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Double Bass Brad Sarno’s V8 Octal preamp

#41
Since I had been asking here, someone who is looking to possibly purchase mine, if I sell, just got this from Brad Sarno. I have a 3 band version. Here's the real deal:

Brad Sarno responded with email and said:
About added mid:
"That mid knob is a bonus I added for a guy. When you set that knob at maybe about 1 o’clock, it should be identical to a normal stock V8."

About EQ version:
"I think that model is from May of 2014. They really haven’t changed since then. And I never really did a “bass” version except for an experiment or 2. We liked the fender style bassman tonestack in the V8 so much better than the old Ampeg “bass” approach, so we never did that and they’re all bass or steel versions, all the same."
 
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#43
Ok...haven't needed an amp of my own for some time (NYC spots all have them, and touring gets backline)....just got a tiny little Straight Ahead power amp today. Plugged the V8 into it. I had the V8 into the power section of a GK 400RB before. NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE. live and learn. EQ is more usable now. The electric bass is dynamic, clear and warm. No more from me on the V8. Get one.
 
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#44
One of the things that is so hip about Brad's Zen V8 is gain staging. How you gain stage the V8 - which is essentially phyc-ing out what sounds better to you the gain of the preamp higher then the amp or the amp higher then the preamp - is a whole part of the sound palate of a tube preamp. The hotter the signal on the preamp the more close mic'd it sounds, the more sensitive and articulate and dynamic. I'm not saying that is good all the time, but where you are and how much of a sonic presence you take up becomes a variable at your control. Turn the poweramp up and keep the gain of the V8 low and that is what sounds the most realistic and blends behind a pianist or drummer, it is the purest sound and justs sounds right. But expanding your voice out sounds utterly fantastic too, turn the gain/presence up higher and the eq too and the bass can really compete with solo instruments for sonic space and equality ...I was gunna write use with discretion after that but...I don't.
 
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#45
flatback said:
One of the things that is so hip about Brad's Zen V8 is gain staging. How you gain stage the V8 - which is essentially phyc-ing out what sounds better to you the gain of the preamp higher then the amp or the amp higher then the preamp - is a whole part of the sound palate of a tube preamp. The hotter the signal on the preamp the more close mic'd it sounds, the more sensitive and articulate and dynamic. I'm not saying that is good all the time, but where you are and how much of a sonic presence you take up becomes a variable at your control. Turn the poweramp up and keep the gain of the V8 low and that is what sounds the most realistic and blends behind a pianist or drummer, it is the purest sound and justs sounds right. But expanding your voice out sounds utterly fantastic too, turn the gain/presence up higher and the eq too and the bass can really compete with solo instruments for sonic space and equality ...I was gunna write use with discretion after that but...I don't.
Click to expand...

So, would you say : "if you can afford it, get the v8. If not, buy the BB?"

I just had my first gig here in Austria and I went mic only on the sound check. On the gig, things got a bit louder and I needed more volume so I added some piezo. That suddenly made the sound very boomy so I went piezo only after a few songs and was quite happy with my sound (Wilson b1 into my Paradox preamp). If I could upgrade my piezo sound a bit more and only use a mic for the house, I guess I would be very happy
How's the bowed sound thrue the Bb or v8?

Or shall I keep saving for a schoeps m41 and be happy with my piezo sound the way it is?
 
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#46
Kristian said:
So, would you say : "if you can afford it, get the v8. If not, buy the BB?"

I just had my first gig here in Austria and I went mic only on the sound check. On the gig, things got a bit louder and I needed more volume so I added some piezo. That suddenly made the sound very boomy so I went piezo only after a few songs and was quite happy with my sound (Wilson b1 into my Paradox preamp). If I could upgrade my piezo sound a bit more and only use a mic for the house, I guess I would be very happy
How's the bowed sound thrue the Bb or v8?

Or shall I keep saving for a schoeps m41 and be happy with my piezo sound the way it is?
Click to expand...
The Paradox seems very serious and minimalist. But ofcourse, going with tubes might give you something. And the BB could be most in line with your minimalist approach. Could I ask what mic you are using currently?
 
#49
Povl Carstensen said:
The Paradox seems very serious and minimalist. But ofcourse, going with tubes might give you something. And the BB could be most in line with your minimalist approach. Could I ask what mic you are using currently?
Click to expand...
The Paradox is not so minimalist, it's like a boutique version of the Felix.
I'm using a Rode nk5 with great results (most of the time). ;)
 
#50
Kristian said:
So, would you say : "if you can afford it, get the v8. If not, buy the BB?"

I just had my first gig here in Austria and I went mic only on the sound check. On the gig, things got a bit louder and I needed more volume so I added some piezo. That suddenly made the sound very boomy so I went piezo only after a few songs and was quite happy with my sound (Wilson b1 into my Paradox preamp). If I could upgrade my piezo sound a bit more and only use a mic for the house, I guess I would be very happy
How's the bowed sound thrue the Bb or v8?

Or shall I keep saving for a schoeps m41 and be happy with my piezo sound the way it is?
Click to expand...

As Chris Donkin underlined..."Gear is not the answer!" ;)
I am also always tempted to look for new gear, but I try to think about the true words of Chris Donkin...:P ;)
 
#51
flatback said:
One of the things that is so hip about Brad's Zen V8 is gain staging. How you gain stage the V8 - which is essentially phyc-ing out what sounds better to you the gain of the preamp higher then the amp or the amp higher then the preamp - is a whole part of the sound palate of a tube preamp. The hotter the signal on the preamp the more close mic'd it sounds, the more sensitive and articulate and dynamic. I'm not saying that is good all the time, but where you are and how much of a sonic presence you take up becomes a variable at your control. Turn the poweramp up and keep the gain of the V8 low and that is what sounds the most realistic and blends behind a pianist or drummer, it is the purest sound and justs sounds right. But expanding your voice out sounds utterly fantastic too, turn the gain/presence up higher and the eq too and the bass can really compete with solo instruments for sonic space and equality ...I was gunna write use with discretion after that but...I don't.
Click to expand...

I think this is true of the relationship between any preamp and power amp, to be honest. It's certainly true of the Noble. The difference with a nice tube preamp is that there is a lot more headroom in the "hot zone" than with a lesser preamp. And like your Gary Burton story in the other Sarno thread, sometimes "a little too much" up close evens out to "just right" out in the audience.
 
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#52
These tube gear threads got me really wanting a tube preamp. Can anyone explain why tube gear has been notoriously unpopular with overall upright gear design though? Electric bassists seem to have always had that tube niche but the upright bass community doesn't gravitate to it nearly as often. Might just be the need for portability but curious what others thoughts are. It almost sounds like all our preamps should have a tube in them, but well, don't.
 
#53
@Seanto I think it’s because tube gear is a form of coloration, and for many DB players, it’s easy to think of any coloration as bad because it’s a departure from the original pure sound. This is something I’m attempting to address in my Noble preamp review. I recorded some video clips for it just yesterday that I hope will help illustrate my point.
 
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#55
... what gear is available now in 2019 to get a good sound is different then what has been available in the past. Knowledge too. The new cabs and poweramps are capable of reproducing so much more HIFI sound and the boutique makers like Brad are dialing in really rich tones (just the new knowledge about how piezos react to imp and tubes changes things)
I first bought a Demeter Tube Direct in 1995. I was using it intermittently until last year when it was stolen with my amp and cab. Tubes just sound good. I've been A/Bing the Felix (the ultimate SS preamp) and V8/BB and really a good SS preamp is just excellent and it's eq can compensate for a lot. Plus you can mix in a mic (which is a whole rabbit hole that took me 10 years to finally relegate to FOH)
The MAS 18 with the V8 going into it is (with my bass) just a great sound to hear while you are playing and trying to juggle all the duties of bass playing in live venues. I have long since gotten past this idea that what a big acoustic bass sounds like in a quiet studio is what you can ever expect to hear on a gig. That said I love playing totally acoustic, in intimate duos or on the concert stage. But my bread and butter is playing clubs and restaurants and hotels. And this new gear makes that so very much more enjoyable to my ears.
 
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#56
Chris Fitzgerald said:
@Seanto I think it’s because tube gear is a form of coloration, and for many DB players, it’s easy to think of any coloration as bad because it’s a departure from the original pure sound. This is something I’m attempting to address in my Noble preamp review. I recorded some video clips for it just yesterday that I hope will help illustrate my point.
Click to expand...
Chris, I think you may have coined a new phrase with “last yesterday”.....I like it! :)
 
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#60
Brad is so cool. He's got massive amounts of Xmas orders and car trouble but still has time to write back to me and say that my desire for a variable phase is more complicated then it might appear but he will look into it when he gets a breather. I am so stoked by the sound and form factor of the V8/MAS18 it is just rocking my world.
 
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