I'm looking at getting a new amp, after a bit if looking around I'm starting to think that to get more power for a better price I might get a poweramp and a pre. I already have a few good ideas for poweramps but now im looking for a good tube sounding preamp. I'm a big SVT CL fan and am looking for a similar sound. Thanks
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Best bass preamp?
- Thread starter gogo gadgetbass
- Start date
A lot of preamps can be EQ'ed to sound like others, or at least close enough for hand grenades in a live environment. What makes them unique more often than not is their feature set. Since you are an Ampeg fan I can safely recommend the Ampeg SVP-CL. It is the front end of ye' ol' SVT.
My favorite is an aguilar db 680, of course i've ended up letting go of two of them already, hopefully third is a charm=).
I've been gassing for a DB680 for a while now, so don't get one because they're damn near impossible to find and I want one. The SVPCL is the front-end of an SVT so I assume that would be your first choice. The Alembic F1-X is awesome if you can find one at a sweet price. The poor man's F1-X, the Trace Elliot V-type can usually be found for a good price and it has a monstrous tube tone. I had one for a little while, it's really versatile and nails the old school SVT tone. Another good one is the Fender TBP-1, I haven't had any experience with it but I've heard good things. Get an all-tube power amp too if you want to have some real fun. I cringe every time I have to move my Strategy 400, but it's totally worth it to have 12 big scary power tubes in your rack.
Second!
I'm using a Tech21 VT Bass pedal through a Crown Drivecore XLS1000 power amp in bridged mono. Sounds great through my Gallien Kruger Neo cabs!
I had an AMP SL-1 preamp for awhile that sounded great, compared to anything. It was Steve Rabe's first major design. You can still find them for not a ton of money, because they are bullet-proof. The reasonable prices are because of low brand recognition. The only inconvenience to it is that it is 1-1/2 rack spaces. If you ever see one, at least try it out.
I really like my Demeter HPB1 pre into Crown XTi power amp setup that I have running into an Aggie 410 cab.
I respectfully disagree. The eq. points are often in the wrong place for electric bass and often in the wrong place for live room tweaking. They are however great for tracking. They may or may not be designed for road work.
Lastly, the OP is looking for some kind of SVT sound so channel strips are a world away.
Having said all that I have really enjoyed how my bass has sounded in the studio control room. However, that room is an acoustically designed controlled environment with little changes in humidity or number of audience members but the inhabitants could be as inebriated.
I'll be running a similar configuration (a VT Bass Deluxe through an XLS 1000), except I'm going though a single GK 410MBE cab (800 watts @ 8 ohms), which is currently being shipped from Europe. Just wondering which GK Neo cabs you are using and how you find the overall rig? Does it get quite the volume you were expecting? Is the VT a well suited preamp for the Crown XLS1000? Many thanks
If you want studio crispness with a tube-edge you could try a BBE Bmax-T.
I compared them in a studio with some Avalon pre-amp, me and the soundengineer liked the sound from the BBE better then the Avalon's.
But, if you like SVT "juice" then the BBE is not for you.
I compared them in a studio with some Avalon pre-amp, me and the soundengineer liked the sound from the BBE better then the Avalon's.
But, if you like SVT "juice" then the BBE is not for you.
I use an Avalon 737 live and aint NEVER had that problem.... my experience is quite the opposite. The 737 has the most pragmatically versatile EQ I have encountered - there is no suck knob on this unit. I find that the PEQ on a 737 EQ can push/cut to redonkulous levels and still sound good.
As to other choices from the link posted above JohnK sez the following about the UA 6176:
...and as to the Focusrite ISA 430 MKII"
I reckon if you look around around you could find a channel strip that doesn't work for bass, but the linked page doesn't list such IMO. FWIW the author doesn't seem to be having the problem you mention either.
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If you want to add tooby grind/bloom look at the Sansamp line - I've used a VT [Putnam Guitar rack box mod] and found it served this purpose well.
My $0.02
had an old Groovetube Studio line pre-amp many years ago paired with a QSC 200w power amp and Traynor Line delay all in a rack..... didn't have a lot of tone, but it was frellin' LOUD.
