No they're not. They used to have rackmount preamps that were absolutely killer, and they got discontinued because nobody bought them.
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All-New Ampeg SCR-DI!
- Thread starter CharlieC
- Start date
I still think it would be better to offer the Scrambler as a pedal and not muck up a preamp by making it built in.
As for me, I'd never use the Scrambler - so that would be my "one more thing to keep track of."
You nailed it, however, when you said YMMV. No such thing as "best - only what's best for a specific individual's requirements.
Yes, but a big part of it was also their price point if we're talking about the SVT PRO series. But AFAIK, they never sold the preamp as a standalone product, although I could be mistaken. The current SVT-3/4/7 PRO series I'm familiar with is a full amplifier package. They were sometimes called the SVT PRO Tube Preamp series - which meant tube preamp plus solid state power amp. Still I didn't know that preamp stage itself was available for separate purchase. Learn something new every day.
And yeah, technical excellence and great sound are no guarantee a product will fly. Look no further than the Acoustic 360 or the Marcus Miller preamp. Oh well...
No argument from me. Tech21 makes a fine product. I own some of their stuff and I've never been disappointed.
And I'll probably wait for V2.0 too. The lack of a pre/post EQ switch is a semi-dealbreaker for me. I don't know too many venue sound guys that would willingly risk the house speakers or the mix letting you control your own EQ to the mains. Pre-EQ, pre-effects, seems to be the rule for DI to the board. They can always mic your cabinet if you use effects. And if they saw that Scrambler feature, I suspect more than a few would say "not in my house" for the same reason. Which means the SCR-DI would pretty much be restricted for use with a stage amp in my world.
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Exactly. And Ampeg had 5 preamps, the B1, the SVP-CL, the SVP-Pro, SVP-BSP (Billy Sheehan) and SVT-IIP. The last 4 were real nice and I believe the B1 was priced nicely, but they didn't sell and they got discontinued.
Well the Scrambler was added because a lot of folks like distortion, and they wanted a one-stop Swiss Army DI that filled the basic needs of most working bassists as well as keeping those who are practicing with it from having to add a pedal just to have overdrive. Adding a ring modulator would have been overkill
but not overdrive. In my opinion. And theirs. And it's selling crazy well, so can't argue with that.... Adding a ring modulator would have been overkill
Slightly OT, but question: have you ever found a situation where using ring modulation on anything (other than mic'ed drums or a synth gong patch) was actually musically useful?
Yup. It is. No arguing with success despite what I, or anyone else, may think either way.
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I've found one situation where ring mods were useful:
Other than that, not really.
Other than that, not really.
Interestingly mine (finally) arrives here in Australia tomorrow!!
40Hz, it's fascinating to me that you mention that the sound guys will want a clean pre EQ pre effects signal? The whole reason for buying the SCR for me is to control my output, post effects, to the desk.
Until recently most venues here have happily put a mic on the cab. This makes me happy, my tone, my effects and my cab into his amplification.
Now they're all heading on the DI path and it makes me wonder why we spend money on effects and amps/cabs if we're going to give total tone control to someone that may not know your band and the tone you want!
Now I'm in a position to put the SCR DI at the end of my effects path and send something I'm happy with to the desk.
Thanks to all that have posted in this thread it's been extremely helpful in the buying process.
That said, $199 in the U.S. Vs $499(rrp) here!! Good thing I have good friends on the right side of the pacific.
Cool. But in my experience, unless you're a major "name" in the biz, being too much of a prima donna -or making a habit of bucking the venue sound and/or management - will seldom get you much of anything other than a guarantee you'll never be allowed back. Which is fine if you're a solo act (and don't need the gig) - but not so good if you're a member of a band.
I generally do my best to befriend the sound people and discuss what we're trying to accomplish sound wise . I try to enlist them in my band's effort if at all possible for two reasons: (1) professional courtesy, and (2) because they can make or break the way you sound during the gig.
I try to avoid a confrontation, and ask for their input. And I almost always get what I want in the end - plus get a better sound on stage doing it that way. YMMV.
By all means send what you want to the house. If it isn't working with the sound system, they'll let you know in short order. And that's when they'll usually ask you to send it to them "raw."
They're trying to get a good overall sound - and not blow anything. So if you send then something that sounds bad, or is clipping or spiking all over the place, they'll want to take control. Especially if you don't use a compressor - and you're the type of bass player that should be using one. ;-)
When I get asked to send them "pre" I ask if we can try my usual signal first to see if it works for them as is. About 90% of the time it does and we're set to go. The other 10% of the time most will only ask for a minor tweak (usually back off on the bass a bit and boost the midrange a hair) and be fine with it. The occasional dragon you run into who insists on total control is just something you'll have to live with.
Fortunately those guys ( they're always guys) are pretty rare.
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Yeah, well you wouldn't be saying that if you knew me better. Nobody I work with ever calls me a prima donna unless they get in my way. I play with Bowzer from Sha Na Na, who almost always headlines his shows, and we as a band without him also do a lot of gigs where we're a very big draw and have earned ourselves the right to do whatever we want as a result, regardless of who's running sound. I have already done all the compromising I'm going to do by dropping the cab mic I used to use in place of a DI, and I'm darn sure not going to use their cheapo POS DI in lieu of the awesome DI (REDDI) and pedals I use, of which the SCR-DI is one.
As do I. But I've had situations where I've had sound techs try to demand I bend to their will without so much as hearing a single note I play. And that's when they get my dander up, and I'll be damned if I'm going to bend to their will. When they are drawing thousands to the gig instead of us, then I will bend to their will. And make no mistake, on many of our gigs, we draw thousands. Sure, they're free admissionI generally do my best to befriend the sound people and discuss what we're trying to accomplish sound wise . I try to enlist them in my band's effort if at all possible for two reasons: (1) professional courtesy, and (2) because they can make or break the way you sound during the gig.
I try to avoid a confrontation, and ask for their input. And I almost always get what I want in the end - plus get a better sound on stage doing it that way. YMMV.
but I don't know of any other bands doing what we do that draw like that.Ok so I've only tried it through my Bose in ear headphones (only branding so you know they're great quality headphones) and OMG!! I love this thing already.
Jamming tomorrow night so we'll see how it sounds through the BX500 set flat into the SVT410HE. Can't wait.
The scrambler sounds great. And I love that it actually blends the clean and dirty tones.
My one spot power supply is doing its thing and I've taken the battery out. Not needed.
Jamming tomorrow night so we'll see how it sounds through the BX500 set flat into the SVT410HE. Can't wait.
The scrambler sounds great. And I love that it actually blends the clean and dirty tones.
My one spot power supply is doing its thing and I've taken the battery out. Not needed.
Attachments
A couple of points I should probably clear up.
1) Nobody was accusing you personally of being a prima donna. I make it a point not to direct anything I say to an individual. Anything I say is said to the forum readership as a whole. What I was referring to is the practice of acting like a prima donna in general. If it came across as a personal comment to you, I apologize for not making it more clear. Especially since it wasn't my intent it be taken that way. (Such is the potential for misunderstandings whenever relative strangers only get to converse in writing as opposed to F2F.)
2) To your second point, you are correct. I don't know who you are. But to the point I was making earlier, perhaps you are a "name" in the venue you're referencing. If so, my comment that unless you ARE a "name" does apply to you - and you therefore CAN act however you want towards the house sound people. So in that respect, my original contention stands.: <IF name = OK | IF NOT name = NOT OK>
I have already done all the compromising I'm going to do by dropping the cab mic I used to use in place of a DI, and I'm darn sure not going to use their cheapo POS DI in lieu of the awesome DI (REDDI) and pedals I use, of which the SCR-DI is one.
...I've had situations where I've had sound techs try to demand I bend to their will without so much as hearing a single note I play. And that's when they get my dander up, and I'll be damned if I'm going to bend to their will. When they are drawing thousands to the gig instead of us, then I will bend to their will. And make no mistake, on many of our gigs, we draw thousands. Sure, they're free admission
See point (2) above. ;-)
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P.S. Glad to hear Bowzer of ShaNaNa fame (is there any other "Bowzer"?) is still working. I have fond memories of those guys throwing the whole 50's vibe in the face of the psychedelic rock crowd back in the late 60's and early 70's. It was hysterical. And it also took some balls. Send my regards to Bowzer for me! I always thought he was better than Cooper in the role of bass singer. "Bluuuuuuuuuueeee Moooooooooooooon!"
My short review:
I'm a big fan of the Ampeg tone, not so much their actual amps due to some recent issues with reliability. I bought this as a compromise to get that tone with a different amp for power.
It's a little bigger than I thought it would be and definitely heavy for a pedal. "Built like a tank" definitely applies, very well made. Minor issues: db pad located INSIDE the pedal (huh?), and you can't replace a battery without taking of the feet. That's not a big issue but not being able to remove the feet is if you want to Velcro it down. Works fine with a 9v, no issues that some others have had with battery power.
Tone: sounds like the new Ampeg SS amps, which means it sounds awesome. I wish the deep switch affected different frequencies than the knobs but it was easy to dial in a usable tone. I didn't care for the Scrambler at first. Spent some time dialing it in and now I LOVE IT! Very nice for subtle breakup, not so much for high gain fuzz. Perfect for adding a bit of tube "hair" to the notes. I'd be interested in a standalone version of it if I don't keep the DI.
Minor insignificant gripes: the led is crazy bright! Also the pedal lowers the overall volume of your signal, even when not engaged.
Overall I say this is a resounding success for Ampeg. If you love the new Portaflex tone or even the Rocket combos this pedal will get you there with ease.
This weekend I'll A/B/C it with my Tech 21 pedals on a gig.
I'm a big fan of the Ampeg tone, not so much their actual amps due to some recent issues with reliability. I bought this as a compromise to get that tone with a different amp for power.
It's a little bigger than I thought it would be and definitely heavy for a pedal. "Built like a tank" definitely applies, very well made. Minor issues: db pad located INSIDE the pedal (huh?), and you can't replace a battery without taking of the feet. That's not a big issue but not being able to remove the feet is if you want to Velcro it down. Works fine with a 9v, no issues that some others have had with battery power.
Tone: sounds like the new Ampeg SS amps, which means it sounds awesome. I wish the deep switch affected different frequencies than the knobs but it was easy to dial in a usable tone. I didn't care for the Scrambler at first. Spent some time dialing it in and now I LOVE IT! Very nice for subtle breakup, not so much for high gain fuzz. Perfect for adding a bit of tube "hair" to the notes. I'd be interested in a standalone version of it if I don't keep the DI.
Minor insignificant gripes: the led is crazy bright! Also the pedal lowers the overall volume of your signal, even when not engaged.
Overall I say this is a resounding success for Ampeg. If you love the new Portaflex tone or even the Rocket combos this pedal will get you there with ease.
This weekend I'll A/B/C it with my Tech 21 pedals on a gig.
See my review above. I have my initial thoughts but really need to compare them at a gig.
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