Hello bass friends.
OK, I've just taken delivery of a shiny new Blue 360 fresh from Japan, and here are my initial thoughts.
It's pretty fantastic!! But like the Sonic Silver Peg and Crimson Red pre-amps, it's pretty clear that One Control and BJF made this Blue 360 also with a very specific use case in mind. There's not that much versatility here to be honest, but if the sound of a classic early slightly overdriven solid-state amp is what you're after (like I said... very specific use case!) then this is definitely the pedal for you.
It seems like the overdrive sound is always on. The switch on the side goes between 0dB and -18dB attenuation, but even with the -18dB engaged, when you match unity-gain (which is the volume knob all the way up) you're getting that overdriven sound. Disengage the attenuation and pull the volume down, and you're still getting the overdriven sound. It's extremely touch sensitive, so I find that even at low volume settings (in 0dB attenuation mode) if you dig in, you're overdriving. The only way to get a clean tone here is keep the volume low and play gently.... I guess much like you are running into a really hot amp, which is what it's emulating. So my feeling was it might be better to think of this as less a pre-amp in the traditional sense, and more a dedicated and very specific overdrive effect.
But I have to say... it's a pretty glorious overdrive! It's a sort of warm transistory fuzz, without any harsh grit or distorted noise. It adds just a whole slew of warm driven overtones that results in a strong, compressed, driving presence. Transients and finger attack are clear, punchy and immediate (no sag or lazy pickup like the Sonic Silver Peg's tube emulation), so all in all it really feels like it would command a huge presence in a live mix.
The EQ is very good and I couldn't really make it sound bad! The high band is set at 3kHz which is perfect for increasing clarity of finger or pick attack, and also enhancing the occasional fret zing. The mid band is 600Hz, which I find far more useful than the Sonic Silver Peg's 800Hz... at least for my P-bass with flats. It's great for getting a more scooped "modern" tone for slap. And the bass band is extremely low at 32Hz, so doesn't really do much beyond adding some sub warmth when boosting, but is very useful for removing rumble and mud. Actually I noted that whilst the treble can cut/boost to -26/+20 respectively, both mid and bass knobs only boost to +6dB. They cut to -15 and -26 respectively though, so it's pretty clear that they're more intended for cutting, not boosting. So basically the EQ section can be thought of as having 3 functions I guess: adding attack and clarity, scooping the mids, or clearing up the subs.
So in summary, if you're considering this pedal then take note that it isn't really a pre-amp in the sense of how we know other pre-amp pedals, but more a pedal effect design to achieve a very specific warm touch-sensitive fuzz sound, and it does that extremely well. The EQ is useful for adjusting that sound, but that's pretty much the extent of the functionality here.
I'm definitely glad that I got it, but to be honest I am slightly disappointed because I was expecting that it could be more useful as a general clean pre-amp with smartly placed EQ points. Even though those expectations weren't met, I'm not disappointed in what this pedal turned out to be... and pleasantly surprised at how superbly it does "that" classic early solid state drive tone.
