Overdrive: Barber LTD SR vs. Xotic Bass BB

gregormendel · #1 07-17-2011, 01:09 PM

Hi all, I'm a first time poster and a long time lurker. This forum has been a tremendous resource for me in my quest for bass knowledge, and now I'm taking it a step further

.

After doing a considerable amount of research on various sub-$200 bass overdrives, I have narrowed my choice down to the Barber LTD SR and the Xotic Bass BB preamp. Both seem to come highly recommended on this forum, and are marketed to my needs, which is a low to mid-gain drive to add some grit to my initial tone.

My rig is:

Jazz/Stingray -> Hartke LH500 -> Avatar 410

The BB seems to have a strange character to its breakup based on the clips I have heard, but those may be inaccurate. Because of this, I am leaning rather heavily towards the Barber, but I am concerned about low end loss.

I would love to hear if anyone has had experience with one or both of the pedals. A head to head clip would be absolutely fantastic, but I do realize that is asking a lot.

Any and all help is appreciated, and sorry for the long post

bassbrad · #2 07-17-2011, 01:21 PM

I tried them both, neither was quite my dream OD sound, then I tried the Hjart Muller LO|Fat, that's my sound. Warm, fat with great note definition and the side mounted jumbo knobs make it possible to tune your sound as you play.

a n a l o g u e h a v e n: m o o d y s o u n d s

Hjärt Müller kit [210-0110] - 620,00:- : Moody Sounds Store, Diy gitarreffekter - Schematics effektpedaler - Bygga effektpedal

gregormendel · #3 07-17-2011, 01:36 PM

That does seem like a nifty pedal, but it might be a bit too "girthy" for what I'm looking for. The 12 volt operation is also a bit of a turnoff due to the setup of my pedalboard, but I'll definitely add it to the list

bassbrad · #4 07-17-2011, 08:03 PM

It works fine on 9v, it may be a bit harder to find but worth the search.

fitz420 · #5 07-18-2011, 10:03 AM

Alright I owned and gigged both kind of heavily. The SR is definately more transparent, in terms of not adding any eq to the signal, just making it dirty. The BB is a really nice pedal as well......massive lows, more prominant mids and more drive. Personally I prefer the SR. I like low-ish gain, transparent OD and the barber really shines in this department. The BB is nice but I didnt need that much gain and I found it to colour my tone a bit too much.

That is all my opinion, however, and I don't believe you can go wrong with either.

SoonerMatt · #6 07-18-2011, 10:17 AM

Tried both and settled on a Way Huge Pork Loin. The clean and curve knobs were exactly what I was looking for and made it as close to transparent as an OD can get, IMO.

steve_rolfeca · #7 07-18-2011, 10:35 AM

No low-end loss with the Barber- it works fine with my 5-strings. Very uncolored, natural sound. The slope control is a nice way to voice your tone, compared to a typical one-knob tone control that only affects the high end. I seem to futz with tone controls less with the SR, than with other pedals.

It's VERY much a low-gain pedal, though. Less grind available than a Timmy, Danelectro TOD, etc.

gregormendel · #8 07-18-2011, 11:20 AM

Thanks for the replies, guys

. I am now leaning even more towards the Barber. I don't need a super grindy or high gain sound, just a little push and dirt. The confirmed low-end retention is also quite reassuring.

Fitz, did you end up keeping either for your gigging pedalboard, or did you settle on something else?

To SoonerMatt: Was there anything in particular that you disliked about either pedal before you switched to the Pork Loin?

fitz420 · #9 07-19-2011, 09:04 PM

Haha......I kept it until getting a dredgetone angler and a mojohand cream pie deluxe.

Used the barber on probably 20-30 gigs and have thought about buying another one. I went through a "OD quest" last year which involved the buying and selling of around 20 ods. Gigged every one at least twice. Fwiw, I've owned 2 cream pies and they've seen well over 120 gigs combined. Paid $220 for one a while ago. I've been seeing them cheaper here lately. Don't wanna throw a wrench in the works here but buying/trying/selling here at TB wont result in much lost $$ other than shipping and pp fees. Both of your original choices are very solid though.

fitz420 · #10 07-19-2011, 09:06 PM

And yes if u want "push and dirt" and don't want to change your tone the Ltd sr is what I'd go with.

gregormendel · #11 07-19-2011, 09:27 PM

Thanks for the help man. I heard some soundclips of the cream pie and it didn't sound like quite my bag. Haven't heard of the Dredgetone, I'll have to check it out. As it stands, though, the LTD is on its way in the mail. I fear I may have been bitten by the effects bug, haha.

SoonerMatt · #12 07-19-2011, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregormendel

To SoonerMatt: Was there anything in particular that you disliked about either pedal before you switched to the Pork Loin?

Honestly I just liked the Pork Loin's tone better. I thought the BB was to scooped and thought the Barber was too tame, and being a guitar pedal was unsure of how it would handle a low B.

Matt Dean · #13 07-19-2011, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregormendel

Thanks for the help man. I heard some soundclips of the cream pie and it didn't sound like quite my bag. Haven't heard of the Dredgetone, I'll have to check it out. As it stands, though, the LTD is on its way in the mail. I fear I may have been bitten by the effects bug, haha.

Man, I'm sorry to hear that... but, on the other hand you're in for some fun!

I've gigged the Bass BB, Angler and the Cream Pie... now, I've finally settled on a tuned Phat Phuck B and a Darkglass B3K for my OD needs.

gregormendel · #14 07-19-2011, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Dean

Man, I'm sorry to hear that... but, on the other hand you're in for some fun!

I've gigged the Bass BB, Angler and the Cream Pie... now, I've finally settled on a tuned Phat Phuck B and a Darkglass B3K for my OD needs.

Let's just hope my finances can keep up with the "fun" lol.

I'm definitely feeling trying a Pork Loin in the future, but as for now I'm excited to see how the Barber pans out.