Li'l Izzy The Original Buffer Is Available Once Again

Larry Custer · Post by **Larry Custer** » 1 Jan 2014 9:34 am

I watched the Marty Staurt show from Philadelphia,Ms,
I saw Gary Carter using a Little Izzy on his Zum with a Peavey 1000.Thought it was a good promo for the Izzy.
I got 1 for bass and 2 for guitar and 1 for steel.My father has used an Izzy for many years on bass and has been a dear friend of Craig's since I was a kid and that's a long time.

Mike Bowles · Post by **Mike Bowles** » 2 Jan 2014 8:52 am

what is the difference in a lil izzy and a black box?

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 2 Jan 2014 12:05 pm

The Black Box has a tube and a knob to control the loading (so it acts like a tone knob, sorta), and has to have wall current.
The Izzy uses op amps (presumably: he Goops the board in epoxy so you can't see what's in it), and has a 9 volt battery that you have to replace every year or so.
And one costs in the neighborhood of $130 and the other around 2.5 times as much.

Mike Bowles · Post by **Mike Bowles** » 2 Jan 2014 12:55 pm

thanks lane i wondered about this i already have a bb but i have something else to hook up to power i wondered about the tone.

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 5 Jan 2014 7:12 am

Roger Dillingham wrote:

"Mr. Baker, I just received my Li'l Izzy today and had to FORCE myself to quit playing tonight so I can get up and go to work tomorrow! Man, this thing is amazing! I never would have thought such as small package would have such a HUGE effect on my sound. . . "

Hi Roger,
Don't know why I didn't see your post until now, but thank you so much for your very nice compliments.
I can appreciate you staying up late with Li'l Izzy. Believe me Roger, Li'l Izzy kept me up many nights too.

All the best to you in 2014,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 5 Jan 2014 7:54 am

Mike, there are many people who use both a BB and an Izzy. They can't all be drinking the Kool-Aid

Fraser Cameron · Post by **Fraser Cameron** » 13 Mar 2014 5:24 am

Hi Craig,
L'il Izzy arrived in yesterday's mail and where do I begin ? The improvement in tone and string separation on my Carter D-10(XR-16's) and NV112 (Fox chips) is unreal ! I was looking for some top-end sparkle and your little blue box really delivers !
Thanks,
Fraser

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 16 Mar 2014 11:57 am

Fraser,
Thank you for your post. It's always good to hear from another steel player out there who is happy with the sound Li'l Izzy provides. Glad you like the string separation and I trust it will be part of your sound for many years to come.

Again, thank you Fraser for your purchasing, using and complimenting Li'l Izzy.

Best regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

William Kendrick · Post by **William Kendrick** » 31 Mar 2014 11:25 am

Just received my new Li'l Izzy. What a difference! Excellent string separation and clean undistorted sound. Makes even a hack like me sound fairly decent. Thanks, Craig.

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 4 Apr 2014 6:12 pm

Hi Bill,
Your compliments and kind words are greatly appreciated. According to your list, you seem to like good equipment. Thank you for including Li'l Izzy in your line-up. Hope it serves you well for years to come.

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 1 May 2014 2:45 pm

Buck Reid suggested I try one....WOW!..What a difference...I can't believe I did without this thing for 30 years!!...Fabulous device!

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 1 May 2014 5:04 pm

Mickey,
Over the years, I've read many of your posts here on the forum. So far, this one is my favorite.

Thank you very much for your nice compliments. Hope you enjoy your Li'l Izzy for many years to come.

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Kenny Howard · Post by **Kenny Howard** » 18 May 2014 12:20 pm

Acquired a Lil Izzy a couple weeks ago from Craig Baker. Truly amazing device, 3 Â¼ inch long, that plugs directly into the guitar. If you play through a Nashville 112, this will give you the twang you feel might be missing, IMHO.
As for Mr Baker; heâ€™s one the nicest people Iâ€™ve met in some time. This is NOT an opinion. Talk to the man and youâ€™ll see what I mean.
Oh yeah, he sends treats with each purchase!

Bill Moran · Post by **Bill Moran** » 18 May 2014 4:05 pm

Lane Gray wrote:Mike, there are many people who use both a BB and an Izzy. They can't all be drinking the Kool-Aid

I'm using both. I did have to go with a pot vol. pedal. The Hilton didn't work for me.
I go from guitar to the BB. BB to the Goodrich vol. pedal with the Izzy plugged into the output of the vol. pedal. Then to a Wet Reverb and on to the amp. Works good with my Music Man amp or Evans.
Took me awhile to find out what sounded best but is works great now.
Micky, are you always this slow catching on ?

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 5 Jun 2014 6:15 pm

Is there anything I need to know before I open it up to replace the battery ? I love the lil izzy and would never play without it again. (i misplaced the instruction sheet that I got with the unit) Thanks in advance...I dont want to take a chance in messing anything up with it before I open it.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 5 Jun 2014 7:53 pm

If the new ones are like the old, or if you have the old, the parts are cased in epoxy, the only thing you CAN do is replace the battery.

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 5 Jun 2014 8:27 pm

Larry,
Thank you for the nice words regarding Li'l Izzy.
By the way, if you can get to the circuit board, please let me know how you did it. LOL

FYI several posts on different forums have mentioned poor quality control among battery companies. The only one I am aware of that has received nothing but good reviews all along is Energizer.

Hi Lane, how are you and the lovely and talented Denise doing these days?

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

John Booth · Post by **John Booth** » 13 Nov 2014 9:05 am

I don't see what these sell for new.
JB

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 13 Nov 2014 1:06 pm

Craig figures if you want one, you'll ask. I THINK they are pretty close to $135, but I deliberately highballed my memory a titch so when you call him you'll be pleasantly surprised. And it's worth the money.

Bob Snelgrove · Post by **Bob Snelgrove** » 13 Nov 2014 4:40 pm

Sid Hudson wrote:Craig, I used the Little Izzy many years ago. Everyone was. I looked for it everywhere and couldn't find it.

After receiving my new one I plugged it in last night while practicing and was surprised once again.

The very first thing I noticed was how it cleaned up the mud in the lower frequencies greatly improving string separation when playing chords or single note solos.

It did add a tad bit of highs to the plain strings. So, after rolling just a little of the highs off my parametric EQ I had the plain strings exactly where I wanted them and the wound strings exactly where I wanted them.

One question. Why did you ever stop making this thing?

I'm a user again!

Sid

Are you (or others) using it in conjunction with the black box?

thx

bob

Roger Dillingham · Post by **Roger Dillingham** » 13 Nov 2014 6:18 pm

Hey Bob, I have always used my Li'l Izzy coming directly out of guitar (as recommended by Mr. Baker) then straight into the SMS Black Box then to my Hilton volume pedal, then whatever effects devices I want to use, then into my amps. I have been perfectly pleased with the way the Izzy performs in this way. To be perfectly honest, I have made an attempt a couple of times, to go back to running straight into Brad's Black Box and eliminating the Izzy. I have done this a couple of times since I got my Emmons Lashley Legrande II, thinking that my Emmons was a more "pro" type guitar with probably better pickups and would probably sound fine without the assistance of the Li'l Izzy. I have now decided that no matter what guitar you are playing, it is just going to sound way better with the Izzy first in line! As my 6th grade elementary teacher used to say, "A word to the wise is sufficient!" JMHO, Roger

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 14 Nov 2014 8:54 pm

Roger,
As always, thank you for your positive comments. If I decide to put a marketing team together, I know who to call.

Glad you're happy with your Li'l Izzy.

Again, thank you and all the best to you.

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Fred Hilburn · Post by **Fred Hilburn** » 18 Nov 2014 3:58 am

Craig, got my Izzys yesterday amazing difference even my playing sounds better. Thank you for your amazing product and service. Let me know if you get back this way one day

John Booth · Post by **John Booth** » 24 Nov 2014 12:12 pm

HOLY SMOKE Craig !
I remembered this as a pretty good piece, but man,
my guitar sounds SOOO
much better with this new Izzy.
I don't know what octane you feed these things but WOW!
Thanks for the great piece and the candy. Well worth the price my friend !

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 26 Nov 2014 7:37 am

John,
Thank you for your generous praise of Li'l Izzy. Of course I'm a big fan of Li'l Izzy, and always have been. The improvement in tone when using a good buffer undeniable, but I must say, until I read your post, even I didn't realize Li'l Izzy was THAT good.

Again, thank you John, and best wishes for a warm and happy Thanksgiving.

From everyone at the Li'l Izzy assembly plant.

Best regards,
Craig

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