The B9 Organ Pedal - 'Like it alot!

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 26 Nov 2016 2:46 pm

So I picked up a B9 Organ Pedal, and I am running the following setup...
Steel > Black-Box > B9 > Telonics-Volume-Pedal > Walker-Stereo-Steel.
I have the RV3 running in stereo in the effects loop.
Here's where things really came to life...
I replaced one of the 1x15"-cabs with a PA-speaker (an older JBL G-730 [1x12 and Horn], in this case).
The B9 pedal works great!!!
A total game changer.
It sounds killer in stereo with one 15" cab and one PA speaker.
The PA speaker has a 3-position switch for Horn sensitivity, which is very useful for getting the more or less of the nuances of the B9's sound spectrum.
The added sound spectrum of the full range PA speaker really brings the B9 to life.
I have been having great fun with this thing, and I think it will be totally giggable.
It says it is true bypass.
I have been working with this pedal for about 1 week, and the current configuration sounds huuuge!
'Been getting my right and left hand technique dialed in for B3 playing. No Vibrato, for one thing.
I want to go over and the the Key-9 right now!

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 27 Nov 2016 7:25 am

I had a Key-9 and returned it.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 27 Nov 2016 7:35 am

I recall returning an MXR Dobro pedal.
I probably should have experimented with it more.
I have got this B9 working perfectly.
I would think it would be a slam dunk for Gospel styles.
I was playing the B9 along with "The Night They Tore Ol Dixie Down" and several other tunes last night...
I'm loving this thing!

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 27 Nov 2016 12:47 pm

Pete,
I like mine a lot also.
Instead of the Key-9 pedal try the EHX Lester-k for a Leslie effect. Together with the B9 and wow!

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 27 Nov 2016 3:36 pm

What organ setting do you like on the B9? I'm using no. 3 a lot (Gospel) for rock stuff.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 28 Nov 2016 7:23 am

I would say, for Pedal Steel, the only B9 setting I am having trouble with is setting #4. The "Click" feature is too loud in the mix (I wonder if there is an internal trim-pot).
I haven't tried this unit with Guitar yet, but I am a guitar player also, and will try it later this week.
On a whim I stopped in GC yesterday hoping to find a Key-9, but they didn't have one, so I grabbed a C9 to check out. I really like that pedal also (45-day return policy... whew!).
Overall the C9 "Click" sound seems lower in the mix than the B9. I think all 9 settings were very usable! I loved playing Telstar on Steel! There is also a setting in there that sounds just like the flute intro on Marshal Tuckers "Heard it in a Love Song".
Very Funn stuff!

I want to try that Key-9. I wonder why there is not a Piano sound in that one??? I wanna play "Chopsticks" on Steel (there is Tab for Chopsticks in the Tab section of this Forum)!

Cartwright Thompson · Post by **Cartwright Thompson** » 28 Nov 2016 3:54 pm

I think the C-9 is a whole lot better/more useable than the B-9. I think it's good to try and get used to the B-9, then get a C-9 and find out how much better it is.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 28 Nov 2016 6:19 pm

Hey Pete,

I have that pedal too and the click function is modulated by one of the knobs. You can dial it up or down, from way too much to barely audible. Check it out again.

Best wishes,
Jim

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 29 Nov 2016 6:34 am

It sounds like that Click knob also controls some of the Organ sound, like the treble end of the spectrum.
I really like the Tone I get with that knob between 12-3 o'clock, but the Click is too loud.
After two or three hours of playing, I now think the C9 is a better organ pedal for Steel players, mainly because the Click sound is much lower. I can run the Click knob wide open and it is not too loud. I still think the B9 is a very powerful pedal, and volume pedal technique allows me to get around that Click sound, which only bugs me on a few settings. The Bell Organ setting is great! Also, the Octaves setting.
Last night I was playing along with "No Woman No Cry" and some other Marley tunes, then went on a "Runaway/Telstar" jag for a while.
These pedals get really close to the Organ sound on the the recording.
Very Fun!

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 29 Nov 2016 8:47 am

You need to read the manual that comes with the pedal.
Depending on the effect you are dialing in, the knob with the click also affects some other things depending on the effect.

Karen Sarkisian · Post by **Karen Sarkisian** » 29 Nov 2016 12:00 pm

Cartwright Thompson wrote:I think the C-9 is a whole lot better/more useable than the B-9. I think it's good to try and get used to the B-9, then get a C-9 and find out how much better it is.

Can you explain what you prefer about the C9 ? I'm on the fence about a B9 or a C9 pedal. thanks

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 29 Nov 2016 12:23 pm

The B9 has a very annoying Click sound on some patches.
The C9 does not have that sound.
That is the biggest difference in use-ability, to me.
Overall I think the C9 has some patches that sound like the B9, and also C9 settings 1 and 2 which are like clean and dirty Lesie style sounds, very gig-able (I think).
I have been playing with both side by side for a few days now, and if I had to choose one, I would grab the C9.

Karen Sarkisian · Post by **Karen Sarkisian** » 29 Nov 2016 12:30 pm

Cool thanks for this.

Cartwright Thompson · Post by **Cartwright Thompson** » 29 Nov 2016 3:06 pm

The click wasn't a big deal for me. I thought the B9 was a little too "take me out to the ballgame" organ. Most of the settings were just a little too much. The C9 is a lot more useable. I'd like to try the melotron pedal too.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 30 Nov 2016 7:06 am

You can definitely get a gig playing that lick right before everyone yells "Charge!" at the Hockey Stadium or Ball Park, with the B9!
Also playing that lick right before the horses get ready to run at the Horse Track.
I think the C9 has enough B9-ish sounds, plus other good sounds.
The Bell Organ on the B9 is one cool sound the C9 does not have.
The Shimmer sound on the C9 is like some of the sounds on the Mel-9.
Yes I will have to try the Mel9 at some point, too!

They basically have 4 pedals offering a total of 36 sounds.
I wish I could have one pedal that I could just download my favorite 9 patches out of the 36, or soemthing like that.
One unit with all 36 sounds would nice.

They have pretty good demos on the EHX site:
http://www.ehx.com/products/c9
Now I have to get the EHX Switchblade Plus!... apparently.

Eric Philippsen · Post by **Eric Philippsen** » 2 Dec 2016 7:51 am

I use the EH B9 pedal a lot in one of the bands I play with. 75% of their tunes are rock ones and the added organ is a HUGE hit. Everyone is amazed by it.

I did have a problem on one gig where I had it directly after the steel in the signal chain. It seemed that the unit had trouble handling the pickups' hot output signals and there were crackling sounds. I switched things around during the break and the noises went away. Yet, on the next gig everything was ok when I put it right after the steel again. Go figure.

The only problem I have is with the the unit's "trigger" level. That is, when I play a chord and let it sustain it sometimes cuts off too early. Put another way, say "10" is the volume level of a long sustained chord when I first play it. The B9 often abruptly cuts off at around "3" or so instead of gradually dying down to "0", uninterrupted. Not a biggie, as it occurs only on long sustained chords, but annoying nonetheless.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 2 Dec 2016 8:41 am

I had the cut off problem too. I read a lot of guitar threads about this. A compressor before the B9 helps a lot. Thats what I did. Signal chain:

steel>freeloader>compressor>B9>Lex>VP>reverb>amp

Rick Kreuziger · Post by **Rick Kreuziger** » 2 Dec 2016 9:25 am

I have a B9 I've played around with, but it generates a low level organ tone from background hum with the pedal turned off. Anyone else have this issue?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 2 Dec 2016 11:06 am

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 2 Dec 2016 12:33 pm

No, never

Rick Kreuziger · Post by **Rick Kreuziger** » 2 Dec 2016 12:36 pm

Switch must be bad on mine; seems like it's not fully bypassing.

edit: I was thinking about this and checked my old emails (it's been awhile)..
Tom Bradshaw sent me a new one to try and it did the same thing. (Tom has thee most incredible customer service I've ever experienced.)
If placed the pedal further back in the signal chain the drone tone was reduced but still there.
I may have to pull that thing out and try it again.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 2 Dec 2016 1:40 pm

I've set up the pedal in a configuration that generated a backround sound with what appeared to be no input signal. I think I had it after the volume pedal.
I don't remember but I knew it was wrong and re-wired it.
Make it the first thing after your Steel.
The only thing in front of it might be a Black Box or a compressor.

I now see that these pedals are a Buffered output (not True Bypass). I forget why that matters...
Anyway...
When playing, I almost always keep the Dry signal at Zero.
I seem to run the Organ signal around 2 o'clock, and let the Volume pedal do the rest.
Yes, reading the Manuals has helped me alot, to get the unit to sound as good as it can sound.

I picked up the Switchblade Plus ($44) and it lets you easily switch between pedals or combine (combine works suprisingly well!).
I guess I mainly like the sounds that are so easily available without a computer or Midi equipment.

Rick Kreuziger · Post by **Rick Kreuziger** » 2 Dec 2016 1:44 pm

Ah.. there 'ya go.. thanks Pete!
That switchblade switch could be a handy gizmo..

Derrick Unger · Post by **Derrick Unger** » 5 Dec 2016 6:11 pm

Would like to hear more on the b9 vrs. c9..have been looking hard at the 2 and would really like to save some money..instead of buying both.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 5 Dec 2016 9:38 pm

Now that I have tried them side by side for a week (on Pedal Steel only) I think the C9 has more use-able sounds.
The B9 has some good sounds, but not as many as the C9.
I have yet to use one on a gig.

The Steel Guitar Forum

The B9 Organ Pedal - 'Like it alot!

The B9 Organ Pedal - 'Like it alot!

B9 vrs C9