Art TUBE MP pre-amp

[caeman]

Last year, I had purchased the Art TUBE MP for use with my harmonica mic.



For grins, I plugged my passive bass into it, then into my Backline 210, just to see what it would sound like with a tube pre-amp in the middle. Good God did it have an effect! I tested all sorts of combinations of the in and out levels, +20db button on and off, OPL on and off. I made for a very hot sound. You could hear me barely moving my fingers on the strings with the bass in precision pup mode. With the jazz pups, it was simply much louder. With both on, I didn't really need to have the backline amp on more than 3 or 4 and the sound was far louder than it should be in my small room.

I so need to get a 1x15 extension cab now.

I don't plan on using the Art TUBE MP on stage at the next worship service, but I found the experiment to be educational.

[bassbrad]

Lotsa bang in that 30 dollar box, really nice tube DI that I use with my passive Dean ABG sounds better than my Washburn.

[bucephylus]

This has been my standard tool for signal chain when using passive Fender J's for years. I have used them countless times live. I have never been able to understand why the amp manufacturers don't put this simple circuit right up front on their input stages. Can't do without it for a passive bass, IME. Oh, BTW, they are outstanding for upright as well.

[caeman]

Originally Posted by bucephylus

This has been my standard tool for signal chain when using passive Fender J's for years. I have used them countless times live. I have never been able to understand why the amp manufacturers don't put this simple circuit right up front on their input stages. Can't do without it for a passive bass, IME. Oh, BTW, they are outstanding for upright as well.

Interesting. I may have to give it a long-term trial then. And at $30, I could just buy another to keep with my harmonica kit.

[bucephylus]

Originally Posted by caeman

Interesting. I may have to give it a long-term trial then. And at $30, I could just buy another to keep with my harmonica kit.

Only downside I had is that I could not use the DI capability; it seemed to create ground loops. This may have been fixed in more recent units. Don't know.

[duderasta]

the tube MP is a great little go-to unit. I use one as a DI / pre for bass and guitar when writing on practicing. I know that a couple mods make them even better, a tube swap 12AX7 (or 12AT7 for less gain). you can also swap TL1072's with Burr Brown OPA 2604.

I am pretty happy with mine with just a tube swap though.

[phmike]

My ART Tube Pre is an 'always on' item in my signal chain. It gives a mild tube warmth and compression that suits my ears perfectly. Mine is 4-5 years old and I have not had problems using it as a DI.

[Samsound]

I used to use the blue one as a DI for worship. It seems to have developed a bit of a noise problem of late, so haven't been using it.

[Gaetano Paul]

Would this be a good solution to add some tube warmth feeding into an amp. Like say volume pedal>compressor>Tube pre>solid state amp?

I have been looking for a way to put some tube warmth into my signal chain without dropping hundreds.

[phmike]

I use bass>ART tubepre>tuner>combo amp or mixer and get a nice mild tube warmth to my sound that I really like and even other musicians have commented about. $30 is a cheap enough test and you can probably get 2/3 of that back by selling it on Craig's List if you don't like it.

[Gaetano Paul]

Originally Posted by phmike

I use bass>ART tubepre>tuner>combo amp or mixer and get a nice mild tube warmth to my sound that I really like and even other musicians have commented about. $30 is a cheap enough test and you can probably get 2/3 of that back by selling it on Craig's List if you don't like it.

Right on, glad to hear it, I will be going for it. No compressor in your chain? Should a com go before or after it? Before right?

[caeman]

What settings are you guys using?

[4Mal]

If you can find one, the old Rolls/Bellari MP-105 is similar and smokes the ART for warmth. With a passive bass you have to run the gain up around 3/4 and the gain comes on in a rush so there is a narrow window of acceptability for me - what is in the window is very cool though. The main thing with the MP-105 is that it is warmer than the ART and you can actually hear the differences in tubes with it.

The ART is a better mic pre though. The things I dig about the Bellari make it less appropriate on a decent mic. I actually use a pair of ART Tube Channels in my recording rack and love 'em. One day I'll have a quad and be dreaming of a 6 pack of them ... I'll only have the one Bellari...

A little info on the Bellari, some pic's and a Black Lion mod for it.

[phmike]

Originally Posted by Gaetano Paul

Right on, glad to hear it, I will be going for it. No compressor in your chain? Should a com go before or after it? Before right?

I don't use a compressor with my magnetic pickup basses so I don't know for sure what the best order would be.

With my piezo pickup equiped basses I use the Fishman Platinum Pro-EQ. It's a pre-amp, DI, EQ, compressor and does wonders for piezo pickups. I've tried the ART on my piezo basses but like the Fishman better most of the time.

[baron665]

what about the $69 model?

[Jactap]

Originally Posted by bucephylus

Only downside I had is that I could not use the DI capability; it seemed to create ground loops. This may have been fixed in more recent units. Don't know.

I had the same problem. Got around it by using an xlr-1/4" cable to plug into my amp and using the the 1/4" for the foh.

[poorbassist15]

It seems a lot of you guys use this for passive Jazzes. Does it give any bass at all?

[bassbrad]

It is not a bass boost or anything like that but it will clean boost your signal, makes a serviceable DI and give it a touch of tube goodness. There are better (and much more expensive) devices that do this but for 30 bucks it's a real bargain.