GEAR REVIEW
ELECTRO- HARMONIX “ B9 ” EFFECT PEDAL
Review By Dave Celentano
STREET PRICE $ 221
Electro-Harmonix established a reputation in the ’ 70s for making state-of-the-art effects pedals for guitarists and bassists . Classics like the Electric Mistress ( flanger ), Memory Man ( analog echo / delay ), Big Muff ( fuzz box ), and Micro Synthesizer ( first pedalform guitar synth ) are must haves in the vintage market circles . Founder Mike Matthews and his EHX family will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in a couple years and they show no signs of slowing down as they continue the tradition of developing worldclass effects and tools for guitarists .
Their award-winning “ B9 ” stomp box offers a fresh perspective and illustrates how far guitar synthesis has evolved in transforming your ax into a convincing old-school organ – by converting the signal from the pickups with incredible accuracy ( no MIDI required ). The pedal emulates nine of the most popular vintage organ / keyboard sounds and serves them up in one small box for guitarists . Imagine Bach-style cathedral tones , Jimmy Smith ’ s groovy Hammond B-3 jazz explorations , psychedelic ’ 60s keyboard textures a la the Doors , rock / classical-infused thunder of Deep
Purple ’ s Jon Lord , and bluesy organ reminiscent of Booker T . and the MGs ’ “ Green Onions ” all coming from the same pedal . All for a little over $ 200 bucks !
I was surprised at how well the pedal tracked chords and kept up with fast musical passages . It didn ’ t miss a beat and the notes were clear and defined . One of the coolest benefits of the B9 is that it provides additional sonic options and encourages a keyboardist mindset for new chord voicings , bass lines , and phrases not found in everyday guitar vocabulary . Between the presets and easy-to-use layout , pulling up a great organ sound is as simple as turning a knob , and there ’ s no editing menus or programming . The sounds are immediately satisfying and easy to work with right out of the box . Just plug in and play ! Note : the B9 tracks best with a clean and even performance ; so if your playing is not consistent , put a compressor in front of the pedal to help smooth out irregularities and deliver a better sound . Otherwise EHX recommends placing the B9 first in the effect chain .