• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Clean(ish) bass preamp and DI

irish_admiral

irish_admiral

Nov 11, 2024
13
11
#1
Hi folks

Newbie (UK) here. I’m hunting around for a backup to my Helix floor unit. I have a couple of Warwick Corvette basses (Proline 4 and FNA Jazzman 5), and the missus plays a little Ibanez P-J Mikro bass fitted with Tonerider alnicos.

I’m looking for something to use as a backup to the SVT model in the Helix or which I can chuck in the bag when I can’t be bothered to lug the Helix around. Don’t want to spend much.

Any suggestions for a decent cheap prep / DI which has some tone shaping capability? Not too fussed about lots of other effects. It gets used to pop, rock, blues etc.

Any suggestions welcomed! Bit bewildered by the range of stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: progenyvision and DJ Bebop
#4
irish_admiral said:
Thanks - I had the BDDI years ago but was never wowed by it. Maybe I should try it out again!

Any other suggestions or recommendations?
Click to expand...
Nope, other than a cheap knockoff of the Sansamp to throw in your bag…

IMG_7134.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: NotColinGrigson
#7
irish_admiral said:
Sound cheap or sound decent?
Click to expand...
I found “for the money” it sounds decent.

I'm not a big user of grit or distortion so I didn't use it for that. I used it sometimes as a preamp for my upright piezo pickup to match the front end of some amps and for just a straight DI for whatever bass I was using. It sounded good to me for that type of thing. Not a lot of internal noise, sounded clean and clear enough. I did use it a bit for recording solid body basses DI with a compressor after it and between the two I got a nice tube bounce from that setup.

I have played with the more harmonic rich drive from it, whether it sounds like a Sansamp or an SVT, I couldn't tell you. You would have to make that determination yourself.

I bought it new years ago when it was first released. I think then I paid $25 for it, now it's $30.

It's no Radial or Noble but in the heat of battle, no one should notice.

You can spend more if needed and can. I didn't because I couldn't but it did do what I needed from it on my limited budget and I had no regrets using it and never got any negative feedback from FOH personnel, figuratively or literally.

😊

PS Those Genzler-Magellan preamps are very nice 👍
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: WRM and GotGroove
#9
Ritter667 said:
Not if you do not subscribe to scooped mids.

This preamp got a serious scoop around 800Hz baked in that there is not way to dial back in.
Click to expand...
There is if you do the Baxandall EQ trick.
Drop the Bass and Treble controls a bit lower than noon. The mids poke back in.
The same thing happens on the Sansamp, it has a bit of a mid-scoop as well, its that SVT thing.

😊
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric_kiser, FronTowardEnemy and GwenOnBass
#10
DJ Bebop said:
There is if you do the Baxandall EQ trick.
Drop the Bass and Treble controls a bit lower than noon. The mids poke back in.
The same thing happens on the Sansamp, it has a bit of a mid-scoop as well, its that SVT thing.

😊
Click to expand...
No that doesn't work, the frequencies that the Bass and Treble control works on this unit at will not counter this, if you do what you describe you will get a functional relative boost at around 500Hz, the massive baked in scoop at about 800/900Hz or so will still be there to some degree, while you will now have a mids boost around 500Hz.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DJ Bebop
#11
Ritter667 said:
No that doesn't work, the frequencies that the Bass and Treble control works on this unit at will not counter this, if you do what you describe you will get a functional relative boost at around 500Hz, the massive baked in scoop at about 800/900Hz or so will still be there to some degree, while you will now have a mids boost around 500Hz.
Click to expand...
I defer to your exspreance then sir!

IMG_7306.gif


😊
 
  • Like
Reactions: WRM and Ritter667
#12
Ritter667 said:
No that doesn't work, the frequencies that the Bass and Treble control works on this unit at will not counter this, if you do what you describe you will get a functional relative boost at around 500Hz, the massive baked in scoop at about 800/900Hz or so will still be there to some degree, while you will now have a mids boost around 500Hz.
Click to expand...
IMG_7444.gif


🤣
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Ritter667
#13
Ritter667 said:
No that doesn't work, the frequencies that the Bass and Treble control works on this unit at will not counter this, if you do what you describe you will get a functional relative boost at around 500Hz, the massive baked in scoop at about 800/900Hz or so will still be there to some degree, while you will now have a mids boost around 500Hz.
Click to expand...
The Joyo Tidal Wave, which is a clone of the Tech 21 Sansamp V2, does have a mid control, that can be set to control the mids around 1000Hz, and if you boost this you can effectively counter most of the scoop happening around 800/900 Hz or so.

It is however about double the price of the Berhringer, but still cheaper than the original.
 
  • Like
Reactions: irish_admiral and DJ Bebop
#15
MartinB said:
I'd take a look at the Laney Digbeth DB-PRE. It'll do clean or switchable/blendable dirty, has lots of EQ options, and in the UK is very favourably priced compared to the Tech 21 stuff.
Click to expand...
Haven't tried out the Laney Digibeth myself, but judging from reviews, demos and reading the features, I would recommend this too.

It doesn't however have a build in cab sim.

I can recommend the NUX Melvin Lee Davis Bass Preamp & DI though, which does have a build in IR based cab sim, that also allows you to load 3rd party IR cab sims on it.

And if you are willing to spend around double as much, I have a hard time seeing anything beat the Two Notes Opus.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AmyTwonotes, nanbanpapa, irish_admiral and 1 other person
#16
irish_admiral said:
Thanks - I had the BDDI years ago but was never wowed by it. Maybe I should try it out again!

Any other suggestions or recommendations?
Click to expand...
Can't say much in terms of pedals that have a wow factor, are reliable and cheap.
My personal go-to as a clean preamp pedal with DI would be the Broughton Studio One or the Noble, both of which are the opposite of affordable.
As a clean'ish preamp I use the Origin Bassrig Super Vintage, but these also come with a fairly high price tag.

The Tech21 Q\Strip is a very clean, very transparent pedal with some nice functionality attached, but as the name suggests, it feels like plugging the bass directly into a mixer. You can get a good sound from it in a matter of seconds, but for me, it stopped there - I could not get it from "good" to "wow".
 
  • Like
Reactions: chiphaleonbass and DJ Bebop
#17
el murdoque said:
Can't say much in terms of pedals that have a wow factor, are reliable and cheap.
My personal go-to as a clean preamp pedal with DI would be the Broughton Studio One or the Noble, both of which are the opposite of affordable.
As a clean'ish preamp I use the Origin Bassrig Super Vintage, but these also come with a fairly high price tag.

The Tech21 Q\Strip is a very clean, very transparent pedal with some nice functionality attached, but as the name suggests, it feels like plugging the bass directly into a mixer. You can get a good sound from it in a matter of seconds, but for me, it stopped there - I could not get it from "good" to "wow".
Click to expand...
13400.gif
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back