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.

Russian model. There are not many options on this pedal itself. However, if you have distortion before or after the effect you could definitely spend alot of time tweaking the effects together to get a good sound. Nevertheless, very easy to use.

Okay, so the important part of my set-up with respect to this pedal is a crappy fuzz before the bb and an overdrive after it. I don't like the sound of the bb without distortion. I turn on the fuzz before the pedal, and it maxes out the envelope. When I hit a note the sweep goes to its highest point instantly. I like to change the sensitivity knob while I'm playing with the fuzz and it works sort of like a wah. The distortion after the bb really emphasizes the wah sound. It's wicked. If you try to do the wah thing without the distos it's very weak, and reacts slowly. I don't use the bb's distortion cause you lose volume as you approach the minimum sensitivity position, and I like to use that, too. Maybe I should just get a wah, but I suspect it wouldn't sound near as gnarly.

Mine fuzzes out sometimes when I power it up. I then proceed to kick it until it comes back. Then it usually works flawlessly for the remainder of the session.

I would gig it without a backup because who cares. I never get paid anyway.

I've played ten years. Lately I play in my garage trying to write something that doesn't sound contrived. But I fail. When I turn this pedal on with the distortions it makes me wish I was in a 70's psychadelic band like King Crimson or early Yes or even Black Sabbath. I stop my brainy songwriting fiasco and start playing minor or pentatonic riffs for hours. Its a complete waste of time. Also, I sometimes kick in my danelectro chili dog octave to make it all rumbly. That pedal, like the Bassballs, was well worth the money.

You'd have to be a total moron not to figure this thing out. Quite simple.

My set-up is a Washrun XB125 active/Gibson RD Standard (passive) and a Samich CB130 Fretless (passive)>bass balls>Mesa/Boogie 400+ with a Mesa/Boogei 1x15" enclosure and an older model Traynor 1x15" wedge. This peddal worked fine with all of them but best with the active Washburn. I haven't noticed any crackle or noise that shouldn't be present when using this pedal. The clean setting is different. It gives vowel like tones. Almost as is someone is more or less "gulping" in time with the notes. It's different and may not suit everyone. The distortion I find to be of lower quality. Not very clean in my opinion but still, fun to mess with. Almost produces a gassy or "farting" sound at times and no, my volumes not jacked too high and my speakers are of good quality. Two quotes from prior reviews I find to be true: A) You have to play with the dial to find the setting you like and B) There is no middle ground with this pedal, you either love it or hate it. However, as I discovered, it may grow on you. Experiment and find a niche for it.

I've used this on gigs for the past five years as well as messing around at home. It hasn't failed me however, I do find it to be a bit of a dust magnet. It may require extensive cleaning from time to time. I have the Russian model and the inputs are plastic. As well, the inside is very basic but should be handled with extra care when cleaning.

Never had to contact them.

I'm not much of an effects freak. I bought this on a whim and am not sorry I did. It fits into the mix and is a lot of fun to play around with. Some will love it, some will hate it. Chech one out and decide for yourself.

Dead easy to use you might think, and I suppose it is...finding a usable sound is harder than you might first imagine though. That said, easy as pie.

The sound is more flangey than an envelope filter. This is neither a synth or envelope filter by the way: basically, someone had the idea of engaging two dynamic filters that would peak at different stages. All Electro Harmonix have done is used this idea in the pedal, plus the distortion switch.

The sound (like someone said in a previous review) sounds a HELL of a lot better with an Active Bass, with a phatter sound. This can be somewhat salvaged when engaging the distortion switch, but if you want a clean sounding effect, then I suggest only really looking into the pedal if you're going all Active.

My effects loop goes as follows: Fender Jazz >> Bassballs NYC >> Marshall Guv'nor >> Mini Q-Tron >> Marshall Bass/Valve State B150. My Jazz ISN'T Active. I don't regret the pedal (and my next bass will be another Active one) but without the extra signal boost, the basic undistorted sound might be a bit thin.

However, it remains a brilliant pedal if you're into crazy sounding Effects (like I am).

It's stainless steel...not as heavy duty as Boss, but it could withstand my foot, so...

I really love this pedal (so much so it's my second one, my first one was dropped from a large height several times and broke). Try it out first though.

YOU HAVE TO FIDDLE WITH THIS PEDAL to get a good sound, AND the sound is contingent on your bass, PU's, amp, etc.

THIS IS A BASS SYNTH, NOT AN ENVELOPE FILTER! EHX does make envelope filters, they're called Q-TRON. This does have a switch for an envelope filter sound, and for under $100 its pretty good. The envelope on this is better then the Guyatone BR-2.

I love this thing. The reason I gave it 9 is because it takes time to play with it to get a good sound, and there is NO MANUAL with any settings (I guess that's because the sound will vary from instrument to instrument.)

Fender Jazz->EHX BassBalls->Boss delay pedal-> Ampeg15 combo.

Sounds great once you find it!!! Again, for the $$$ you can't beat this thing.

THIS IS THE POOR MAN'S BASS SYNTH!!!

Totally reliable. Built like a freakin' tank.

VERY friendly. Answered phone on third ring, returned email next day.

It's not the best bass synth (that would be the EHX BassMicro Synth), or envelope filter, BUT for the money, it is the best. For under $100. you get a pretty good bass synth and a decent envelope filter. It's EHX!!!

YOU HAVE TO FIDDLE WITH THIS PEDAL to get a good sound, AND the sound is contingent on your bass, PU's, amp, etc.

THIS IS A BASS SYNTH, NOT AN ENVELOPE FILTER! EHX does make envelope filters, they're called Q-TRON. This does have a switch for an envelope filter sound, and for under $100 its pretty good. The envelope on this is better then the Guyatone BR-2.

I love this thing. The reason I gave it 9 is because it takes time to play with it to get a good sound, and there is NO MANUAL with any settings (I guess that's because the sound will vary from instrument to instrument.)

Fender Jazz->EHX BassBalls->Boss delay pedal-> Ampeg15 combo.

Sounds great once you find it!!! Again, for the $$$ you can't beat this thing.

THIS IS THE POOR MAN'S BASS SYNTH!!!

Totally reliable. Built like a freakin' tank.

VERY friendly. Answered phone on third ring, returned email next day.

It's not the best bass synth (that would be the EHX BassMicro Synth), or envelope filter, BUT for the money, it is the best. For under $100. you get a pretty good bass synth and a decent envelope filter. It's EHX!!!

check the other reviews....you'll get the idea!

I'm pretty much an eh whore...i'm running an early eighties big muff pi, double muff, bassballs, small stone, small clone, full double tracking effect,70's golden throat and a dunlop cry baby classic and rotovibe... the balls does plenty of work for me...sometimes on it's own, but mainly i use it in combination with other effects...it kind of "synths" everything up quite nicely in a way that's very unique to this pedal. not tru-bypass, but not alot on my pedal board is and i'm not losing any(or very little) signal. if you're having a problem with signal loss i suggest you look at the order you have your pedals in...surf around on the net for different setups and experiment away. if you're wondering how the re-issue sounds compared to the original...i have them both! the difference is minimal!

the fact that i have 30 year old pedals on my board and they say "electro harmonix" on them should tell you something.

never had to deal with them...

i have to agree with some of the prev. posts that this thing is not the best effect on bass (which it was meant for) but i absolutely love it on guitar. like i said before...this pedal is great on it's own, but really try it in combo with some of your other pedals...the oddities will abound!

one knob (sensitivity) , one stomp switch (punch in puch out) and a recessed switch (distortion/clean)... do you need a manual for that?

It do't sound pretty at the wrong settings but it's not hard to dial it in.

this is pretty much a one trick pony and subtle it ain't - it's like a Boss touch Wah on acid.
Noise is acceptably quite given that if your in a groove that's using this pedal your probably playing loud enough to drown the hum.
this runs 2nd in line with a pedal compresser/limiter set with mild compress and mild enhance to keep dynamics in check if I want a less wild tone. if you put a reverb (or better a delay) unit ahead of th Bass Balls you can get some seriously weird (both good and bad) filter re-trigers. The distortion setting is some what redundant as I use Big Muff and/or tube screamers.

I wouldn't want to be driving the car that tried to run over this baby - it would surely come out second best.

Electrovoice have a local service contracter so I couldn't imagine it being to hard a issue

one trick pony - you'll love it or hate it there is no middle ground

The Bass Balls uses a knob for sensitivity and a fuzz switch to control the effect. Easy as can be, just figure out how sensitive it needs to be for your specific pickups and you should be ready to go. There isn't enough manual to speak about, but come on, it's one knob! Just make sure you are prepared for the volume increase when you click on fuzz mode.

I have run both my Reverend Slingshot Junior and my girlfriend's Danelectro Longhorn bass, two instruments not known for having massive amounts of volume output, by the way, into my Ampeg Gemini G-12 amp and her Ampeg B-3 with very satisfactory results. Without the fuzz on, there is a bit of a volume drop, and there is a slight loss of highs when off, but both of these are to be expected from an envelope filter, or in the case of this pedal two envelops filters. Used with my Tech 21 Double Drive or Boss Blues Driver in front of it, the loss of tone was almost inperceptable. Used with my Russian Big Muff Pi, it was suitably nasty and fuzzy.

I am purely a bedroom player, so my idea of reliability is not going to be in line with those of a gigging pro, but I haven't had any problems with it. A back up would be sweet though...

I had the unfortunate situation of having broken jack nuts on my unit straight from the box. The plastic nuts had split in half and were inside the unit. I popped it open, cleaned out the refuse and e-mailled New Sensor. I had new jack nuts a week later. I don't know how I could ask for anything more.

For my purposes, creating unusual modulations before my fuzz, this is a perfect fit. For bass players, the choice is even more clear: get one of these, and quickly. While it won't sound god when you strum chords or play blues double stops, the Bass Balls is great for adding texture and depth to single note lines and can be used for some very interesting talking effects. I love using it after my Doctor Q and I cannot wait to use it in front of an Electric Mistress. I would very likely replace it if it were broken and I'm having a hard time not buying a second one as it is.

Physically or aurally? It's really easy to figure out how to turn on and find a sound, but it can be really hard to find a place for that sound. unless you play in an expiremental/progressive/psycadellic band like i do. A 9 because the average musician won't want it.

talk about! i use it for bass and guitar, a music man and a les paul, respectively. alone, it's great. with other effects, it's great. I plug it between my Electro-Harmonix Frequency Analyzer and my DOD Flashback Fuzz. that right there should tell you that i'm not a typical player. (it's also routed around an a/b box so i can use my talk box. yes, bassballs and talk box. think about it.) THIS IS NOT AN ENVELOPE FILTER! this is a dynamic filter, meaning it responds to your dynamics, your picking intensity. envelope filters retain a constant wah; this wahs harder when you play harder. if you want to retain a constant sound, you have to make sure your dynamics stay constant. if you dont care, then whatever... i like to throw on the distortion and mix it with the fuzz; really nasty, really gnarly. throw the frequency analyzer into the mix...not even going there! i do like to run it clean, though, it's kind of flangy. i give it a ten cuz i'm kind of trippy!

it's a fucking panzer! (mine's the russian)

i love it! steal it and i'll buy another and bash your head in with it! remember it is a 15 pound brick.... it's trippy as hell. i play barefoot, so i can easily manipulate the switch and the knob with my toes, creating even greater sounds. rock on EH

N/A

N/A

I am adding this as a follow-up to an earlier review.
TOTAL BREAK DOWN.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PEDAL!
GET THE USA REISSUE.
I pampered this unit and it died anyway.

Didn't deal with them.Took back to Guitar Center and traded for EH USA BASSBALLS.

Reliability issues kill this thing.

very simple. See other reviews.

Not too bad. Sounded like the original enough for me to buy it. There is a significant gain increase when on. Adding a volume pot would be pretty easy if it was really a problem.

***I would really like to know what effect Aaron Collins is using on White Trash's "The Crawl". I know this isn't it, but it will do until I know. If you know PLEASE contact me via e-mail (below).

Ooops. I bought the Russian one to save a few bucks. It has plastic jacks! The unit is in a crappy folded aluminum box, and is filled with sub-grade parts. It probably won't last 5 years.

Hope I don't find out. Really, though, if this broke I would probably throw it out, unless it is less than a year old.

Would NOT buy this again, though now that I have it it I wouldn't sell it. I will just play it until it dies. I would rather have the US made one. Save up and buy the US one. That is an order!

It couldn't get any easier.

I play through a Gallien Krueger 1001RB head with an Ampeg SVT 410 HLF Cab and an Ibanez SR 5 string. This unit has a great sound. I was very impressed when I first used it. I used to own a Boss Bass Synthesizer but I consider the Bass Balls much better. Only thing that lets it down is when you put the effect on, you can hear the click of the pedal through the amp. This would not be all that great with recording.

I haven't had it too long but it hasn't broken on me yet. Its not a crucial part of my set up so if it broke it wouldn't make me look like too much of a dumb ass.

Havent had to use it yet and hopefully never will.

I play alternative music and every now and then its good to chuck a couple of weird sounds in the mix to make it sound different. I used to own a Boss Bass Synthesizer and normally I wouldn't can Boss products but that was a crap pedal. The Bass Balls succeeds where the Boss pedal didn't. If there was something I could put on the pedal I would put a gain knob on it. If this pedal was stolen or randomly decided to break I would definatly replace it.

this seems really simple to use, one switch and one nob, nothing more to it, the only problem is i can't seem to find the sound i want, does anyone know how to get a real rubber sound with this, when i bought it thats what i was looking for, but i can't seem to find it, if you can get a rubber sound could you please post what settings you use on your bass/amp/bassballs, thanx

i am using a peavey tnt 160 amp (i know, its ancient), an alvarez bass or a peavey p bass, sometimes i use a boss odb-3 overdrive pedal, or a cry baby bass wah wah pedal, the pedal doesnt really have that much versatility to it, i can't get as many sounds with it as ive hoped, but for what it is i guess its allright

this thing is reliable, its never failed me, i wud defintaly gig without a backup, i got the NYC one, which is decent, but ive heard the russian thing is a tank

never dealt with them

well i like to use this on funk, thats not all i play, but its pretty much all i use this for, with the rare exception of a few songs here and there of some other stuff. i've had this thing for a few years, if it were stolen i would be mad, i dont know if i would go out and buy a new one immediately, i would probably look for something more versatile. if you listen to the p funk jam on the electro harmonix site (www.ehx.com) the bassist (its probably bootsy) has a really rubber sound that i really want, but i can't get it with mine, thats the one thing that dissapointed me about this effect, other than that, its decent.

Easy to use, one knob and a switch.

It has a really flatulent sound to it. It makes your guitar sound like it has a really bad gas. But its kinda cool.

I would give it a 3 for reliability because the first time I popped off the battery cover, it just completely broke off and now the battery just kind of hangs out of the bottom. I would give it a zero, but it still works fine. Really cheesy though. It feels like it would break if you didnt set it down gently.

No opinion..........

Eh....its an ok sounding pedal, but I never use it anymore because I bought a Q-tron (but try finding one for under $130). If I lost it, I wouldnt be too dissapointed. In fact, I'm gonna give it to one of my friends cause its just sitting around collecting dust.

A distortion toggle switch as well as a sensitivity knob are your only controllable paramaters. Placement in your effects chain will also render some differences in sound. That being said, it's fairly simple to use if you know what you're doing. The distortion switch has very different effects depending on what channel you're using. Try using it in your effects loop, and try using it before your delay -- it triggers on changes, post-delay makes it trigger quite a bit more.

I use:
Gibson Les Paul Studio or an Ibanez GAX70 (great cheap guitar)
Dunlop 595Q Variable Wah Pedal
Ernie Ball Mono Volume Pedal
Boss TU-2 Tuner/Power Supply (off of the tuning output from the EB)
DOD FX-25B Envelope Filter
MXR Phase 100
Boss CE-5? The Chorus Ensemble one
EHX Bass Balls

Into a Line 6 POD 2.0, or a Mesa Boogie V-TWIN rack preamp
Which then feeds to a QSC RMX-850 poweramp
For right now, I use a Mesa Boogie 4-10 Road Ready bass cab

This is not the most conventional guitar setup, but for my needs -- and budget, it works out just fine.

The bassballs pedal doesn't seem to degrade my sound too much. When it's switched on, it makes very quirky sounds -- so it's difficult to measure exactly what's good and what's bad with any sense of nuetrality. I think it sounds great, and it makes some very interesting sounds -- don't buy this if you're looking for anything super consistant, or subtle. It's an effect you have to play, not an effect that'll make the way you play sound better.

I've got the russion model, the jacks are made out of plastic or something -- looks very cheap, but if you don't unplug/plug it in all of the time, shouldn't be a problem.

I play a very weird effects style, most of my playing weaves in and out of the other insturments in my music. Moreso, I like to hear "was that guitar?". I've been playing for several years, mainly as a bass player, but more recently during my recording projects -- I've found it much easier to play my own guitar tracks. If it were lost or stolen, I'd walk to my nearest harware store and locate a very sharp axe, at which point I would locate the thief that jacked my bassballs pedal, and proceed to jack him, times two of course.

I wish this pedal had a volume/gain knob, I like to even my effects out a bit.

It does indeed help me make music, as its twin filters create a layering effect that I can't describe.