 0db) and I didn???t notice any noise. The Opto Stomp is really smooth and transparent, evening out my sound nicely without being heavy handed. This pedal seems a little on the subtle side which is exactly what I wanted, but you can sure get a decent squished, thumpy sound out of it, if that???s what you???re into. I found MY sweet spot by finding the lowest edge of that squish and then backing it down a little bit. Even the sound guy liked it immediately.

As far as I???m concerned, this is a ???set it and forget it??? pedal that will will always be on. I think it???s a great addition to my board and I find myself not worrying about the EBS anymore. :)

I???m pretty confident that this pedal will last a while. While it???s not overly heavy, the casing is all metal, with metal knobs and switches. The on/off switch doesn???t feel flimsy and gives you a good solid click when you step on it. The battery box is a great touch, too... you don???t need a screw driver or allen wrench to replace the battery. I???m not worried about not having a backup and look forward to having this pedal around for quite a while.

Haven't had any problems, so I haven't had to deal with BBE.

Like I said before, I was pleasantly surprised by the Opto Stomp. For $99, I don???t think you can beat the Opto Stomp, IMO. Smooth, transparent and noise-free compression with simple controls. Like a previous poster said, another ???compression??? LED would definitely be a nice touch, but I???m really happy with this pedal without it!