Anybody using three pre amps…?

[pbass2]

In the studio, heck even in the DAW box, there's lotsa playing around with different signal paths, gain staging, etc. If it sounds good, it is good.

 

[tb-player]

I've done active bass to tube DI or active bass to amp. Not sure I ever do all three. That's a lot of redundancy.

 

[Gabbs]

Stingray Special 4H set flat into Mesa Subway+ preamp into Mesa Walkabout set flat out to a Subway 15.

I do all tone shaping on the Mesa Subway+ as it is easy and quick to get a close enough tone for covers in the ten seconds or so I have to do it in between songs.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Always at least three! Active bass for quick adjustments and enough of everything out of the gate (usually a significant boost to highs and a slight boost to lows), one on my pedalboard for my basic sound (big emphasis on high mids), and one on the amplifier to adjust to the room. My board always technically has another preamp: a Night Owl Industries Edison tube preamp, though that one has no tone controls. And on the board I use for both guitar and bass, I switch an EQ pedal on for bass and off for guitar. I suppose it's complicated, but I have a very good idea of where to adjust what for any result at this point. The only things I routinely tweak are the highs on the bass as the strings age and whatever I need to do on the amplifier to sound my best in the room.

 

[Diplock]

Part of me thinks shouldn't ONE *decent* EQ be enough?

But then I recall the variety of EQ control schemes I've seen over the years.
10+ band, Bass/mid/Hi knobs, Parametric (some with Q control), straight up hi pass / low pass switches
and even within a similar control scheme, the circuitry is likely to vary significantly

So even if, in theory, one EQ could be enough for you
some controls are easier than others to get the sound you want
and some circuits more easily zone in on the sound you want

I don't do it, but I get it.

All of me thinks one decent EQ is enough. Overlapping EQ is too much for this "somewhere on the spectrum" meat computer to decode. Where multiple preamps work is when they don't overlap. There's always a simple gain/L/H HPF tube Preamp/DI in front of a Quilter BB800 with its non trad filtery EQ thing going on (or whatever house amp). Then sometimes post DI an RMI Sonic Spark that does different more magic sweepy filtery stuff and/or a Boss GE-7B 7 band graph. The extra preamps are 100% about making imperfect rooms and house cabs workable. The less in the chain the better but I'll throw an extra preamp in without hesitation if it helps lessen a problem. A normal person would probably just do it with one parametric EQ.

 

[Camarillo]

No. Not even two.
My main pedalboard has a digbeth preamp on it. If I use that, I go to the power amp in or effects return, whatever you call it.
And if I'm using an active/passive bass, is switched to passive.
Thinking about a smaller pedalboard just with overdrive in front of the amp (Laney Nexus) and maybe sone modulation effects in the effects loop of the head, that has built in octaver, chorus and reverb, and they all sound very well.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Most of my basses are passive, but 2 are active.
Regardless; if the Para EQ deluxe qualifies as a preamp, then yes.
I've added the Sansamp VT back to the mix.
I never thought I'd go for something like the Aguilar DB 925, but it just works so well with certain basses.
I don't necessarily use all at once, but each one has its purpose, and I usually tweak the amp setting the least of all - mostly in the mids.
And, at the end of the day, I'm happy to plug straight in, if the situation calls for it.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Sure, usually it ends up loosely being the onboard preamp for quick tweaks, the amp is set more for the room and the preamp on the pedalboard for the core tone.

 

[bulldean]

Would an active bass, Darkglass Harmonic Booster, Tech 21 BDDI, and bass amp preamp be considered four?

 

[JBarz]

Sushibox Slampegg —> Redeye—>FDECK HPF-PRE


sonic perfection - I'm done!

 

[Danny C]

Passive bass, Jad Freer Capo, Arkham Oracle into Mesa WD800. Not stacked and on all the time but I have a variety of tones available and it works for me.

 

[logdrum]

I've done 4 - actually 5. Active bass 18v pre, Source Audio's EQ2->Ultrawave->Ameg Classic->NUX->Amp . Okay that is 6 but I never ran the Ultrawave or Classic at the same time. or maybe I have. All have EQ's

 

[MrDinsdale]

At one point I had 4, my active EMG preamp, into a Jad Freer Capo followed by an EAE Model FeT and finally into my Handbox WB100 head but swapped it to be passive.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

No I do not use three preamps, when playing an active bass, I bypass the preamp on the pedal board and I activate the -10db push switch on the amp. But when palying a passive bass, I use the preamp on the pedal board and I still use the -10db on the amp.

 

[el murdoque]

I remember a time where I played an active bass into a BDPG, into an Ictineo, into a Noble, into a Tonehammer head. That's five.

Whatever floats your boat.

 

[G On Bass]

I have active PJ5s. I run those into a Zoom B3N, often with either an Ampeg or Bassman Preamp (usually for grit), then into a Peavey Minimax. Sounds great. No cab sims. But I'm finding my MiniMax to be more and more versatile, so I may start leaning on that more and lose the Zoom preamps

 

[mazdah]

I don't count toy pedal preamps as a preamp, more like a "color box". I have E.W.S. Tri-Logic 2 in my board and If like the sound coming out of it I use it, event with my active Alembic Epic. The proper preamp is in my rack.

 

[vvvmmm]

Sometimes four, if ya count the recording pre-amp, whether as the DI or at the end of the mic.

 

[Relsom]

I haven't gigged a passive bass in years. There's no preamp on my board....just a tuner, comp, and if you consider the HPF on my Radial DI, that's the only tone shaping before my signal goes to the FOH and to my amp, which is playing far less of a role these days in light of better FOH support and IEM usage.

 

[6-3-2]

I use 3:
SansAmp for more vintage tones
EWS Tri-Logic for more modern tones
My amp preamp