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Best preamp for "clean" bass sounds?

#22
What kind of bass(es)?

John East preamps will change your life for the better. On average, you will need 1 hour less sleep but you will wake feeling more refreshed. You will finally lose those "love handles" and your lower back will be more flexible, you might even want to start yoga. Strangers will find you more attractive. Not in a creepy way, you'll just notice people smiling at you in public. Your hair will be thicker up top. And that spot you've been wondering about having a dermatologist check will fade away.
And your bass will sound fantastic. Or just get another pedal.
 
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#23
mattj1stc said:
It's expensive and also a DI, but it's also excellent - Jule Monique.
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Also esthetically pleasing.

_2019-12-11_03 sm.jpg
 
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#25
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#28
Adrin said:
So I recently purchased a Microtubes X7 and I absolutely love the distorted sounds I can get out of it. It's a beast of a pedal. I can get some pretty decent clean sounds out of it too but I'd like to buy another preamp that can do better. I know the DG Harmonic Booster seems to be the obvious choice but I've heard people get some really good clean sounds out of the SansAmp also. Just curious, what preamp do you guys recommend for getting a good clean tone? I play mostly rock and some metal. I know it really depends on what sound I'm looking for. I play mostly modern rock (Tool, A Perfect Circle), classic rock (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin) and some metal. I'm mainly just looking for something versatile with really good sounding hi-mids and a tight lowend. I'm pretty much trying to decide between the Harmonic Booster and the SansAmp but I'd like to see what some other people suggest before I make up my mind and buy something...
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Another +1 for the Q-Strip. By coincidence, mine just arrived this afternoon, went straight onto my board and... oh my... it's a keeper. Really powerful EQ, great warm sound even when flat, and built in HPF and LPF are great. The fact it's also a DI is a bonus. So easy to shape different tones out of this thing, it's super versatile. You'll definitely get serious mids if you're looking for them. Not the right preamp for tubey OD and mild dirt (I'd go for a Darkglass VMT for that) but for clean with big presence, the Q-Strip's definitely worth checking out.
 
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#29
Adrin said:
So I recently purchased a Microtubes X7 and I absolutely love the distorted sounds I can get out of it. It's a beast of a pedal. I can get some pretty decent clean sounds out of it too but I'd like to buy another preamp that can do better. I know the DG Harmonic Booster seems to be the obvious choice but I've heard people get some really good clean sounds out of the SansAmp also. Just curious, what preamp do you guys recommend for getting a good clean tone? I play mostly rock and some metal. I know it really depends on what sound I'm looking for. I play mostly modern rock (Tool, A Perfect Circle), classic rock (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin) and some metal. I'm mainly just looking for something versatile with really good sounding hi-mids and a tight lowend. I'm pretty much trying to decide between the Harmonic Booster and the SansAmp but I'd like to see what some other people suggest before I make up my mind and buy something...
Click to expand...

Are you looking for a pedal or something on a rack? If you are looking for something rack mountable, the Eden Navigator is awesome. Tons of features, 3 band parametric EQ, optical compression including threshold and ratio controls, it's stereo with left-right line outs either 1/4", ELR, or Speakon and a dedicated recording out ELR. All ELR outputs are adjustable on the front panel. Effects? Yep, you can run a side chain and mix it into your sound. You could even run a bi-amp set up with a built in adjustable crossover if you have a bent. And it is light!
Below is a picture of the front panel.
image.jpg
 
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#31
lomo said:
Pricey but Mesa's Subway Plus is my fave for clean.
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I like mine, though it was expensive. I bought it to take the place of my Eden amp when my church moved to an ampless IEM setup.

Even before dialing in the EQ, it adds just a touch of character to my DI sound. The variable HPF is a great feature, and combined with the bass knob, deep switch, and two semi-parametric mids, I can dial in a fat, but crystal clear tone.

The QStrip was a strong second contender. It took me awhile to decide between the two. The features that convinced me to go with the Mesa were the variable HPF vs the set HPF in the QStrip, the deep/bright switches, and the voicing knob. I also liked that the Mesa can drive a power amp through a preamp out jack, and has a variable boost switch for if I switch my active bass to passive mode.
 
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#34
based on your Op mostly modern rock (Tool, A Perfect Circle), classic rock (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin) and some metal it depends on your style of playing and your main axe keep it simple take your axe to GC & try Sansamp& check out youtube sansamp with headphones don't forget to check out pawnshops, Good luck
 
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#36
When I read "clean" I thought MXR M80+, and when I read "classic rock" I thought VT Bass DI. I own both and highly recommend both. The MXR is super transparent when set flat, but gives you lots of shaping options and a second channel for OD. The VT has loads of character and can do the Ampeg sound very well.
 
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