Electro-Harmonix Bass Balls

easy to use. one switch, one knob. size is huge and it`s heavy, but i kind of like it that way. sovtek model.

i have kind of love/hate relationship with this pedal. i play bass, and use bass balls mainly swithed in the distortion mode but it cuts nearly all low frequencys out of my playing. another thing is the volume increase. you can not turn the rate knob past 12 a`clock if you want to keep the same volume level. when used with octaver the combination was cool synth bass. it became even better when added some bass wah after octaver. but as a single unit bass balls is useless to me.

gigged with it and never needed any backup.but it`s russian made pedal, you can never know

some days i like it alot, some days i wish i never had spent my money on that. i play bass with fingers and sometimes slap and pop a bit. our guitar player uses bass balls also and it works with him much better. not so much bass to lose, when you are guitar player.

This is the easiest pedal to use on the market. No manual necessary. It is a envolope filter for bass.

The sound is kind of limited, but it is still good for funk lines and solos. I use an Alvarez or a fender P bass for this with a Boss ODB-3 distortion. If you run the distortion and the bass balls at the same time it is kinda hard to control the feedback put once you start playing the feedback dies. It isn't really a wah at all, its kinda in its own catagory. It is an awesome pedal for the sound and price. If I could only control the feedback....

This thing would almost be as good as a boss, except that the battery compartment is hard to get the battery in and its hard to keep the batterie plugged. I tore the wire out trying to get the battery in, I am going to get an adapter for it though. It is definately worth while to get an adapter because it eats batteries faster than any other pedal I've seen.

N/A

Its great for funk. If it where stolen I'd hospitalize the guy who did it and knock out at least ten of his teeth, then go buy another one.

I'm using this with a modified Ibanez soundtank phaser(badass)a Boss Pitchshifter delay(first in this particular chain) and a Danecho.I keep the Boss thingy on the loop setting which is delay time at max and feedback at max,or I use my 'balls as a standalone.Eitherway it sounds great.Playing on an epiphone SG thru a Peavey amp.With the distortion switch on it sounds like a baby monster or a horny alligator-brilliant!Here's a neat trick:I use it before the aforementioned soundtank with its speed at 3/4 depth at max and feedback dial at a hair below max. On my 'balls it goes like this;dist. switch engaged sensitivity at 1/4 of the way up.INSTANT EH TALKING PEDAL CLONE WHEN USED WITH A LITTLE EXTRA OVERDRIVE.How fun is that?I can get some almost sitar-like tones from it-beautiful really.That little EH faery on their logo-this is what its voice sounds like.It's a pretty wacky pedal but I go fer that.It's not the sort of thing even my crazy ass would use on every song but it's definetly cool to have around.

seenms to be fine(black box with blue writing).Don't gig just help out on my friends tracks and play fer a select few so no use fer a backup

EH is probably loaded down with death threats and whiney letters from their product users judging by other reviews for their stuff so I don't think it necessary to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

some people may have read my other reviews so they would know that my style ranges from Spacerock to triphop.Sometimes I just rock out ala oldschool Dinosaur Jr. lots of squawky fuzz and crunch.I have been playing fer 15 years and if I chose to exercise in self indulgence,I could pull some Yngwie chops out of my ass as that was the first crap I learned way back when I was 9 yrs old.So my question to tone-nazi buttrockers(i'm not rippin' on any non-condescending metal fans;Deftones are the shit)why buy whacky analog shit and then rag on people who use it.You know you want some Nasa rack!and in fact,you bought it.I e-mailed some idiot who reviewed the EH microsynth who was ragging on my fellow sound architechs and asked him,"what Camaro-shaped block of ice did you thaw out of you prehistoric buttrocker?"never heard back from him.With that said,Eurometal nope,Nu metal,experimental,spaciness buy the 'balls

I bought this pedal after reading a review of it in Bass Player. It only has the effect on/off foot switch, on/off distortion switch and a variable knob. Can't get much simpler than that.

I am using currently using a Warwick Streamer LX 5 through a Yorkville 400 head with a Yorkville 4x10 and a 15. I also have a Zoom 506 multi-effects. Though I am not particularily fond of my Yorkville I feel it produces a very neutral sound. As well, the Warwick is very nice to use with effects because of the very tight and precise sound, no flab. The pedal is fun to use but it has limited sounds. The non/distortion sound produces a flangy type wank that is great for tight finger funk, nothing too crazy or you lose your tone. The distoration sound is very nice BUT the variable knob really effects your volume. I usually leave the knob in one postion and it boosts my signal by 20%. This is a drag since I haven't been able to purchase the music-man volume I am craving for. If you turn the variable knob to the extreme right (maximum gain) it boosts the signal painfully high. That's analog for you I guess. NOTE Here's something I have been doing that is a lot of fun. I put the Bass Balls in front of the Zoom 506 in my signal chain and use the distortion setting with the variable knob at 10:00. I put mid way setting on the octaver effect on the Zoom 506 and Woila! Stuart Zender Organic Synth that people shake thier bootie too =)

My Balls are made of Steel =). Actually, I was using a piece of crap adapter on the unit and misset the voltage setting... the result?
Bass Balls - Fully functional.
Adapter - Nuked.... That's a 10 for me.

N/A ......... Yet

This is the kind of pedal I use once or twice a night. I wouldn't leave it on all the time, too murky a sound for fast finger style... But dub/greasy funk is really fun with pedal and it will last forever. Also as mentioned, the lack of different sounds and the problems with after-effect gain don't allow me to give it a perfect 10. Would I buy it again? Probably... I am a great believer in buying good quality products (ahem, let's not mention the already warranted twice Zoom 506)

Simple indeed.1 knob and a distortion switch.

Way cool sounding and even kinda funny I think.I usually play my Fender P w/ flatwound strings and it has a hollowish tubular wah effect.Great for funk-space rock.Turn on the distortion and crank up the sensitivity for comic relief or bypass distortion and turn sensitivity all the way down and you get a super thick filtered sound.
Add overdrive and you go straight to NIB/ELECTRIC FUNERAL Heaven!
This pedal is somewhat superior to most other wah and auto filter devices I think as it has a beautifal analog vibe to it.

Seems solid.I keep it in its sturdy wooden storage box when not in use.

Not yet----knock on wood.

I play simple roots style music sometimes spiked with psychadellic and "Kraut-like" space rock jams and the bassballs is a tremendoud asset.

it didn't even come with a manual, it's that easy. there's an on/off switch, a sensitivity knob, and a distortion switch.

this analog effect pretty much rules. WARNING: if you are using this with a bass, like i am, then be warned - this thing likes to be driven. it sounds so-so with a passive bass, maybe a 5 rating, but it definitely sounds 10 times stronger and better with an active. i have a passive bass, but i put the bassballs in the effects loop of my SWR workingman's 15, which comes after the preamp, and it sounds just like i'm playing with an active. if you have a passive bass and don't have an effects loop, then i don't recommend this effect. i'm not a big fan of the distortion, it makes the unit quieter (go figure) but it sounds great clean.

i haven't gigged with it yet, but mine came in great condition, no complaints at all, plus it has that cool wooden box to store it in when it's not in use. i tend to take care of my pedals, and this one seems pretty sturdy, not quite a boss though. i wouldn't need to DEPEND on it anyway, because it is in no way essential to my sound, just a fun toy to mess around with and impress the audience.

basically, this effect is a lot of fun. i wouldn't use it for 90% of songs i play, but when i need a good dose of funk, this does the trick and then some. sounds wild with slap, too. just do us all a favor and don't use this for punk songs, ballads, etc.

it so so easy to use its funny. there is a sensitivity knob and a switch for distortion

the sound is awesome you. if used with a wha pedal i can kinda make it talk a little. it is a little noisy with the distortion and the wha pedal though. i think it sounds a little like the harpsicord jimi hendrix uses in burning of the midnight lamp. it is great for any type of psycadelic music.

the input and output jacks are make of plastic so i dont know how well they will hold up.the battery cover is made of real dinky die cast metal that was broken when i first got it but the sales man got me a new one off a electro-harmonix bigmuff. it seems to to be made of pretty heavey metal so i think the whole thing will hold up real nice

this is a great pedal if you want weird weird sounds. i have been playing for about 5 years and play mostly 60's rock like Hendrix and Cream.if this were lost or stolen i wouldnt be that sad because i dont use it a whole lot but i would try to find one that is used.

Take it out of the box and plug it in. Its pretty easy.

I tried it out in the store and it sounded great. Once i took it home it sounded different. I think it has to do with the fact my bass has active electronics and the one I used in the store didn't. I just bought and I can't decide if I want to keep it.

It,s brand new

My first contact with this pedal was a great one. It can be nice and mellow or "Bootsie" nasty. A nice break from the regular envelope filters.

There is one swithch and one knob on this unit. The switch goes between the clean and dirty channels on the pedal and the knob chooses the overall response too your playing. The bassballs is very simple to use and changing the sound is an easy task. Unfortunately the manual has no user settings so it is a hit and miss afair when finding a sound ,but as long as you are into experimentation ,like me, this should not be a problem.

I use a Telecaster into a pedalboard with loads of wierd shit on there into two Carlsboro hundred watt heads thru a Groove tubes cab. Using my clean amp and starting off with the Bass Balls clean channel and the knob at about eight o'clock the sound is very similar to a touch sensitive phaser when you pick arpeggios. Dig in with the old plectrum however and the quacky envelope filter character reveals itself.Turn the knob to about twelve o'clock and add small amount of gain from the amp and you have a good setup for pseudo Frampton/Jeff Beck/Joe Walsh type licks. Power chords get that Bon Jovi 'Its my life' style 'woah woah' vibe leaping from your speakers. The distortion channel on the unit is okay but I would rather stick my Fuzz Face or Tube Driver on for a better sound. The distortion is a tad bit noisy too but a Boss NF2 sorts this out a treat.If you don't mind a little noise, I urge you to discover this unique effect. For those who read Auto wah when they see the words Envelope Filter think again this is like nothing else on the scene and for the price is a steal. If you think you may want a little wierdness in that solo or you want to turn heads on stage then give this at least a trial run at the local guitar shop. A sound straight from the bowells of hell can be achieved by turning everything up full on the Bass Balls and adding a high gain distortion pedal (also up full) and then strumming the guitar once as hard as you can......this will have your granny going into cardiac arrest sooner than you can say 'JACK KNACKER SACK'.Totally unusable in almost every style of conventional music but thats missing the point. This pedal is good for effects whackos like myself but play-safe widdle boys will probably stick to they're LA studio chorus.

A little on the unpredictable side this one but keep the gain sensible and the Bass Balls behaves itself.......most of the time. If your going to gig this keep it unplugged for times when its not in use and always make sure the battery is replaced before a show. An adaptor is available for those with short memorys and who are likely to forget when the last time they changed the battery was. The Bass Balls gets alot of mileage from one battery so overall very reliable.

N/A

This pedal is good for off the wall noise making and talkbox impressions so its got my vote. If you don't want a rogue of a pedal however then maybe its best to stick to a more tameable beast eg A crybaby or a small stone. I would get another if stolen and I would love an original.Some more buttons to press and twiddle with would be a luxury but if your dealing with loads pedals at a time then perhaps a little simplicity is a blessing. Top marks to Sovteck/ElctroHarmonix for a beauty of a re-issue and a fine alternative effects unit. ps If anyone in England has a BOSS FEEDBACKER DISTORTION PEDAL they want to sell for about fifty squid e mail me ,cheers.

this pedal is an envelope pedal and with envelopes some tweaking is required.

the sounds you get are a little limiting compared to the King of Envelopes The Mutron lll, but they are a nice change especially with the distortion engaged. There is a little noise when the controls near full on but this is to be expected with the distortion on.

Let me start by saying that the Electro Harmonix pedals sound great but they are not built that good. Mine arrived with the input and output nuts broken, they are made of crap plastic. Also I have the newer black reissue and the pot and the switch where both loose. Wake up ElectroHarmonix and spend a couple of soviet pesos on better Hardware. What cheap ( fill in the blank ) decided on plastic nuts.

The Bassballs Reissue sounds great but unfortunately it could be built a little better for not that much more money. Funk on.