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Clean tube preamp recommendation
- Thread starter BunchyMutt
- Start date
i would think you could find something decent 'used'in your price range ... i've had several in that price range over the decades ...
they usually had 1 thing in common ... a cheaper kindy crappy tube ... which i always replaced ; my favs are long plates tubes ( good for tight bass ) and i prefer mil spec'd tubes ... !! old NOS or slightly used JAN , RAF , or whatever mil spec letters ... my current tube pre pedal has a 1957 GE JG5751 , ... my stereo tube EQ has Sylvania JAN12ax7 tubes from the early 80's .
if i can't find old tubes , i've liked the JJ 803S long plate w/or w/o gold pins ...
had - liked ; SWR Grand Prix , Presonus Tube Channel , ART tube channel , Focusrite , Blue Tube , Maxxon , Carl Martin , Eden Glow Plug ... and many more i can't remember ...
i tried the BB max-T briefly , but it was damaged in shipping and was returned ... but i do think it had very good possibilities .. ! with a good/better tube and it has a Jensen DI ...
they usually had 1 thing in common ... a cheaper kindy crappy tube ... which i always replaced ; my favs are long plates tubes ( good for tight bass ) and i prefer mil spec'd tubes ... !! old NOS or slightly used JAN , RAF , or whatever mil spec letters ... my current tube pre pedal has a 1957 GE JG5751 , ... my stereo tube EQ has Sylvania JAN12ax7 tubes from the early 80's .
if i can't find old tubes , i've liked the JJ 803S long plate w/or w/o gold pins ...
had - liked ; SWR Grand Prix , Presonus Tube Channel , ART tube channel , Focusrite , Blue Tube , Maxxon , Carl Martin , Eden Glow Plug ... and many more i can't remember ...
i tried the BB max-T briefly , but it was damaged in shipping and was returned ... but i do think it had very good possibilities .. ! with a good/better tube and it has a Jensen DI ...
Those little ART pre amps are pretty killer and less than $50. I gigged with one for a few years. It held up to $300 pres. I suggest the old one with the meter on it.
another vote for Broughton, the one I'm familiar with is the Archetype. It has a master volume so you can go anywhere from clean, to slight harmonic enhancement, to overdrive.
You may be able to find a first-generation Verellen Meatsmoke (the one with shared EQ for both channels) for around $400 used.
You may be able to find a first-generation Verellen Meatsmoke (the one with shared EQ for both channels) for around $400 used.
on the none tube side ... my current fav eq/boost thingy ... RMI Lehle Classic Boost ...
i'm using that first inline ... since all my basses/gtrs are passive ... then i have the Eden Glow Plug at the end of my chain ( it has the old tube in it )
also have another pre/eq very low drive pedal coming ... the out of production ' Dr Scientist ' the cleanness ... looked interesting , kinda something in between the cleaner RMI and my other dirt - Dr Scientist - the elements ... ?!?! we'll soon see ... i use all my stuff for bass/gtr and some keys ( organs / eps /synths )
my stereo tube eq is in the fx loop of my modeler ... more tube-ness ( minimal eq )
i'm using that first inline ... since all my basses/gtrs are passive ... then i have the Eden Glow Plug at the end of my chain ( it has the old tube in it )
also have another pre/eq very low drive pedal coming ... the out of production ' Dr Scientist ' the cleanness ... looked interesting , kinda something in between the cleaner RMI and my other dirt - Dr Scientist - the elements ... ?!?! we'll soon see ... i use all my stuff for bass/gtr and some keys ( organs / eps /synths )
my stereo tube eq is in the fx loop of my modeler ... more tube-ness ( minimal eq )
There are a couple out there, but I am not comfortable recommending them. I would be concerned about gain vs. noise floor.
The one's I like are pretty pricey.
Not entirely true, see certain fender tube amps for example. At least a few are famous for their clean headroom and shimmering warm tones.
The mic pre I posted as well is made to be used for clean or tube saturated tones, it can go from a subtle warm boost to gritty in your face clipping.
They key is how the tubes are used and how much control you have over them.
Left of center suggestion, The Two Notes Le Bass preamp pedal. its advertised as having a clean and dirty channel but both channels do clean really well.
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Noble is worth a look but is expensive. Same for Sonic Farm Tantra. Those two are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of adjust-ability. Noble is minimalist while the Tantra is a Swiss Army knife (maybe that's why it's red). The Jule is in the same camp in terms of price and quality and is in the middle of those two in terms of controls.
If it's an amp you're looking for that has a clean tube-preamp, check out the hartke lh500. this amp is a hybrid bass head that has simple but effective controls and is powered by 1 12ax7 tube. I own one and played it through a gk mb115 cab and it sounds awesome. it's got a nice warm clean sound. and it sounds killer with my distortion pedals. so yeah, check out the hartke lh500. it's simply awesome.
Thanks for the recommendation, not interested in amps at this time, just preamp
Oh if it's a preamp pedal you want that's tube-emulated, the sansamp bass driver and the hartke bass attack preamp pedals can give you clean tube sounds. just set the drive at a low setting.
Hmm, interesting. "Warm thump" isn't what I'm going for.
The description of the Sarno Music Solutions Tube pre is more what I'm looking for.
Eden glowplug. I was super hesitant to get one due to the lack of video reviews or sound clips, but I found one on reverb that a store was trying to get rid of super cheap, and it has literally been one of the best bass purchases in years. Super versatile, with lots of sound options. Totally worth the $199 price tag. ONLY bummer is the goofy voltage power supply. It's last on my board and it'll drive my QSC power amp all day.
