Boomstick BottomFeeder Review

Chronicle · #1 03-19-2008, 04:00 PM

So i got myself a Boomstick Bottomfeeder from tonefactor today. First off, I'm not too happy about the many scratches on the back of my pedal that I've come across, where'd that come from Tonefactor? Second, the insides don't impress me as it's a very simple circuit going on there.

But the sound is pretty cool. Much different than my BR-2 and I learned I can't treat it like the BR-2. So let's just get to the fun.

Here's the soundclips:
Freq: 1oc sens: 12oc
http://media.putfile.com/boomstick1

freq 1oc sens 11(omg a cover but it's not Tool?!?!?!?!!1111)
http://media.putfile.com/boomstick2-69

freq 3oc sens 11oc
http://media.putfile.com/boomstick3

freq 11 sens 11(kinda sounds like the BR-2 a bit..)
http://media.putfile.com/boomstick4

freq 9oc sens 11
http://media.putfile.com/boomstick5

Fuzz with freq at 1oc
http://media.putfile.com/boomstickfuzz

Fuzz with freq at 10 oc
http://media.putfile.com/boomstickfuzz2

syciprider · #2 03-19-2008, 05:12 PM

I guess simple has it merits. I am sure it is very easy to dial in. But the clips sound almost identical to each other with the only nuances being the way you played each one.

The Maxon AF9 and the Qtron are only like $30 more or something and are far more flexible (but not as easy to set)

Chronicle · #3 03-19-2008, 05:17 PM

I hear some differences in the clips besides the playing though. I didn't get a maxon cause the maxon's stomp-switches are annoying and i wasn't impressed with the sound.

syciprider · #4 03-19-2008, 05:25 PM

What I meant was that there were no settings that took the pedal from one extreme to another. The overall feel was the same for all the clips.

Chronicle · #5 03-19-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syciprider

What I meant was that there were no settings that took the pedal from one extreme to another. The overall feel was the same for all the clips.

True, True. A one trick pony you can call this.

edit: fuzz clips up

phatbass30 · #6 03-19-2008, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronicle

True, True. A one trick pony you can call this.

+1

no offense to anybody who owns it. but it is true, that's why i'm selling mine.

Chronicle · #7 03-19-2008, 09:10 PM

I'll be buying that Subdecay Prometheus though!!!

Mark Olson · #8 03-19-2008, 11:44 PM

Sounds like it could be a decent one trick to me though. The problem I see with a lot of bass players (sometimes myself included - I've done soundclips that prove it) and envelope filters is they dial in a really quacky funky tone so much so that when they start playing it starts to sound like a bunch of random quacking noises rather than actual NOTES. I don't see that being a potential problem with the Boomstick Bottom Feeder.

phatbass30 · #9 03-20-2008, 12:33 AM

i heard a lot of good things about the pedal before i bought it. it is good, but it just didn't respond to my bass that well, not enough quack so to say. but stacked with my af9, its great! but i can only have 1 filter, for my board is small. the af9 stays, its very funky, not that much volume spikes.IMHO.

Mark Olson · #10 03-20-2008, 12:50 AM

I've owned the AF-9. It's a good filter. Certainly has more quack than what I hear from the Boomstick. I wouldn't say it sounds like a Mu-Tron like a lot of people do, but a very good pedal nonetheless. Always did hate those Maxon switches though. Boy can those things be finicky!

phatbass30 · #11 03-20-2008, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Olson

I've owned the AF-9. It's a good filter. Certainly has more quack than what I hear from the Boomstick. I wouldn't say it sounds like a Mu-Tron like a lot of people do, but a very good pedal nonetheless. Always did hate those Maxon switches though. Boy can those things be finicky!

i haven't tried the mutron, but i'll stick to the af9 for now. its a very good pedal in terms of sound, size and the power supply too. i agree with the switch, that's why i put it in my looper, its easier to step now.

The Lurker · #12 03-20-2008, 04:54 PM

i'm currently running an A/B comparison between the Boomstick and the Maxon, and so far I quite like both of them. Lots of differences, though. The Maxon is very tweakable, the Boomstick isn't.

As far as build quality, there isn't much to choose between the two.

I wouldn't call the Boomstick a subtle pedal, really, and not quite a one-trick pony either, but it definitely sounds more controllable than the Maxon. It doesn't have the potential to make crazy noises and won't act as a lowpass or highpass, but everything it does produce is pretty usable.

The problem I have with the Maxon is that it sometimes behaves oddly with shifts in dynamics.... i like to set the sensitivity so that the filter is triggered when I play harder than normal, rather than going off all the time, but the Maxon keeps taking the 'normal' input and acting as a lowpass filter.

Snakeman1066 · #13 11-08-2008, 03:20 AM

I just picked one up myself fellas...and i have to say for the style of music that i'm playing...i don't know how i lived without this pedal....

I have it nicely sandwiched between my Sparkle Drive and my BBM and the result is absolutely what the doctor ordered...

for those of you who say this pedal is subtle and not responsive enough...try putting a boost in front of it....

...I notice when i increase the volume output of my OD it makes the Bottomfeeder react completely different on the same setting

the guys over at Tone Factor threw in some candy and hot sauce into my box along with a sticker...left overs from Halloween? it was very well packaged in fact maybe over packaged (i hate theose packing peanuts)

played with it for about an hour today and it was very easy to find the sweet spot on both the frequency and the sensitivity knobs....only problem was it made me have to adjust my wah a bit ...

IMHO every bass player should have one in his/her effects board...

works very nice between my octave and chorus pedal as well

katri · #14 11-08-2008, 03:26 AM

gut shots???

dannybuoy · #15 11-08-2008, 04:20 AM

Putting this pedal after a heavy fuzz like the Supercollider or Big Muff sounds AWESOME.

Mr. Pickles · #16 11-08-2008, 04:33 AM

The Bottom Feeder plays very well with others, that is my primary reason for keeping it.

P_HAT · #17 11-08-2008, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannybuoy

Putting this pedal after a heavy fuzz like the Supercollider or Big Muff sounds AWESOME.

+1000

I use it with Hematoma and absolutely LOVE the sound.

The Lurker · #18 11-08-2008, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Olson

Sounds like it could be a decent one trick to me though. The problem I see with a lot of bass players (sometimes myself included - I've done soundclips that prove it) and envelope filters is they dial in a really quacky funky tone so much so that when they start playing it starts to sound like a bunch of random quacking noises rather than actual NOTES. I don't see that being a potential problem with the Boomstick Bottom Feeder.

+1. It's not quite a one-trick pony, but it's very consistent in what it puts out.

Besides, who says you can have only one?

Jared Lash · #19 11-08-2008, 01:21 PM

The Bottom Feeder (as well as the 440 it's based on) is a very cool pedal. It sounds great with fuzz and other pedals (I liked delay with it), it is subtle and consistent and has a pretty distinct voicing, with a spacey kind of sound.

If there's one caveat about it, I'd say this: it isn't really a funky filter. It's kind of like the Guyatone BR-2 in that regard. Both work well with dirt and are filters best suited for styles other than funk.

Chronicle · #20 11-08-2008, 05:38 PM

Yeah I wasn't too crazy with this pedal. Maybe one day i'll buy it again for a BR-2 replacement but I'm much happier with the Subdecay Prometheus.