[Harp-L] Boss FBM-1 Fender '59 Bassman pedal

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I bought the Boss FBM-1 '59 Fender Bassman pedal online from American 
Musical Supply last week for the price of $149, and it arrived about an 
hour ago.  Initial testing with my Audix Fireball mic is very favorable. 
 The device includes controls for bass, middle, treble, and presence, 
plus separate controls for gain and volume. That's pretty simple stuff, 
and it doesn't take long to dial in a good sound, with however much 
crunch you prefer, on whatever amp you're using for the output.

I don't own a '59 Bassman or a Bassman reissue, so I have no way of 
knowing whether the pedal sounds exactly like either one of them.  And 
frankly, I don't care.  I like stuff that sounds good, whether or not it 
sounds exactly like something else.  This box makes a good sound.

The device seems to have very little self-noise at this point, but I 
want to do more testing on a variety of gear before I conclude that it's 
suitable for recording.

I doubt that this thing will replace a Sonny Junior, but it should be a 
nice piece for players who want a simple, lightweight, inexpensive 
solution that sounds good.  I also don't think it will replace my 
Digitech RP200, because it's only got one amp model, and the Digitech 
has half a dozen usable models with distinct tones, plus three good 
delays, decent chorus/flange/detun/etc., and a couple of killer pitch 
shifters. In other words, the Digitech is a lot more versatile.

However, the Digitech is not "simple"--it took me 50 hours to develop my 
first usable set of 40 patches for it, and it's taking me about another 
dozen hours to reconfigure the patch set for the Audix Fireball mic. (I 
sell the patch sets for $15, which is a good deal if you want to get up 
and running on the RP200 with a lot of good sounds fast.) That said, if 
you're willing to put in the time, the Digitech is a great value at its 
current price of $99 from Musicians Friend or American Musical Supply.

If you're not willing to put in the time on a more complicated pedal, 
you can probably get a good sound in 5 minutes with the Bassman pedal, 
assuming you're running the output to a decent amp.  Varying the gain 
and tone controls should produce another half dozen or so good, basic 
amped sounds that most players will be very happy with.

The thing is a trifle pricey for one amp model, but it's cheaper than a 
reissue Bassman amp, sounds good, and is small and light enough to carry 
in a backpack with your harps and mic.  I expect that Boss will sell a 
lot of these things.

regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com
latest mp3s always at http://www.broadjam.com