Key Features
- Two effects loops for clean and distorted signals giving infinite possibilities for tone
- Built in compressor for keeping your tone together with adjustable internal trim pots
- A footswitchable boost for taking your overdrive into new dimensions
- Changeable OP-AMP chip to give brand new character to your drive
EBS Billy Sheehan Ultimate Drive Overview
Armed with an arsenal of features, this is the pedal that could half the size of your equipment - the EBS Billy Sheehan Ultimate Drive. Including a boost, compressor, and separate effects loops for both the clean and distorted signals - this is versatility in abundance.
Regarded as "Best Rock Bass Player" by Guitar Player Magazine and with a discography a country mile long, Billy Sheehan understands what great tone it's all about. That experience is now condensed into a single unit. For a person to condense his gigantic double rig and condense it to a single pedal with a small footprint is an incredible achievement.
Product Ref: 140376
Full Description
View Full DescriptionTwo loops, infinite possibilities
With a bass that has two separate inputs for two separate rigs, Billy Sheehan’s set up not only sounds colossal, it's massive in size. And this is exactly why this pedal was created. This gives your single signal two parallel paths with individual effects loops, giving independent control over your clean, and distorted tone. The clean loop also has a double function. If you have a bass with two inputs, you can then separate the frequencies, sending one input to the clean signal and the other to the main input. You can then keep all the low end in one channel and only have the mid and treble frequencies effected by the other – genius!
Unlike the previous Billy Sheehan drive pedal, you now get much more control over the tone knob with the two frequency modes. This will take you into brand new territories of drive, allowing you to grind the mid frequencies, opening this up new sonic possibilities.
Keeping your tone inline
The Ultimate Drive features a built-in compressor with a lot more functionality than is apparent at first glance. On its face, you have access to a mid, high, and an off position switch. On its own, the default settings are great for bringing your tone together nicely, but it's inside the pedal where the extra control is. You will see a couple of trim pots, these give you control over the threshold and overall compression amount, letting you set the compressor up however you want.
The phase inverter is an ingenious feature. For the drive signal, engaging it can bring back the girth that can sometimes be missing, keeping your drive strong and loud.
Okay, that’s a lot of features but how does it sound?
Massive, it sounds huge! With the gain cranked and a little of the clean tone coming through, your ears are great with a chunky, grinding tone that will satisfy any rock bassist. That, right there, is what this pedal is about - dominating rock shows and shaking the audience that hear you play.
Although that isn’t the only thing this pedal is great for; the gain control has a brilliant range. From an almost clean setting (when completely backed off) to a rich and dynamic overdrive (as you start to increase it) giving you a plethora of different drive sounds. There is also a separate boost function that can also be turned on, sending an already distorted signal into heavy distortion.
If all that wasn’t enough, you can also change the OP-AMP chip inside the pedal without any need to solder anything! This will give your drive a different character depending on what chip you put in Click here for more information.
Specifications
- Input Impedance: 700K Ohm
- Output Impedance:
- Power Required: 9, 12 or 18 V DC, 60 mA max. Pedal shuts off below 6.0 V
- Input Connections: 2 x 1/4'',
- Output Connections: 2 x 1/4'',
- Controls: Bass, Tone, level, Clean, Freq, Phase, Comp, Boost
- Dimensions: W x H x D 3.3” x 4.5” x 1.9” (83 x 115 x 48 mm