Sunn Beta Bass Pre in a Pedal?

ZombiCrow · #1 11-04-2008, 12:27 PM

Does any company currently offer anything like the Sunn Beta Bass preamp in a pedal? The Beta had a great input section, that broke up beautifully and achieved some serious high-gain distortion after about 1 o'clock or so without losing the lows and full-bodied feeling of the signal. If no one currently does, what sounds like a comparable distortion/overdrive?

Unrelated: How long is the Openhaus wait list?

rcubed · #2 11-04-2008, 02:22 PM

That might be a fun project. I'm sure the schematic is floating around for it.

pkatzman · #3 11-04-2008, 06:45 PM

According to this website, you can purchase the schematic from Sunn (aka Fender.) Might be worth investigating?

EDIT: This website will sell you a packet of info including a schematic, as well, supposedly. No experience with them, found them on Google.

Mojo-Man · #4 11-04-2008, 06:56 PM

That would be sweet.

I just scored a mint Sunn Beta Bass 2x15 cab.

That pedal, and this cab would be great?

lowbass68 · #5 11-04-2008, 07:03 PM

Great idea!
I bought my first Beta around 1984 and it is still my favorite amp. I modded my 1x15 cabinet and converted it to a smaller 2x10 sealed cabinet.
Killer overdrive and you can set one channel as OD and the other as clean. The amp was always a sleeper with great features: True 2 channel preamp with a nice footswitch, separate send and returns for each channel, killer sounds.

ZombiCrow · #6 11-04-2008, 07:08 PM

Believe me, I've been looking! I'm not sure how the level differences would work between a preamp IN an amp, and using that pre as a pedal... Is it a big deal to get those signal levels to match up? I imagine a Preamp signal is considerably larger than the output coming from a fuzz or distortion pedal.

SnakeAnthony · #7 11-04-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZombiCrow

Unrelated: How long is the Openhaus wait list?

When I asked this spring it was 'six weeks.'

I would guess somewhere closer to a few months. He does pedals in batches, so if he's doing Openhaus now you could get one within a few weeks. If he's not, you just have to wait until he gets to them again.

OhThePeacock · #8 11-05-2008, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeAnthony

When I asked this spring it was 'six weeks.'

I would guess somewhere closer to a few months. He does pedals in batches, so if he's doing Openhaus now you could get one within a few weeks. If he's not, you just have to wait until he gets to them again.

About two weeks ago when I was emailing back and forth he said 12 months.

ZombiCrow · #9 11-05-2008, 07:53 AM

Heck. Well I guess I'll get working on the Beta Bass pedal

rcubed · #10 11-05-2008, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pkatzman

According to this website, you can purchase the schematic from Sunn (aka Fender.) Might be worth investigating?

EDIT: This website will sell you a packet of info including a schematic, as well, supposedly. No experience with them, found them on Google.

No way I would pay money for the schematic. I'm sure someone has it posted for free.

SnakeAnthony · #11 11-05-2008, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhThePeacock

About two weeks ago when I was emailing back and forth he said 12 months.

Yeah, should have hopped on it while he was making them in the spring. It can happen within a few weeks while they are in cycle. He's supposed to be doing Halophazes within the next six months, but I'm not holding out too heavy for any specific date.

ZombiCrow · #12 11-05-2008, 11:07 AM

I've been exchanging emails with him, and he actually suggested a Dove for bass distortion instead of the Openhaus, primarily because he says the noise level on the Openhaus is far higher than even a Big Muff with the Sustain all the way up (his comparison). He was sure to be clear that the Dove and Openhaus are distortion, NOT fuzz, and neither are based on a Muff in any way. What do you think, should I get on the Dove list? He even said he'd work with me to get it the way I wanted it.

As far as the Sunn Beta Bass preamp, the schematic is available for free out and about. It'd be really awesome to have the Gain/Bass/Mid/Treble/Level knobs in a stompbox; that amp breaks up with some authority, and I'm pretty sure the 100watt power section isn't particularly responsible for the tone, too.

katri · #13 11-05-2008, 04:35 PM

it would be pretty cool if you could have 2 foot switches so you can have 2 gain levels, a clean and then a more gainy part which is what stars to break up, im no electronics whiz so i have no idea how feasible that is.

ZombiCrow · #14 11-05-2008, 06:04 PM

100% feasible, actually. The ideal incarnation of this particular preamp in pedal form would have an A/B switch, an A+B switch, and a bypass (unless is was strictly a preamp, in which case only A/B and A+B). It'd also have two identical channels set up, just like the amp itself, which means a million awesome knobs. And as a tweak to the Sunn Beta circuit, a parametric Mid knob, because that thing is not too useful as it is.

So, pow. And, I'm already talking to someone about this project, and with all the online resources, it shouldn't actually be too difficult. What shall it be named? I was thinking: The Omega Moon.

OhThePeacock · #15 11-05-2008, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZombiCrow

100% feasible, actually. The ideal incarnation of this particular preamp in pedal form would have an A/B switch, an A+B switch, and a bypass (unless is was strictly a preamp, in which case only A/B and A+B). It'd also have two identical channels set up, just like the amp itself, which means a million awesome knobs. And as a tweak to the Sunn Beta circuit, a parametric Mid knob, because that thing is not too useful as it is.

So, pow. And, I'm already talking to someone about this project, and with all the online resources, it shouldn't actually be too difficult. What shall it be named? I was thinking: The Omega Moon.

If this really goes underway and you get one built let me know cause I'd be interested.

SnakeAnthony · #16 11-05-2008, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZombiCrow

I've been exchanging emails with him, and he actually suggested a Dove for bass distortion instead of the Openhaus, primarily because he says the noise level on the Openhaus is far higher than even a Big Muff with the Sustain all the way up (his comparison). He was sure to be clear that the Dove and Openhaus are distortion, NOT fuzz, and neither are based on a Muff in any way. What do you think, should I get on the Dove list? He even said he'd work with me to get it the way I wanted it.

To quote deity-like Effects Forum member Toasted: 'I think he's over-egging his omelet.'

Toasted seemed to like the pedal more than just a little, and said it was the best distortion (read as: separate from Overdrive) he had found for his needs. His reports on Ed's noise level comments were minimal, saying less than he was leading on, about PA white noise level.

Toasted did note, if I recall correctly, that he loved the Dove, but felt that it lost (just a little) lows, and just didn't quiet do for him what his Dredgetone Angler did.