Why in the name of all that is mighty would someone make a 12V. unit and not include the power supply???
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AMT Brick "Alembic Tube Preamp" pedal
- Thread starter CC7
- Start date
Money? It does suck! And their's is not cheap! Luckily, I already have one.
If anyone does go this route and is looking for a less expensive power supply, there are readily available alternatives online for much less dinero.
I've got one of these on the way, sans wall wart. Can you please point to the power supplies you were referencing? Thanks.
Maybe this one?
https://smile.amazon.com/upbright-a...+supply+guitar+pedals&qid=1589318235&sr=8-129
Hard to tell, since they don't list the tip polarity. But, I figure the H&K pedal should be biased inner negative?
Well, I just ended up getting a 12VDC standard center positive supply and then a polarity inverter adapter. We'll see whether that works or not.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075R64SCQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I just googled the specs of the power supply and they were available used for around $10 to around $20-$30 or so new.
Thanks; but one has to be really careful. The VAST majority of 12VDC power supplies are inner positive. Pedals require inner negative.
I've got the adapter headed my way, so I can use the standard power supplies; but also found this:
- ) + Center Negative 5V 9V 12V 15V 18V 24V 1000mA AC Adapter Power Supply 5.5mm | eBay
So, I'll try that one as well. Eventually, if I put it on my board, I've got a CIOKS 5, which will take care of it.
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I was going to use the Cioks schizophrenic if I didn't use the 12v I already had.
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Looks like a tiny, rather phallic spaceport.
Seems to sound like it's rocket-fuel powered, too, so that's cool. Very nice!
I will say, I'm one of those cats who kind of conflates bass preamp pedal with DI via XLR, which isn't totally unreasonable since amp heads pretty ubiquitously have a DI integrated into the preamp stage (mostly pre-EQ, but sometimes post or both). So I'd miss that for my purposes until I can afford a snazzy Radial or Countryman.
Seems to sound like it's rocket-fuel powered, too, so that's cool. Very nice!
I will say, I'm one of those cats who kind of conflates bass preamp pedal with DI via XLR, which isn't totally unreasonable since amp heads pretty ubiquitously have a DI integrated into the preamp stage (mostly pre-EQ, but sometimes post or both). So I'd miss that for my purposes until I can afford a snazzy Radial or Countryman.
Agreed that lack of DI isn't great. But, the pedal is SO small, and not particularly expensive. So, I just bought an open box Radial JDI for $125 on the 'Bay; and though I'm not thrilled with the added complexity, doesn't so much bother me; because both will probably end up on a pedal board.
Unlike many TB'ers, my main interest in the PB preamps at this point is to see how close I can come to the quality of sound I get in my rack mount preamps. Which, at this point consist of a Demeter VTBP-201 and an Alembic F1X. I've gotten close enough to the Demeter using a smaller Demeter Bass400J amp as a preamp/DI, but I'm still looking for similar sound to the Alembic F1X. I do have a Shift Line Olympic MkIIIs, which is pretty good. But, when switching between the F1X and the SLO, the difference is immediately apparent. I'll try the same comparison with the Brick; see how that goes.
Most of the evals in this forum are based on recording the preamp/DI output to a board / computer. I understand that FOH sound is what the crowd hears; so, it's important. But, there are so many other variables there, that my main concern has shifted to how well the smaller pedal board preamps actually drive my backline rig. So far, NONE of them are measuring up to what the rack units do. But, I keep looking / listening. Hope springs eternal.
BTW, I'm kind of surprised that Alembic themselves haven't looked at reducing the F1X to a pedal board footprint. Oh well.
Unlike many TB'ers, my main interest in the PB preamps at this point is to see how close I can come to the quality of sound I get in my rack mount preamps. Which, at this point consist of a Demeter VTBP-201 and an Alembic F1X. I've gotten close enough to the Demeter using a smaller Demeter Bass400J amp as a preamp/DI, but I'm still looking for similar sound to the Alembic F1X. I do have a Shift Line Olympic MkIIIs, which is pretty good. But, when switching between the F1X and the SLO, the difference is immediately apparent. I'll try the same comparison with the Brick; see how that goes.
Most of the evals in this forum are based on recording the preamp/DI output to a board / computer. I understand that FOH sound is what the crowd hears; so, it's important. But, there are so many other variables there, that my main concern has shifted to how well the smaller pedal board preamps actually drive my backline rig. So far, NONE of them are measuring up to what the rack units do. But, I keep looking / listening. Hope springs eternal.
BTW, I'm kind of surprised that Alembic themselves haven't looked at reducing the F1X to a pedal board footprint. Oh well.
jacoby75
Supporting Member
- Mar 11, 2010
- 5,661
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- Endorsing Artist: Mike Lull Custom Guitars, DR Strings
I believe the AMT "A-Bass" Brick is supposed to be based on the Alembic/Fender tone stack. (Isn't the Alembic pre a Fender tone stack? Maybe I'm wrong about that). If the Alembic is Fender-based, I'm liking what I'm getting so far out of the EBS ValveDrive I just got a few days ago. It's Fender tonestack-inspired. Mine is the older version with no DI, but the newer version has a DI, supposedly hotter output through the 1/4" out, and runs on a standard 9v adapter. For that reason alone, I'll probably buy one of the new ones if one comes up cheap, and sell the old one, just for the convenience factor.
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I'm also very curious how this pedal compares to my alembic f2b. If you are able to compare it to your alembic F1X or demeter I'm curious about your experience.
I'm no expert but i does the tube still add enough flavour and headroom while running on 9V?
By the way, have you ever compared your demeter and alembic to a Jules Monique tube preamp?
Perhaps, you were asking that Q to me?
Anyhow, I have not evaluated Jule's preamp. I presume it is a quality unit. And, as I have discovered, different preamps suit different basses. Impossible to make categorical statements in that regard.
FWIW, here is a TB thread which does include some recorded material from both the Demeter and the Jule. I preferred the Demeter in that particular comparison. But, as I said, that difference might have been quite different with a different instrument.
Unscientific Guess-the-Preamp Comparo: Demeter, Monique, Genz (with others later).
Nope. Still waiting. I suspect that COVID has the mail services all messed up.
