BBE 362 *or* BBE Sonic Stomp?

Bongolation · #1 05-18-2009, 02:35 PM

For live use only...

While the whole BBE concept is somewhat nebulous, I may find some use for it with enough fooling around.

I can get either the 362 or the Sonic Stomp for about $55, new, total cost.

These are different devices based on different chips, neither of which is up to the 882i 482i performance standards, though the ad copy for the Sonic Stomp claims it's like the 482 (the specs indicate otherwise, though, I think).

Frankly, I can't make that much sense out of BBE's site specs.

I got the Sonic Stomp, but it has a bad pot (great work!

), so it's going back. What I want to know is whether I should get a replacement or get a refund and buy the 362 rack unit instead.

The 362 is a ganged 2-channel rack unit, which I assume I can simply use half of in my mono amp's effects chain.

If anyone's familiar with both units, I'd appreciate a comparison purely on performance -- noise, effect quality, etc.

Rack v. stomp package is not a big deal to me.

Thanks for any meaningful help!

Bongolation · #2 05-18-2009, 10:40 PM

C'mon, calm down now! Not everybody all at once!

Mingus Addict · #3 05-19-2009, 12:35 AM

This probably isn't anywhere near the answer you're looking for but I recommend that you just skip the sonic maximizer thing all together. I never owned one so I don't know what they sound like when you have them at home but I encounter them all the time in live situations. I make a living doing live sound (its not a hobby, its my "day job") and I can tell you that sonic maximizers consistently make guitarists and bassists sound awful live. I often can't do enough equalizing to correct for what they do to peoples tone. That's just my opinion though so please don't flame me for not liking SM's. I just wanted to share as someone who is often in the position of being on the outside looking in.

Bongolation · #4 05-19-2009, 03:27 PM

No, I wouldn't be surprised if you're right as I haven't been able to get this one to sound decent for me, but I had assumed it was because I was doing it wrong -- and knowing what I do of musicians and their toys, I'm almost certain the on-stage problems you describe could equally be attributable to those players' gristlehead more's-better effectmania.

What I hear with the stomp and bass and guitar is a lot of high-end nastiness, but using their VST plugin more judiciously in recording, I find that it can be used for more subtle (and useful) enhancements.

I figured that my problem with the hardware version live was my inexperience.

fenderthrupeave · #5 05-19-2009, 06:32 PM

I have the sonic stomp, I use it sometimes. It is a pedal I could easly live without.

tnscot60 · #6 05-19-2009, 08:43 PM

BBE...BBF....Whatever it takes

fightthepower · #7 05-19-2009, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnscot60

BBE...BBF....Whatever it takes

BBW... whatever it takes

Bongolation · #8 05-19-2009, 11:51 PM

I've written to BBE about it. They may deign to answer.

Or not. Less "humor" anyway.

wildhorse · #9 05-20-2009, 12:16 AM

Oh it's great when you A/B it against turned on and off. But A/B it against turned on and not in the line all together. It is not true bypass and bypass really messes with your output and tone. The 362 is great for mixing cassettes to digital but I haven't used mine for anything else in 20 yrs. I'd say keep your money.

Bongolation · #10 05-20-2009, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildhorse

It is not true bypass

The "Sonic Stomp" is. That big switch is probably the most expensive part in the whole $180 effect.

Quote:

The 362 is great for mixing cassettes to digital but I haven't used mine for anything else in 20 yrs. I'd say keep your money.

I may. The whole question is becoming tedious. The further up the engineering foodchain I go with my question the more skeptical the responses are of the "BBE Effect" in general. The yahoos love 'em though.

EricF · #11 05-20-2009, 01:42 PM

Get the Sonic Stomp. It will be easier to remove from your signal chain later when you decide you don't like it after all.

wildhorse · #12 05-21-2009, 01:27 PM

[quote=Bongolation;7422546]The "Sonic Stomp" is. That big switch is probably the most expensive part in the whole $180 effect.

That makes me leary of the whole true bypass thing then. When I plugged one of these in at Guitar Center switched on it sounded great and you could really tell the difference when you switched it off. Thing is when I unplugged it and went straight to the amp the bass sounded nearly as good as it did with the Sonic Stomp switched on. That didn't sound like True Bypass to me.

Bongolation · #13 05-21-2009, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildhorse

That makes me leary of the whole true bypass thing then. When I plugged one of these in at Guitar Center switched on it sounded great and you could really tell the difference when you switched it off. Thing is when I unplugged it and went straight to the amp the bass sounded nearly as good as it did with the Sonic Stomp switched on. That didn't sound like True Bypass to me.

That could have been numerous different things (never mind the typical sonic bedlam of GC), like being a little bit more off-speaker-axis in your listening position -- just for one.

This is why I regard cursory in-store evaluation of effects as usually useless as it takes a while in the peace and quiet (?) of your own home to discover more meaningful and conclusive reasons why you don't like the effect.

There are people here who will argue with you all day about the role, merits and various flavors of bypass in effects. I'm not one of them. I do know that the "Sonic Stomp" does claim true hardware bypass and has that big honkin' multipole Carling switch.