The Xotic BBP-AT is a limited-edition signature version of the BB Preamp, made with guitarist Andy Timmons. It works as both an overdrive and a clean boost, capable of 30dB+ of clean boost as well as what Guitar World called "smokin' overdrive tones"1. Xotic Effects announced it in December 2017 as a limited run of 3,000 pedals, a reincarnation of the original BB Preamp that first hit the market years earlier1.
What it does
The BBP-AT covers two jobs at once. With the gain backed off it acts as a clean boost with more than 30dB available, enough to push an amp's front end hard, and with the gain up it delivers overdrive1. That makes it a flexible pedal for players who want one box for both a level lift and a drive voice, sitting alongside Xotic's other boost and drive designs such as the EP Booster and RC Booster-V2.
The compression switch
The feature that sets the BBP-AT apart from the standard BB Preamp is a three-position compression switch. According to Aion FX's technical analysis of the BB Preamp family, the switch gives the player a choice of standard compression, as on the current BB Preamp, more compression, which is the Andy Timmons setting, or no compression via a diode lift3.
The background to that switch goes back to the BB Preamp's Custom Shop models. In 2012, Xotic released a second Custom Shop version called the "Comp", which put the clipping diodes on a switch with three positions: AT, with one diode in each direction; 1.5, with two diodes in each direction; and a diode-lift mode in the middle4. The BBP-AT's compression switch carries that idea into the signature model, letting the player change how hard the circuit clips and how compressed the drive feels.
"Users will have the ability to choose standard compression (think current BB-PREAMP), more compression (Andy Timmons"
Where it came from
The BBP-AT is a signature model in a line of BB Preamp variants. Guitar World reported the announcement in December 2017, noting that Xotic Effects had "combined forces with Andy Timmons" once again for the limited run of 3,000 units, and describing the pedal as a reincarnation of the original BB Preamp1. The BB Preamp circuit has since been explored in several versions, including the Custom Shop Comp and the BB Preamp MB34.
The BBP-AT was a limited run of 3,000 pedals announced in 2017. It is not a current production model, so availability depends on the used market.
Videos
The Official Xotic Guitars and Effects Channel
The Official Xotic Guitars and Effects Channel
Questions
Is the Xotic BBP-AT still in production?
No. The BBP-AT was a limited run of 3,000 pedals announced in December 2017 as a signature model made with Andy Timmons. Once that run sold through, the pedal was no longer made, so players looking for one today are generally shopping the used market rather than a dealer's shelf.
How is the BBP-AT different from the standard BB Preamp?
The BBP-AT is a signature version of the BB Preamp built around Andy Timmons' preferences. The main difference is a three-position compression switch that lets the player choose standard compression, more compression, or no compression via a diode lift. The standard BB Preamp does not offer that choice.
Sources (4)
- Xotic Effects Announces Limited Edition Andy Timmons BBP-AT Signature Series Pedal, Guitar World, 2017-12-11
- Sparker 全容, Xotic Effects, 2023
- Tracing Journal: Xotic BB Preamp (several versions), Aion FX, 2021-10-22
- Perelandra Boost & Overdrive / Xotic BB Preamp, Aion FX, 2018-09-22
