Xotic BB Preamp

[richedie]

Hey all,

Since most people on the forum feel the BB is THE best choice for a 'third' Egnater channel, I have decided to hold onto it for a while to see if I can get it to work for my set up.

What I was hoping from some BB users is any setting suggestions as far as gain, vlume, etc and which modules and how you have those set, because I am having a fit over this thing. I have been trying to run my module channel masters a bit higher to hit the power amp harder so we'll see if this makes a difference. For example, I have the Bassman channel A at about max, channel B at about noon and both channel A and B of the SL2 are at about 11:00. Somone else gave me the advice to get these up higher and it makes sense. I was using John's philosophy of running the master at 1:00 always and then using the channel masters as needed.

So with this, I really can't run the BB into any high gain modules because it is too noisey! Very noisey.
I get better results with the volume on the BB at about 9:00, but it sounds too tame and less like a real amp.
With the volume on noon it sounds great through the Bassman but I have to keep the gain way back on the Bassman channel B which takes away what I love about the Bassman channel B with the gain on about 2:00.

Any settings would be killer.

Thanks gents.

 

[3 Mile Stone]

What kind of guitar and pickups are you using?

 

[richedie]

LP - Wolfetone Timbrewolf/Marshallhead
LP - Stock BB Pros (Sometimes Guitar Force Erupters, Motor City Torques or Rio Grande BBQ)
SG - Stock Bill Lawrence pickups from 1989
PRS CE-22 - stock Dragons.

 

[mentoneman]

yo r-
i've been experimenting with the bb on my tol ch 3/4 and you are right, there is mucho noise
but i also have a decimator pedal which i can kick on, in the loop, for those bb moments and it really does a fine job.

the bb is like hitting a marshall switch for those purely fat chocolatey eggie channels like a trex poking it's head from the la brea tar pits.

 

[richedie]

yo r-
i've been experimenting with the bb on my tol ch 3/4 and you are right, there is mucho noise
but i also have a decimator pedal which i can kick on, in the loop, for those bb moments and it really does a fine job.

the bb is like hitting a marshall switch for those purely fat chocolatey eggie channels like a trex poking it's head from the la brea tar pits.

My biggest problem is the Bassman, I have the channel volume on channel A cranked and with that, channel B is at noon. Due to this, my high gain modules can't go past about 10:30 on the channel master. If only channel A of the Bassman was louder.

I saw this because I was trying to get the BB to sound more open with its volume up to noon, but I have to keep it at 9:00 because of the Bassman. I feel I can't take full advantage of the BB as a result.

With volume anything beyond 10:30 on the BB, the SL2 is terribly noisy. I run the BB up front and run my ISP Decimater pedal up front as well. I don't want to have to also run an ISP in the loop! Unless I just took the ISP out front and placed it in the loop.

 

[aeroic]

yo r-
i've been experimenting with the bb on my tol ch 3/4 and you are right, there is mucho noise
but i also have a decimator pedal which i can kick on, in the loop, for those bb moments and it really does a fine job.

the bb is like hitting a marshall switch for those purely fat chocolatey eggie channels like a trex poking it's head from the la brea tar pits.

My biggest problem is the Bassman, I have the channel volume on channel A cranked and with that, channel B is at noon. Due to this, my high gain modules can't go past about 10:30 on the channel master. If only channel A of the Bassman was louder.

I saw this because I was trying to get the BB to sound more open with its volume up to noon, but I have to keep it at 9:00 because of the Bassman. I feel I can't take full advantage of the BB as a result.

With volume anything beyond 10:30 on the BB, the SL2 is terribly noisy. I run the BB up front and run my ISP Decimater pedal up front as well. I don't want to have to also run an ISP in the loop! Unless I just took the ISP out front and placed it in the loop.

I'd recommend running your gates after the send in your effects loop. That's how I run my noise gate in the Lexicon MPXG2 of mine.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[mentoneman]

I don't want to have to also run an ISP in the loop! Unless I just took the ISP out front and placed it in the loop.

bingo

 

[richedie]

The only reason I had the ISP gate out front is because that is where ISP recommended it, right after the last effect out front! I'll try the loop.....so right after the send, as in the first effect in the loop chain? Thanks! Man, that is going to be tough reorganizing this board again. Ugh!

 

[jmgman69]

The only reason I had the ISP gate out front is because that is where ISP recommended it, right after the last effect out front! I'll try the loop.....so right after the send, as in the first effect in the loop chain? Thanks! Man, that is going to be tough reorganizing this board again. Ugh!

Ah Rich,you know you like it

 

[RockStarNick]

See, in my mind, there's NO way you can use an overdrive pedal (with a decent amount of drive dialed in), into an SL2 with a good high-gain overdrive sound going on, and NOT get noise...

TRUE: some overdrive pedals are less noisy than others, but the BB is pretty quiet. Very well made too. But, that being said, distortion is distortion is distortion. The more gain you have, the more noise you're going to get. Especially when you start stacking gains stages like a pedal into a high gain amp. Think about it: you're distorting a distorted signal. Of course that's gonna get noisy, ya know?

You're on the right track with a noise gate pedal, to kill some of the noise. Naturally, if the high level of gain/distortion is causing the noise, then putting the pedal after the gain (in this case, in the loop) is the right idea.

 

[richedie]

Thanks Nick, I figured what you said but tried keeping the gain and volume at about 9:00 each and it is doable on the SL2 channel A for a little thickness and compression added to the solo. Maybe the trick will be what I wanted a while back - a modded MXR 10 band EQ for a mid boost and slight gain boost in the loop, bypassing the preamp.

I tried the gate in the loop, but the noise was worse. I find the best is the gate up front. I don't have the pedalboard real estate for two gates!

The quietest way to use the BB is on the Bassman channel B as a hotter type tone for tighter, more gainy modern tones or even some classic. Since I HAVE to keep my BB's volumea t about 10:00, it is more compressed than I like. The Bassman channel A has the master cranked to max and with that I bal;ance the other channel masters so with all this, the highest I can get the BB volume is 10:00 because I want to volume to equal all channels since I use it like another channel.....it will just be more compressed than open. Oh well.

 

[RockStarNick]

Rich, you might actually have great luck with an EQ in the loop.

Especially because you have all 4 channels of your Mod50 set for "rhythm" volume.

Get the quietest EQ pedal you can find, and use that to bump the mids. Heck, my bumping the mids, you may not even NEED to add any DBs of volume. If so, just a little big. Mids are nice and LOUD.

THe BYOC (build your own clone) EQ is supposed to be really nice.

By using this method, you'd be boosting frequencies and volume, which will drive the power tubes harder, but you wont be introducting any more "distortion", per se, to the signal, via a pedal.

 

[richedie]

BYOC (build your own clone) EQ ??????????

What's that!?

I am getting closer to what I want. Too bad Eggie doesn't make a clean module with a sparkling clean and loud channel A and dirty channel B.

 

[aeroic]

BYOC (build your own clone) EQ ??????????

What's that!?

I am getting closer to what I want. Too bad Eggie doesn't make a clean module with a sparkling clean and loud channel A and dirty channel B.

It's pretty much impossible to do that since both ChA and ChB uses the same tone stack. Best ones for that though are the VX and the BMAN.

Eric

 

[richedie]

Eric, the Bassman can kind of do it but only if other modules are kept at low volume. Everyone talks about keeping their channel volumes at 11-12:00 but it is near impossible with the Bassman in the Mod 50 unless you crank the gain on channel A.

 

[3 Mile Stone]

With the MOD 50 power/master over all section on the right set the density to 10 oclock, the presence at noon, volume at noon. Channel A on the Bassman, gain at 9 oclock master at about 3 oclock. Channel B gain at 2 oclock and master at noon. EQ to taste and fine tune all of the above setting to a common ground that works best for what you need. I think it sounds fine this way. Don't keep the gain on the BB too low. It does not really come out to play until settings around 10 to 11 oclock.

 

[richedie]

With the MOD 50 power/master over all section on the right set the density to 10 oclock, the presence at noon, volume at noon. Channel A on the Bassman, gain at 9 oclock master at about 3 oclock. Channel B gain at 2 oclock and master at noon. EQ to taste and fine tune all of the above setting to a common ground that works best for what you need. I think it sounds fine this way. Don't keep the gain on the BB too low. It does not really come out to play until settings around 10 to 11 oclock.

Unfortunately at home, it has to be bedroom levels. I can't do serious testing till jam sessions. Most of my testing is with the Overall master at 9:00 or less becaus ewe live in a condo. When I get to a jam, I just leave the channel volumes all balanced and turn up the overall master, typicallt to noon - 2:00.

Even with those settings above(but with the overall master lower or high), I can't get the BB volume past 9:00, but I think it is the nature of the Bassman's channel A - just tooooooo quiet.

I actually have tried that with the Bassman gain at 9:00 and master at 3:00 - Channel B gain at 2 oclock and master at noon. With that, the channel B is three times as loud as A! Doesn't work.

With the Bassman, the best I cn do is this:
Bman A - gain noon, volume maxed
Bman B - gain 2:00, volume about noon
SL2 A - gain 3:00, volume 10:00
SL2B - gain 1:00, volume 10:00.

So, I guess the other problem is the gainy module are so loud compared to the Bassman channel A and I assume maybe the same problem with the other clean modules. This is one thing I miss about some other amps, the ability to have a loud clean channel.

Mentoneman,
I tried the noise gate in the loop - WAY too noisy.

I think I am going to pick up a used MXR 6 band EQ and have Tone Jams mod it o the new Sniper mod. The ten band looks really nice but I don't need 10 bands for a solo boost, nor the gain boost although that could add some conmpression. Nah, 6 band EQ with no level or gain should do it. Nice and simple.

 

[mentoneman]

Mentoneman,
I tried the noise gate in the loop - WAY too noisy.

I think I am going to pick up a used MXR 6 band EQ and have Tone Jams mod it o the new Sniper mod. The ten band looks really nice but I don't need 10 bands for a solo boost, nor the gain boost although that could add some conmpression. Nah, 6 band EQ with no level or gain should do it. Nice and simple.

man, i hit my tol 100 ch 4 with the bb, and granted i don't have the bb dimed or anything, it is just set for a moderate gain and treble increase---i literally just turn the volume, gain and treble dials with it on until i hear an ever so slight increase in presence and edge. and you bet it's noisy, but then i add the decimator pedal into the loop and it totally kills all the hiss.
and fwiw, i have the mxr 6 band eq and have tried it and it's way noisier than the bb.

 

[richedie]

Mentoneman,
I tried the noise gate in the loop - WAY too noisy.

I think I am going to pick up a used MXR 6 band EQ and have Tone Jams mod it o the new Sniper mod. The ten band looks really nice but I don't need 10 bands for a solo boost, nor the gain boost although that could add some conmpression. Nah, 6 band EQ with no level or gain should do it. Nice and simple.

man, i hit my tol 100 ch 4 with the bb, and granted i don't have the bb dimed or anything, it is just set for a moderate gain and treble increase---i literally just turn the volume, gain and treble dials with it on until i hear an ever so slight increase in presence and edge. and you bet it's noisy, but then i add the decimator pedal into the loop and it totally kills all the hiss.
and fwiw, i have the mxr 6 band eq and have tried it and it's way noisier than the bb.

You sound like me, I just turn up the Gain to about 11-12:00 and volume till it comes in, like 9 - 10:00. ISP in my loop, noise hell. Up front, quiet.

 

[richedie]

Rich, you might actually have great luck with an EQ in the loop.

Especially because you have all 4 channels of your Mod50 set for "rhythm" volume.

Get the quietest EQ pedal you can find, and use that to bump the mids. Heck, my bumping the mids, you may not even NEED to add any DBs of volume. If so, just a little big. Mids are nice and LOUD.

THe BYOC (build your own clone) EQ is supposed to be really nice.

By using this method, you'd be boosting frequencies and volume, which will drive the power tubes harder, but you wont be introducting any more "distortion", per se, to the signal, via a pedal.

That EQ does look nice and I am trying to find out if it can run line level.

I also checked out the Home Brew Electronics Detox EQ.
http://www.homebrewelectronics.com/signature.html