EBS Bass IQ

simply and logical

great sound quality and a nice range of sounds

here is where i show my true colors: although the effect is first rate as mentioned above i find that the reliability to be poor. placing the efx in a routine location after my sans amp gt2 the IQ sizzled out and quit on me. i took to the shop for a $25 repair, that's not what i expected after dishing out $200 for it.

e-mailed but not helpful, nor did they replace it.

Despite the name, one doesn't need much of an IQ to operate this device. A three-way switch controls the direction of the filter sweep: up (from low frequencies to high); down (from high frequencies to low); and hi-Q (for unaffected low frequencies but swept highs). A "threshold" knob controls the signal level at which the filter will open; an "attack" knob controls how fast the filter sweeps. Th-th-that's all, folks!

The BassIQ puts out superfunky, creamy liquid sounds with little to no tweaking. Up gets you the sort of analog '70s blubber that brings to mind Sly Stone. Hi-Q is instant Bootsy. Down is, I dunno, KC and the Sunshine Band or something. Up and hi-Q settings are dead quiet. The down setting produces noticeable noise (since the filter's default is high-pass), but that may have something to do with the fact that I have a passive bass; an active preamp will probably clean things up. Regardless of the settings, there are no unusable tones in this box!

Built like a brick outhouse. Except for the rubber knobs, the exterior is all metal.

Expensive, but one of the better filter/autowah stompboxes out there for bass. Unlike the others, the EBS is dead simple to use. Very sturdy! Very small. Usable sounds at all settings. If you'd rather play bass than twiddle knobs all day, get this. NB: If you're using a passive instrument without a preamp, you may have to turn the threshold knob to max as well as crank your volume controls in order to get the filter to respond. Also, for whatever reason, the filter is more sensitive to the bridge pickup than the neck pickup.

veramente veloce l'approccio. penso che qutron sia + complicato nella ricerca del suono.

suono e' ottimo .lode per presenza di suono e timbrica. comunque rapportato sempre a qutron+ ha un timbro suo diverso. ottimo assolutamente funk!

direi ottima ....come se dice a Roma ..e' de FEROOO! quindi massiccio ...unica pecca ma non cosi importante e' la comodita' del cambio della batteria 9v ...Boss e' + veloce e non serve il Cacciavite ...ma grandiosi tutti i pedalini ebs...trasportabilissimo ...prende zero spazio.

unica nota negativa e' per l'importatore backline ...per l'italia...ho ordinato la pedal board completa del supporto pedaliera e cosa mi e' arrivato? solo i pedalini e dopo 2 mesi d'attesa....grave ragazzi! non si fa cosi...ma ebs e' cmq thumb up!!

direi che e' un effetto mirato senza dubbio al funk e alla dance ma si puo' utilizzare anche in altri styles.

Just like any Stomp Box or Rack Mount unit you will have to play with it to get exactly what you want. The manual is short but it will take a little of your time to figure out. The manual does give sample setting which will be helping you with making up your own sounds. The newer versions are stamped as the "Black Label" models. It is black and was advertised , on the ESB site (In the FAQ area) as being slightly updated. I never heard the blue or grey models so I would not know if there is a difference in sound.

I have it for two weeks and have not come across any problems. That does not say much but it does sound great as an envelope filter goes, I find it very clean. The unit is small but it has the requirements needed to get a sound that is right for you. Two knobs controls the Threshold and Attack. The threshold follows the instruments signal strength and sensitivity of the note. The attack is how fast the filter reacts to the note. It also has a swith for HiQ for a auto wah sound, a Up Envelope which the notes go from low to high frequencies and a down switch for high to low frequencies. I personnaly like the down but it does give you a classic "Up" envelope sound also thats sounds pleasing. I bought a Mooger Fooger Low Pass Filter and eventhough it has many more features I like the ESB better.

Its built just like all the ESB pedels. If you have any of them you know how well built it is. Again I have it only for two weeks so Im not an expert on it reliability but it seems to be built very strong.
I would hate to see it broken because I really like this unit alot and Im not the biggest fan of stomp boxes.

Never had to call them but there site has alot of product information that will help you.

I think this unit is perfect as an envelope filter. I would say its the best sounding unit for this purpose I have heard. Its cheaper than some of the other related units but its not cheap. But for the money its well worth the price. I have not seen it in alot of stores but I have seen them. I would not, if I were you, but an envelope filter without trying a EBS BASS IQ.

The Bass IQ is fairly simple to use - 2 knobs, one switch. As with any good envelope filter, it is very responsive to playing dynamics, so you need to spend a little time dialing in the "perfect" threshold setting to make it work for your playing style. Other than that, it's much simpler to use than other units such as EH Q-Tron, Mutron III, Lovetone Meatball, etc..

I've tried them ALL, and hands down this is the best envelope filter for Bass I've ever played. I've owned Mutron III and Micro V, EH Q-tron, EH Bassballs, EH Dr. Q, EH Queen Triggered Wah, Boss Auto Filters, Ibaenez, etc, etc, etc.. The Bass IQ sounds better than them all! Totally quiet, with enough parameter selection to get a variety of filter effects, very responsive to playing dynamics, and just the right amount of top-end sizzle to make it sound wet and funky. It's slamming, trust me!

I've only had it a week, but it's built like a tank - solid steel chassis, Steel switch and pot shafts, etc. Internally it's all discreet (surface mount) electronics, so I doubt you'd have a lot of trouble with it. Nice solid feel to the entire unit. I'm happy!

I e-mailed EBs in Sweden to ask a question, and they got back to me immediately. I'm not sure about repair issues, etc., but they do have a US distributor that can be contacted.

As I mentioned above, I think that this is the best envelope filter for bass that I've ever played, and I've really played them all. It's also reasonably priced, compact, and well built. In my opinion, a winner across the boards!