BBE Sonic Stomp Sonic Maximizer Guitar Pedal

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Subtly improve the sound of your instrument without the need for flashy, over-the-top effects. This pedal provides you with clarity, definition, and that punch you need.

With just two easy-to-use knobs, the BBE Sonic Stomp Maximizer pedal clarifies your guitar or bass tone, bringing out deep, tight lows and crystal-clear highs. Much more than just an EQ effect, the Sonic Stomp counteracts the phase delay that occurs between treble and bass frequencies. By evening out this delay, the pedal removes the "mud" from your signal, resulting in a bass boost and a presence boost -- just like the legendary BBE Sonic Maximizer rack unit, but in a rugged stombox. The Sonic Stomp has a true hardwire bypass -- but chances are, this is one "effect" you just might want to leave on all the time.

How Does the Sonic Maximizer Work?

Technically speaking, the BBE Sonic Stomp's Lo Contour knob controls the amount of phase-corrected low frequencies, adding up to 12 dB of boost around 50 Hz. The Process knob controls the amount of phase-corrected high frequencies, up to 12 dB at 10 kHz, which is perceived as crisper attack and articulation -- like lifting a blanket off your amp.

What Does It Do For Your Tone?

You'll experience it as a fat bottom end, clear highs and harmonics, with a smoothness over everything that feels much like compression/limiting to keep your signal in check. Bassists report that with the Sonic Stomp kicked on, their high strings sound clearer, and low strings sound deeper. Guitarists say that with the Sonic Stomp pedal at the end of the signal chain, they need less volume to cut through the mix.

A Pedal Version of the BBE Sonic Maximizer

read more Many musicians don't have room for a rack unit in their rig. The answer? The BBE Sonic Stomp -- a foot pedal version of the legendary BBE Sonic Maximizer. The Sonic Stomp foot pedal delivers the same sonic improvement as the popular BBE 482i Sonic Maximizer, giving guitarists and bassists the legendary clarity, definition, and punch that only a Sonic Maximizer can provide.

Pedalboard-Ready

Not only is the BBE Sonic Stomp built like a tank, it includes such features as hard-wired bypass, non-slip rubber bottom, easy-access 9v battery compartment and included external power supply. If you only kick this pedal on during solos, the Sonic Stomp Maximizer Pedal's hard-wired bypass keeps your guitar's impedance intact without any loss of volume and signal tone.

Features:

- Sonic Maximizer technology for clarity and punch
- Lo Contour and Process controls
- 1MEG Ohms input impedance for proper pickup loading
- 1K Ohms output impedance when engaged
- 1% metal-film resistors for consistency
- High-voltage poly caps for better tone
- Military-spec circuit board for reliability
- Blue status LED for high visibility and low power consumption
- Easy access battery compartment
- 9V battery, AC adaptor included (North America only)
- True hardwire bypass
- 5-year warranty

The BBE Story

Headquartered in California, BBE Sound, Inc. has been pioneering audio improvement technologies for professional and consumer applications since 1985. BBE Sound is dedicated to improving the quality of amplified sound for all people, from everyday consumers to music and sound professionals. BBE technologies are found throughout the audio entertainment production spectrum; from the stage and studio, where world-renowned musicians insist upon using BBE professional audio processors, to consumer electronics manufacturers who implement BBE technologies into their products.
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Lo Contour: +12dB @ 50Hz
Process: +12dB @ 10kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio, BBE on Max: 94dB
Signal to Noise Ratio, BBE on Min: 104dB
THD: 0.02% at 1kHz
Noise, BBE on Max: -87dBu
Noise, BBE on Min: -97dBu
Max signal level: +7dBu
Input Impedance: Instrument 1 MEG Ohm
Output impedance: Instrument 1 kOhm
Hard-wired bypass: Yes
Power requirements: 9VDC Battery
Battery life: 50 Hours

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 714-897-6766

BBE Sonic Stomp Maximizer Guitar Pedal

Upgrade everything with Sonic Stomp, the one piece of gear which improves the performance of your whole rig. Whether you're a guitarist or bassist, get ready to be amazed. With Sonic Stomp's proprietary BBE Sonic Maximizer technology, you'll hear your amp cut through the band mix better with dramatically improved note definition in chords and solos. Even with a wall of distortion, the distinct harmonic elements of each note can be heard like never before. Time-based effects take on a level of realism and dimension you never thought possible. And if low-end punch is your thing, you'll discover the Lo Contour control is the ticket to meaty chunk without the mud.

It's like lifting a blanket off your amp to reveal the full potential of your gear and your musical expression. When you're ready to Maximize Your Tone, get your hands on a Sonic Stomp.

BBE Sonic Stomp Tech Focus

Rack mount BBE Sonic Maximizer processors have been the secret weapon of musicians for years, with each generation of the BBE technology offering more for musicians to discover in their tone. While rack-mount models such as the 482i Sonic Maximizer are a staple for many touring musicians with sophisticated rigs, a rack device isn't practical for many musicians. Enter Sonic Stomp, packing the same BBE technology into a pedal for musicians who prefer simple rigs. Its buffered input happily accepts either the input of your instrument or the output of another pedal (Sonic Stomp should be used last in the pedal chain), making Sonic Stomp as easy to use as any other pedal. Just plug it in, dial the knobs to your taste and enjoy.

Sonic Stomp's application of the BBE technology is just like its big brothers, using frequency-dependent time alignment with integrated amplitude compensation. What's all that about? Simply put, it helps a speaker more faithfully reproduce the signal so more of the nuance and detail is revealed. Sonic Stomp is not an effect but a tool to allow more of your tone to reach the ears of your audience - and yours.

Features:

- Sonic Maximizer technology for clarity and punch
- Lo Contour and Process controls
- 1MEG Ohms input impedance for proper pickup loading
- 1K Ohms output impedance when engaged
- 1% metal-film resistors for consistency
- High-voltage poly caps for better tone
- Military-spec circuit board for reliability
- Blue status LED for high visibility and low power consumption
- Easy access battery compartment
- 9V battery, AC adaptor included (North America only)
- True hardwire bypass
- 5-year warranty

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (46 ratings)
Submitted March 4, 2007 by a customer from goofydawg.net

"Want a better sound? You need to get this box!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I don't give 10's across the board too often, but the improvement of my sound was so drastic, that I just couldn't not give it a 10. This is a box that will always be in my signal chain, no matter what I play, and it will be a box that will never go off.

Sound
Just incredible! What it does is so subtle that you hardly notice that it's there, but you definitely miss it when it's not. It's not meant to create an "effect" per se. But somehow, it really improves the presentation of your sound. For instance, I was pretty happy with the sound my rig was putting out, but I wanted to get a little more clarity and reduce the ringiness of my highs, so I was considering getting a compressor. I got into a discussion about this with another musician who said I should consider checking out a Sonic Stomp before getting a compressor. He said it would even out my tone so my highs wouldn't dominate so much. Man, was he spot on! I am so happy with my sound now that I may never get a compressor - it's that good! I just set the Lo Contour to 50%, and set the Processing to about 1 o'clock, and the sound I get is so much more pure than before. I definitely suggest getting this box! NOTE: The user manual strongly suggests that this box be placed at the end of your signal chain. You need to heed that advice, otherwise you'll get all sorts of noise. I challenged this by putting the box behind my Tube Screamer going into the amp (I have two other boxes in the effects read more loop), and there was so much noise from the unit that I almost returned it. But after I placed it as the last box in my effects loop, there were no problems whatsoever!

Ease of Use
Two knobs - that's it! How easier could it get? I didn't give a rating on features because this isn't a box where you twiddle with knobs until you get a particular effect. You turn the knobs until you find a sweet spot in your sound.

Quality
Built like a tank. I gig a lot and though this box is new, I don't anticipate having to get a backup unit.

Value
I have only a few stomp boxes because what I want out of my tone is fairly straight-forward, but I have to say that this was probably the best money I've ever spent on a stomp box.

The Wow Factor
Folks, this is NOT a sexy product, nor is it meant to be. But the overall improvement of your tone with this box makes it absolutely someting you should have at the end of your signal chain.

Musical Background:
Gigging Musician

Musical Style:
All sorts from Jazz Standards to Classic Rock to neo-Classical
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