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.

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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

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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.

switch, knob, nuff said. has a real cool sound to it. i haven't put it to good use yet, cuz i play mostly metal, but its cool just messing around with it.

i use it with my alverez 4-string and peavy mark VI 400 watter. no excess noise. it sounds really different with the distortion, adds to the vowel like sounds.

You can always depend on the russian models, not sure of the usa ehx, i only have one and i just got it(small clone, if you're wondering).
These things are built heavy duty. EHX are my primary pedals, the only others i use for my basses are a morley bass wah and a boss d-1 distortion (it's for guitars but i like the sound with my bass).

you won't need to call them.

i play metal, so this pedal doesn't really fit, but its fun to experiment with it anyway. I've been playing a few years and have only 5 guitars. but if it came down to it i don't think i'd buy a new one, but if it fit with my style i'd definatley buy another one if it were stolen, hell i'd probably have two just in case.

It's easy to dial in a lot of sounds on this simplistic effect box, but the sound isn't necessarily that good. There is no manual, but if you have basic motor skills, you should be able to figure this thing out. I use the USA model without any upgrades.

Going through a Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass into a Hartke 3500 into a vintage Vox 15" Cab, this thing has an OK sound. It's not noisy; but if you crank it, you can hear the envelope filter doin it's thang. The effects are fairly poignant, not to say that's a good thing. I have a hard time getting that Sly sound because there is only one knob - effect level, which also controls the master output. There should be two knobs, in my opinion; master and effect. The distortion effect (a small switch) should be a stomp-button, but once again, this thing is based on simplicity and ease of use. It is more characteristic sounding with the fuzz, but expect a huge cut in low-frequency.

Tank. No backup needed.

Never dealt with EHX.

I like funk, rock, and dub, and this pedal hasn't really impressed me in any of these genres. I've been playing for 10 years, but I never find it worthwhile to bring along the Bass Balls. The overdrive usually becomes overkill. It won't get stolen, because it never travels. One thing it does beat is the Boss SYB-3 Bass Synth (Buyer Beware). It's fun to rock it in the beginning, but chances are, once you listen to the tape, you won't be using it much more.

this thing has two buttons. one controls how much funky gargling you have, and one controls the funkiness of the gargling thereof. its easier to use than a cheap hooker with low self-esteem.

i use a mahogony six, or a geddy lee jazz, a tech 21 compresser, and a morley dual bass wah, into a 200 watt yorkville combo. i am a big fan of weird and funky sounds. this thing takes the cake. its weird and funky. if you are an old croner who plays the gay pride march with one finger then this is not for you. if you are a marcus miller solo funkmaster, or if you want a subtle growl to support the band, get one of these.

this thing is a mini tank.

i have not dealt with e h.

i like this thing. if you want to hear it listen to 'all hands' by blues traveller. tad kinchla uses it.

Cannot believe the exaggerated claims for this unit.. I have both guitar and bass applications but lets face it this is a sixties effect..not saying its bad (I was a teener in the sixties) but zoom and behringer can blow this simpleton away. I bought two (one for my bass playing nephew) and outside of its metal box , $80 is ridiculous for the limited effect.

Once again, its a limited sound and not good for many sets unless your bands name is the "electro-harmonix rappers"...then play it all night.

I bought these for the collector value. For effect I use zoom707 and behringer v-amp 2.

There's two controls. One that turns the distortion on/off and one that varies the sensitivity. The only way it could be any simpler to use would be if it drove itself to gigs and back. No manual though, which is why I'm only giving it 9 (it's easy to use but it might be nice to know some technical specs because I'm a geek :) ) It's difficult to get a BAD sound out of this thing because it's so simple unlike the Boss Bass Synth which I also tried. In that respect it's conceptually similar to a P-Bass: simplicity is often the best way.

I use this with a Fender MIJ '62-RI P-Bass. Not the funkiest bass in the world I know. But my band plays mostly punk/alternative rock, I bought this because we seem to be branching out in very strange directions right now, plus there are some bits in our older songs that are just SCREAMING for an effect of some kind. I play through a Pevaey Firebass and 1820 setup. Goes loud. This 'box does not seem to trigger the DDT prematurely which really is idea.

No extraneous noises during operation, a slight phasing effect in the background but that's a good thing IMHO. I've not tried this with my band yet so I don't know how well it will kick through (but then I'm only going to be using it in softer passages of songs so that's not so much of an issue for me anyway). My favourite artsits seem to all shy away from effects, but I do know that Justin Mendal Johnson from BECK is using this box and I can get it to sound pretty damn close to his sound. Which is ideal once again.

This is the Russian made unit, and it's built like a T-72 tank. I could do a thorough test of it's robustness but the only problem would be getting hold of the armour-piercing rounds.

Definately depend on it, I can't see this thing breaking. Everything seems solid as hell.

N/A

The way I see it good customer support should not be needed - if a unit is ergonomic and reliable but it's always a bonus to be able to talk to people who know their onions from their tomatoes. Like I said though, that's not been an issue here as I only got it today.

I play crazy punk/alternative rock that sometimes degenerates into jazz....just for the sheer hell of it. I'm sure this box will do the job just fine....we're practicing on Saturday so it will be amusing to see what the other guys think of it :). I've been playing for....geez....5 1/2 years now, it seems like only yesterday that I was crap...wait a minute - that WAS yesterday! :(

If it were half-inched, I would buy another one and lob it at the perpetrator's head. His skull would be fractured and then I would have not one but two BB's :) I love its simplicity, its solidity and its sheer great tone. It's not the most versatile bass synth (I compared it to the Boss pedal which had a LOT of tonal variation, unfortunately there was not one that I liked) but the sounds it DOES make are all highly usuable, which ot me is better than a whole load of horrid sounds. Also thins thing looks badass! The only thing I wish it had was a second footswitch to turn the distortion ON/OFF on the fly so you don't have to bend down and twiddle with it between songs (some songs I will want the distortion on, others I will want it off). It definately helps my music - I bought it to expand my creativity and already I have come up with some PHAT riffs on it....I can see myself having a LOT of fun with this little beastie - which after all is what we are all playing music for, right?

This thing has turned me into a sex monster already - I have women falling screaming at my feet and I can only thank EHX for this :p

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.

a knob, a switch, a toggle, pure simplicity

The standard filter sound is very useful to me. I play cheap brands (santa rosa, lotus) with a Kay amp. Normal sound hums a lot, but on minimum sensitivity it kills all that. Distortion sounds good with solos and a few bass lines, but the entire effect can get annoying since no one has one on record, that I know of.

I treat my pedals like shit, and this one has been taking it for over a year now. Everything works great on it. No backups in my rack.

I play just about everything under the sun. I love this pedal, and one of the other guitarists in my band thinks its one of the neatest sounds hes ever heard. I would definately replace my bassballs. Its use to kill static (in the new models, at least) is very useful to me. I wish it had a wah-style switch, to control the sound a little differantly. It can help or hinder, depending on what I'm playing.

With only one knob, one foot switch, and one toggle, this pedal could be operated by a two year old.

Sound quality...... Honestly there is no way to describe the sounds I can make with this pedal. Sometimes it sounds like a chorus of chipmunks!

I am running this with an Ibanez EDB 690 bass and a Crate BX-160 amp. I've been playing for 2 years, and this is the strangest damn thing I've ever heard. I really don't know if there's a good use for it, but it's fun to play with. I sucks batteries like there's no tomorrow, so I suggest a power supply for it.

Yup, its really that easy. I have a reissue and there can be a problem with the new pot turning if it gets bumped lightly though.

fat unique sound. doesnt sound like any other envelope controled device ive heard, and i have 5 envelope devices in my rig.

the new knob is crappy. its cheap and flimsy and doesnt stay on very well. after a week of gigging, mine was loose and tilted. im looking to get an original pre sovtek bass balls now cuz they are much better built.

havnt tried them yet

I am in a technical jam band and we get way out there lots of times. this thing is just one of the weird stops on the way of our musical trip. i like to mix it in with a phaser and just let the vowel sounds fly. iv also found that with the distortion on and an e-bow which i use on bass (weird enough to begin with) i can almost make my bass talk.

It's a weird pedal.. good to make funky, unpredictable, sounds out of it. easy to set up.. easy to make good sounds out of it (but is lame if overused). No manual.. don't need one. only two setting variables (distortion on/off, sensitivity knob). sounds good if the settings aren't extreme.. extreme settings washes out your sound.. but some people want that capability

Setup: fender p-bass (american Standard) -> Boss tu-2 -> dunlop 105Q -> boss pq-3b -> EH bassballs -> Ampeg SVT-II Pro -> Ampeg PR-410 HLF

I'm using a generic radio shack battery eliminator.. but I couldn't tell the difference when it's on and off (noise level).. it really didn't sound any different. Settings with high sensitivity are pretty annoying most of the time.

My balls are really hard and heavy. I'm pretty sure that someone could grab my balls and smash it and it'd work. maybe if my balls were shot with a gun.. that'd create a problem.. I haven't encountered any problems yet. good communistic metal construction. I would gig without a backup..

All I know is that all of the EH pedals are made by fat russian wet nurses who nurse cows.

I think it's great for 40$.. I can afford 40$ for a pedal that works. I would only replace it if I could find it for cheap.. it's not neccessary. I wish that my balls weren't so heavy and big.. a more compact design (like boss pedals) would fit better. sometimes it's just popping out of my 'holding area'

I find the combination of a few delays, LFOs, and ebow in conjunction with the Bassballs to be an absolutely stellar combination. That said, the reason I give the ease of use only a "5" is because the average musician won't find much use for this pedal; it's essentially a hyper envelope filter that sounds almost as if there's a light flange in the background as notes fade.

I use it with a variety of Strats and Strat copies, particularly with ebow, and run it through my rack of 80s-single-function delay units into a Fender Deluxe. Sound quality is extremely good for what I want it for; combined with the ebow, the Bassballs pedal makes it possible to switch from synthesizer to noise to funk in no time.

It adds very little noise (if any) to my signal path, which is amazing.

I have one of the "black box" reissues; the pot that controls the chicken-head switch is particularly poor. I have a Small Stone in the same series, and after a week, it's in the shop getting the pot replaced because the chickenhead caught on a cable and pulled straight out because the dial is screwed onto the pole rather than just friction mounted like all my other pedals.

Other than that, it's built like a tank. Unfortunately, we all know that a tank is only as good as its weakest spot.

EH's website has no information about dealers, repair facilities, warranty, or anything else functional for those of us with faulty units or who have damaged them in the line of duty.

First rule of customer support is to be available to your customers.

EH fails dismally in this area.

I consider this pedal to be absolutely wonderful in terms of its overall rating, even with the poor pot construction..I bought it for how it sounds, not how it stands up to abuse.

Guess I'll just have to baby the pedal rather than treat it like the old EH pedals I know and love.

This unit is totally easy to use. There are 2 switches (distortion on/off, and pedal on/off) and one knob (sensitivity.) It is very easy to experiment with the settings and come up with all kinds of neat sounds. It didn't come with a manual but it's really simple.

It sounds great. I use it with an active Warwick bass. There is also a DOD delay and a DOD chorus in my rack. There is little noise or hum. I put it thru a Yorkville 400B and it sounds fine. Even sounds cool thru my practice amp.

I've only had it for a week, but so far it's good. Seems to be quite solidly built. A russian tank?

Haven't dealt with the company

This is a cool pedal. I play all kinds of styles, and I find this pedal useful in funk, rock, and general improvisational madness. I have been playing 3 years. The pedal is great for fingerstyle, picking, and slapping. The distortion is really cool. I like it ALOT better than my DOD envelope filter. This pedal is good. Better than an envelope filter in my opinion.

Man, it barely gets easier than this. There's an on/off switch, a distortion switch, and a knob.

I'm using it with my '65 Gibson EB-0 and a Nemesis 2x10 amp. There's almost no extra noise until you crank the distortion up all the way. It's got a really nice vocal sounding filter on it that changes depending on how loud you're plucking the strings, so you can really make individual notes and phrases stand out if you want. The distortion can get pretty silly if you crank the sensitivity knob, but otherwise it's a nice overdrive with almost no loss of low-end.

Hah. It's a solid steel case. Even the switch is made out of heavy brass, so you can turn the distortion on and off with your toe at a gig.

Well, it took the store where I bought it two nonths to get the thing in stock because E/H was first were out of inventory, then decided to ship the boxes to some other stores first.

This is a funky box. Don't use it for swing ;-) It's kind of a bootsy/flea style box. I'd definitely replace it if it were stolen. It's way better sounding than any other envelope follower I've tried, because it leaves all the low-end in. It's not even that expensive, all things considered. $85 for a solid, good-sounding box compared with $300 for some plastic P.O.S. multi-effects? No prob.

I like foriegn people.

This is a really brilliant effect, it is very fun, but has a limited application. There is a subtle, and very strange, "talky" effect to it. It makes the guitar sound kind of like its gurgaling, and makes for a very, very classy 'spice up your sound' device for one-liners, solo's and any other little melodies. The distortion is nice, very subtle, and I keep it on most of the time, as a matter of taste. The SENSITIVITY knob, when turned past about %70, will not give the sound its 'chewy' texture anymore. It just boosts high frequency in a very wierd way, that is musically unappealing in most cases. However, it is usable too. The sensitivity knob must be kept on low if you want to play four-note chords, but you can play power chords with just about any settings and have it sound good. Can sound 'gurgley', 'watery', 'chewy', and any other buzzwords of that sort. Sounds great on recording, because your guitar is no longer a boring and predictable stringed instrument, it becomes a 'what-da-hell-is-dat' noise machine, so to speak. This device changes tone with distortion mode ON, but mostly just changes the texture of the sound, very neat. Chord progressions sound junky, on alot of settings, and that is a bad thing.

yeah. Made by ex-Commie ruskies. Public ownership of production, and all that. The problem with Communism, speaking as a human being, is the centralization of everything HUMAN under one institution: Government. Everything is run by them, the houses are owned by them, the schools, the Churchs must cater to them, and so must the bookstores. If you came to hate one, for example, the Schools, how could you not hate all?

I dont speak Communist, so I wouldnt know what to do..

good for anything. This sound is upbeat, exciting, and all that other good stuff. Manages to be tactful, mellow and not obnoxious, so it could be used for anything from punk to jazz to ... rock, blues, and punk.... I dont know... anything... techno! For $60, you make your guitar more interesting. My problem is, that my guitar is always covered with snot and blood, so its hard to play.

A sensetivity knob and a distortion switch and an on/off button. Similar to a Small Stone

This is orriginally for bass but it sounds fuckin killer on my guitar. I wouldn't use it with other pedals it's already two in one any way. But I would use it with maybe a flange, phase, delay, reverb simple stuff I wouldn't use another distortion or might just sound like shit. Unless you are into the Primus sound. I use a 7-string RG7620 with a heavy ass gauge, a 60.-10. gauge with a Marshall practice amp which are really heavy and Marshall 4X12 Cabs with a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier which are also really heavy. This pedal is a good pedal for people that either don't have the money to have both a envelope filter and a distortion or just like the sound of the mix. Example like me I like an e. filter and a distortion mixed together like my Mu-Tron III and my Big Muff. The sound is killer. But I wouldn't wanna use it all the time I play in a aggro-metal band.

It's a RUSSIAN TANK!!!!!

Never dealt with them

This is a good pedal I wouldn't use it all the time then the effect would get weak ya know. You would get sick of it. I know I would. But I play in a aggro-metal band which sounds like KoRn, Limp Bizkit (mostly them and KoRn ), and White Zombie put together. But I'm really experimental. I really like it even though I'm in a aggro-crossover band. When I talk to people about my band they think your just suppose to use distortions and wahs. But I use all different kind of stuff. So I give this a 9 overall but you can't really get good sounds with other pedals.

Extremely easy to use. Just turn the knob to change the amount of the effect. Swith the "Distortion" switch on to get distortion.

Designed as an envelope filter for bass, this thing works great with guitars. I use Strats and Les Pauls into Vox and Marshall amps, and the BassBalls gives a really cool, vowel-like envelope filter effect. Kick in the distortion and you've got some really weird tones on tap! I've never heard anything like this before. Kind of sounds like your guitar is talking, in an "oooh-aaaah-ooooh-aaahhh" kind of way. Sounds good at all settings. Can't think of any artist who has this sound.

Seems reliable. No problems. Think it's about 20 years old.

They're hard to find, in my experience, and not cheap, but well worth every penny. It's good for rock and alternative styles, and I think jazz players could even find a way to work it in. Gives the guitar or bass a vocal quality--and that's a great quality to have in an instrument. It is very easy to get good sounds. The price is steep, but if I lost mine, I would definitely replace it in a heartbeat.
If you have a chance to get one, snap it up. You'll thank yourself later. Nobody makes new effects like the old EH stuff!
Don't mean to rave, but this pedal is EXCELLENT!