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Best preamp D.I pedal

MaddMann274

MaddMann274

Guest
Jul 18, 2012
42
15
31
Maldives
#1
I am looking for a Preamp pedal to use for live purposes, it will be used direct in the PA system. I mostly play metal, rock, and jazz.

I was planning to go for a MXR Bass D.I+
Or is there anything better?

Sorry for my terrible english. :o
 
#2
A very popular choice is the Sans Amp Bass Driver or Para Driver:

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Both have more or less the same functions and features except the Para Driver has a sweepable mid control which is a much appreciated feature.

A less well known but equally as good is the AMT Electronics BC-1:

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This unit is really nice because you have a totally separate clean and drive channels that have their own pre/post gain and EQ. It also features a blend for those two channels and an overall output which can deliver an insane amount of output. It has some nice routing features as well... It does have a DI out, but it's only 1/4 inch... No XLR out like the Sans Amp. In doing my own evaluation I prefer the sound of the BC-1 over either of the Sans Amp units.

-Mark
 
#4
I own a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] since a month now and i'm about to test it live for the first time tonight.

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It as a XLR out, sweepable mids, great tone, and an AGS channel that adds some grit if needs be. Only down side is that AGS channel and clean channel can't be turned on and off on the fly beacause of the gap in output level, so you have to choose A Tone and leave it as-is. It as great flexibility in the various tone you can get out of it.

So far I love it!
 
#5
the mxr is good, i particularly like the dirt channel that's built in. but for my money, the sansamp bass driver di has a warmer, tubey-er sound. the mxr sounds sterile to me. but is a very servicable di with built in dirt, so you can't go wrong there either.

if i hadn't found a good deal on my sansamp on craigslist, i would have rented the mxr until i owned it.
 
#10
That AMT box mentioned above looks interesting. I have a Tech 21 Para Driver,that I like alot, it only edged out the VT bass V2 slightly for the blend & para mids. Tech 21 is coming out with a new version of the VT bass mentioned in another thread. The new version will have a DI, blend knob & bite switch as well as the speaker sim defeat.
 
#11
Can't speak personally of these bass preamps by Correct Sound but they sure look and sound interesting. Can anyone that has one of these comment?

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I like the some of the features on the BETA Bass Preamp... Two channels that can be run independently, stacked or in parallel. Also has a nice XLR out!

-Mark
 
#16
I did a lot of research into this recently. My personal feelings:

The Tone Hammer was good, but I thought the dirt got a little flatulent if you pushed at all.

The Hartke Bass Attack sounded good and had an incredible price, but it was large and I couldn't force myself to believe it had acceptable build quality for just a hundred bucks.

The Darkglass B7K was incredible, but the dirt is pretty aggressive and the price is in the stratosphere.

The SansAmp BDDI was pretty good at getting a subtle retro tone. I struggled with the EQ, though. Perhaps the ParaDriver would work.

I eventually got the MXR M80. The dirt is kind of aggressive and pretty modern sounding, but I can dig it. The Color switch can make getting the right tones out of the two channels a head-scratcher. But overall, considering the DI, the EQ, the dirt, the build quality, the size, the reliability... It really seemed like the best choice.

I have a big review and some sample sounds up around here somewhere, if you're curious.
 

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