Sadowsky pre-amp into a Sansamp BDDI...redundant?

Harper · #1 01-09-2012, 01:45 PM

Subject says it all. I know that they don't do the exact same thing, nor do they (always) serve the same purpose necessarily.

bongomania · #2 01-09-2012, 01:47 PM

Sounds like you've answered your own question then.

Harper · #3 01-09-2012, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Sounds like you've answered your own question then.

I know, I know....

I only ask because while they can both be used as DIs, the BDDI is promoted as (among other things) an amp emulator and the Sadowsky is promoted as (again, among other things) an option to give passive basses the active Sadowsky sound.

kaputsport · #4 01-09-2012, 04:44 PM

I personally would throw both out, but that is me.

If you are always feeding the Sansamp with the Sadowski, and they are both always on, yes it is pointless and redundant. If you use them to shape tones for different songs, or to fix certain basses, then both could be great tools if that is the sound you are going for.

tech21nyc · #5 01-10-2012, 10:53 AM

I assume you are talking about their stomp box pre-amp. There are a number of similarities between the two units. The EQ on the Sadowsky is boost only (ours offers cut and boost) and the frequencies points are a little different.

The big difference is the amp emulation circuitry that our Bass Driver DI offers. I would say that if you only want the EQ/DI function,then either unit will work and it's just a matter of which you prefer. Chocolate or vanilla. If you want the sound of tube emulation then ours is probably a better choice.

grovest · #6 01-10-2012, 11:03 AM

I've owned the outboard Sadowsky (newest model), the BDDI and now the Para DI. If your bass is passive and if you sometimes want an overdriven sound and sometime don't, I'd say the two are not redundant. Just considering them as EQs (putting aside overdrive, phantom power, XLR level adjustment, construction quality...), I found the the Sadowsky was easier to a "wow" tone from.

SteveC · #7 01-10-2012, 01:05 PM

Different beasts. I am not a fan of the amp emulation thing and have a passive jazz, so I'd choose the Sadowsky to have the "active" sound option and a nice DI with a Tuner Out/Mute.

If you want the "Ampeg" sound (Asound I don't care for) no matter where you are or what rig you have access to, then the Sansamp is the way to go.

Harper · #8 01-10-2012, 08:04 PM

I already have a Sansamp, but was more looking if the Sadowsky would add anything. Again, I know they sound different, but don't want to overkill it.

tech21nyc · #9 01-11-2012, 08:54 AM

I don't have a Sadowsky preamp on hand but I'm sure it's a well designed unit. If you turn "off" the blend control on our Bass Driver you pretty much have the same thing. A bass DI with an active bass and treble control. There would be little point to running the Sadowsky preamp into the Bass Driver. You would just increase your noise floor.

Harper · #10 01-11-2012, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tech21nyc

I don't have a Sadowsky preamp on hand but I'm sure it's a well designed unit. If you turn "off" the blend control on our Bass Driver you pretty much have the same thing. A bass DI with an active bass and treble control. There would be little point to running the Sadowsky preamp into the Bass Driver. You would just increase your noise floor.

I had thought about doing this with my Bass Compactor, i.e. turning the compression off and just using the active bass and treble controls. I know the frequencies are different, but don't know if there is anything else that gave the Sadowsky "it's" sound.

ranjam · #11 01-11-2012, 08:31 PM

You know how some guitar players have an overdrive and a fuzz on their pedal boards? I thought that was redundant. But they aren't the same, and neither is the Sadowsky and the SansAmp. The Sadowsky should be a clean preamp (I don't have one, but this is a guess from 2nd hand information), and the SansAmp has all the grit you either love or hate.
Having both on at the same time? That's more than redundant. From what I have seen, neither have pads for the input, so I wouldn't do that on a dare. But to have two different sounds at your disposal? Why not?

ricknote · #12 01-11-2012, 08:47 PM

I have the Sans Amp VT and the Sadowsky on my board.
I never use them together.

I use the Sadowsky for a nice clean fat studio tone,
and the VT for mic'd up 8x10 type rock tone.

They are both excellent highly useable pedals.

JehuJava · #13 01-11-2012, 09:02 PM

Personally I dont really understand preamp pedals. If you like the sound of a sadowsky...get a sadowsky. If you like the sound of an ampeg get an ampeg. I mentioned somewhere else in TB that bassists are too busy trying to have every sound possible but never really developing his or her own sound. The only reason to have a preamp pedal, imho, is to push your existing amp into a distorted clipping mode...you like the sound of your amp's distortion. I know...others will argue tone shaping abilities blah blah blah etc. But think about it. How many tone shaping functions do you need? The bass. The amp. And two pedals? Really? Get an eq of some sort if that's what your into...but 3 preamps (2 pedal 1 amp) is ridiculous.

bongomania · #14 01-11-2012, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JehuJava

If you like the sound of a sadowsky...get a sadowsky.

A Sadowsky is $2300 and up. A Sadowsky preamp pedal is a $240 upgrade to whatever passive bass you may already have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JehuJava

If you like the sound of an ampeg get an ampeg.

An SVT is large, very heavy, and $1200. Plus it is very awkward to swap amp rigs in the middle of a gig. A Tech21 VT pedal is tiny, lightweight, and only $150, and it switches in and out in a snap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JehuJava

How many tone shaping functions do you need?

Maybe you are happy with just one tone. Others like to have more than one tone, and they may not have your wealth and roadies.

JehuJava · #15 01-12-2012, 02:36 AM

Bongo

My point was find your personal tone and own it. And maybe that personal tone happens to be five preamp pedals in a row...the good lord knows I don't need 20 effect pedals.

I'm definitely not money bags.

Sinomis666 · #16 01-12-2012, 02:58 AM

I used the sadowsky as a preamp & the sans amp bass driver as a boost pedal for years into mesa400+or a svt cl, set the volume at 3 oclock bass at 9 oclock & treble at 8 oclock & I would turn the bass & treble down on the sansamp to boost the mids with blend & drive adjusted for what ever the song suited!

gillento · #17 01-12-2012, 04:11 AM

I used to have a Sadowsky Preamp/DI pedal to shape/eq/level the sound of a second bass and a BDDI for giving all my basses "my pick sound".
Nowadays I am using a RMI Basswitch for shaping and a Tech21 VTBass for pick/grit sounds.

So yes, both can be very useful alternatively or together on the same board!

**Faderoktopus** · #18 01-12-2012, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JehuJava

Personally I dont really understand preamp pedals. If you like the sound of a sadowsky...get a sadowsky. If you like the sound of an ampeg get an ampeg. I mentioned somewhere else in TB that bassists are too busy trying to have every sound possible but never really developing his or her own sound. The only reason to have a preamp pedal, imho, is to push your existing amp into a distorted clipping mode...you like the sound of your amp's distortion. I know...others will argue tone shaping abilities blah blah blah etc. But think about it. How many tone shaping functions do you need? The bass. The amp. And two pedals? Really? Get an eq of some sort if that's what your into...but 3 preamps (2 pedal 1 amp) is ridiculous.

So you have never gigged without your own amp? A preamp pedal gives you the reliability of an EQ section and gain stage that you are familiar with and can feed into the effects return of a rented backline or into the FOH.

I have built a small pedal board around my Tone Hammer, which gives me everything I need to do a live show without my own rig. And I have to admit, as a fairy cheap way to pick and choose amps, I might be tempted to try other DI/preamp boxes, and possibly have more than one on my board.

Martin

JehuJava · #19 01-12-2012, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faderoktopus

So you have never gigged without your own amp? A preamp pedal gives you the reliability of an EQ section and gain stage that you are familiar with and can feed into the effects return of a rented backline or into the FOH.

I have built a small pedal board around my Tone Hammer, which gives me everything I need to do a live show without my own rig. And I have to admit, as a fairy cheap way to pick and choose amps, I might be tempted to try other DI/preamp boxes, and possibly have more than one on my board.

Martin

Ok ok...good point.

SteveC · #20 01-12-2012, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faderoktopus

So you have never gigged without your own amp? A preamp pedal gives you the reliability of an EQ section and gain stage that you are familiar with and can feed into the effects return of a rented backline or into the FOH.

I have built a small pedal board around my Tone Hammer, which gives me everything I need to do a live show without my own rig. And I have to admit, as a fairy cheap way to pick and choose amps, I might be tempted to try other DI/preamp boxes, and possibly have more than one on my board.

Martin

I debated using a power amp with multiple pre/di boxes as different pre amps depending on what sound you want. Not like the real thing but pretty close and economical.