Thats a great stompbox.
It has two control knobs: Drive and Volume;
One mode switcher: Tube, Standard and Flat;
Active/Passive bass input switcher.
It's hard to tell difference between Tube and Standard mode, Tube is a bit gentle while Std has a bit more bite. Flat mode does no pre eq, and simply overdrives input signal, the only useful thing i did with this mode is an almost Square-wave synth sound, the idea is simple:
1. notch the highs,
2. pan to the neck PU only, if your bass has it - mine don't
,
3. boost the mids (if your bass has active eq), then
4. drive stompbox in a flat mode about 50-70%,
5. pluck the strings with your thumb above the fretboard
The active/passive side switch just adds headroom and boosts input signal (so some domestic noise comes out). If you want a maximum overdrive:
1. Drive 100%
2. Mode Std (Tube too muddy at 100%)
3. Passive (less headroom - more distortion)
If you want a good rock tone:
1. Drive no more than 30%
2. Tube
3. Active
Stombox's cons:
- To change a battery you need to unscrew 4 screws on the bottom of the unit;
- My unit do catch some domestic hum, especially with active switch turned on (maybe just mine);
- It's pricey;
Pros:
+ Very good light overdrive sound which sits in mix well;
+ Very good hard overdrive sound which don't lose too much lows;
+ Metal casing as firm as a brick;
+ It has good resale value;
+ EBS = mojo
PS: This unit works great as a guitar overdrive, also.
