Barber Electronics LTD

It's so easy, I'm unloading my other distortion pedals. It has the usual three knobs - volume, tone, and drive - but all three sound good just about everywhere. The volume adds the presence and clarity I've only found in a clean boost pedal, and the drive adds sustain and overtones with less of the harshness and tone masking most other drive knobs are guilty of.

But the big surprise is the tone knob. Instead of just rolling off treble or bass, it simultaneously rolls one up as it rolls the other down. The result is a clear, balanced tone at every setting.

It has some internal trim pots I haven't tried yet, because as-is it's good for my Strat (ultra-light alder, rosewood board, Fralin Vintage Hots, Callaham vintage-style whammy bridge). My big complaint about the guitar had been it's seemingly incurable muddy low strings - but the LTD has given them clarity and chime without making the trebles shrill.

The LTD is kind of harsh on my Teles, but that seems to be what the internal trims are for.

The manual is short and sweet - there's not much to using this thing.

No pedal suits everyone. But if you dig blues and roots music but don't plan to shell out bookoo bucks for a booteek amp, this is the ticket.

Mostly using it with my parts Strat - makes it sound BIG, 3D, lush, articulate.

There's a small amount of noise - but compared to other distortion/overdrive boxes I've used, it's negligible.

As I said above, it's easy to dial up great sounds. The LTD is just a mass of sweet spots. I've been running it through a slightly modded reissue Vibroverb. I don't strive to sound like anyone else in particular - just like sounding good on my own terms.

I have a couple of (much more expensive) distortion boxes that have turned out to be way too aggressive for me.

I mostly play straight-to-amp and have been looking for a distortion/overdrive pedal that has a genuinely amp-like sound. This is as good as I've found.

My bet is that if, you want to sound like classic metal, fusion, or modern rock, the LTD won't get you beyond beyond. But if, like me, you enjoy fat Chicago/Memphis/Texas sounds, the LTD will bring it on home.

Like all booteek effects, built to battlefield specs. Don't think I'll need or want a backup. Haven't gigged it yet.

I mainly play blues, country, folk, and jam - American idiom-type stuff. Not a pro, but do gig occasionally. Been playing since around '68. If it were stolen, I'd get another.

The other distortion/overdrive stompboxes I've owned are the Ibanez TS-10, Bennett Brown Sound, and Hao Rumble Mod. I've played a few others. All are okay in their ways, but as an essentially clean player, they don't suit my purposes - they all have a very wide gain sweep, but these offer only a few sweet spots - I could practically glue the knobs in place.

But paradoxically, by having a narrowly limited (LTD) gain range, the LTD's knobs all function in a useful zone, making the box infinitely tweakable, with rich tones everywhere.

Very easy to use. Volume, tone, drive. Pretty self explanatory.

Quite simply the most useful overdrive pedal I've ever tried. Low gain, you won't get metal tones out of it but if you want just a little break-up that you can roll back with your guitar volume control, this will do it. It also adds some mid-range and attack in tandem with other distortion boxes that might be a little mushy on their own. I've used it with Top Hat, Marshall, Boogie and Dr.Z amps and all sorts of guitars. It always sounds good and is always the most used pedal on my board. I'm giving it a 9 because it still doesn't measure up to a cranked tube amp.

I've had it for over a year and have had no problem. I think you'd really have to work at hurting this pedal.

Haven't needed it but they have a great reputation.

I only use this pedal live, not in the studio but I'm sure it would be useful in the studio. I play primarily blues, country and 60's rock. If the Barber LTD was lost or stolen I'd have to replace it. I've been playing guitar for 40 years, I'm a session player and I've accumulated more gear than I can mention. This pedal worked it's way onto my pedal board and has stayed there. The cream floats to the top.

After adjusting the two internal trim pots, it's a snap to use.

This pedal sits in my pedal chain after my other overdrive/distortion units. It's great at giving my other units a little more "oomph." It's also a wonderfull light O/D by itself. I was telling my wife (she's the bass player in my band) the other day that I keep falling more in love with this pedal every time I turn it on. It reacts so well to pick attack, and your style of playing. I can get a nice bluesy sound, a good mild rock sound, or a nice "over the top" sound but at lower volumes, all without changing any of the settings. It's all about how you dig in to the strings. An absolute gem of an overdrive pedal.

Being that I leave my pedalboard stationary at my church most of the time, I would never worry about this thing being abused to the point of breaking; however, I would have no reservations about taking this thing on the road.

I asked some relatively strange questions abou the pedal, and I got a prompt reply.

I play primarily rock style music at my church. We are essentially a rock band that happens to lead worship at a church.

My Rig (currently) consists of a '95 PRS CE-22 maple, Homebrew CPR (compressor), Boss V-Wah, Fulltone Ultimate Octave, Fulltone Full-Drive 2, ProCo vintage Rat, Barber LTD, Mesa Boogie Trem-O-Verb, Homebrew Tramp, T. Miranda Rotor-Phase, Boss DD-3, Boss DM-2.

I bought this pedal becauase I really wanted a low gain overdrive. This was the only pedal I could find that said it was specifically designed as a low gain OD, so I gave it a try. As soon as I turned it on, I was in love, and I can't go a full set without using it at least twice. I would replace this thing immediately if it were ever lost or stolen. It's quite thi inspirational pedal. Great to turn on just for the fun of it, to see what happens.

it is simply impossible not to get a good result with the LTD. maybe if one forget's to put a battery or does not connetc it to external power? ..even then ... with the (real)bypass there is still sound ;-))

the hard thing is, this pedal does not have a 'sweet spot' it is a 'sweet spot' on its own ...there are so many combinations giving a perfect result.... maybe somebody prefers a 'one trick pony'??

I did own two 'Barber 'Tone Press' wich made me think, that if someone builds such a neutral, natural great sounding pedal, they must have more for me...so oredered one from the US and they are just right.....another perfect sounding pedal

maybe something to my equipment. I do play what someone might call 'silent recording'. the main soundsource is a Groove Tube soul-o-75 (actualla two of them) with loadbox (Koch LB120) and H&K Redbox Pro (a class on its own as whell).Then via a TC M1 and some DI i play direct to the PA and at home direct on my Mixer.
This leaves all the sound's (mostly Clean or a bit fatened with some overdrive)under my control and most of the time i do have almost a similar live sound.

The downside is (was) my leadsound with many compromises because 'silent recording' does show to much ugly sometimes harsh overtones. ...now i get to the point...this is history with that pedal in the chain.It is distorting the sound without distroting it...mhh... and having a fultone FD for lead sound it even makse the FD sound betther then with any OD in front of it.

I have a Klon, original 808 and on and on...they are all great. But this thing makes my live much easyer. I have seen descriptions that is was 808 like in it's effect, that is of course not the cas. BUT it replaces in my case the usage of he 808 because it hase a different dynamic range and the a different tonal range. the 808 is a bit on the nasal side, whilst the LTD is keeping so much of the original sound of the guitar.

i would buy 3 LTD's (or maybe it would be time to get other pedals of Barber, instead of a used $$$ 808, if i would have to start from scratch. simply because i get more AAA+ possibilities out of this box.

(this is not a stament against a 808 ... and i am full of respect for the people who deigned it xx years ago.

I will depend on it! to a certain extent...it is after all just a pedal..

Would you use it on a gig without a backup? yes i would ...it is after all just a pedal..

but i tend to have backups of almost all affordable parts

I do not have a backup on the 808 and the KLON

The manual is a basically A4 Paper and not very rich. also the BArber Homepage could offer a bit more information. But reffering to the chapter 'Ease of Use'

One thing: They offer them online on theyre HP ...but you can get them cheaper on from Music Toys, wich is a bit od??

a lot of clean or cleanish sound's 85% of the time playing

and therefor it is the pefect match. our singer just tild me, that he loves my new smooth and still very present sound.

you will find the band under www.uriginal.ch

It has 3 knobs. Easy to use but many tones when combined with your amp controls, guitar pickups and other pedals etc.

I had never had a Barber product before but always heard
good things about them. Go to their web site, they have sound files that give you an excellent idea of what this pedal does and sounds like. This pedal loves my Twin Reverb Reissue. I have a Klon, Landgraff, original 808 and on and on. But this thing makes the TR sing. I use the regular TR voice for clean and the LTD for overdrive. that's OVERDRIVE not distortion. I have seen descriptions that is was 808 like in it's effect, it is much better and Cleaner than any 808 I've heard. For what I was looking for with my Twin this pedal nails it. Iusually use an Analogman Mini Bicomp in front to squeeze that orange just a little bit more. I told Barber, for what I had paid for the above mentioned very over priced pedals, his was too cheap.

so far.

THEY WILL TALK TO YOU ON THE PHONE! IMAGINE

se blah above

Pretty straightforward to use but allowing you options at the same time (Bass and Presence internal trim pots). Removing the 4 screws is not that much of a hardship to get at the internal pots, and once you find a setting you like, you can "set 'em and forget 'em."

External controls: Volume, Tone Drive, on/off switch LED status light, 9v external jack (also able to run @18v). The main controls are effective and were useful through their entire ranges.

The short manual was to the point and easy to follow and gave a few tonal suggestons.

Seems more about the playing than the tweaking.

Effects chain (drive section): Marshall ED-1 Edward Compressor=> Barber Tone Press=> PedalworX Tour Pro Toggle=> Barber Direct Drive SS=> Barber LTD=> ZVEX SHO (borrowed from my other pedalboard)=> Ernie Ball Volume Pedal. Monster Rock cables and connectors. Used mostly with a Brian Moore i21 (Duncan Alnico II Pro neck/Pearly Gates bridge). Running through a Pod, Fender Stage 112SE, (at local studio): Roland JC120, Fender Roc Pro head/Marshall JCM 900 4x12 cab, silverface Bandmaster head/Mesa Boogie 2x12 cab.

With the DRIVE knob maxed, the distortion is on the lower side of medium (which is how this pedal is advertised). I replaced the DRIVE knob with an MXR knob to allow me to adjust the level with my foot. Running the pedal in front of things, it can easily boost your ovrdrive or your amp for soloing. I tend to use ther LTD in the same fashion as I use the FatBoost on my other pedalboard, as a "just that side of breakup" pedal into a clean amp, set at just above unity gain or line level. For "fat clean" playing, I engage the LTD and boost the signal with the SHO clean boost.

The LTD is a quiet pedal on it's own. When run in combination with the DDSS and the Tone Press, the cumulative noise floor begins to come up a bit as both the LTD and DDSS compress the signal just a bit (the DDSS just a bit more). The Fat Boost has even less compression and is just a bit more "open" than the LTD That said, the LTD on its own does retain nice dynamics and cleans up nicely when the guitar volume is rolled off a bit. The slight compression seems to even out the breakup just a bit without squashing dynamics. Running the pedal at 12.5v (Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 power supply) opens up the LTD just a bit more.

The FatBoost also has a larger bottom end than the LTD (even with it's bass trim pot maxed out) which should be a plus for those of you who find the FatBoost a bit too dark). The LTD can just about match the character and warmth of the FatBoost's upper end, high mid thickness by adjusting the tone knob and internal PRESENCE trim pot. I keep both trim pots wide open and can still darken things up nicely with the external tone pot just fine. Note that the tone control boosts the high end and de emphasises the bass a bit once you go past 12:00, and the reverse when the tone control is set before 12:00.

Rather than trying to match the FatBoost tone for tone, I went with what I heard as the pedal's strengths. With these settings, ONE: 2:00, DRIVE: 9:00 (internal pots maxed out) the LTD gives me a rather "transparent" tone with just a slight layer of warmth to the upper mids and a nice balanced bottom end that never get's overpowering. The character of the pickups always come through, and pick and finger dynamics are expressive. With the Tone Press engaged, I've got just enough gain boost and sustain to allow me to still control things from the volume control from clear crisp rhythm to soloing with good compression and light breakup, still with some pretty surprising dynamics depending upon pick pressure. Tonewise, (bridgepickup) it is definitely in the vein of Robben Ford/Larry Carlton. With the just the LTD and both compressors on, you get a "searing" lead with slight breakup, definitely an addictive sound!

Adding the Direct Drive SS (before the LTD in the signal chain), (also set up to be pretty transparent and with lower medium gain, just above line level) The LTD added both a bit of warmth to the DDSS as well as some aggressiveness to the breakup. Because all three pedals add some compression (Tone Press being a compressor), the accumulated sustain at playing volume is always present and very controlable.

The LTD and Tour Pro Toggle (set to no compression, medium gain, just above line level, tone at 3:00) is another winning sound. The LTD smooths out the TPT just a bit and the TPT adds highly dynamic breakup. The 2 tones are ve

Looks rock solid, all controls are nice and tight. I'm not worried. Expect it to last years.

Dave Barber answered my emails within 24 hours. Very pleasant to deal with and very accomodating. He explained a bit of how he designed the pedal and offered to modify it for me if I wanted.

I play just about every style, going on 30, 32 years, and this pedal seems to be able to fit in almost anywhere. Great for blues (I mean really good), even as a thickener for jazz or country. It makes a nice booster for rock as well, but is definitely not a high gain pedal.

This is definitely the type of pedal you can take with you if you want to throw just one into your gig bag. I love it's tone and it's versatility and really can't thnk of anythng I would change, finally understanding this pedal a little better with time. Had it for about 2 weeks and took into the studio and ended up using it on almost everything.

If lost or stolen, I'd definitely buy it again.

THough they migt not be everybody's "cup-o-tea," I think the LTD, DDSS, and Tone Press make a very versatile combination, and the LTD and the Tone Press should probably be "joined at the hip" or combined in one box, they work so well together, and the price should make a lot of people look twice.

Start with the level set at parity (roughly 9 o'clock for my rig), and the tone and drive set between noon and 1 o'clock. You should be able to find a sweet spot very quickly that will make you want to keep this one on all the time. Simply unbelievable how simple it is. If you really to tweak it perfectly, there are two trimpots inside, one each for bass and presence. I set the bass at half and the presence about 3/4. The result is nearly beyond words when it comes to emulating the old tweeds and blackfaces.

They might just as well have called this "Blackface In A Box". It's THAT good. I leave mine on nearly all the time, and use it as my fundamental tone over which all the other effects do their thing. Sometimes I run it last so I can really emulate running into a wide-open blackface Princeton. My chain currently comprises a 1982 '57 Vintage RI Strat or a late '70s L.P. Custom -> Budda Wah -> Mini-vibe -> Fulldrive II -> Boss CE-2 & PH-1r (on a Loooper A/B loop-switching true bypass unit) -> Ernie Ball volume -> E-H Deluxe Memory Man -> Barber LTD -> a pair of modded Carvin Vintage 33s running Sovtek 5751s in the preamp and JJ EL84s in the power section. Detune the strat and go straight through the LTD into any big, clean 2x12 combo for an amazing SRV tone; put it in front of your OD for an amazing sweetness with real string clarity on more complex chords. The difference is so clear yet subtle. You can set it for minimal tone coloration, or crank up the trimpots and tone control for a nice, mild midrange hump like some of the smaller old Fender combos. I could go on and on about how impressed I am with this gem.

Superb craftsmanship throughout. I wouldn't even worry about the footswitch that much (but I always end up carrying a spare switch or two in my gig bag anyway, just out of habit). With this unit, though, I wouldn't hesitate to gig without a backup. Very, very low battery usage too.

Bought used, though have had no problems yet. I don't anticipate any, but if the experience of others is any indication, getting real help if I ever need it should be a snap.

If you have any interest at all in getting a vintage tone pedal, even for just PART of your overall sonic arsenal, don't think twice about where to look for the right box to deliver the goods. If you really dig vintage tones you'll likely end up (like me) leaving this thing on virtually all the time. The Barber LTD is truly an amazing value for the price they're asking ($99 direct from Barber)...

I could go on and on and on and on....

Extremely easy to use - no manual required.

This is a superb overdrive that does precisely what it sez it'll do: offer a smooth, transparent boost that will not color the guitar tone and will allow the notes in chords to be clearly heard. It's dead quiet. I use it with a variety of small tube amps - 16 watt Winfield Harvard/EL84/15" Weber, 14 watt MMB/6V6/12" Weber, 5 watt B1uesboy/6V6/10" Weber - and feed it a variety of single coil and humbucker pickups. It stays on all the time and it works perfectly for fingerstyle jazz, bluez, pop, R&B. The LTD offers a range of boost from clean to buttery smooth "hair" to nasty bluez "grit", and it has true bypass.

Built like a Sherman tank, superb craftsmanship - one tough pedal.

N/A

Though I prefer the tone of a good, overdriven tube amp, there are too many times when a venue will not allow this to happen, so a good overdrive pedal is mandatory (or an amp with a master volume control). After a 3 year quest for the *right* overdrive, and about $2K later, I found the LTD. Now I have two, for when I run a pair of amps in stereo. I predominantly play Strats and Teles direct to the LTD, and direct to the amp - no other FX used or needed. The LTD offers the kind of tube-like overdrive I've been looking for, with quality build and components, all at a very reasonable price tag.

# controls and 2 internal pots that you set basically once and then don't change unless you change your equiptment.

Best pedal I have used. I don't like pedals in general but this one changes the sound of my guitar very little almost to the point of not at all. I set the internal pots this way; bass--all the way up, presence-- almost all the way up, result my Gibson ES 137 with 57 Classic humbuckers tone is changed hardly at all when tone control on the LTD is at 12:00 neutral. No big mids like a Tubescreamer, no bass drop out, no drop out of highs so the attack and tone remain almost completely unchanged, perhaps just a very small amount of clouding but very slight, this is the clearest most neutral pedal I have ever used. Drive is just what i needed, this is a low gain pedal so the overdrive is very much like a Vintage tubs amp, any where to just some "hair" on the note to cranked vintage amp overdrive. Just wonderful.

Don't know but the build quality is superb, probably will last forever.

Dave Barber will talk to you all day if you need help.

Most neutral, clear low gain pedal money can buy and it is only $99!If this is what you want clear, neutral sounding pedal with vintage tube like overdrive this is it, I don't think there is a second choice.

No brainer overdrive pedal. If you want to get really cerebral, open up the back and play with the internal trims.

I got a Barber Direct Drive Super Sport which I was really impressed with for a high-gain overdrive so I grabbed one of the LTD's to check out their "low gain" overdrive. I've been playing a Voodoo Lab
Sparkle Drive for a while now and really like that pedal as well, but the LTD is a little more sensitive to picking attack and seems to be a little more dynamic. The Sparkle Drive has a better clean boost capability though. The LTD actually cranks out a considerable amount of gain when the drive level is above 12:00, so it has quite a bit of range. I keep it around 11:00 to 1:00 for best results. This pedal, to my ears, is not as "transparent" as the Direct Drive SS, so I opened her up and adjusted the Bass trim down to 11:00 and bumped the Presence (or Harmonics, can't remember which one it was) up to about 1:00. This tweak helped (for me). Keep the LTD on my board now and gave the Sparkle Drive to our bass player. My board now looks like this; Clyde Deluxe Wah > LTD > Direct Drive SS > Voodoo Lab MicroVibe > Barber Launch Pad > Line6 DL4. George L's for everything and always into tube amps. It's worth noting that the LTD does not seem to bias single coils or hummers, sounds great with both.

Solid. No problems.

Haven't had to contact Barber, but if I did, they'll take care of me. Smaller companies, like Barber Electronics, Reverend and Carr Amps rule the customer service world. ( I did speak with Barber on the phone initially and he was very imformative and helpful ).

There's so many good overdrive pedals out there these days, it's hard to say any one is the best. Having said that, the LTD seems more dynamically senstive and articulate than most of the pedals I've tried, and at under 100 clams is a very good value. I don't always play through my pedalboard, but when I do I'm glad I have the LTD in the "low-gain" spot.