BassGuitar preamp/poweramp ???

[Kgveteran]

I come from home audio so excuse my ignorance
In home audio preamp/power amp
Is “usually” preferred over integrated because you can pick and choose different preamps (maybe tube) and a big fat 500watt mosfet.

Can i get a tube preamp and pick any powerful mosfet amp ??
All i seem to see are integrated heads, thanx

 

[Killing Floor]

Sure. There aren’t as many options as there once were. There are some small form power amps and plenty of rack mount power amps. Like the audio world you are familiar with, the market dictates availability.

 

[Kgveteran]

Sure. There aren’t as many options as there once were. There are some small form power amps and plenty of rack mount power amps. Like the audio world you are familiar with, the market dictates availability.

I feel totally stupid could you give me one to look up (make/model), so i can see, then i’ll be on my way,

thanks

 

[Passinwind]

I feel totally stupid could you give me one to look up (make/model), so i can see, then i’ll be on my way,

thanks

Jule Amps make a few, for starters: Amps

 

[gtirard]

The list of preamps is endless…

A few power amps:

Guitar Sound System Sumo range: affordable, excellent reputation, different form factors depending on the model/power
Demeter Minnie 800D: small but pricey
Monique 500: small but pricey
Jad Freer Coda: small but pricey
Straight Ahead: tiny and minimalist, but it's a one-person built, not sure it passed any certifications. Some Talkbass members seem to praise it.

 

[Redbrangus]

This one works well, but is a bit atypical, IMHO.
[This invalid link has been removed]

 

[seamonkey]

Home audio, and studio also often have powered speakers. Many good options. One good options is a QSC K12.2.
K12.2

Modeling is popular in pre-amps and there are now many modeling options for pre-amps.
If you're looking for a standalone pre-amp in a pedal, then Tonex is an option you might want to investigate
TONEX Pedal
If you have a decent PC there is a free plugin version.
With Tonex, both IK and Community members post captures to ToneNET
Additionally, many independent people doing captures have their own websites and repositories.
Tonex is not a multieffects pedal. It is basically capturing Heads (amps) and Cabinet IR's. So it's like a multiple pre-amp with many IR's.

If you get a good sound with a pre-amp and/or pedal into a powered cab like K12.2, then you also have the option to feed that same signal to FOH engineer, or to a recording engineer.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Just like in Home Audio were integrated amp/receiver dominate; in Bass Amps the overwhelming majority use either integrated Bass Head or Combo[ Bass head built into Speaker Cabinet]

Some will find outside pedal preamp [or any style] that can be hooked to Bass head or Combo and bypass built in pre just using Amp head for Power Amp.

Yes going sperate Pre/Power gives more choices if you are the type who is always looking and wanting to try new stuff; can get pricey

You don't have to use 'Bass Company' power amp there are many excellent multipurpose Amps from QSC, Crown to name a few.

Not to many choices if any for Mosfet or Tubes in Amp only products; a fair amount in Tube Preamps

You will find Class D Amps makes up [my estimate 90+%] of the Market in any form.

I am an Audiophile [so to speak] Home Audio and Live /Studio music equipment are different Worlds

 

[tshapiro]

I come from home audio so excuse my ignorance
In home audio preamp/power amp
Is “usually” preferred over integrated because you can pick and choose different preamps (maybe tube) and a big fat 500watt mosfet.

Can i get a tube preamp and pick any powerful mosfet amp ??
All i seem to see are integrated heads, thanx

Just curious if there’s a sound and power capability you’re after and if the best of bread in the traditional market wouldn’t fill the bill for you. There’s some awesome stuff available.

 

[Diplock]

The list of preamps is endless…

A few power amps:

Guitar Sound System Sumo range: affordable, excellent reputation, different form factors depending on the model/power
Demeter Minnie 800D: small but pricey
Monique 500: small but pricey
Jad Freer Coda: small but pricey
Straight Ahead: tiny and minimalist, but it's a one-person built, not sure it passed any certifications. Some Talkbass members seem to praise it.

Nice list! They all look good in in their own different ways. I don't really get the pedalboard design of the Monique but the quality of everything that guy makes is excellent. The Jad Freer is pretty expensive for 350w @8 ohms but it's sexy. So is the Demeter. The Sumo 1000w might be the best value overall or maybe the Straight Ahead if 300w @8ohms was enough and portability was a major issue.

Honestly though for what it cost, its size, build quality and how good is sounds I'd still take a Quilter BB800 over all of them all.

 

[Marko 1]

I feel totally stupid could you give me one to look up (make/model), so i can see, then i’ll be on my way,

thanks

I have a SansAmp RBI rack pre, but SansAmp has other good/interesting stuff to look at.

 

[gtirard]

Nice list! They all look good in in their own different ways. I don't really get the pedalboard design of the Monique but the quality of everything that guy makes is excellent. The Jad Freer is pretty expensive for 350w @8 ohms but it's sexy. So is the Demeter. The Sumo 1000w might be the best value overall or maybe the Straight Ahead if 300w @8ohms was enough and portability was a major issue.

Honestly though for what it cost, its size, build quality and how good is sounds I'd still take a Quilter BB800 over all of them all.

Yes, a lot of bassists use the Quilter BB800 as a power amp, including me.
It's been discontinued recently, we're now expecting the annoucement of the next generation of Quilter bass amps, but there's a good used market in the meantine.

 

[Blues Bass 2]

I used to use a Sansamp RBI preamp with Crown power for quite a few years and then an Ampeg SVP preamp with Crown power . Crown XTI 1000 and then Crown XLS 1000 and then 1500 poweramps . Both preamps with the Crown poweramps were really great , lots of power and wonderful tone . Very portable and not too heavy .
I have since changed to smaller more portable integrated amps like the ones in my signature and they give me close to the same satisfaction as my former rack mounted rigs but a lot more portable and lightweight . The rack mounted ones are very cool too and a good way to get a ton of power and features for not a ton of money .

 

[agedhorse]

The days of linear MOSFET power amps is pretty much over.

There are options in separates but generally integrated pre/power amps are more available with more options.

 

[monsterthompson]

You can certainly go separates, but there are quite a few folks on this site who have found that it’s easier to go with a class d head, and if you want to run a different preamp section then you grab a pedal pre and run it in to the FX Loop return to bypass the amp’s pre.

It seems like it would make sense that a “power amp only” would be half the cost since you’re only getting half the amp, but that’s not how it works. Most bigger manufacturers sell integrated heads. Some smaller and/or boutique shops sell dedicated power amps. Some have already been mentioned. Seymour Duncan has the Powerstage series, and the 700w version is probably the best suited for bass. Troubles is, at $699 it is near the price of many other 700w integrated amps.
PowerStage™ 700 Pedal Amps | Seymour Duncan

There’s always the option of rack mount PA style power amps. I have a Behringer that I can use this way if I’m inclined. If you’re going with rack preamps then the format makes sense, but if you aren’t then it might be more bulk than you want.

 

[Kgveteran]

I have a SansAmp RBI rack pre, but SansAmp has other good/interesting stuff to look at.

This one does look interesting and affordable. After searching i discovered the term “instrument preamp” thats how i saw the RBI you have

 

[el murdoque]

Power amps that are marketed for bass guitar use are pretty rare.

The main reason is that a power amp is a power amp - no matter what you want to do with it. You can simply pick what you need from the vast selection of PA power amps and use that for your purpose.

 

[Kgveteran]

Power amps that are marketed for bass guitar use are pretty rare.

The main reason is that a power amp is a power amp - no matter what you want to do with it. You can simply pick what you need from the vast selection of PA power amps and use that for your purpose.

Yup, thats what i was after, im very interested in building some cabinets or a cabinet and powering it was confusing me, it was a “term” thing i knew what i was looking for, thanx!!

 

[Kgveteran]

Just curious if there’s a sound and power capability you’re after and if the best of bread in the traditional market wouldn’t fill the bill for you. There’s some awesome stuff available.

I think at this point im exploring more than anything, im new to bass playing, my little 10” Eden isnt cutting it, so i woukd like to upgrade. I was initially looking at a 410 and an ampeg micro, when i heard about instrument/bass preamps, just more options….

when all said and done, an integrated unit lije you said may be the best option. Thanx for joining in the conversation

 

[Diplock]

There are options in separates but generally integrated pre/power amps are more available with more options.

With class D amplifiers and a huge number of available preamps the flexibility of a separate power amp/preamp rig will always be appealing. Some players only need a simple platform for their preamps and don't want to lock into (or fight) what some team decided was a good LCD selection of features to integrate. Thank god for companies like @gtirard has listed above because the bean counter numbers aren't likely to entice any bigger players to make small footprint class D power amps for instruments.