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08-24-2009, 04:55 AM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Ashdown Engineering, Grover-Allman | | Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia | | | Tube mic preamp or DI (ala sansamp)
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Im pretty happy with my SS amp but i always feel like it could go with a little bit 'more'
What do you think would be better for acheiving this, a small tube pre or a DI box like a sansamp copy or something.
Im a little strapped for cash and just wondering which would make the better cheap investment. |
08-24-2009, 05:33 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: St. Louis | | | Subscribed. I have been looking for something to run before my very clean Traynor db200 combo. |
08-24-2009, 05:36 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Berkshires, Ma | | | There are a few threads on this that you could search. IIRC the consensus was that those little mic preamps don't do a whole lot for bass although I've heard good things about the ART Tube PAC and especially their old Tube Channel. None of these are going to give you any appreciable overdrive, just some "warmth." Have you checked out Basstasters.com? |
08-24-2009, 11:09 PM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Ashdown Engineering, Grover-Allman | | Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia | | | Not really looking for overdrive.. i have an overdrive pedal.
Just something to put in front of my amp that will make it sound 'better' (for lack of a better word) |
08-24-2009, 11:17 PM
|  | OVNIFX
EXAR pedals rep for North & Central America | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: PDX, OR | | | Try a FET booster. There are many makes at all kinds of price points. For an example, check out the Fulltone Fat Boost, though that one may cost more than you'd like. |
08-24-2009, 11:46 PM
|  | Total Hyper-Elite Member | | Join Date: May 2000 Location: Groom Lake, NV | | |
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08-24-2009, 11:57 PM
| | OVNIFX
EXAR pedals rep for North & Central America | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: PDX, OR | | Munji, you missed this bit: Quote:
Originally Posted by pattyløve  Im a little strapped for cash and just wondering which would make the better cheap investment. | |
08-25-2009, 12:05 AM
| | Total Hyper-Elite Member | | Join Date: May 2000 Location: Groom Lake, NV | | Quote:
Originally Posted by bongomania Munji, you missed this bit: | Oops. So have a bake sale.
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08-25-2009, 01:45 AM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Ashdown Engineering, Grover-Allman | | Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia | | Quote:
Originally Posted by tobie | Yeahh well thats the thing, i was thinking of something like this or the behringer tech21 copies (acoustic adi21 or bass bdi21) because i hear good things about all three and wondering which one i should try. |
08-25-2009, 05:18 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: St. Louis | | Quote:
Originally Posted by pattyløve Not really looking for overdrive.. i have an overdrive pedal.
Just something to put in front of my amp that will make it sound 'better' (for lack of a better word) | I just yesterday picked up the Art Tube Pac for $100. It adds some tubey roundness and character to the chain of my Steinberger (EMG's) into a newer Traynor DB200 combo. The compression (tube) feature is a bonus and sounds good in small doses. It's a well made unit with an internal power supply (no wall wart!). My search is over for now... Try one from a retailer with a good return policy. You may find it works for you also. |
08-25-2009, 11:48 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2000 Location: Chicago, IL | | Quote:
Originally Posted by pattyløve Im pretty happy with my SS amp but i always feel like it could go with a little bit 'more'
What do you think would be better for acheiving this, a small tube pre or a DI box like a sansamp copy or something.
Im a little strapped for cash and just wondering which would make the better cheap investment. | I wouldn't personally recommend a SansAmp, but that's my own thing...obviously a lot of people love them. But, to my ears, it's not a very natural sounding box and is best used "in place of", not "in addition to" a preamp. Of course this is IMO / IME.
How flexible are you in swapping out your SS preamp? The reason I ask is because I've had the same complaint in the past and found, at least with my current cab, a class "A" mic preamp works particularly well. I'm not advocating you go out and spend thousands on an Avalon VT-737sp, as there are a number of less expensive tube mic-preamps on the market you might find suit your needs.
The thing about class "A" that I've found is while they've got tube input sections, the tube-ness does wonders for giving that tube fatness without adding distortion (I've got a Fulltone BassDrive for that application). There are a lot of products out there people seem to rave about, such as Summit Audio, Presonus, etc., you might find suit your needs very well. But, since they're going to require a cash outlay, if you were going this route, you might consider selling / trading your existing preamp for one of those.
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08-25-2009, 12:26 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: New Hampshire | | | The Behringer BDI21 is irreplaceable in my rig. And lawd knows I've tried...but I haven't found anything that sounds as good. Best $30 pedal out there. |
08-25-2009, 01:14 PM
| | | 
I had the same problem, my ampeg svt-4 just sounded to 'flat'. I put this little baby before it, and never looked back. I can dial in a nice warm tube jazz type sound. I can also get a grity more Tim Commerford/Geddy Lee type sounds out of it. and everything in between. I highly recommend it, or something just like it. |
08-25-2009, 01:32 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: NYC | | | the SABDDI is really the best most cost effective way to get a pretty wide range of usable tones - they've been around forever so i imagine there is a huge used market for them. i've also heard the "B" word's version is comparable . . .
personally I got a para-driver a few years back and hated it. chalked up the BDDI as hype. a friend got me one a few months ago and I'm not quite sure how i've lived w/o it. i'll be using it for a long time to come . . . |
08-25-2009, 03:37 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Berkshires, Ma | | | The sansamp pedals will color your tone immensely. If you're looking for something very different from your current tone, try that. If you're just looking for a little warmth, I'd try some of those small tube mic pre's or something. Look for something used or order a few of them from some place with a good return policy. |
08-26-2009, 03:12 AM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Ashdown Engineering, Grover-Allman | | Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Swift713 The sansamp pedals will color your tone immensely. If you're looking for something very different from your current tone, try that. If you're just looking for a little warmth, I'd try some of those small tube mic pre's or something. Look for something used or order a few of them from some place with a good return policy. | Yeahh, thanks i might do that.
Like i said, i like my amps tone and therefore i dont want to be changing it and having something i can dial different tones with. Just something that will be a bit more with no adjustment.
So I might try some mic pres but if anyone has any other input, id love to know. Thanks for all the input so far! |
08-26-2009, 03:15 AM
| | Registered User
Endorsing Artist: Ashdown Engineering, Grover-Allman | | Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia | | Quote:
Originally Posted by RAM I wouldn't personally recommend a SansAmp, but that's my own thing...obviously a lot of people love them. But, to my ears, it's not a very natural sounding box and is best used "in place of", not "in addition to" a preamp. Of course this is IMO / IME.
How flexible are you in swapping out your SS preamp? The reason I ask is because I've had the same complaint in the past and found, at least with my current cab, a class "A" mic preamp works particularly well. I'm not advocating you go out and spend thousands on an Avalon VT-737sp, as there are a number of less expensive tube mic-preamps on the market you might find suit your needs.
The thing about class "A" that I've found is while they've got tube input sections, the tube-ness does wonders for giving that tube fatness without adding distortion (I've got a Fulltone BassDrive for that application). There are a lot of products out there people seem to rave about, such as Summit Audio, Presonus, etc., you might find suit your needs very well. But, since they're going to require a cash outlay, if you were going this route, you might consider selling / trading your existing preamp for one of those. | Thanks for this advice too!
Looks like i might go down the tube mic preamp road |
08-26-2009, 06:12 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Berkshires, Ma | | The one drawback to the mic pre route is that you won't be able to quickly bypass it. If you suddenly wanted your boring old clean tone you'd have to swap wires around as opposed to something like the Submarine pedal which has a bypass switch. This probably doesn't matter though.  |
08-26-2009, 11:10 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Swift713 The one drawback to the mic pre route is that you won't be able to quickly bypass it. | The MIC200 has a 'Neutral' setting for this purpose. Cool, hey?
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