Barber Linden EQ Review

[Rev. Cornelius]

Last Friday, I was fortunate enough to have received one of the first Barber Electronics “Linden EQ” pedals. This really is a B-15 in a box. Controls include Vol, Treb, and Bass (Bass control is a pull pot that switches between channels.) It also has a toggle switch that switches between 2 different eq curves.

I plugged the box directly into my Mackie board via a TRS to TRS, turned the Vol all the way up (as I use a passive P or J), turned the trim pot up 15% or so and was immediately rewarded with the most beautiful, musical tone of a B-15. It really is amazing. I have been so engrossed with this sound that I have not yet attempted any of the other uses of which this pedal is capable, i.e., in front of my preamp, directly into a power-amp, regular guitar work, etc.

During the week I will try to explore the other uses it has and report back. That is, if I can tear myself away from it’s current use of direct into the board.


Rev. C

[bongomania]

Really? The last bits posted here about it in advance of its release didn't make it sound any more interesting than a Fender tone stack... so you're saying it colors the sound quite a bit? And it is capable of driving a power amp? And has a balanced output?

I definitely need to hear more about this.

Also, I sense a shootout on the horizon... We need someone to acquire a B15N, a Flipster pedal, an A-Designs REDDI, and this Linden EQ.

[Higgie]

I'm definitely very interested in this pedal. Sound clips!!!

[eshears]

I'm pretty interested in a Barber Linden vs. Flipster comparison as well. Can the Linden get some overdrive sounds, or is it mostly a clean EQ?

[bongomania]

I have to admit, I'm suspicious. Barber's site does not describe this as anything more than a two-band EQ. His site does not give any indication of balanced output, the ability to drive a power amp, overdrive, significant tonal coloration, or anything at all other than just the EQ circuit of a fliptop amp. At the surface it looks to run at unbalanced instrument level only.

I'm sure it's a great-sounding two-band-EQ pedal though.

[Rev. Cornelius]

I plugged it in with a TRS without thinking too much about it. The cord was plugged into the line input of the board. I have since learned that it is not balanced out although it is low impedence out.

Rev. C

[OriginalCrash]

For those of us not familiar with a flipster amp, what's so unique or special about the eq section? Anything that can be put into words?

Brian

[eshears]

Originally Posted by OriginalCrash

For those of us not familiar with a flipster amp, what's so unique or special about the eq section? Anything that can be put into words?

Brian

It can be put into 1 word: Ampeg

More info: http://www.ggjaguar.com/sb-12.htm

[bongomania]

But see, that's exactly what's wrong with this picture. When you say "Ampeg", and even point to that page about a fliptop, what people think of is "tubes". The famous SVT, the fliptops, their most popular modern preamps, they're all about the tubes. I've never heard anybody say they bought an Ampeg for its solid-state two-band EQ.

I really don't mean to be peeing in the lemonade here- I admire Barber products a lot, and I would like to try this EQ to see just how much it does(n't) color the tone. It's probably just as cool as the outboard Sadowsky or Fodera or Demeter "preamp" stompboxes and their EQ, and nobody sneezes at those. But I just want to have a more realistic perspective on what this Linden pedal "is" and "does", as well as what it is not and does not do.

[Zeemno]

Originally Posted by OriginalCrash

For those of us not familiar with a flipster amp, what's so unique or special about the eq section? Anything that can be put into words?

I'm also not familiar with those amps, but I know they use a Baxandall tone-stack. The two controls dont interfere(sp) with each other and by cutting both lows and highs you can create a midboost, as opposed to the traditional Fender-type tonestack, where you can only cut mids.

For those interested: http://www.duncanamps.com/technical/baxandall.html

I think this makes it more flexible and easier to dial in. The Linden Eq also has high headroom, so you can probably use it as a booster of various types: bass, mid, treble, bass and treble etc.

Therefore...

Originally Posted by Rev. Cornelius

I plugged the box directly into my Mackie board via a TRS to TRS, turned the Vol all the way up (as I use a passive P or J), turned the trim pot up 15% or so and was immediately rewarded with the most beautiful, musical tone of a B-15.

it look like you have overdriven the preamp in your console. Pretty similar to a really Fliptop, since the EQ comes at the very beginning in this design. So maybe you just discovered, that Mackie preamps overdrive well?

BTW: what does the trimpot do? The Barber site doesn't mention it.

EDIT: maybe the trimpot is responsible for some harmonic distortion aka grit?

Cheers,
John

[eshears]

I agree, Bongo...what I was trying to convey is that, with Barber even mentioning the Ampeg Fliptop (in a roundabout way) in their description, they're insinuating that the Liden will make it sound like you're playing through an Ampeg.

But again, I've never heard the Liden, so I wouldn't know how accurate it is. The clips I've heard of the Flipster, though, I thought were pretty convincing...

[bongomania]

Mm-hm! I agree, and I ordered a Flipster kit after hearing those clips. But it's a clipping pedal (various stages of distortion), while the Linden is not (at least as far as we know so far).

[eshears]

And I'm anxiously awaiting your review, Bongo. If you're as estatic about yours as much as James Hart is, I'm gonna be all over a Flipster like a donkey on a waffle.

[bongomania]

OK, I just got off the phone with David Barber. He was super helpful and friendly, and happy to answer all my questions.

The Linden is indeed a Baxandall tone stack. The frequency points are all relative to each other, and the cut/boost is stronger at certain frequencies than others as you adjust their relative settings- Barber described this as certain frequencies "moving" or having "more action" at different points. The midpoint is from 600 Hz to 1KHz, and doesn't "move" in amplitude. The low end shelves downward at around 40 Hz to 80 Hz, but goes up to around 200 Hz when it's not cutting or boosting much. With the bass knob maxed out, it's at the 40 Hz end. The highs have two switchable settings, with one shelving upward from the 2 KHz - 4 KHz range, and the other in the 4 KHz - 6 KHz range. You can achieve mid-boost by cutting the lows and highs.

The pull-pot of the bass control is supposed to replicate using either the "normal" or "bright" inputs of the Ampeg. The "bright" mode will have "tighter" sounding lows.

The EQ is designed to not distort at all. He emphasized that there is supposed to be NO coloration, grit, or other degrees of clipping with this circuit. It is not supposed to sound like playing through a fliptop- it is designed only to be like playing through the clean EQ of a fliptop. Why bother? Apparently the frequencies and organic/fluid function of adjusting those frequencies are known to be especially "musical", i.e. that musicians and producers seemed to really prefer the EQ shapes they could get using this primitive system instead of using the more traditional para or graphic interfaces. Barber also claims this circuit is capable of sounding good and natural while boosting any frequency to its maximum, while most other EQs become harsh, flabby, or otherwise "unmusical" when maxed.

So even though "it's only a 2-band EQ", and provides no coloration or overdrive, I'll probably have to pick one up to try out.

He also said that an overdrive module/pedal is in the works, to combine with the Linden EQ. Essentially it would be his old discontinued "Barb-EQ", but with the Linden tone stack. In the meantime, he suggested his LTD SR as the best of his overdrives to run the Linden into for a "driven fliptop" sound.

[The BurgerMeister]

thanks for the research and info, mr. mania!

much appreciated.

[Fernando F]

Very nice information Mr. Bongomania!

I´ve e-mailed David Barber about the Direct Drive or the LTD on bass and got no answer. maybe you could call him again and get this opinion for me. I want to order one of these but here in Brazil I can´t find one to experience on bass. And about the Linden, it´s on my list, I will order one too.

Thanks a lot!

[eshears]

Great investigatory work, BM...thanks!

[bigtexashonk]

Help me out here folks. I like the idea of what the Linden does, but I'm currenty using a Sadowsky RV4 into a Thunderfunk. Would the Linden in my case be redundant since I'm already using the Sadowsky pre?

Also, if I were to use a compressor pedal, would that also be redundant since I'm using the limiter switch on the Thunderfunk since the switch kind of imitates a compressor?

Thanks in advance.

[bongomania]

The Linden can cut as well as boost, whereas the Sadowsky can only boost. So e.g. you could set up the onboard Sad for a scooped slap tone, and then use the Linden to flatten the signal back out for fingerstyle; or you could just boost the bass on the Sad for reggae or whatever deep stuff, and then engage the Linden for flatter or brighter settings.

At least in theory (not taking into account whether the Linden may offer some tonal magic outside of just EQ) it is a little redundant, but still offering some footswitchable options that might be handy for changes mid-song where you may not want to mess with the EQ and volume knobs on the bass.

If the limiter of the TFunk is a soft-knee compressor with a high ratio and a "medium" threshold, then you may find a comp pedal to be redundant... unless you want a wider range of compression options. If the limiter on the TFunk is instead set up only to cap off stray peaks, a brick wall limiter with a high threshold, then I think an additional comp could be quite useful, since the TFunk limiter in that case wouldn't be doing anything to the majority of your notes.

[bigtexashonk]

Much thanks bongomania!