Bartolini Tube-It

It is fairly easy to use,though it DOES take some tweaking to get a really great sound..

I used it with mostly Fender guitars and amps.It is fairly quiet as far as overdrives go.I used it by itself to fully appreciate the tone. The effect is strong and is better used as the distoriton not like a TS9 as a boost. I preferred my 83 TS9 to this one...But for all intents this is NOT like any other Screamer or clone...it's a very unique distortion

Bullet proof,but the board is potted,so if it fails,its done..

None,I dont think anyone can even contact Bartolini anymore.I tried and failed repeatedly....by phone and fax.They certainly can't fix this one if they tried...the potted board sent shivers down Dumble's and Klons's spine...

It is now a very old pedal and i suspect very few people have ever seen one in person let alone actually have one and play through it.I sold it to a collector who wont even play it..he's not missing much.I'll take my proto Direct Drive or original TS9...The myth of this one keeps it going.Dont believe it.It's ok but nothing special. Today there are MUCH better distortions/overdrives and the transistor or op amp technology has just flat out improved..

Just turn the knobs and flip the switch. As easy as a 10.

These are old seventies pedals, and I've got to admit I sold this pedal about 20 years ago, but I remember it well. In fact, now I often wish I had it! I moved out of L.A. and wanted to unload some things, I guess. Was short of cash and such. Back during the Reagan years... Anyway, I still regret it!

It had a really nice buzzing overdrive. As the other reviewer says, it's not a clone--it's just another tone. I still remember the feeling I got from flipping that switch and hearing quite a unique buzz. Maybe like a more focused Big Muff? Kind of like if you made the dreaded mosquito tone very fat, warm, and enjoyable. Probably not the best metaphor, but I do remember it being a little on the mid/high end. But now I often wish I had that tone. Yeah, I'm an analog guy. I love vinatage stomp boxes. Of course, you could dial in other tones, too, but the tone described above is the one that's still in my head after 20 years.

Anyway, I've got a load of other stompboxes these days, but I still want that Barolini tube-it back.

As far as the score is concerned. I disagree with most reviewers on this site. For me the average Joe stompbox on the market is the exact middle of the 10 point scale, i.e. a 5. I don't treat it like a school 7 equals average grade! This box offered a little more and had a great sound so I give it a 7. But that's a good and useful 7!

I remember than switch being a little small and it looked vulnerable. But I babied it and had no problems.

There's a good chance they're still around in some shape or form. I live in Japan these days, and have seen another, more simple, Bartolini overdrive. I wonder if they're Japanese now? I wonder if the sound is similar? I wonder if it's gone digital?

I walk the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Kinks, Beatles, Byrds, Johnny Cash, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker and the like road. Eclectic I guess. Totally into roots music, folk, neo-folk, 60's, early 70's rock, blues. You could squeeze this sound in to most of these. As I remember it, it may be too thin for good blues tone. But that's only as I remember it.

Yes, it is another tone in the arsenal.

Yes, it is built like a tank. It is larger and heavier than the average-sized stompbox. Not the traditional EH size though!

Yes, I would buy it again! The second I saw it my hand would be on it! Otherwise I would not take the time to reflect back fondly and write this f***ing review!

Anything else I'd like to share? Yes! I would love it if we made 5 the score for the average Joe stompbox! So wide a variety gets crammed into the 8s, 9s, and 10s that it really becomes meaningless. Yes, I'm ranting godda**it!

How hard to operate can an effects/stomp box be ?? I "believe" this is the only effects pedal Bartolini ever made, but don't quote me on that. Basic "tube overdrive" unit, made by Bartolini Guitars, Livermore, CA., has one control of each: Output, Treble, Bass, Sustain,a 3-way Boost switch (regulates the amount of fuzz/distortion - little, medium, heavy - applied to the other controls), and a On/Off switch. Three (what I consider important) features missing are: (1) No Led light to inform you the pedal is either On or Off, and to let you know the power status of the battery,(2) No battery access plate - like many of the pedals from the 60's and 70's, one has to remove 4 screws from the bottom plate of the unit and take it off to access the 9 volt battery, and (3) No AC power adapter input.

Sound-wise, this pedal is really no better and no worse than a lot of other well-built "overdrive" pedals (ie: Ibanez TS-808 & TS-9, Dod & Bose Overdrives, etc.). It does provide a GREAT "warm tube overdrive" sound to even a solid state amp. And with the 3 position Boost switch, one can regulate the "overdrive tone" output, from a Fender-ish fuzz to a Marshall growl to Mesa Boogie saturation. Of course a LOT of the sound quality depends on the type of amplifier one uses. Don't play this effect through a $25.00 Radio Shack amp. or a 1962 10 watt Jordan amplifier and expect to sound like a Dumble Overdrive Supreme !! With a little experimentation, through a well-built "decent" amplifier, one can obtain some Really exceptional and best of all, "Original" sounding tube overdrive variations. This pedal doesn't copy others...it has it's own unique sounds.

I know you've read this a millions times before in other reviews, but I HAVE to repeat it because it's true...this pedal is built like a Tank, weighing almost 2 lbs.!! One great function of this pedal is the almost "zero" battery power drainage. I played through it for almost 5 months - Many gigs & countless rehersals - and after repeated testings on my battery meter, the 9 volt STILL registers in the "Good" section !! Hard to believe, but it's true. Many pedals instruct: "To preserve battery life, unplug cable from the 'Instrument' input....but not for the Tube-It!! I accidently left my guitar cord plugged into the pedal for 4 days straight and KNEW I had drained the battery completely dry, but after I inspected and tested it, I was shocked to discover that the battery registered "Good" on my meter!! Apparently, this pedal doesn't have the "On" function designed in the "Input" connector. I just leave it connected at all times.

I haven't had the need to contact the Bartolini company, but from the rarity of usage by hardly anyone and seeing almost nothing ever written about this pedal, it wouldn't suprise me at all if they responded with this, if I contacted them: "Tube-it?? Effects pedal?? We made an effects pedal?? US??"

Overall, this pedal is as close to "natural tube overdrive" tone as you can obtain from a stomp box. And, as I mentioned earlier, it has it's own "original" sounds...not a TS-9, Blues Driver, or etc. copy pedal. Through tube or solid state amplification, it sounds "warm and natural". If you ever decide to look for one (in a pawnshop, music store, garage sale, etc.), they are EASY to spot...being cube-shaped and painted a bright redish-orange color...slightly darker than a Orange-brand amplifier.