Battle of the FET pre pedals?

[newbold]

So here I sit reminiscing about a great sounding underpowered combo I used to have, a Trace Elliott 100W 112.

Without going for a bigger trace rig and realizing that although I love the bass and amp only light packing nights come up more often than not, I am asking about preamp pedals that can give me what I'm looking for ahead of my amp...after all, a gigbag has storage space in it.

With so many options out there in the market, I'll probably be looking for a product that will give me a great FET pre tone that I can feed an amp with.

This may seem like an old topic, but with all this time to improve upon designs and offer consumers different products, what do you feel is either the best product, best for the money, or works great for you?

Aguilar DB924?
Sadowsky Preamp/DI?
JoeMeek FloorQ?
LR Baggs ParaDI?

Any suggestions?
Something else?

[bongomania]

I'm not sure all of those use FETs, or would necessarily be described as sounding like "a FET pre", or more particularly like the FET pre in your Trace.

What is your budget?
Do you need EQ on it?
If you need EQ, what specific type of EQ controls do you want?
Do you care whether it has a DI built in?
Can you post a Youtube or MP3 clip of the tone you're after?
Are you talking about a bit of dirt, or super clean, or what?
Are you using passive or active basses?

[newbold]

Originally Posted by bongomania

I'm not sure all of those use FETs, or would necessarily be described as sounding like "a FET pre", or more particularly like the FET pre in your Trace.

What is your budget?
Do you need EQ on it?
If you need EQ, what specific type of EQ controls do you want?
Do you care whether it has a DI built in?
Can you post a Youtube or MP3 clip of the tone you're after?
Are you talking about a bit of dirt, or super clean, or what?
Are you using passive or active basses?

You may be right about the LR Baggs not being FET but I think the rest are.

I don't need EQ or DI, but in the case of the Meek it has DI and compression build in...

If you ask me about 'specific controls' that I want, and I have time to waste this will be a really awful thread.

I'm looking for a clean FET preamp, but not so clean that it's just pure boost. EQ would be nice, as would a 'deep' control, as would a DI out, and a great compressor, FX loop, and bandwidth optimizer (thumpinator) but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I don't have a youtube clip to post.

I'd like to find out what works for some people and why.

At the time I was playing a J bass with DiMarzio ModelJs, rounds, and lots of effects.

Now I'm playing a JazzV with TruBass88 strings and few effects rarely through a Yamaha BBT500 rig. I really like it but when it comes time to update my rig I'll certainly be looking at something else.

I would like to spend under $200, but would be willing to spend $300 or there abouts on the right product.

[Silent Fly]

By FET you mean Field Effect Transistor?

I am intrigued. Why is the technology used so important?

[bongomania]

My guess (sorry to speak for you, Newbold) is that he really wants the sound of that Trace Elliott amp, and it was advertised as having a FET preamp, so he's hoping that other FET-based preamps will sound similar. Unfortunately that doesn't follow.

[irvinz]

sadly what pedal you buy might be quite pointless. best you could do is to find an old trace and rip the preamp off... wait. oh yes, you still won't have whatever part the power amp plays with the tone....


hmm. wait, why rip it off when you already found the combo, you could just use that =)


this post of mine is pointless and goes nowhere. so might be your journey to find a fet that gets you close to an underpowered FET preamp based amp.


i've never played through one of your rigs... i'll look up some clips later to see what i think may work well. but first i need some sleep. its late in my part of the world =)

[newbold]

Okay...so I posted this in a 'this is what I liked and would like to find another great tone, hopefully like it' but the direct questions i posed were pretty much what FET outboard preamp do you use/like? what works/doesn't work (for you)

'any suggestions?' even opens it up for anything else.

I'm not actively looking to buy anything, nor do I have an absolute gig requirement, but was hoping this thread may get people talking.

Silent Fly: the technology's not really the clincher - although I have read that the Sadowsky and Aguilar Pres are FET, and with so many people digging the GB ShuttleMax amps that some folks may have more to say on the subject.

I know that I'm going to be trying to play a lot of gear to make a truly informed decision when the time comes, but until then I want to foster some discussion.

Is that so bad?

Lately I've been playing out with just my BBT500 amp and my bass and getting great tones. When I upgrade my amp I am certain few things will change, but if i can fit a preamp/DI or something else in my case (pedaltrain mini?) I'd like to have that litle bit of extra push: that woody, finished tone (subjective, I know) that works its way out of a preamp that I've been trying to find in my Pigtronix Disnortion's fuzz channel - gain to 0, level dimed. Not quite there but still a nice preamp tool to have.

In an ideal world I would have an instrument preamp/DI with an FX loop (to balance the rest of my chain) a studio compressor, and a bandwidth optimizer. EQ would be nice but not entirely necessary - pretty much the JoeMeek FloorQ with an insert point between the preamp and the compressor (if the comp's after the pre in the signal path) - as long as the pre sounds great for bass and acoustic guitars (which I could probably bank on)

I'm not necessarily looking for the same tone I used to get from my combo amp - but reminiscing got me here.