BB

Not exactly the answer but it works. I'm currently using a small practice amp & as we know it, the bottom end response for such a unit is rather lacking. Does this BB9 solve the problem? Not quite.

1. A pedal is an implement that sits before the amp in a signal chain. If there's any influence on tone, then it is affecting the guitar's signal rather than sculpting the amp's voicing at source. I'm referencing my current situation where no looping feature exists at the amp's rear panel.
2. The final outcome is of more significance when one utilizes an effect pedal. The BB9 helps beef things up because, well, that's its job. I can hear more lower frequencies during play & it doesn't matter if the guitar's signals are actually being affected as opposed to the amp's. This is rather obvious as I'm currently playing a guitar that has EMG pickups on board.

Excess

There's obviously too much gain here:

• Source 1: BB9- the gain level is almost MAXed out
• Source 2: NUX DF- It has a metal distortion module in operation
• Source 3: NUX DF- It has the overdrive module engaged as well (both distortion & module were set to stun)
• Source 4: NUX DF- as if lacking in aggression, the BOOST function is engaged

Remember, too much gain sucks tone. But if you can't achieve your preferences, you suck.

Drive

I'm not in heavy metal mood in the mean time. My set up very much reflects the current flavour; a thick drive, very much in the veins of jazz-rock rather than outright aggression. Have been listening to Depeche Mode & Brett Garsed lately...

The Ibanez BB9... well, I deem it as a Red Bull pedal, adding that kick in an already potent setting. In addition to the bottom end injection, the BB9 also adds gain to the chain (hey, it rhymes!) so whatever aggression you have going, it's gonna bring it up but not excessively.

Fuchs' Cream pedal is a member of the PLUSH series of effects, it's not as celebrated as any other drive because in general, in a drive conversation, the proverbial Tubescreamer is the talk. The Cream is actually a processed Tubescreamer which ended up sounding quite far off from its originator. To me it's a saturated drive with lots of clarity in the output, not just a midrange focus. It's a more outgoing drive, you can say that, not just a slight addition. 

Putting these two pedals together, I get a very sensitive & boosted drive, if there is a heavy metal version of an overdrive, this would be it (no, BOSS's SD-1 isn't quite 'Super' to me). This is important because I'm a light picker, I need to get immediate results with minimum efforts, the slacker's working formula, he he... The setback to this sensitivity is of course extraneous noise; all sliding, knocking, scratching & tripping noises resulting from my picking technicalities get magnified. This is a good thing for me (yes, it is) as it teaches me to control my hands. Sometimes we forget this fundamental rule of not making others hear the noise- just the music, it's an art, really.

Power boost

I've put away my Marshall/ Laney in anticipation of a new amp so in the mean time, it's my Killer Ant + pedals. These are the pedals I use, nothing excessive, just the Power Stack & BB9. I'm grateful to BOSS for voicing the Power Stack like an amp, the BB9 acts like a pseudo EQ via its TONE knob manipulation while the GAIN feature defines/ saturates the distortion further.

Flu's back...

Ibanez: Bottom booster

So the Jet Driver was not the only pedal I bought that day, the Ibanez Bottom Booster (BB9- new for 2011) was also another taker. I have no use for a bottom end/ lower frequency booster because the tones I hear coming out from my amps contain a healthy fat end mix; since I do not dial up my treble, I have no need for lower frequency reinforcements. However, because I was given the opportunity to try this pedal, turning the tone knob way up to accentuate treble, in full knowledge that the pedal wasn't conceived to address this application exclusively, yielded an interesting outcome for us players who are wary of ill definition when it comes to clean boosting per se. The other factor accounting for this this result was the GAIN knob, it's there to check drive grit (more prominent when the pedal is in use with an already overdriven amp/ milder distortion pedals); if you are a distortion purist, you'd appreciate its inclusion.

The other reason why I bought this pedal was because it does some good for single coil tones- it adds much beef if you are predominantly using your bridge pickup. In this light, the BB9 works like Seymour Duncan's pickup booster. If you wish to simply use this pedal for clean boosting without much bass emphasis, then you need to look elsewhere. The bass highlight will always be present regardless if you max-out the treble.

PS: Thanks to bro Faizal @ Swee Lee's BB showroom for the assistance- much appreciated!

Fresh 9s

Still in the Ibanez camp- we have here one of the new Series 9 pedal, a Jet Driver which is quite a winner with me simply due to its dedicated midrange control. Yeah!

The other interesting addition is the Bottom Booster for all you dweebs who keep whining about your thin, shrill tone. In addition to beefing up your signals, as the name implies, it beefs up your bottom. 

I mean bottom end; sorry 'bout that.

More importantly, both pedals feature true bypass.