Best Pre-Amp/D.I. for Huge Fretless Power?

[*ToNeS*]

Hey men.

Sooo I'm just getting into the realm of fretless bass and I lurve it, I've picked up one of those 5-string Ibanez Gary Willis signature things and it rules.

Thing is, I want to get into the realm of pre-amp/D.I. boxes, too. Going purely on the widespread thumbs-up the SansAmp Bass Driver receives around here all the time, I went and got one...

...aaand I just re-sold it today. Totally not for me. Not sure what the fuss is about there. The lack of a dedicated mid-range knob is insane, especially for an instrument like ours.

What would you guys recommend for me? I'm also trying to get my fretless to sound a bit manky and shite, like an upright. Someone called out the MXR M80 before. Not sure about him, seems a bit one-dimensional. The Para Driver looks promising. I think it's the only box I've checked out on YouTube that I've liked the vibe of.

Just don't want to take too many more gambles. In Australia, our gear options are pretty limited and waaay too expensive to pay retail for, so I generally have to get things from the internet. Takes time, and is not an exact science.

[enricogaletta]

Hey there, what is your budget for a D.I.?
Cheers. Enrico
YouTube
WebSite

[*ToNeS*]

Depends. Definitely not forking out the AUD$300 - $500 that most shops around here seem to think the Bass Driver is worth.

That said, if something's gonna do the job, I'll empty the wallet (quietly, so the missus doesn't hear).

[JimWasHere]

That Sansamp driver really works best in front of a big friggin amp... I never liked it soley as a DI either.

Eden makes a world tour series DI that I'd be curious to try, myself.

[jpTron]

I will never understand why they would make something so naturally midscooped for bass and on top of that not add a mid knob. I don't care if that's the amp they're trying to emulate's signature sound. It's like a conspiracy by guitarists to bury us in the mix while making us think we sound awesome playing alone in our homes.

[*ToNeS*]

Originally Posted by jpTron

I will never understand why they would make something so naturally midscooped for bass and on top of that not add a mid knob. I don't care if that's the amp they're trying to emulate's signature sound. It's like a conspiracy by guitarists to bury us in the mix while making us think we sound awesome playing alone in our homes.

That was pretty much my impression of the unit, yeah. I was a bit more sweary about it at the time.

Let's try not to turn this into an anti-SansAmp thread, though! I think my last thread post-purchase upset TB's resident Tech21 rep enough as it is

[esa372]

Originally Posted by JimWasHere

Eden makes a world tour series DI that I'd be curious to try, myself.

Yep - I'd suggest checking out the Eden WTDI, too:

Eden WTDI Direct Box/Preamp

Eden World Tour WTDI Direct Box/Preamp

[RickenBoogie]

The MXR M80 is actually not a bad choice. Sort of neutral sounding, which is good, considering the SansAmp stuff is NOT. Has a mid knob, 3 band eq, and the added bonus of a distortion with a blend knob. All in all, a pretty useful tool.

[B String]

I would never have bought a Bassdriver for fretless. Didn't anyone tell you to get the Paradriver di?? I know a number of guys using it for the upright bass AND fretless bass. Its great.
The Paradriver and a little compression should give you a fat, punchy tone, and you can find the frequency you need to boost to get "that" sound.

I tried the MXR M80. For me, I just don't need all the distortion and I wasn't knocked out with the flat tone or eq points. See if you can find a Paradriver to check out. More natural sounding than the Bassdriver and the mid sweep is eq'd just right.

[SteveC]

I have yet to plug anything into my Avalon U5 and have it sound bad.

[gerryjazzman]

Hey ToNeS. Been doing the fretless thing myself for years and I know what you're talking about. You definitely need some flexibility in the mid-eq. I've been using an Eden WT300 amp that has three bands of semi-parametric mids that gives me anything I need. Sounds like you just want a pedal/DI? Otherwise I might suggest a used Eden Navigator preamp. Two rack space unit so not exactly a pedal, but it would do all the tone shaping that you want and of course does the DI thing as well.

Not sure about the WTDI pedal someone mentioned. It has two fixed 550Hz and 2.2KHz mid eq options. The 550Hz MIGHT give you what you want for fretless but I like options so I prefer the semi-parametrics on the Eden WT's. The Aguilar Tone Hammer DI might be another option. It has a single semi-parametric mid (I think 180Hz to 1Khz).

[GrowlerBox]

Another vote for the Tone Hammer -- I use it with my EUB. It has well-set EQ points (bass at 40 Hz, treble at 4 kHz, sweepable mid from 180 Hz to 1 kHz as Jerry said), and the AGS circuit is my favourite overdrive to date. The 1 MOhm input impedance is useful if you're looking at a fretless with a piezo at some point, it has sufficient output to drive any known power amp (4V RMS from the quarter inch and 8V RMS from the XLR) and can be battery, mains, or phantom powered (18V).

The only downside is the large gain increase when the AGS circuit is engaged, so it's difficult to apply mid-song (unless it's only for a loud solo, I guess).

Oh, and it's built like the proverbial brick sh!thouse; you could club a big red roo to death with it. I'm Australian, too, so I know exactly how often that could come in handy.

[jpTron]

I really want to get a Tone Hammer. I love Aguilar. I have an OBP2 pre in my Warwick and love what it did for my tone over the stock MEC pre. But I hope it can drive a power amp like my VT bass can. I'm getting a little tired of t21 coloring and after hearing myself direct, the once tolerable clank is starting to annoy me.

[Pickebass]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

The MXR M80 is actually not a bad choice. Sort of neutral sounding, which is good, considering the SansAmp stuff is NOT. Has a mid knob, 3 band eq, and the added bonus of a distortion with a blend knob. All in all, a pretty useful tool.

This is a great DI for the $$. If you want to go up market, the Avalon U5 is great on a fretless (if you don't need alot of EQ)

[*ToNeS*]

@B_String I know, I'm a massive 'tard for getting the BDDI. I just wasn't educated enough on the topic and needed something quick. I only heard about the Para Driver AFTER the fact. Cue annoyance.

I've heard great things about the Avalon. I've also heard that it's possibly going to be out of my price-range...

I checked out a few videos of the Eden WTDI last night. Hmmm, not sold on him, either. But then, I've never liked Eden gear in the first place.

I spent an afternoon with the Tone Hammer this year, and again, I just don't think I vibe on the whole Aguilar thing, either. I'm opposed to adopting the 'sound' of a company (you'd never catch me on a Warwick or a Sting Ray, no sir). In my little head, I'm shooting for something pretty unique here and the less tonal influence from the box's branding, the better. The TH might be worth another look, though, as it seems to come up a fair bit.

[enricogaletta]

I think for that budget you have good option,
for pedas you can think about:
- Sadowsky DI,
- Aguilar Tone Hmmaer,
- EBS microbass,
for rack a only great option:
- Avalon U5
Did you have the chacne to try some of them?
Cheers. Enrico
YouTube
WebSite

[Jeremy Allen]

Good compression can be magical for a fretless. The Demeter Compulator is a perfect compressor to use first out of the gate for fretless/EUB applications. Then run it into whatever you want (as long as it has at least semi-parametric mid EQ). I found the Tonehammer to be pretty groovy with fretless, myself...

[gillento]

The RMI Basswitch is THE BEST floor preamp/DI I ever had (Tech21, Aguilar, Sadowsky, Radial, EBS)
It has 2 semi parametric mid bands, so that should be absolutely perfect for fretless bass...

check it out : ™BASSWITCH

[*ToNeS*]

Originally Posted by gillento

The RMI Basswitch is THE BEST floor preamp/DI I ever had (Tech21, Aguilar, Sadowsky, Radial, EBS)
It has 2 semi parametric mid bands, so that should be absolutely perfect for fretless bass...

check it out : ™BASSWITCH

That impotence toggle switch sure sounds inviting (skip to 1:01, haha) but this thing just has too much guff on it. Look at all that! It'll blow my head up, Scanners-style.

[hensonbass]

I am thinking about this:

E.W.S. Bass Mid Control