will a Sansamp BDDI work with a combo

[iamchance]

will it work with a combo amp im running right now a Ampeg BA-115 (which i love this amp) ive never owned a pedal before and didnt know if there was anything it required or if its just plug line in and line out into the amp

[JohnnyChatter]

You should be fine my man. Honestly i don't like them plugged in through an effects loop so much. If you have an effects loop in the head of your combo you can plug it in through that also. I plug mine in in front of my amp though.

[jimbilly]

Yeah, I'd just use it in front of the amp.

[Duke21]

Works perfectly in front of my 20W Ibanez combo. But I actually like it better run into the Aux, thus bypassing the preamp in the combo.

[scottfeldstein]

I've experimented running it into the effect return, but in the end I couldn't see what I was getting out of doing so. I run my solid state head pretty clean to begin with: lowish gain and higher master volumes. So it wasn't really adding a whole lot of additional grit or overdrive to the signal.

I'm really interested in how people are running the knobs on their BDDIs though. I'm experimenting with these settings right now:

Level: unity (about 11 o'clock)

Blend: 9

Treble: 10

Bass: 12

Drive: 12

Presence: 2

This gives me a tubey, fuzzy warmth, but the blend knob being so low it doesn't overpower my dry signal.

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

I've experimented running it into the effect return, but in the end I couldn't see what I was getting out of doing so. I run my solid state head pretty clean to begin with: lowish gain and higher master volumes. So it wasn't really adding a whole lot of additional grit or overdrive to the signal.

I'm really interested in how people are running the knobs on their BDDIs though. I'm experimenting with these settings right now:

Level: unity (about 11 o'clock)

Blend: 9

Treble: 10

Bass: 12

Drive: 12

Presence: 2

This gives me a tubey, fuzzy warmth, but the blend knob being so low it doesn't overpower my dry signal.

One of my channels on my PBDDI is set quite the same.

Channel 1

Drive: just under 12
Bass: 13
Treble: 11
Presence: 13
Blend: 100%
Level: 11

Channel 2

Drive: just over 12
Bass: 13
Treble: 11
Presence: 14
Blend: 100%
Level: 11

Channel 3

Drive: just under 12
Bass: 12
Treble: 11
Presence: 12
Blend: 12
Level: 11

But I run it ampless so usually into a mixer then into a peavey power amp which drives a JBL 2x15" cab.
In the mixer everything is flat, only my bass is on that cab. So keyboard and vocals on 2 other 15" active Morgan units.

Btw, my "channel 4" is also sansamp, it is the Oxford sett on

Level: 11
Bass: 16
Mid: 13
Treble: just under 13
Character: 11
Drive: 13

The Oxford is very middy so you need to turn the bass a lot to have some lows.

In addition, when I want more drive out of my PBDDI I hit the Bad Monkey which is sett on
Level 11
Bass 13
Treble 11
Drive 11-12

The BM has this mid hump so it add mids to the bass driver,

[Duke21]

Btw Scott, you use MB500. Can you get close to the Ampeg tone with your GK+ BDDI?
I am kind of thinking about buying the EBS Reidmar 250, GK MB200 or the Ampeg PF350. The PF will of course nail the Ampeg tone. But the MB200 is so light and small, and I usually walk to rehearsals.
The Reidmar is from what I've read the loudest of the 3, and it is Swedish, so quite cheap in Norway. And the Reidmar have many nice features. Like the GK it suppose to be quite clear tone so will work nice with the sansamps units.

[scottfeldstein]

I can get close enough for me. Probably not close enough for an Ampeg owner!

If the MB200 has enough watts for you, go for it. I elected to get the MB500 simply because I wanted the extra watts to play with.

Whatever you choose, I think we're on the same page. I run a clean, solid state amp--and rely on my pedal board for all effects including overdrive. Works well for me.

I have to say, though, that although the BDDI is working well for me, I really wish I could defeat the built-in EQ. It scoops the mids and I feel like I'm always struggling against that. If I had it to do over again, I might go for an Aguilar Tone Hammer. YMMV.

[Duke21]

Well, I've the Oxdord when I want middy tone, or I activate the Bad Monkey with bring some of the mids back.
Regarding the watts thing, impossible to be sure what is sufficient, we are a 6 piece band, 2 guitar players and a keyboard player. The lead guitar is using a Marshall JCM 2000 with 2x12", but it is running with only 2 power tubes instead of 4, so 50W instead of 100W. The other guitar player have this Laney 100W combo with 12" element (not that great sound out of this....). So I think any of these heads will cope.

In addition my step son is playing in a band with 2 guitar players with larger rigs, he uses the EBS T90 (100W, tube) with a 4x10 cab. He manage fine, lack a bit clean headroom but still 100W manages his part. So I think any amp above 200W should do ok when the band is not driving volume wars!

[GroovinOnFunk]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

I can get close enough for me. Probably not close enough for an Ampeg owner!

If the MB200 has enough watts for you, go for it. I elected to get the MB500 simply because I wanted the extra watts to play with.

Whatever you choose, I think we're on the same page. I run a clean, solid state amp--and rely on my pedal board for all effects including overdrive. Works well for me.

I have to say, though, that although the BDDI is working well for me, I really wish I could defeat the built-in EQ. It scoops the mids and I feel like I'm always struggling against that. If I had it to do over again, I might go for an Aguilar Tone Hammer. YMMV.

this isn't like the Hartke Bass Attack where even when the pedal is bypassed, the EQ settings are still active?

if you don't have the BDDI engaged, do you get a true-bypassed sound (i know it's not a true-bypass unit, but I mean an un-colored sound, I suppose)?

[scottfeldstein]

No, it doesn't alter the sound if you have the pedal off.

[cchorney]

Originally Posted by iamchance

will it work with a combo amp im running right now a Ampeg BA-115 (which i love this amp) ive never owned a pedal before and didnt know if there was anything it required or if its just plug line in and line out into the amp

It will work, and you can run it either via the effects loop or as I do, between my bass and the amp via the usual input jack. Right now my BDDI Deluxe is my only effect, and I'm happy with that.

[Coelho]

But the question is... Will it blend?

[Duke21]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

No, it doesn't alter the sound if you have the pedal off.

Correct, it is totally off when it is off. But, if the blend I on zero the EQ section will still work.

[GroovinOnFunk]

What an amazing little pedal. Just tried it out at rehearsal last night. Got a great Geddy Lee tone out of it. Can't wait for my Catalinbread SFT! Then I'll have a Geddy Lee and a James Jamerson tone on 2 different stomp boxes. Then of course, the sound of my almighty G&L all on its own! mwahahaha