try using it to push filtering effects like filters, phasers, flangers, or like, in the effects loop of a delay, etc.

If you ever get into a lot of effects you can use it to compensate for the loss of signal. That’s what I use mine for now. I actually did the same thing you did when I first bought mine. I had a Line 6 ss amp. I figured a little extra dirt in my sound would be cool. Turns out it doesn’t work that way.

I use my LPB-1 (and LPB2ube) in lots of ways, including with SS amps.

I’m a bass player, so this may not totally (tonally?) apply, but I bought my LPB-1 to go with my Sunn Studio Lead, a SS amp with no master volume, to give it a little more range. It sounded very different with the LPB-1 pushing it than just tweaking the volume.

Another nice application is in front of an Envelope Triggered effect like an auto-wah. This essentially gives you two settings for your auto-wah, since it will pushed harder with the LPB on, so you can have a mellow setting turn extreme when you trigger the LPB.

Obviously, as you say, this effect was designed to push tube amps into overdrive that might not otherwise have been designed with “crunch” in mind. My Sound City 150 is a very clean tube bass head, and the LPB-1 gives it some modern grit. So yeah, I fully support saving for a tube amp!

From my experience basses do work slightly different than guitars tonally with a boost. For instance my brother has a BBE sonic stomp in his bass rig (he uses a ss ampeg) and when he turns that thing on his bass sounds monstrous. I tried using his sonic stomp once when I had my ss amp and all it did was make it sound muddy. He’s tried my using my lpb-1 a few times and it does make it a little punchier and makes his low end boom a little more (not nearly as much as the sonic stomp though). As for the things like an auto wah or envelop filters, it most certainly gives it a different effect. Overdrives and distortions will do the same thing. I have a q tron and I have to be careful when I have my Tube Screamer or LPB-1 on otherwise it icepicks super easy (I have both in front of my q tron).

As for buying a tube amp. I originally thought people were crazy for spending ridiculous amounts of money on tube amps. Once I got one (I have a Bogner Alchemist) there is no way I could or would ever go back to a solid state. I would definitely have a tube amp on the top of your musical list as of right now. I got mine off of craigslist for pretty cheap, so I would recommend starting there.

You shouldn’t have any problems using a cry baby with it. I have the Cry Baby 535q and it works fine with it as long as it’s in front of the boost. Most people say to have your wah first in the chain anyway unless you do the whole distortion box then wah thing (I personally hate that sound). As for the bogner I’m glad I turned you on to it! It’s a great amp, very versatile. The only thing it can’t do is metal distortion so if your into that I would just by a EHX metal muff. The only downside to it is the fact that it weighs a ton!! The 1X12 I have weighs 65 pounds.

The only way to really tell is to try it. I use a lot of pedals for things they weren’t really ever intended for. One example is when I bought my Maestro W2: The maestro was never really designed to work with a guitar signal, It was designed to work with a woodwind, so when I plugged my guitar into it there wasn’t enough signal to drive it. Not even my OD808 boosted it enough. I got to thinking, and what I ended up trying (and still do) is using my 16 Second Digital Delay in DSP Bypass mode and cranking the Dry Out. This provides more than enough signal to drive the W3. Now I understand that this is not ideal, but when I want to play around with my W3 it does work. Point being, you’ll never know until you try. One thing I would watch out for (and I believe someone already mentioned this,) is pushing a digital amp too hard. Digital distortion that is pushed beyond where it’s “comfortable” is usually not very appealing. Just remember, don’t get caught up in “this was designed for this, not that” type of stuff. If it sounds okay to you, go with it. Pedals are tools, use them in anyway that will get the job done. A lot of it is preference, especially when it comes to boosts of any kind.

synthaxe