Jule Amps Monique

Fretless5verfan · #1 02-14-2011, 11:03 PM

There isn't much info on here about the Monique, so I figured I'd start a thread on her.

http://www.juleamps.com/bass/monique.html

I just grabbed one of these badboys(girls?) for use with my Bergantino IP310 rig. The Berg, IMHO, is the ultimate test of bass pres. It brings out all the good, but at the same time it'll point out ever little fault in anything you send into it.

Monique had some seriously stiff competition when she came into my stable. She had to compete against a Kern IP-777, a Chandler LTD-1, and a A-designs REDDI. After some serious A/Bing, all of them are headed out the door now

The natural tone of this pre-amp is the epitome of a fat, punchy, clear, and warm tube sound. It's got huge lows that are as tight as I think you can get without sounding un-tube-y (I'm a wordsmith, son). It's what I call punchy (others may call it fast) for days. The notes leap off the fretboard to the point where I swear my basses feel slightly different. The highs and high mids in the pre are to die for. They are as snarly or as sweet as you want them to be! A bass equipped with DCs is smooth and fat with GORGEOUS highs and chewy mids, while my custom dual MM bass is biting and edgy. Perfect!

The EQ is well voiced for room adjustment, and you can't really get a bad tone out of it. It's also extraordinarily transparent, and the whole unit is dead quiet compared to any other pre-amp i've played in recent memory.

Interesting Tech Specs:
6SL7 Tube for gain and EQ
Tube rectifier(!!!)
Burl Audio transformer driven XLR output

I haven't had a chance to get fully in depth with her yet due to my injuries keeping me from gigging and rehearsing for a while, but the long and short of it so far, is that playing through this pre-amp with my basses makes me feel like my fingers are connected directly to the sound coming from the amp. It's a really inspiring feeling, and has helped write tons of new material. That alone is worth the price of admission...which is not for the feint of heart

If you're looking for a one stop DI, Pre-amp, and EQ, you owe it to yourself to check out Monique. Jule is a fantastic guy to deal with and you can tell he really loves what he does. It comes out in the gear

I'm heading up to NYC for an EP recording next month, so hopefully i'll have some clips to put on here soon. I'll try to grab some video too. I have never been happier with my sound!

NOTICE: The preceding love fest is all IMHO...YMMV...AFAIK...OMGBBQSAUCE.

tombowlus · #2 02-15-2011, 08:12 AM

Wow, that looks like a great preamp!

JimmyM · #3 02-15-2011, 08:28 AM

$1300 for that and people are actually complaining about the price of the heritage b-15? nutty.

looks like a very nice pre, though.

behndy · #4 02-15-2011, 08:37 AM

it doesn't fit the way i like my setup to be, but Jules brought one of those by the Oakland GTG we had a few weekends ago and it was TASTY sounding.

great guy too!

Matt Dean · #5 02-15-2011, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by behndy

it doesn't fit the way i like my setup to be, but Jules brought one of those by the Oakland GTG we had a few weekends ago and it was TASTY sounding.

great guy too!

+1... twas tasty.

Passinwind · #6 02-15-2011, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

$1300 for that and people are actually complaining about the price of the heritage b-15? nutty.

Because there are tons of 40 year old Jule Moniques floating around for 1/3 the price of a new one?

looks like a very nice pre, though.

Yep. Nice to see the tube rectifier and octal tubes.

Fretless5verfan · #7 02-15-2011, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

$1300 for that and people are actually complaining about the price of the heritage b-15? nutty.

looks like a very nice pre, though.

Notice that I wasn't one of those people?

I wish I had another 4k to burn on a B-15 lol.

It's worth every penny to me. It's actually kind of a deal even if you just look at the EQ and noise level. In those aspects alone, this pre is comparable to $2k+ studio pre-amps.

juledude · #8 02-15-2011, 11:12 AM

There have been many very talented people involved in the creation of Monique. I am grateful that they have shared their gifts. To name a few, Mark, Aaron, Jay, Glyn, Rich and Will, Ronan, Ruben, Dan, and Peter H.

There are a lot of good people around.

Thanks Fretless5verfan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretless5verfan

There isn't much info on here about the Monique, so I figured I'd start a thread on her.

http://www.juleamps.com/bass/monique.html

I just grabbed one of these badboys(girls?) for use with my Bergantino IP310 rig. The Berg, IMHO, is the ultimate test of bass pres. It brings out all the good, but at the same time it'll point out ever little fault in anything you send into it.

Monique had some seriously stiff competition when she came into my stable. She had to compete against a Kern IP-777, a Chandler LTD-1, and a A-designs REDDI. After some serious A/Bing, all of them are headed out the door now

The natural tone of this pre-amp is the epitome of a fat, punchy, clear, and warm tube sound. It's got huge lows that are as tight as I think you can get without sounding un-tube-y (I'm a wordsmith, son). It's what I call punchy (others may call it fast) for days. The notes leap off the fretboard to the point where I swear my basses feel slightly different. The highs and high mids in the pre are to die for. They are as snarly or as sweet as you want them to be! A bass equipped with DCs is smooth and fat with GORGEOUS highs and chewy mids, while my custom dual MM bass is biting and edgy. Perfect!

The EQ is well voiced for room adjustment, and you can't really get a bad tone out of it. It's also extraordinarily transparent, and the whole unit is dead quiet compared to any other pre-amp i've played in recent memory.

Interesting Tech Specs:
6SL7 Tube for gain and EQ
Tube rectifier(!!!)
Burl Audio transformer driven XLR output

I haven't had a chance to get fully in depth with her yet due to my injuries keeping me from gigging and rehearsing for a while, but the long and short of it so far, is that playing through this pre-amp with my basses makes me feel like my fingers are connected directly to the sound coming from the amp. It's a really inspiring feeling, and has helped write tons of new material. That alone is worth the price of admission...which is not for the feint of heart

If you're looking for a one stop DI, Pre-amp, and EQ, you owe it to yourself to check out Monique. Jule is a fantastic guy to deal with and you can tell he really loves what he does. It comes out in the gear

I'm heading up to NYC for an EP recording next month, so hopefully i'll have some clips to put on here soon. I'll try to grab some video too. I have never been happier with my sound!

NOTICE: The preceding love fest is all IMHO...YMMV...AFAIK...OMGBBQSAUCE.

chadds · #9 02-15-2011, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretless5verfan

There isn't much info on here about the Monique, so I figured I'd start a thread on her.

http://www.juleamps.com/bass/monique.html

I just grabbed one of these badboys(girls?) for use with my Bergantino IP310 rig. The Berg, IMHO, is the ultimate test of bass pres. It brings out all the good, but at the same time it'll point out ever little fault in anything you send into it.

Monique had some seriously stiff competition when she came into my stable. She had to compete against a Kern IP-777, a Chandler LTD-1, and a A-designs REDDI. After some serious A/Bing, all of them are headed out the door now

The natural tone of this pre-amp is the epitome of a fat, punchy, clear, and warm tube sound. It's got huge lows that are as tight as I think you can get without sounding un-tube-y (I'm a wordsmith, son). It's what I call punchy (others may call it fast) for days. The notes leap off the fretboard to the point where I swear my basses feel slightly different. The highs and high mids in the pre are to die for. They are as snarly or as sweet as you want them to be! A bass equipped with DCs is smooth and fat with GORGEOUS highs and chewy mids, while my custom dual MM bass is biting and edgy. Perfect!

The EQ is well voiced for room adjustment, and you can't really get a bad tone out of it. It's also extraordinarily transparent, and the whole unit is dead quiet compared to any other pre-amp i've played in recent memory.

Interesting Tech Specs:
6SL7 Tube for gain and EQ
Tube rectifier(!!!)
Burl Audio transformer driven XLR output

I haven't had a chance to get fully in depth with her yet due to my injuries keeping me from gigging and rehearsing for a while, but the long and short of it so far, is that playing through this pre-amp with my basses makes me feel like my fingers are connected directly to the sound coming from the amp. It's a really inspiring feeling, and has helped write tons of new material. That alone is worth the price of admission...which is not for the feint of heart

If you're looking for a one stop DI, Pre-amp, and EQ, you owe it to yourself to check out Monique. Jule is a fantastic guy to deal with and you can tell he really loves what he does. It comes out in the gear

I'm heading up to NYC for an EP recording next month, so hopefully i'll have some clips to put on here soon. I'll try to grab some video too. I have never been happier with my sound!

NOTICE: The preceding love fest is all IMHO...YMMV...AFAIK...OMGBBQSAUCE.

Oh NO! I wasn't going to order one for my IPs. Just talked myself out of it until this. Great! Thanks!
Couple questions?
What kind of bass is that on the left, the white one? Really cool look. 4 or 5 string?
Is it clearer than the Kern? Not saying the Kern isn't clear. More articulate? Not saying the Kern isn't.
Have you had it at near gigging volumes? The Reddi doesn't output enough voltage to accomplish loud volumes. The Kern does!
Thanks.

Fretless5verfan · #10 02-15-2011, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadds

Oh NO! I wasn't going to order one for my IPs. Just talked myself out of it until this. Great! Thanks!
Couple questions?
What kind of bass is that on the left, the white one? Really cool look. 4 or 5 string?
Is it clearer than the Kern? Not saying the Kern isn't clear. More articulate? Not saying the Kern isn't.
Have you had it at near gigging volumes? The Reddi doesn't output enough voltage to accomplish loud volumes. The Kern does!
Thanks.

Haha sorry! That's my new Shovel Bass. Sounds like crap but it's REALLY useful in the snow.

Yes it's clearer, more articulate, and tighter than the Kern, without giving up a ton of warmth. I've had it up to instant headache volumes (louder than what I gig at normally) and it produces WAY more output than the REDDI. It's about level with the Kern i'd suspect. All IMHO.

ataunton · #11 02-15-2011, 12:17 PM

The Monique is great, I used one at this weekend where I ran directly to the house and didn't bring an amp. I got several compliments on the sound and many people just wanting to know what the cool looking little box was. Not my ideal scenario, but I didn't have an amp appropriate for the venue. Preferably I would like to use it in front of my amp and run the out of the Monique to the house instead of my amp.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do not work for Jule Amps. However, Jule is a friend of mine and coworker at our day job.

chadds · #12 02-15-2011, 01:09 PM

About the price, that's what good pres cost. There are good ones that cost less too.

Alper Yilmaz · #13 02-15-2011, 01:11 PM

I am really interested in this...

However, would it be fair to compare it to REDDI, as REDDI is just a DI box with some level control, but no EQ-tweaking capability?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretless5verfan

Monique had some seriously stiff competition when she came into my stable. She had to compete against a Kern IP-777, a Chandler LTD-1, and a A-designs REDDI. After some serious A/Bing, all of them are headed out the door now

Fretless5verfan · #14 02-15-2011, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alper Yilmaz

I am really interested in this...

However, would it be fair to compare it to REDDI, as REDDI is just a DI box with some level control, but no EQ-tweaking capability?

I was comparing it purely for tone. I attempted to match volumes, used the XLR out, and left the EQ flat. Then I turned them both all the way up and Monique kept going where the REDDI left off IMO. The Monique is comparable tonally to the REDDI (it is sweeter, fuller, and deeper to my ears), but also has an EQ, and a line out to drive an amp...so the REDDI had to go

I'll be in Brooklyn doing a live show/recording next month. If you want, I'll give you the details so you can come hear what she sounds like.

kesslari · #15 02-15-2011, 01:31 PM

I also got to hear and play with the Monique at the Oakland GTG, and it really is a nice sounding, well built little sweetheart.

Alper Yilmaz · #16 02-15-2011, 01:43 PM

If I am around, I would be more than happy to check your show; please let me know.

Best,

Alper

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretless5verfan

I'll be in Brooklyn doing a live show/recording next month. If you want, I'll give you the details so you can come hear what she sounds like.

JimmyM · #17 02-15-2011, 11:02 PM

btw, don't get me wrong...that's a great looking preamp and i'm sure it's worth it. my comment was more about those that complain about the price of the heritage b-15 rather than the price of the monique. sorry for any confusion.

reddi · #18 02-16-2011, 02:16 AM

Will you post some clips of the Reddi and Monique recorded direct? I already have the Reddi and a Evil Twin but I'm really curious about this bad girl.

chadds · #19 02-16-2011, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretless5verfan

Haha sorry! That's my new Shovel Bass. Sounds like crap but it's REALLY useful in the snow.

Yes it's clearer, more articulate, and tighter than the Kern, without giving up a ton of warmth. I've had it up to instant headache volumes (louder than what I gig at normally) and it produces WAY more output than the REDDI. It's about level with the Kern i'd suspect. All IMHO.

Let me get this straight. The Monique is so good that even a Shovel Bass sounds better?

Fretless5verfan · #20 02-16-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reddi

Will you post some clips of the Reddi and Monique recorded direct? I already have the Reddi and a Evil Twin but I'm really curious about this bad girl.

I will have clips of the Monique soon, but I have to go digging for clips of the REDDI. I haven't used it for recording in quite a while. If I find them, I'll post 'em up!