Sound- Tight, punchy, and full. This preamp is three-band rotary, with a seperate parametric mid control that I find useful for either cutting away the nasally honk you find in some basses, or for getting more cut in the mix. I already went over the basic tones in the last paragraph, so I won't bore you with more. Suffice to say, it's really hard to get a bad sound out of this unit.

Aesthetics- Except for the kind of goofy-looking BMax logo on the left side of the unit's face-(looks kind of like Dell's logo), this unit is drop-dead gorgeous. Black satin steel finish, white silk-screened markings, and very elegant red abalone-tipped knobs make this look like a very expensive rig. The bright switch is a micro-sized switch with no play in it, the controls have a smooth, regulated feel to them- definitely not cheap-feeling. BBE has done a bang-up job making a great-looking piece that you will be proud to have in your rack. The power switch on the right is lighted green.

Effects- Only two- compression and BBE processor. Want anything else but clean, pure bass tone? Then get an effects unit and run it through the effects loop. You want distortion? Then buy yourself a Les Paul and a Marshall. I don't think distortion should be allowed on bass except for solos, and even then...

The compressor doesn't squash you too much, which seems to be my reason for not liking it on bass very much. This unit's compression is a soft-knee type that smooths out the biggest and baddest of peaks while, most importantly, LEAVING THE REST OF YOUR SOUND ALONE! At extreme settings (past 3 o'clock) it will substantially affect your sound, but unless you actually like your bass to sound like you're playing in a coffee can...the rest of the time it supports and tightens up your sound, doing what it is SUPPOSED to do. Nice.

The BBE is the most useful part. In fact, I think if I were the head honcho over there, I would rename this part of the preamp "Impact". As soon as I turned the lo-contour up to about 6, then the process up to about 6-7, I flipped the switch. Like Emeril says "BAM! Kick it up a notch!" Everything about the character of my sound was still there, nothing was lost, there was just more of everything. All of a sudden, I hit a note and found myself up against the back wall, fighting to breathe, like someone kicked me in the nads! This is IT! I use Eden cabs, and I found that I had to turn the horn down a tad from where I usually run it.

Overall- This is one BAD UNIT! I recommend that you check it out ASAP- providing you can find one. If someone stole mine, I would track them down like the dog they are, and bludgeon them with the rest of my rack. This unit ROCKS! Clean, tight, focused sound with no excuses. Life's too short for bad tone.

Construction	100%
(Built like a tank, while looking like delicate...)
Sound	100%
(BAM! Kick it up a notch! Tight, clean and clear- just the way I like it! Has
huevos grandes!)
Useability	100%
(It might have a bad sound in it somewhere, but damned if I can find it...)
Value	100%
(Monstrous. Killer. Phat. Minty. You get the picture.)
Overall	100%
(A definite must-have...boutique sound at (almost) a Wal-Mart price!)