New "organ" pedal - EHX B9

[sunbeast]

Mine only makes a mild click on the Classic Rock (4) mode, on other modes there's no perceivable click.

Thanks! Based on the demos I've heard and reviews I figured the "too much click" issue might just be user error, but the vagueness about how people discussed it in this thread was making it a bit confusing...

 

[chuck3]

This is right. For the first 6 settings Click only controls the amount of click. On the other 3 it affects the amount of modulation.

Thanks for clarifying that. Actually, as someone noted it's 5 and 4 (where there is a second function of the "click" knob), but that's still very helpful to point out.

PRESET DESCRIPTIONS
1. Fat & Full- This sound adds an extra octave below and above to make your guitar sound twice as big. Fills out any band in an instant! MOD Type: Chorus.
2. Jazz- This preset has the cool, smooth jazz tone reminiscent of the late great organist Jimmy Smith. MOD Type: Chorus.
3. Gospel- This preset has the upper octave drawbars added to capture that great soulful organ tone. MOD Type: Chorus.
4. Classic Rock- This preset captures the classic rock sound of songs like Procal Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale." Add a touch of distortion for a classic dirty organ. MOD Type: Chorus.
5. Bottom End- This preset has the lower draw bar sound. Perfect for adding bottom to your guitar or playing B3 bass sounds. With the CLICK control up you can lay down a bass line like the one on Sugarloaf's "Green Eyed Lady." MOD Type: Chorus.
6. Octaves- This preset uses the fundamental tone plus one octave above. This sound is great for songs like Led Zeppelin's "Your Time is Going to Come." MOD Type: Chorus. CLICK control adds not only key click, but higher harmonics.
7. Cathedral- Turn up the reverb and you are at the seat of a giant cathedral organ! Psychedelic rock tones easily pour out. MOD Type: Tremolo. CLICK adjusts the tremolo depth.
8. Continental- This is the classic combo organ sound similar to classic songs "96 Tears," "Woolly Bully" and "House of the Rising Sun." MOD Type: Vibrato. CLICK controls vibrato depth.
9. Bell Organ- If you crossed an electric piano with an organ this is it. MOD Type: Tremolo. CLICK adjusts the amount of bell or chime added to the sound.

 

[BigBeatNut]

Thanks for clarifying that. Actually, as someone noted it's 5 and 4 (where there is a second function of the "click" knob), but that's still very helpful to point out.

Maybe I'm missing something but I can't see how you infer a second function for the click knob on presets 4 and 5. From what you've included above it looks like:

Presets 1-5 - 'Click' knob controls click only (because nothing else is mentioned).
Preset 6 - 'Click' knob 'adds not only key click, but higher harmonics'
Presets 7-9 - 'Click' knob adjusts depth/volume of effect (tremolo/vibrato/bell) (controlling click volume isn't mentioned here).

I no longer have mine otherwise I'd experiment a bit to verify that.

 

[sunbeast]

Maybe I'm missing something but I can't see how you infer a second function for the click knob on presets 4 and 5. From what you've included above it looks like:

Presets 1-5 - 'Click' knob controls click only (because nothing else is mentioned).
Preset 6 - 'Click' knob 'adds not only key click, but higher harmonics'
Presets 7-9 - 'Click' knob adjusts depth/volume of effect (tremolo/vibrato/bell) (controlling click volume isn't mentioned here).

I no longer have mine otherwise I'd experiment a bit to verify that.

I think he was saying that for 5 of the Voices it is only click, and for 4 of them it has a different function. 5 and 4 as groups rather than specific points in a list (because it was stated as 6 and 3)...

 

[chuck3]

I think he was saying that for 5 of the Voices it is only click, and for 4 of them it has a different function. 5 and 4 as groups rather than specific points in a list (because it was stated as 6 and 3)...

^^^^
yes, this is what I was saying.

 

[BigBeatNut]

I think he was saying that for 5 of the Voices it is only click, and for 4 of them it has a different function. 5 and 4 as groups rather than specific points in a list (because it was stated as 6 and 3)...

^^^^
yes, this is what I was saying.

I see ... my bad.

 

[chuck3]

I see ... my bad.

no prob, I could have been clearer.

This discussion has actually clarified some things for me, so I'll be back at it with the pedal this weekend ...

 

[Feral Feline]

I, too, thought it was odd to refer to B9 patches #4 & #5 as "5 and 4". My immediate question was "Why would someone not write them out sequentially, as in '4 and 5'?".
Thanks for clearing that up!

Reading Chuck3's #302 post and stripping the song examples from it the effects & "Click" control...
- 1-to-5 is Chorus with the Click knob having no additional affect on the effect
- 6 Click and Higher Harmonics
- 7 Click and Tremolo depth
- 8 Click and Vibrato depth
- 9 Click and Bell/Chime level (mod type still = tremolo)

Whoops, just realised I've replicated what BigBeatNut laid out in post #303

Just woke up, haven't had my coffee yet. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

[EDIT: No click at all on 7, 8, 9, though the Click Knob is used to adjust the additional effect of each setting]

 

[MightyMiloQuinn]

To continue the clarification process, there is no click to control for settings 7-9. The Click control knob adjusts something other than the amount of click in those three settings.

 

[chuck3]

To continue the clarification process, there is no click to control for settings 7-9. The Click control knob adjusts something other than the amount of click in those three settings.

7-9 have no click at all, or they have click and you can't control how much?

 

[MightyMiloQuinn]

They have no click at all.

 

[Feral Feline]

Thanks MMQ.

 

[M0ses]

I guess I don't have the pedal so shouldn't really be talking, but have you guys listened to the click in a mix? I would bet it sounds a heck of a lot better than you might think. Listen to B9 recordings...the click is critical. Without it most organ tones have very little attack and you're going to sound very inarticulate.

 

[GregT]

I just finished practicing with my B9. I use mine in a different context because I am a one man band playing guitar and bass at the same time from my guitar. Now I play organ also. This pedal just rocks on so many songs. Fire (Springsteen) is fantastic with it. My go-to setting is Fat and Full, no doubt. I might not want to use that setting with my bass though? I was one of the people mentioning the clicks. In a mix it sounds perfect. I will be using this pedal a lot. White Wedding is nice with the B9. Kansas City sounded like and old, old version of an old classic in a really cool way.

I did try it with my bass and the clicks are definitely more pronounced. Especially with a pick. Continental and Cathedral sounded good, so I'd just use those without the clicks. Thank you to MightyMiloQuinn for starting this thread and giving me the heads-up on a great pedal.

 

[chuck3]

I guess I don't have the pedal so shouldn't really be talking, but have you guys listened to the click in a mix? I would bet it sounds a heck of a lot better than you might think. Listen to B9 recordings...the click is critical. Without it most organ tones have very little attack and you're going to sound very inarticulate.

I have not yet listened to the click in a mix. I expect to at practice this weekend. I figured I should learn how to work the darn thing first.

 

[mcnach]

I'd lean more on B9-dependent, going by the amount of quality issues with this pedal. Until my previous post I was referring more to the "click zeroed" setting asked by Sunbeast. However, I just made a sweep of all modes with both the click and my bass gain maxed (nothing else in chain), and I can play without it clicking if I play lightly. On hard hits, it clicks a lot on all clickable modes. So, if someone uses a compressor with tons of make-up gain killing dynamics, it would always click. But, with the click zeroed, I dare say the pedal I have will not produce a click on any practical input levels except on Classic Rock.

Output level varies greatly between basses. Just look at what happens to the sensitivity know or threshold knob on envelope filter pedals from bass to bass (from the classic DOD FX25 to the Proton or Filter Twin).
It may not seem that there is much between them but the filters react very differently to each bass. I suspect that's what we're seeing here with the B9, rather than a "quality issue".

 

[mcnach]

I thought it had those two functions, but not at the same time. Like, it depends on the preset whether it's controlling the click or the modulation. I don't own the pedal but I did read the manual (yes I'm that guy) and that's how I understood it. But I could be wrong.

No, you are right. It's either or, depending on the model.

 

[T2k5]

Output level varies greatly between basses. Just look at what happens to the sensitivity know or threshold knob on envelope filter pedals from bass to bass (from the classic DOD FX25 to the Proton or Filter Twin).
It may not seem that there is much between them but the filters react very differently to each bass. I suspect that's what we're seeing here with the B9, rather than a "quality issue".

As I said, I ran it from nearly no output at all to extreme clipping, and it was not just the output of the bass. I can put it after my Summit TD-100 at max gain to see what happens, but I would guess the story is still the same regarding the clicklessness on my pedal.

EDIT: Tried it, no click even post-TD100.

 

[Smallequestrian]

I picked one up from GC the other day after buying a bass whammy and realizing I didn't have much use for it. So far I like it a lot. I think its better for what I'm using my Markbass Octaver for. Still exploring what settings work best for certain jobs.

 

[Happynoj]

I wonder if there will be a B9 Deluxe...?