Bass-Drive and SansAmp users?

OriginalCrash · #1 09-13-2007, 07:51 AM

Just curious if many of you are using both. I got the Bass-Drive a few weeks ago and was loving it so much that I set my SansAmp aside. But while I loved the sound I was getting out of the Bass-Drive, I was rather limited in how I could set it, otherwise it became too harsh or heavy. Re-enter the SansAmp. While it may not be the same as an actual tube head or preamp, it really lets me crank the Bass-Drive a good bit more and still get a natural sounding overdrive (it also really evens out the volume difference when kicking on the boost!).

Brian

tremblap · #2 09-14-2007, 03:04 AM

never did te A/B between the 2...

Will do as soon as I am back at my place

pa

Crabby · #3 09-14-2007, 10:26 AM

i have seen both on a few boards. I own both but keep the Sans Amp off the board as it colours the tone too much for my taste. I keep it as a seperate "mini rig" and think of it more as a pre amp/di rather then a stomp box.

I like them both.

OriginalCrash · #4 09-14-2007, 10:31 AM

In the past I always used it as a permanent effect, as a preamp (and DI) before going into my combo amp. I recently (as in just got it today and haven't tried it yet) got one of the newer SansAmps with the selectable output levels and am going to try using it as an actual preamp going into the power amp of my amp. Either way, I do really like the combination of the Bass-Drive and the SansAmp.

Brian

pickles · #5 09-14-2007, 10:43 AM

I LOVE using distortion and overdrive pedals before a BDDI. Sounds killer.

Jared Lash · #6 09-14-2007, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pickles

I LOVE using distortion and overdrive pedals before a BDDI. Sounds killer.

+1

When I was doing my search for "my" bass distortion pedal, I was always playing them in isolation. I was playing around with the XXLB and just about to send it back to Musician's Friend when I ran it in front of the BDDI. There it was, the sound I was looking for. In my experience every overdrive or distortion I've tried (and that's been quite a few) has sounded better when fed into the SansAmp before my GK rig.

lowb1970 · #7 09-14-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OriginalCrash

In the past I always used it as a permanent effect, as a preamp (and DI) before going into my combo amp. I recently (as in just got it today and haven't tried it yet) got one of the newer SansAmps with the selectable output levels and am going to try using it as an actual preamp going into the power amp of my amp. Either way, I do really like the combination of the Bass-Drive and the SansAmp.

Brian

I just wanted to offer my experience with using both the SansAmp RBI rackmount unit as well as the 3 channel programable foot pedal model. I would caution using this as a preamp before going into an amp with a preamp in it. You are sending the signal from your bass to the preamp (SansAmp) and then through the preamp section of your bass head. Even if you have the preamp section set to 0 or (12 o'clock) you are still coloring your sound. If your head has an effect loop you will get a much better tone and response from the SansAmp since you won't be sending the signal through 2 different preamps. Using the effect loop bypasses your preamp section and allows the SA to do its magic as "the" preamp going straight to the power section of your bass head. I ran mine in front of the head's preamp for a long time before I figured out what I was doing. It still sounded good, but now I have a killer tone and my bass head is only powering the speaker cabinet. This also works best with passive electronic basses. Basses with active electronics already have preamps built into them and we go right back to the original problem of double preamping! lol. I do find however that the SansAmp can still be used with active electonics if you set the bass/mid/treble controls to 12'o clock and only use it for presence and drive. This still adds a lot of life to your sound.

Best wishes !!

OriginalCrash · #8 09-14-2007, 01:57 PM

The only problem with that (with the older SansAmps) is that, for me, the output level of the SansAmp was too low to feed to the power amp. When I ran the SansAmp into the power amp in/effects loop return (which would be at line level), I had to crank the volume ALL the way, and I still got a weak tone. With the newer SansAmps, you can switch between line and instrument level, so now you really have the flexibility between using it as an effect or as a true preamp.

Brian