Anyone have any Grace Design BiX experience?

[gr81dorn]

Has anyone had any first hand experience with the BiX preamp pedal from Grade Design?

I am looking for a relatively robust preamp pedal to use with a couple acoustic guitars and also my hybrid mandola-ish instruments - everything has passive pickups (K&Ks and Schattens primarily).

I know of their stuff as being premium and this one seems to have just enough and the price is within reason for what I'm interested in paying for something.

Thoughts or alternatives welcome.

[rockabilly69]

With the preamp demands of K&K pickups, which to me include variable impedance, and parametric mids (to notch out problematic low mids), I would look at the Alix. Along with 2 ranges of mid sweep, and a variable HP/Notch-Filter, IMNSHO that Alix is more suited to the K&Ks. I love Grace preamps and own both the Alix and the Felix, but the Bix seems like too little features for too much money.

The Mesa Rosette, is a very good sound preamp, has more EQ and filters for the same amount of money.

And the Tech 21 Q-Strip would also be a very good choice and slightly less money.

[guitarwebguy]

I’ll +1 rockabilly69 and also suggest you’d be happier with the Alix. I use an Alix (downgraded from a Felix) Grace gear is top notch (so is the $) but quality is primo, I use the Alix with 3 K&K equipped guitars and a K&K equipped banjo

[varmonter]

I have the felix.. I bought maybe 8 yrs ago.
I initially bought it because I play
Guitar and mandolin and now octave mandolin.
The two ch of the felix offer me 2 diff eq options.
For mandolin and guitar. I have since
Gone to the helix stomp. Which allows me many
Many different presets. Of which I now feed into
One ch of the felix. To FOH. But having
That flexibility helps get optimum sound for each
Instrument without having to bend over and tweak knobs every time I change instruments.
I mute unplug one.. plug in the other. Push a button on the helix to change the preset
From let's say guitar to mandolin. Un mute and
Good to go. You'll find with the bix when you change inst you'll also have to adjust
Knobs to suit that inst.
Grace Design makes top notch stuff.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by varmonter

I have the felix.. I bought maybe 8 yrs ago.
I initially bought it because I play
Guitar and mandolin and now octave mandolin.
The two ch of the felix offer me 2 diff eq options.
For mandolin and guitar. I have since
Gone to the helix stomp. Which allows me many
Many different presets. Of which I now feed into
One ch of the felix. To FOH. But having
That flexibility helps get optimum sound for each
Instrument without having to bend over and tweak knobs every time I change instruments.
I mute unplug one.. plug in the other. Push a button on the helix to change the preset
From let's say guitar to mandolin. Un mute and
Good to go. You'll find with the bix when you change inst you'll also have to adjust
Knobs to suit that inst.
Grace Design makes top notch stuff.

Why don't you just plug the Helix into the insert and leave both instruments plugged into their respective channels?

And what presets are you using from the Felix? I've been wondering how their delays and reverbs are, especially since I've heard you could load it with your own IRs.

[fingeryoga]

I use the bix , but with a baggs lb6 , great sound and all the control I need .btw I also own two felix's for other guitars.