Amp has no tone control: Sansamp or EQ?

[Deadsound]

OP: what is it about your current EQ (Zoom) that is not cutting it?

And, what is it you want to achieve tone wise with your existing amp & cab? A specific EQ curve (eg scooped, roll off the top end, boost mids)? A warmer or fuller sound? The ability to be versatile and get a number of different sounds?

 

[gfen]

OP: what is it about your current EQ (Zoom) that is not cutting it?

And, what is it you want to achieve tone wise with your existing amp & cab? A specific EQ curve (eg scooped, roll off the top end, boost mids)? A warmer or fuller sound? The ability to be versatile and get a number of different sounds?

Besides the fact that the jacks have broken off the board a couple times, and I've re-flowed the solder, I don't care for the layout of controls with having to sort of flip between multiple subsections to make hte knobs function in their respective bands. I also don't like that if I want to play with an effect, I lose the EQ portion unless I painstakingly rebuilt the effect from teh ground up to include it.

As for a desire, it's mostly wanting to have versatility and to change what I can do to better fit whatever sound I'm interested in. Now, after some of the feedback, I get that a character pedal's baked-in sound is more or less what you're getting, which is what leads me to believe that, ultimately, what I want is simply an EQ.

The tone of the amp straight is, frankly, just a bit too bright for me. The bass tone knob only allows for so much flexibility, that I'm looking for how to go further with it.

 

[monsterthompson]

No experience with them but the Behringer and Danelectro pedals on google look like your cheapest option new.

I think the EQ option is better than the pre if you aren't after the baked in tone. Sounds like you've figured that part out.

 

[Deadsound]

Besides the fact that the jacks have broken off the board a couple times, and I've re-flowed the solder, I don't care for the layout of controls with having to sort of flip between multiple subsections to make hte knobs function in their respective bands. I also don't like that if I want to play with an effect, I lose the EQ portion unless I painstakingly rebuilt the effect from teh ground up to include it.

As for a desire, it's mostly wanting to have versatility and to change what I can do to better fit whatever sound I'm interested in. Now, after some of the feedback, I get that a character pedal's baked-in sound is more or less what you're getting, which is what leads me to believe that, ultimately, what I want is simply an EQ.

The tone of the amp straight is, frankly, just a bit too bright for me. The bass tone knob only allows for so much flexibility, that I'm looking for how to go further with it.

If you can get the tones you want from the EQ of the Zoom, it's just breaking down and difficult to work with, then you know your answer - get an EQ with functionality that is similar (graphic?). Sounds like this is the case.

But know that some preamps have more "baked in" tone than others, some are very transparent. I don't know much about lower cost options. But personally I prefer a 3 or 4 band EQ over a graphic EQ when tone shaping - the graphic is more about isolating and usually eliminating more specific problem frequencies, at least for me.

 

[TimboZ]

I don't think people quite understand what the EVJ brings to the table, part of this was my failure in not indicating this is the standalone head through a dedicated bass cabinet.

(points finger at giantass 15" cabinet)

I mostly just ignored that part of it, as I told Nightcat in a PM about the EVJ, of all the gear I've bought since my first bass guitar, this is the only one that I haven't second guessed that I could've done better. For $85, I have a perfectly sized and volumed practice amp that also happens to be all tube... Just needs, as we noted, a bit of tone shaping.

My primary question, perhaps not phrased well, was what method gives results that may fall inline with my interests: A preamp or a straight EQ. I think I understand what the preamps/emulation gear brings to the table versus a straight EQ, and now I simply need to test with the gear I have available before I throw money down (although I appreciated the guy who said, "buy both" most of all).

I have a Valve JR. So I decided to play my Fender Blacktop P-Bass thru the EVJ and a couple of my bass cabs (Avartar 210 and Eden 210) .
No EQ or any other pedal could help the tone I was getting. Way too much tube breakup and no low end. I also have a sansamp, tone hammer and a behringer BDI which were no help.

 

[gfen]

I have a Valve JR. So I decided to play my Fender Blacktop P-Bass thru the EVJ and a couple of my bass cabs (Avartar 210 and Eden 210) .
No EQ or any other pedal could help the tone I was getting. Way too much tube breakup and no low end. I also have a sansamp, tone hammer and a behringer BDI which were no help.

S'funny, coz I'm quite happy with the basis I'm working from but I hate the size of my 115 cabinet and wanted to try replacing it with a 210 or 112 at some point to reclaim some office space.

What revision EVJ do you have? The serial number will give you the manufacture date, mine's a rev3 which many of the aftermarket modifications built into the unit that people had previously done on the earlier ones, including a larger output transformer.

 

[TimboZ]

I think mine is a Ver 2 Date is May 2006. No mods other change the tube.
I also plugged into my Carvin bass cab with a 15 in it. Could not get anything to my liking out of it.