Anybody using an ART channel strip as a preamp?

[Jehos]

I'm talking about either the voice channel strip:

VoiceChannel – Tube Channel Strip with Digital Outs – ART Pro Audio

Or the pro channel strip:

ProChannel II – ART Pro Audio

Both look like decent options for a bass preamp. The voice one especially has parametric EQ with the right ranges and a full-featured compressor. Plus you get digital outs and stuff.

Anybody using one of these, or some other channel strip?

 

[Jim Carr]

Yes! The venerable ART model 259 tube channel Tube Channel – Tube Mic Preamp/Compressor/EQ – ART Pro Audio

I have two of them, because I live part of the time in Texas (if you can call this living, lol), and the rest of the year in Hawaii.
Thus, one is in Kaneohe, Hawaii, and the other in Denton, TX.

As you can see, the 259 is 1 RU. Clean and flexible pre with two 12ax7s and a good compressor, EQ defeat, and other nice features. I am sad to report, the model 259 was discontinued about 5 years ago. They crop up used on TalkBass classified now and then, and are not expensive.

I also use a Mesa d-800 and a Mesa Prodigy quite a bit.

 

[BasturdBlaster]

I too have the old model 259. It works great as a bass pre, great eq, great compressor, super quiet noise floor.

 

[BassmanPaul]

I three have used the Tube Channel 259 and it worked very well for bass. I passed it on to a younger player along with with a Mackie 1400W power amp both in an SKB rack case.

 

[4Mal]

I had 3 of the 1ru Tube Channels at one point. Liked them a lot. ...used to refer to them as the poor man’s Demeter.