Forgive me, this isn't a Fender specific question... BUT I assure you a Fender guitar will be playing through the pedal in question into a big ol' Fender amp.

Anyway, I took my '65 RI Twin Reverb into the shop for it's usual tune up and inquired about a new overdrive pedal. I haven't owned/used a pedal for quite sometime and have gotten used to gigging sans-pedal. I've been looking for a really nice overdrive/distortion pedal for a vintage 60's electrified blues sound. Obviously my first thoughts were the Boss Blues Driver and Ibanez TS-9, etc.

The owner of the shop told me to forget everything I thought I knew about distortion pedals and introduced me to this gem: http://www.xotic.us/effects/bb_preamp/

It's the BB Preamp by Xotic Effects USA, and it sounds absolutely fantastic. I'm wondering if anybody else has experience with this pedal or the company? If not, I'd highly recommend giving one of these pedals a shot. I think I'm going to pick it up when I pick up the amp this week, but I wanted to check to see if anyone had any input before shelling out the cash.

Thanks guys!
-Chris

An amp as young as a '65 TRRI goes in for what I must assume to be at the very least a second "tune up". (its usual tune up seems to imply previous tune ups)

Tune up?

19 posts.

A product plug.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Forgive me for offering a bit of backstory to accompany my question. I wouldn't consider my amp "young" as I can date it to be about 10 or 11 years old. I've owned it for the past 6 year, purchased used from a local shop. Before I bought it, it was used at a local church for services with a live guitarist playing hymns. To be honest, I'm no electrician (I don't even play one on TV! ) so I let my amp work to a local shop that I know very well, about every 18 or 19 months. Some might consider my schedule of maintenance anal or OCD, but I couldn't care less. The '65 Twin Reverb is a stellar amp that gets a hell of a lot of gigging, along with jostling car rides, hefting in and out of venues/studios, etc. Parts jiggle loose, there is wear, there is tear. This particular tune up (no quotes required) is for a tube replacement.

Sure, I might be new here, but that doesn't mean my questions are any less valid. I couldn't give a $@!& if the company sells any more pedals. I figured an enthusiast group would be interested in a product that might be flying under the radar. At least I had never heard of them before. I was also looking for some insight, from one enthusiast to another.

BMW-KTM: I'm sorry if I seem coarse, but It really lets me down when new members to internet forums are dismissed based on their post count. Am I a lesser member? Maybe I am. Show me the door.

Cheers,
Chris

Never even heard of that company, much less that exact pedal. My question to you would be: Did you get a chance to play through or demo the pedal? If so, and you liked the tone, it seems well built, and is being recommended by a trusted shop; I say go for it. Most music stores will have at least some kind of guarantee where you could get your money back if you end up getting it home and hating it. Good Luck on your purchase.

ps...I always recommend MXR overdrive pedals, specifically the Zakk Wylde model. Seems to me to be the most versatile overdrive pedal I've used. Works great for blues - metal and most in between. And I believe the OCD pedals are up there on the list of most popular on this forum. But again, it's all about what sounds good to your ears.

_________________
Check out my new FB music page!

https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilandMe.Music

The BB Xotic is a nice piece of gear with some very versatile tones. It is on the pricey side though -- about 25% more than a Fulltone OCD (the OD pedal I use). You could do a lot worse IMO.

Rawk on!

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Just to give you another spin on the idea since you are used to not having a pedal. Trade in or just buy a 65 DRRI (TRRIs little cousin) with the 6V6 tubes. It has less headroom, with nice overdrive on th volume at 5 it is lighter than TRRI and still plenty loud. It also sounds very decent on 2 for "quiet" enjoyment. I'll record and post it on YT since a lot of people are asking about this amp as well.

I read on the net that DRRI can be re tubed with 6L6 also for some approx 35W and decent clean headroom.

Hope that helps

Glad to hear someone else has heard of the pedal! I was astounded by the tone for never having seen or heard of them before. I wanted to make sure the shop wasn't trying to push some P.O.S. company.

@Fendermandan: I've been considering a DRRI for a while now too. A pal of mine has one and I really love the tone, not to mention I've found it to be a bit more tame than that TRRI.

I think I'll pick up the pedal when I pick up my amp today. I got the glorious call this morning from the shop, so I'm jonesin' to pick it up. I'll definitely try to get some recordings of the pedal and the new guitar!

Cheers,
Chris

before you buy....

try the fulltone OCD and the wampler paisley drive.

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

caught me on my way out the door! thanks for the heads up Way Cool Jr!

right on time then huh lol.

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I have not heard of that company or pre-amp. Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely research it. Keep Rockin!!

_________________
RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

just watched the videos of the BB. im not very impressed for that price.
all these small pedal companies are showing up everywhere these days.
seems small companies demand bigger prices for a lot less.

_________________
63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Agreed, to be honest the videos are an awful representation of the pedal's capabilities. When I test drove it for the first time in person, I noticed a lot of undertones and warmth that some dinky digital camera can't pick up.

I picked up my amp today and decided to make the plunge and picked up the pedal! I'm extremely happy with the pre-amp capabilities it possesses, especially playing through a tube amp with so much headroom. The first tone I shot for was a warm and fuzzy "woman" tone per Clapton. Tinkering with the tonal capacity of the amp and the pre-am is a hell of a lot of fun. I'm noticing a lot of volume response - turning up the volume doesn't just make it loud, it makes it [i]warm/i] oh so warm!

Audio samples on their way!



Cheers!
-Chris

We occaisionally get people who become a member of this forum for the purpose of selling their product. I saw a post with some slightly out-of-the-ordinary (IMO) info made by a new member along with a product plug and it got my attention. My post was INTENDED to prompt a response from you and also to draw the attention of the other members should your response not dispell suspicion. You'll notice I didn't actually make a judgement call about you. I merely pointed out my observation. Don't take it personally. It's simply a watchdog characteristic that many of us here tend to exhibit. Now that you've stopped to let me sniff you out a bit I won't bark at you anymore, K?

;^)

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Sounds good BMW-KTM. I completely understand the suspicions my post could provoke. There's nothing more irritating than a self-serving "wolf in sheep's clothing" $@!&# trying to push goods on an enthusiast forum as an enthusiast. And I'd imagine they pop up here on a somewhat frequent basis. I guess I just felt a bit shot down and got a bit hot-headed.

Cheers and thanks for the response!
-Chris