MYEXTENSIVE REVIEW: EBS Microbass vs Sansamp PBDDI

Tunaman · #1 10-13-2012, 08:19 PM

Had the chance to try both of these side by side today. I've been through a few pedals MXR M80, Boss GT-10B, Sansamp paradriver in addition to these two

Sansamp PBDDI... yeah, the scoop is always there. You can roll bass & treble back all you want... but that doesn't boost mids, it leaves em at neutral

The drive\distortion is nice & better than the EBS, M80, 10-B for sure. Programming is cool for sure but I'd rather adjust the knobs on the fly. The tone is great if thats what you're looking for but I'd like the mids instead. That being said, I sold my paradriver a while ago. Its been a while but I remember it being really clear but not too warm, not the tone I was after. Before that I had a Sansamp RBI & it was a great unit, again you dont buy Sansamp for tube warmth, more for tube overdrive & grind. Awesome tone for pop & slap (Which I dont do!)

EBS Microbass: Love it. It really brings what I personally want which is a different tone than my Streamliner. I feel the Streamliner is pretty scooped & mids dont burp & jump out at you, with the EBS they do great while still retaining some warmth. I figured the Sansamp would give me the clarity the Streamliner didn't have at times but in a weird way they were similar because of the midscoop! I wish I could A\B the paradriver vs the EBS. The features of the EBS is awesome... my favorites being mute, ipod connection & play with headphones, multichannel. Not a fan of the drive at all, plus it brings a huge volume boost.

The Microbass II is a total keeper. I feel like it saves me from buying $2500 single cut bass I was eyeing the other day as I thought my Bongo bass could never sound like that!

Both Tech21 & EBS are both high quality builds BTW

MSUsousaphone · #2 10-13-2012, 08:53 PM

Nice review, man. Thanks!

dave2 · #3 10-22-2012, 07:47 PM

I would like to try a MicroBassII ... Anybody have one for sale?

Tunaman · #4 10-22-2012, 08:04 PM

Hard to find one used, i was pumped to grab one

If you have any questions about it before you drop the loot, PM me my man

alec · #5 10-22-2012, 09:17 PM

Which version of the EBS do you have, Tunaman? The newer one with the Pre EQ switch on the left side?

Tunaman · #6 10-23-2012, 04:37 AM

Tunaman · #7 11-15-2012, 08:01 AM

1st practice report:

Best pedal I've owned right off the bat.

It just has the lower mid & upper mid presence, a strong mid burp without the treble hiss & zing. Its basically the opposite of a scooped tone like a Sansamp which is big in the lows & on the treble for slap n pop.

My Streamliner is scooped, that old warm tube tone of big lows & warm uppermids without the zing but they still dont stick out... sometimes I just want & need the volume up on the mids but still have them warm... thats the EBS.

Really loving it. A perfect changeup. Great tone.

tech21nyc · #8 11-15-2012, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tunaman

1st practice report:

Best pedal I've owned right off the bat.

It just has the lower mid & upper mid presence, a strong mid burp without the treble hiss & zing. Its basically the opposite of a scooped tone like a Sansamp which is big in the lows & on the treble for slap n pop.

My Streamliner is scooped, that old warm tube tone of big lows & warm uppermids without the zing but they still dont stick out... sometimes I just want & need the volume up on the mids but still have them warm... thats the EBS.

Really loving it. A perfect changeup. Great tone.

The mid "scoop" in the Bass Driver is intentional. Our Para Driver DI would be a better product to compare to the EBS. The other thing to consider is that the Bass Driver DI is a DI and works best into the mixing console or a flat response platform. Were you comparing the pedals by running them into the front end of an amp or into a mixer?

Tunaman · #9 11-15-2012, 09:29 AM

I was running them with a poweramp \ power section only of my Streamliner

Yup, the mid scoop is intentional & if thats what you're looking for, its great.
If you're looking for a more mid present unit the EBS is great

The para driver is also a nice unit & its been too long for me to accurately review it vs the EBS. I can certainly say with confidence that it didn't grab me out of the gate the way the EBS has...

I love Tech21 gear but a having a tube amp I personally dont need a tube emulator. The EBS gives me the changeup that I wanted

tech21nyc · #10 11-15-2012, 10:02 AM

That would be the best way to use it but as I said the Para Driver would be the product to compare the EBS to as it has the sweepable mids. I'm not questioning your being happy with the EBS. That's fine. My point is that for a review or comparison you should compare two similar products. The Para Driver is a multi purpose preamp and was designed in part for the player that wasn't looking for the specific sound of the Bass Driver.

bassmanjla · #11 11-15-2012, 12:32 PM

ok, so.. any idea of what the 'link' button the Microbass does? it's not in the manual.

Tunaman · #12 11-15-2012, 12:45 PM

I used it for my tuner last night , it was still on with the mute too. That's all I know! Ha ha

karla684 · #13 11-15-2012, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassmanjla

ok, so.. any idea of what the 'link' button the Microbass does? it's not in the manual.

+1
It's not a button, but an output. It copies the signal from input A. It's excellent for connecting a tuner, and as mentioned above, it is still active when the pedal is muted.

bassmanjla · #14 11-15-2012, 09:22 PM

ah thank you.. yes, i meant to say Jack, but button happened instead. is it pre or post EQ ?

alec · #15 11-15-2012, 09:54 PM

Pre. It's routed straight from the input jack with no processing.

rogerb · #16 12-20-2012, 04:18 PM

Can you clear up this for me, headphone output and effect mp3 input is it stereo? I would imagine they are, but no straight answer in manual or from EBS even.

Tunaman · #17 12-20-2012, 05:37 PM

haven't tried it yet!

alec · #18 12-20-2012, 05:39 PM

I just tried it and the final result is mono.

rogerb · #19 12-21-2012, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alec

I just tried it and the final result is mono.

OK, thanks. That's a deal breaker for me. No wonder EBS didn't answer!

Mingus Addict · #20 12-21-2012, 07:20 AM

Thanks for the review. The EBS sounds cool, but programmability is something I'm really needing right now. I'm not interested in the mid-scoop all the time aspect of the Bass Driver though. I wish (and I know I'm not the first one on here to say so) that Tech21 made a programmable Para Driver.