BassGuitar preamp/poweramp ???

[Snert]

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

Just like in hifi, tubes being thought of as being better is a misnomer, and I wouldn't bother with them today as I use multiFX and modellers as my pre. The power comes from an integrated bass head, but the controls are set flat and any tonal shaping done with the MFX.

Block 800B. 700W from an Icepower AS700 module for about $300, small and weighs very little.

PS: AS you're new, focus a whole lot less on the gear than your technique.

 

[40Hz]

I’ve mostly used Crown power amps over the years and have never been disappointed. Their newer XLS Drive Core series is affordable, has several wattages to choose from, and sounds good.

For preamps, any unit that can put out a line level signal should work with a power amp. Otherwise it’ll need to be boosted.

Which preamp to pick comes down to personal taste. I generally prefer more classic bass amp sounds so I use an Alembic F-1X for a 60s/70s Fender Bassman sound…

and a DiCosimo 360+ for that vintage Acoustic 360 vibe.

I’ve also been more recently experimenting with a friend’s Tech21 SansAmp RPM preamp and I’m very impressed by its versatility although I’d guess most players would be better served by The SansAmp RBI Bass Driver preamp which is also made by Tech21.

 

[jdjk7]

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

Some do this, although it's not common.

If someone hasn't mentioned it yet, something you can do is take any integrated or combo amp with a "Power Amp In" or "Effects Return" jack, and plug in any preamp you would like into it via its output-- if it's another integrated amp, use the "Preamp Out" or "Effects Send" jack as the output. Do not plug a "Speaker Out" into the input of another amp.

 

[agedhorse]

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.

It’s because the demand for separates is so small compared to the rest of the market that it makes little sense to go through the cost of developing and then safety/EMC certifying a product that will sell in tiny numbers.

Only a very few of the small builders go through the process of certification because it can cost between $50k and $100k to do so.

 

[Kgveteran]

Some do this, although it's not common.

If someone hasn't mentioned it yet, something you can do is take any integrated or combo amp with a "Power Amp In" or "Effects Return" jack, and plug in any preamp you would like into it via its output-- if it's another integrated amp, use the "Preamp Out" or "Effects Send" jack as the output. Do not plug a "Speaker Out" into the input of another amp.

Gotcha, its all about in’s and out’s
Thank you for useful advice

 

[Passinwind]

Gotcha, its all about in’s and out’s
Thank you for useful advice

This also gives you another preamp flavor in the one already built into the amp, which can be very useful to those of us who double on upright, or even just as a backup.

 

[Kgveteran]

In the running is the Tech21 RBI, it reminds me of some no nonsense audio pieces i’ve had in my past

 

[kevmac]

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

I love preamp pedals.There are many great ones.I use some with a Crown power amp and it works fine.You may be looking for a more traditional rack mount unit .Look at the Tech 21 2112,a great preamp that I own.

 

[Kgveteran]

This also gives you another preamp flavor in the one already built into the amp, which can be very useful to those of us who double on upright, or even just as a backup.

Ur killing me Lol, of course, another “tone”

 

[Diplock]

It’s because the demand for separates is so small compared to the rest of the market that it makes little sense to go through the cost of developing and then safety/EMC certifying a product that will sell in tiny numbers.

Only a very few of the small builders go through the process of certification because it can cost between $50k and $100k to do so.

I understand the economics. Honestly I don't want people like you to stray off into the weeds. You're doing good work that's pushing the technology forward in ways smaller companies can't. You need to keep doing what you're doing.

 

[Passinwind]

Ur killing me Lol, of course, another “tone”

I prefer "feel", but yeah. My latest DIY diversion is building upright bass preamp pedals, hence my particular tangent swerve.

 

[Marko 1]

Block 800B. 700W from an Icepower AS700 module for about $300, small and weighs very little

That thing is neat. For my purposes, I could use that with no preamp.

 

[Kgveteran]

That thing is neat. For my purposes, I could use that with no preamp.

HolyCrap, thats amazing and if i can try to understand if i wanted to add any effects it would be through the loop out and back in ???

 

[monsterthompson]

View attachment 5091942

HolyCrap, thats amazing and if i can try to understand if i wanted to add any effects it would be through the loop out and back in ???

Adding effects can be done between the instrument and the pre, or between the pre and the power by using the fx loop.

Many effects are expecting instrument level signals, so they tend to go early in the signal chain, before the pre. Some effects expect line level signals, so the go after the pre and before the power via the effects loop. There’s no absolute rule but you tend to find delays and reverbs and some modulation effects in the loop. Distortion, EQ/filters, and some modulation will work better getting fed directly from the instrument.

 

[Snert]

That thing is neat. For my purposes, I could use that with no preamp.

Mainly I do, but I have a new speaker design coming, an FRFR type unit, and a new modeller so that I can use the same rig for bass, guitar and baritone and FX if I want them. For what the 800B cost me, it's not worth DIYing (and I can get amp modules at trade through my company) or using the generally larger 2ch pro amps so it will be used to power that. It's also so small and inexpensive that I'm going to get another to keep in the truck as an emergency backup.

 

[Lovep]

I’m running an Arkham Oracle (tube pre) into a Demeter Minnie 800D (800w amp). I’ve owned many many bass amps and this is the best combo I’ve used by a mile.

The Arkham is warm and fat. The 800D is well built and has a switch the deactivate the fan—which I use sometimes when recording at home.

 

[Passinwind]

Mainly I do, but I have a new speaker design coming, an FRFR type unit, and a new modeller so that I can use the same rig for bass, guitar and baritone and FX if I want them. For what the 800B cost me, it's not worth DIYing (and I can get amp modules at trade through my company) or using the generally larger 2ch pro amps so it will be used to power that. It's also so small and inexpensive that I'm going to get another to keep in the truck as an emergency backup.

I love those particular power modules, but building with them definitely can be a bit of work, especially if using convection cooling as I preferred at the time I was doing amp builds. That's a great deal, even with Thomann's typically expensive shipping to those of us in the US. But I won't complain too much about shipping costs to someone who lives where you do!

 

[Kgveteran]

Shipping to the states $52, damn i just had to check in the cart, omg $350 what the heck……

 

[gstaats]

As for a power amp, as others on here have said, the newer crown XLS series works great. I've fed a paid of barefaced big baby 3's with an xls-1502 bridged (1,550 watts to the pair). They have decent features - I do use the on board DSP's HPF and are lightweight, quiet and quite frankly one of the better values in power amps. We use an XLS-2502 with our PA - soudns great for that too

 

[seamonkey]

Search on this site about the
HB Block-800B

People have reported that it is hissy. I don't know how they could mess up an ICEpower, so it may or may not be true. It could be a pre-amp issue, but who knows.