Preamp before Amp Head = redundant?

[Rhastapopolus]

Hello!

I have recently been wanting to buff up my amp with some new textures, and I was wondering it is redundant to place a preamp before an amp head, or perhaps more specifically what this would do to my sound.

I own a Thunderfunk 750a and absolutely LOVE its sound, its power, etc., but recently have been wanting to expand it a little bit. I was looking into either a Demeter VTBP-201 (I am a big fan of Justin Chancellor and have heard that a lot of his 'shimmer' comes from this preamp) or a Aguilar DB 659 for a more tubey, upfront sound.

So my question is: could I add one of these preamps to compliment my main head and ENHANCE its sound, or would I effectively be bypassing the tone controls of my Thunderfunk and only using it as a power amp?

Thank you for the help!

[abemo]

No, not redundant, that's basically what the onboard pre is in an active bass. If I remember right, the aguilar tonehammer preamp is basically their obp-3 (I think that's the right model) in a box instead of a bass. It would not bypass the pre in the amp head, unless you plug the output from the pre somewhere funky (like the return of an fx loop).

Keep in mind though, with the pre in place you'll want to use the buffered (active) input for the head if you have it, regardless of whether the bass is active or passive.

[JimmyM]

It's not always redundant. Sometimes yes, but if you're copping different sounds and want to switch between them quickly, it's not redundant at all.

[john m]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

It's not always redundant. Sometimes yes, but if you're copping different sounds and want to switch between them quickly, it's not redundant at all.

+1

I use a Fender Tube Preamp into the effects return of a
GK1001, the A-B between the Fender and the GK inputs.

Warm and/or overdrive with the Fender-modern, clean with the GK (GK overdrive/grind is an option, though not my cup of tea).

[Rhastapopolus]

Awesome, thank you guys. Just to clear something up with regards to your post, Jimmy, it is possible to combine the particular personalities of the amps, as opposed to simply switching between them, yes? Thanks again!

[JimmyM]

Sure it is.