Clean(ish) bass preamp and DI

[InkCow]

I’ll also throw in there: I have the MLD and it’s what is on my board and I cannot justify replacing it because I think I would have to spend at least twice what I paid for the Nux to get remotely the same features. That said, I would not pay what a new Digbeth goes for for it. Take that how you will.

 

[irish_admiral]

Helpful summary guys. The units are all about £130 in the UK, give or take a bit. Maybe about £30 less used.

 

[waveman]

Tonex One is what I use as my main sound

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Sansamp BDDI is great for tone shaping and amp simulation.

MXR Bass Pre is a nice "clean" preamp with a 3-band EQ. It kind of makes your passive bass active, and doesn't color the tone much like the Sansamp.

There's a lot of other great alternatives, but these are my favorite for their simplicity and tone.

 

[chadhargis]

I picked up a JHS Punchline used out of the classifieds just because I was curious. I have been REALLY impressed by this piece of gear. If you're shopping for a preamp, check it out. It's worth a look.

 

[irish_admiral]

Thanks man… limited run tho.

Leaning towards the NUX. Will wait to see what Black Friday brings in the sales!

 

[zombywoof5050]

If you like the SVT sound, you might wait to check out the new @Sushi Box FX "Grand Slampegg" that he'll be releasing at the end of the month. It won't be cheap, but won't "sound" cheap, either. Here's one of his posts/teasers:

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/the-sushi-box-fx-secret-society.1484792/page-1108#post-28753670

For the OP's sake, I would like to point out that the post you linked to only lists the 'differences' between those two preamps. Both of those preamps do also have Bass & Treble controls and Hi & Low Boost switches (though I'm not exactly sure about whether the new Grand Slampegg will still have the Hi & Low switches). I just wanted to point out for the OP that these do have Bass & Treble controls which weren't listed in the above linked post. I have a Slampegg Bee Pre and like it a lot.

 

[NotColinGrigson]

I’m U.K. based as well.
The options price wise vary wildly.
I have
Mxr m80. Great 2 channel pre/ di. The second channel has a variable drive which can be used as a clean scoop channel and a switchable scoop on the clean channel.

Laney digbeth. I love this pedal. It’s my go to. Warm to clean, with minimal drive or more, it sits beautifully in the mix.

Hartke bass attack. Great di/ pre but has a scoop in the eq as standard, but it is possible to almost completely dial out.

Behringer bddi. Sansamp clone. Gets used rarely but is a great chuck it in a bag backup.

Eden wtdi. Clean, useful pre. Nice one knob comp built in.

All of these can be found easily sub £100 secondhand.

The nux option mentioned further up seems to sit in a much more pricey price band.

Sorry for the essay lol

 

[Azari]

The SansAmp Para Driver. I had the RPM rack mount version, and after using a v1 BDDI, and the PBDDI for a while, it was a completely different beast.

I totally recommend trying a BDDI and PDDI in parallel. Best of both worlds! Forget about micing a cab + a DI, just use two DI’s! To me this is the best possible version if the “classic sansamp” bass tone.

 

[MartinB]

View attachment 7077768I totally recommend trying a BDDI and PDDI in parallel. Best of both worlds! Forget about micing a cab + a DI, just use two DI’s! To me this is the best possible version if the “classic sansamp” bass tone.

For £510, you might as well just buy an HX Stomp

 

[Azari]

For £510, you might as well just buy an HX Stomp

Well, I already owned a BDDI for years, so it was cheap adding a PDDI to it. If I had to start over I’d just get a 2112 model.

 

[ThudThudThud]

View attachment 7077768I totally recommend trying a BDDI and PDDI in parallel. Best of both worlds! Forget about micing a cab + a DI, just use two DI’s! To me this is the best possible version if the “classic sansamp” bass tone.

I used to run a v1 SABDDI into a SAPBDDI. I used the SABDDI for tube-like 'oomph' when needed. The rack RPM with a power amp was close to perfect for what I needed it for.

 

[irish_admiral]

As mentioned, looking for a ‘cheap’ option- less than £150. Already have a Helix. Want a small portable option.

NUX, Laney etc all good options.

 

[irish_admiral]

Looping back in here: I saw a Black Friday deal at PMT on the Laney for £106, so pulled the trigger as it seemed like a good deal.

Have only plugged it in at home so far, but it seems like a great little unit, and is an instant upgrade on the bass patch I’d been using on my Atomic Amplifire 3 (lightweight everything in one bag right!)… I’m happy so far!

Looking forward to hooking it up to a PA now. Thanks for all the advice!

Only question I have left - and probably one for the UK people - is whether anyone can recommend a decent economical 9v power supply that is quiet. Don’t really use pedals now and would rather not shell out if there’s a workhorse gem somewhere.