Product: EBS Valvedrive
Price Paid: USD 300
Submitted
12/27/2008
at
10:30pm
by
Darren King
Ease of Use
:
7
Fairly straightforward pedal. I had no experience using passive controls though, and spent some time playing with the dials to get my sound. That time was well spent and now I can achieve the tone I need fairly quickly. It has been 6 months now and I use it every time I play.
Sound Quality
:
9
I'm playing a custom P style bass through a Fender 400 Pro Combo and a 15" Cab. This gives me a clean and punchy sound. Initially I ran the valvedrive through the front of the amp as a pedal. After experimenting and reading the manual I ran it through the effects loop in the amp, creating a hybrid valve/solid rig to great success.
The pedal is true bypass and when switched off is noiseless. When switched on the effect is instantly noticeable. With the gain set low, the sound that comes out is smooth and warm with a hint of grit. I use this setting most of the time for blues and rock. Turn the gain up and it sounds like Geezer & Cliff Burton rolled into 1. That's pretty much all it does. But what it does is doing it well. Initially, the modern channel sounds better than the vintage - it has more character and can make some nice Tool like sounds. I spent a lot of time on the vintage channel and this sounds a little more subtle, producing some great tones for John Paul Jones, Noel Redding and Cliff Williams style.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Only had it for 6 months. At this price it should last a lifetime. I'll be cranky if it doesn't.
Customer Support
:
10
I live in Australia and needed to find an alternate power supply. They were friendly and helpful in my questions about this.
Overall Rating
:
9
I bought this pedal with the idea of making my solid state rig sound like a valve amp. Nothing can replace the thump of a valve amp, but this pedal does a good reproduction. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely replace it.
The thing I love most about the valvedrive is that it keeps the bottom end. I have used a Boss DS-1 which made the bass sound like a guitar played though a tin can. I also have a Mini Matrix which can't handle the low end too well either. This pedal is made for bassists and you can tell. The initial character of the note is retained, the effect just colours it enough to make it more interesting, which is what a pedal should do anyway.
