Barber Electronics Barb E.Q.

Easy to use, with not difficult tweaks. You have the 3 positions selector, and a push/pull button, but its quite intuitive to use.

I was quite disappointed with this pedal. I expected to get the sounds that you can see in youtube, but the EQ change is quite subtle, not dinamic. I tried it at home using a D.I., and at the rehearsal studio with a couple of different 100w marshalls and a Vox ac30. In all cases i couldn't notice much difference when the pedal was on or off. And the 3 different settings are quite similar.

The D.I. i used at home is a bass mxr m80, and it gives a better sound color than the barber does, even when its a bass pedal!

It has a good sound quality, but nothing special. if you are looking for a flexible EQ this pedal is not the one.

Very well made, and light.

The guy/s at barber electronics are there to help! I wrote them with some doubts and I got direct and not marketing style answers.

I have to say that I just sold the pedal, trading it for something else that can give me a better "color" and more sound qualities. That's what I was looking for in this pedal, and it didn't work for me. I felt it was boring!

Maybe it can be useful for someone with a very simple/old amp, with only a volume control. Otherwise I think you have other options for EQ. It's not a bad pedal, but I couldn't find it useful or interesting enough to keep it.

As easy to use as an amp's EQ section. The 3-position voicing toggle switch is a little too small, but it works okay. No need for a manual. The dials cover Volume, Treble, Middle (a pull-out dial for two types of Mid adjustment), and Bass. No Gain dial. This is NOT a "Booster" / "Overdrive" pedal. It's not meant to be. It's really a tone/timbre enhancer. It's almost like an analog version of amp modelling....but better than ANY "modelling" you're ever likely to hear. It fits in very well with my rig, which includes a VERY good class-A tube amp (Genz-Benz Black Pearl 2x12 combo). My amp has great harmonics .... this pedal ADDS to that greatness, and actually expands my ability to sound different in different situations.

This box is like adding alternate amp's to your rig. It's really THAT useful. It's voicing covers three specific flavors - two Fender-y tone stacks (toggle switch, far left and middle positions), and what they call a Marshall-y type of tone stack (far right position). I can run pedals INTO this pedal, and the result is very much like running straight into an amp. I play a mid-level Fender Strat; a Les Paul Custom (vintage '78); and a Reverend Club King with humbuckers. This pedal adds nice, natural tone textures to my signal that are transparent and very "amp-ish" sounding.

no opinion.

No Opinion. I've 'heard' good things about Barber, but no personal exp.

Since re-entering the guitar "scene" after MANY years out of it, i quickly made my way through all the typical "mainstream" Boss, Digitech, etc. stuff. I've settled on a handful of truly high-quality sound boxes, including Xotic pedals (AC Booster & BB Preamp), an EHX English Muffin, a Damage Control Glass Nexus, and now, this Barber "Barb-E-Q" (as well as the Barber LTD SR). This pedal has become more than something i click in & out of; i leave it on, and switch between the toggle switch voicings instead. Because it's not a booster or OD, it doesn't dick with your sound, only enhances it. The Volume moves up the scale smoothly, just growing the sound in a natural way. I love the way it enhances my guitars & amp without "taking over" the sound.

Extremely easy to use. Barber pedals are ear candy right out of their box. This pedal is designed to look & act like an amp's EQ section; it's exactly that. The 3-way toggle switch will give you different flavors, or "voicing's", of a nice tube amp, with good headroom. The dials adjust the volume & EQ of the "amp" you've chosen with the switch. It's really that easy. Then, run whatever else in front of and after it, that you want. It fits in very well in any setting.

You can think of this pedal as an "amp-in-a-box". That's exactly how i treat it. I run other OD's into it for an expanded sound that's exactly like overdriving an amp. Played on its own, feeding the rest of my chain, it plays exactly like a beautiful Fender-esque amp, with lovely harmonics and headroom. I have a Genz-Benz Black Pearl-30 2x12", an excellent class-A tube amp that's my main back-end. This pedal is a beautiful complement to the harmonic content that this amp provides. My Strat is a thing of beauty with this pedal.

So far, so good. I don't "stomp" hard on my stomp's, more like a gentle "click". Plus, you'll probably end up leaving this box in your chain all the time, and ON .... so, the switch & two jacks will probably last too, as you'll never be dis-engaging them.

No opinion.

Barber pedals are in a class by themselves. This pedal does exactly what it's (apparent) intention is .... to give you alternate amp "voicing's" that are full of headroom, clean & pristine, drivable into harmonic beauty. Rhythm or lead; single coils or HB's; solid or hollow body; this pedal enhances anything you throw its way.

What a clever device. An E.Q. with massive headroom, knobs instead of sliders, and three amp voicings. It's like digital modeling without the, well, digital modeling. Controls are, left to right, volume, bass, middle, and treble. The mids control is push/pull, which serves as a bright switch. The three-way toggle sets the E.Q. to three flavors of amplifier, tweed (read Fender), blackface (read Fender, obviously), and British (read Marshall). Ease of use? Like most of the other quality boutique stomp boxes out there, just fiddle with it until you like what you hear.

Barber said he designed this E.Q. with amps that have little or no tone controls in mind, like the old Fender Deluxe. My Les Paul Jr. amplifier has only a volume control, and I had been searching for something to add a touch of bass and treble when the Barb E.Q. was released. The bonus is I can get close enough to having blackface cleans without feeling the need (not want) for another amp. I swear I can go from Fender clean to a '70s grind with the stomp of the switch. I have found the tweed setting to be instrumental in shaping the inherent tone of my amp. The internal guts convert the juice to 24 volts, so turning the volume knob give you just that, volume. Just a fantastic, noise-free, easy-to-use addition to my small pedalboard.

It's clear that Barber builds his business and his products with an attention to detail that has not gone unnoticed.

I have emailed Barber a few times, he has been quick to respond and helpful. He contributes to a message board on his own site. I have no reason to believe that if something were to go wrong with one of his products, he would make it right.

The Barb E.Q. is the finishing touch to a small pedalboard that I carefully assembled. Seems to have been made for my amp, and I imagine Fender Pro Junior users to make use of this pedal as well. It has contributed to my rootsy country rock blues thing nicely. I twist the dials when writing and recording but, for playing out, I set to where I want it, turn it on, and leave it on.