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.
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.
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.
