Electro-Harmonix Bass Balls

Very easy to use. Has on/off button, sensitivity knob and a 'disortion' switch. Once you've found the sweet spot that works for your set up its mint!

I got the NYC one and its brilliant! The sound is excellent, i really cant understand all the bad reviews on this pedal. I have the sensitivity knob at about 10/11 o'clock and the harder you play the strings the more aggresive the effect is. The bottom end is retained as you would expect from a bass pedal and i found that the distortion switch merely boosts the signal which is annoying but still sounds cool!
I use this with a MM stingray through a Hartke HA2500 and an Ampeg B410ha and sounds excellent.
The effect on this isnt over-powering which i prefer, it creates a lush texture and colour lifting the bass rather than have it overtaking anything. Brilliant for funk.
There is one thing though, with the sensitivity dial fully clockwise there is a slight hiss, but to be frank, it sounds useless at that setting and its a sound that you will never, ever use.

I have 2 EHX pedals and never had a problem.

Never needed to get in touch with them.

I really enjoy playing it and i think its the best piece of kit i have in my bag! My band loves it too. I feel its well worth the money and the Nano version is better if you strugle for room or money. Buy one. Now.

This is an update from my recent review.

I haven't been able to sell this thing so I've been messing around with it more. I have discovered that my pedal seriously boosts the mids and bass which makes it very boomy. I don't know if that's what they all do or just my pedal. If I turn the mids all the way down and take the bass back a little I can get a halfway useable sound. I still have no desire to use it though.

It seems well built and sturdy.

At least they responded. That's the only good thing I can say. They don't seem to care that my pedal sounds like *** though.

Maybe I've got a bad pedal, maybe it's just me, but either way I am done with Electro-Harmonix. I tried a Q-tron too and that thing isn't even a pimple on the *** of the moogerfooger.

I struggled to get a good sound out of it. It seems to be very finicky with my setup which is a GK800RB bi-amped with an Ampeg classic 4x10 and an SWR 2x10. My bass is a '79 Peavey T-40.

I've read some pretty good reviews about this thing so I was surprised when I didn't really like it. I completely agree with some of the other bad reviews on here. This thing sucks. It doesn't sound any better than the digital line6 copy of it, which is, well, digital. I bought a USA 70's reissue online and it sounded so bad that I was wondering if it was a fake or something. I checked it out and it's the real deal, and there's nothing wrong with it. That's just the way it is I guess.

Who cares? I wish it was broken so I could get my money back.

They were a little rude when I told them it sounded bad, but at least they helped me figure out that it's a real pedal and there's nothing wrong with it. E-mails were answered within a day.

You get what you pay for I guess. The Bassballs is way overrated in my opinion. If you want a good envelope filter get a Moogerfooger or something. This thing isn't worth your time.

One knob and a switch - pretty easy. There's a "sweet spot" on the knob depending on the output of your bass, you just have to find it, although things change when you flick the distortion switch and the knob starts adding gain - bit inconvenient. It also loses marks for having a screw-retained battery compartment and a 3.5mm power jack instead of a barrel. I know it's a reissue of an old model but it's annoying.

This is quite subtle for an envelope filter. If you're only going to have one filter and you like wild quacky noises, this isn't the one for you. I've found it's brilliant for slap though; where most filters get a bit too excited and don't spend enough time in the deep end, this one stays tight and punchy while still putting out nicely gutteral funky coughs and splutters, and the secondary phaser-sweep-type sound adds an extra dimension to counterpoint the rhythmic hack of the main envelope effect. It's also good just for adding colour to other sounds, and as such I find I switch this on more than any other pedal on my board. Again, the only real downer is the gain boost with the distortion switch on, but a limiter can bring that under control if needs must.

It's a pretty simple unit in a big metal box - you'd have to have a proper accident to put it out of action. The big metal box is a bit on the flimsy side though - not BOSS hard. I wouldn't want to jump on it with both feet.

N/A

When I first got this pedal I thought I was going to return it - I think I was expecting something more "wow", which it isn't. But after trying it in various places on my board I've found it sounds pretty good wherever I put it. Actually, I think this would be a really nice pedal to have if all your other pedals are sterile-sounding digital effects - it really brings warmth and character to your tone. And if you slap much, definitely try it. It comes into its own with slap.

A monkey can figure this thing out. So easy

Fisrt of all to everybody saying that this pedal sucks for guitar, they're wrong. You can get cool sounds out of it. I use a Les Paul with a variety of effect and the BB gave me a whole different sound. I always get compliments after a live session from people asking what effect I was using or how weird (in a good way) my sound was ;)

This thing can survive a bomb attack! is sturdy and very well built. I must have a vintage version... maybe.

Never dealt with them

I gave this thing a 10 because it's a very unique unit for a guitar player. I bought it from my bass player because he had it for a losg time as a back-up but never needed.

Electro-Harmonix Bass Balls Russian made
Quite easy to get a good tone
very sensative sensitivity control once you find the sweet spot mark it and never let it go

This is for Bass Guitars do not get it for guitar you wont be happy it is not an envelope filter and sounds nothing like one. I use this with a vintage modiied squier jazz bass with active EMG pickups and flatwound strings through a line 6 lowdown 150. I love the tone this adds. I set it at about 1/4 on the sensitivity control and it is magic like I said beore it is touchy and there is a sweet spot for each different bass once you find it never touch it again. I usually play finger style and like to pop a few notes here and there if you find the sweet spot you will be able to play finger stle with the tone on the guitar all the way up and get a nice bassy tone for jazz/rock/ r&b with just a hint of funk and if you slap or pop a note with the same sensitivity setting you get the perfect high end brought out that will scream FUNK awesome tone perfect for slap and finger style

NO I am cheap and got the russian made one should of spent the extra $20 and got the NYC model. They are made with plastic parts. Faulty craftsmanship.

Electro Harmonix really rips you off with the russian made models and should be ashamed of themselves for selling such a poorly made product for so much money Shame on you Electro Harmonix I recieved mine with a few missing parts and had to end up fixing it myself. I emailed the company and bass-ically got spit on they did not want anything to do with it. It came with out a ground ring around the output jack and would just go out of control when I used it with my amp just popping and a LOUD crackling type noise crazy I could get it to stop if I slammed it on the ground a few time but who wants to do that. Bottom Line Russian = Crap

Ok the sound it produces and what it does is amazing I will not deny that but do yourself a huge favor and get the NYC model spend the extra $20 and get it. well worth it. I will do so once the finances allow I absolutely could not play without this pedal after I have used it. The tone it adds to your setup is worth it all without even adding the crazy effect you can get also.

200? US EH Bassballs has controls for sensitivity and a switch for distortion(on/off). Non standard power adaptor. Easy to set up sounds but use of the standard boss adaptor would be easier.

This is a very unique and interesting sounding pedal. Any bass player into funk should have one in their arsenal of sounds/equipment. I mostly use an original Mutron III or EBS IQ but the Bassballs has that real organic "talking" sound to it. Sounds cool with the distortion switch on but it would be better with a distortion blend to make the pedal more versatile. Pretty much just two different sounds out of this pedal. Sounds cool with phase shifter. Very easy to trigger. For what it does you have to rate it a 10 because no other pedal to my knowledge makes these sounds.

Case it comes in is OK, this is the smallest case that EH has. Lettering scratches off easily. If they put it a diecast box and had better painting the price would go up.

Don't know about customer service but they have a very good website with alot of soundfiles !!!

Not something you would use all the time but it is a very "vocal" and organic sounding envelope filter effect. Price is pretty reasonable for what it is. Trademark 70's Funk sounds.

One knob. Easy to turn, but hard to find a good sound. A couple more knobs would have helped to find a good sound.

Bought this pedal during the day took it to a gig and messed around a bit during sound check. I found a couple interesting sounds, but could'nt find anything I was in love with. The distortion switch was useless.

The pedal worked when the filters were kept running with continuous notes. When I muted the strings and let the filter's swooshing die out, hitting a note again activated the pedal with a loud POP! I thought to myself, "That was weird, let me try it again", and POP! It blew the safeguard on my amp! Luckily after disconecting the pedal, and restarting my rig, everything was fine. No more Bassballs! Took it back the next day.

Mine is the black Russian model. Other than the colour and type of switches used, I'm not sure what the difference between the USA & Russian are. Easy to use but took a little while to find the right sensitivity setting for my gear.

Works best when set low - never more than a quarter turn at the very most or else it peaks instantly and looses all tonality, sounding thin and harsh (may be different with low gain, passive basses). Would prefer to have more threshold control, most pedals I've used work best around the half way mark.

I use this pedal mainly with my Musicman Sterling and my Status graphite fretless played through an Ampeg SVT2 with an Ampeg 8x10 cab. Sometimes with my 70s Gibson EB3 and 70s Les Paul Recording Bass. Sounds way better on the first two.
I run the BB through the effects loop of a Radial Bassbone and at the end of the chain is an Aphex Bass Exciter.

As I said earlier, it's important that you set the sensitivity right for your setup. At low sensitivity I get a very rich down-envelope sound. Doesn't thin out the tone so I can stomp on it during solos or under the full band noise without dropping out of the mix. I realy like this sound and finding the appropriate times to use it seem to be a lot easiler than with other effects.
Also sounds good with the distortion flicked on. It's an almost sythy sound. However I would prefer it if the distotion switch was a stompable one too so that you can flick it on or off live. Might have to have this modded.

No problems so far. I never rely on battery power for pedals so I keep it plugged in on a Warwick Gigboard. Only problem there is that it's quite big so it uses up a fair chunk of precious gigboard real estate.

Haven't had to contact them.

I play blues/rock, sometimes with a bit of a funk feel so this pedal fits the bill.
Been playing fo almost 20 years now - so I can almost play well :)
I bought this when looking for an envelope or T-wah effect but dicovered this is neither of those but has a great sound of its own. So I bought a Boss AW-3 Dynamic Wah and use that as well - but never the two together.

Simple to use, as it has one dial for sensitivity and a switch for the distortion. Having said that it is difficult to get a good sound out of it because this pedal is rubbish, but cheep, so you can't expect too much.
However, as you should take each pedal on its own merits, it is simple to use, so I will give it a 9.

I found this pedal extremely poor. It sounds bad, just plain bad. I used (I don't use it any more) it with a Gibson Xplorer Pro which has pretty hot pickups. Due to this, the effect would just instantly open up, so you didn't get the 'wow' type sound at all, just tons of really hissy treble. I think it may work a little better with single coils.
The quality of sound I find very poor. It colours your tone way too much and imposes this crappy hiss all over your sound. It also boosts the signal too much for me, this would be cool if you could control the level, but you cant.
As for the built in distortion, well, what can I say, it sucks! Nothing rich and warm about it, and it isn't harsh enough to be cool in that way either.
Oh yeah, and mine pops when you switch it on and off too.
Again though, it is quite cheep, so you can't expect too much, I just think it is a bit disappointing as EHX stuff is normally a good buy. Given the price I think I can give it a 5, I know I have just slagged it off, but it isn't that bad, I suppose.

Solid. The only problem is it wont break - then you'd have an excuse to buy something good instead.

Never dealt with them.

I play anything as long as it is rock, or something with guitars in at least. I've been playing a while now - not that long, like 6 years and I own a bunch of gear (from mass produced stuff to boutique one offs). I am affraid that this pedal, for me, is not good.
The Bass Balls is simple, cheep and cheerful, and if you don't mind that it is quite rough then I suppose it is ok. Also, auto q type pedals aren't that main stream so if you are just looking for something to play with for some unusual sounds then I guess it is ok. I just think it sucks. The distortion is weak and unpleasant, and the sensitivity is all messed up. Also it is Electro Harmonix, so should be at least average, but it isn't.
I think if you could control the resonance and output it would be a pretty nice pedal.
My other gripe is that it eats batteries.
To sum up - I hate it, but then again, it isn't so bad that I have sold it, I suppose there is a use for it somewhere. I am also willing to accept that others like it, and I may just not be hearing the quality others are hearing - for example most people here like this pedal and I don't, yet the 16 second delay has been given some terrible reveiws and I really like it.