BBE Sonic Stomp

OK, some people don't understand these things...They play with a lot more parameters than just EQ...Phase relationships and harmonics also play a huge role...

Anyway, it's a dead simple pedal with 1/4 in and out and an on and off switch....

There are no tubes...

UTILIZATION

Sound editing is as simple as adjusting the two parameters...The response is already tailored to be very good...It's a matter of how much of it you want....

The manual is simple as the pedal...There really isn't much to understand beyond where you place it in your chain or loop....

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality is outstanding....I use mine in moderation and it's a nice subtle push to my tone...I don't use it while recording....Only live....I find that natural is better for recording and using the BBE colors the tone...

It makes all my guitars and basses sound good...And I have over 25....I love this pedal in the loop of my Crate BV-120...Wow, they were made for each other...

This pedal will take your tone and not only fill it up but shape it just so...Two knobs can do a lot more than you think!

OVERALL OPINION

Built like a tank....Sounds awesome...You just gotta remember not to overuse it....It sounds really great when you're on your own playing solo....But with a band, it can get hairy...Too much bass can interfere with the band's tone in general....

I'd buy another....I already own two...

I tried others but BBE has it down...Period...

Highly recommended...

This is an extremely straightforward and easy to use processor that can do wonders for your sound.
I've had a hard time really getting this across through words, but playing one of these does all the talking that you would need.
As far as the actual pedal goes, this is the stomp box version of BBE's 482 rack mount Sonic Maximizer. It does all of the same things, but for one amp or unit instead of two. Runs off of a 9V battery or adapter, one input, one output, two knobs (lo contour and process) and one switch. It's got a heavy duty casing and I've never had reliability issues with one personally. And it's got a hardware bypass to boot.


UTILIZATION

Two knobs, this is about as simple as it gets. Each one handles a different end of the sonic spectrum, so turn it till you like it and then stop.

SOUND QUALITY

So what the sonic maximizer does is, and I'm putting this simply, split the high, mid and low ends of your signal to adjust for your low end punch or high end cut. The idea behind it is that the translation between amps and speaker cabs flattens the signal and looses the full range of the highs and lows. The Sonic Stomp or Maximizer brings those back in by adding a frequency curve/delay. So you get more clarity, or, if you like, more brutality for modern high gain applications.
I lack the overall terminology to explain it, but it almost sounds like the Sonic Stomp/Maximizer spreads out your signal through the speaker instead of just dumping flatly out of the middle. It gives you more control and a lot more dynamic range in how your amp sounds.
I always keep this in the effects loop and that's really where it's most effective. You can use it for some EQ or boost before the pre-amp, but it's really not going to get the same effect as running it in the back end. I've used this with a number of heads and you'll always get the same result.

OVERALL OPINION

Playing death metal with a scooped sound and not wanting to lose mid-range articulation, I can't imagine not using a sonic maximizer. I always keep it running and it's an essential part of my rig. If you're running a gain boost in your chain, definitely try this stomp box out.
Even if you're not going high gain, the simplicity and range of boost makes this effect hard to pass up. Unless you're a guitar > cable > amp purist, it's worth giving it a shot.
I liken the sound difference between using this pedal and not using this pedal to how a recording sounds before it is mastered and after. It's simple and powerful.
I have yet to find another EQ that can have a similar impact. And for the price, it's really hard to justify a continued search.

This is the Sonic Stomp SS Sonic Maximizer pedal put out by BBE Sound. Basically the Sonic Maximizer effect does one thing and that one thing is it makes your amp go boom.

This pedal has 2 knobs. From left to right they are Lo Contour and Process.

My friend was ranting and raving about this pedal and how great his rig sounded ever since he added this pedal to his setup.

The pedal costs $100 and seems to be a hot item, so I figured worst case if I hate it someone else will want it.

It is easy to use. The footprint is a little bigger than a Boss pedal similar to an EH Big Muff. The pedal is hard wire bypassed which, well I do not really know what that means, but it doesn't suck too much tone from my signal.

BBE includes a power supply. I think it is a standard 9v plug, but hey it is cool they included it.

The magic of this pedal is it scoops your mids, midly compresses and doubles your signal.

This sound really isn't much you can't get with some basic EQ'ing, but it is all in one box and simple to use.

The box is nice, the switch and knobs are sturdy. Looks like it can handle a few nights a week live. The jacks are on the side, so cables run nicely out of it.

If you can't seem to get your sound going live, give this pedal a test drive. It may be just want you need to get your sound to pop.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is simply a EQing tool.  There are no other effects
No this cannot be edited through a computer.  It is strictly analog audio.
It is not rackable in the traditional sense.  You can purchase shelves that allow you to rackmount guitar pedals.
This is strictly analog
There is only 1/4" audio jacks (and of course the power supply jack).


UTILIZATION

Yes, the effect editing is easy.  Tow knobs, Lo contour (bass) and process (phase correction).
Yes the manual is clear enough.  Its a short read and tells you exactly what the pedal is doing in order to accomplish its task of cleaning up (de-mudding) your sound.
Yes the setup is very easy, plug it in, dial in the two knobs for your ideal sound, and thats it.



SOUND QUALITY

I use this for my Parker guitar going into a Fender Twin as well as a Rhodes Mark 1 going into a twin.
I have read reviews where people say that the tone is lost.  I somewhat agree.  I would never use this when recording a track.  I would do all the EQing in the post production.  But, when you are playing live, this thing is amazing.  It helps you cut through the mix better which means you don't have to blast the stage with you guitar amp to be heard.  It really helps with the clarity.  It doesn't color the sound so much as it thins it a little. 
I love this little pedal.  It opens up a lot of frequency room for my voice when I am playing live.  I use to feel drowned out by my rhodes when I played and sang, but now there is room


OVERALL OPINION

What I like most is its use in live situations.  Works great for clarity.
What I don't like about it????  Not really anything, it does what it does and doesn't cost an arm and a leg and is doesn't take up to much pedal board space.
I got mine used for $50, that was a great deal.  I think they go for $100 new, but thats still not to bad for the clarity it delivers.
Again, I only use mine in live applications.  When recording, I want all the frequencies there, then I fine tune in post production.
I had the Boss Equalizer stomp box, but it had a lot more noise and didn't quite cut it for me.
I would definitely buy this guy again, comes in very handy.