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Double Bass D-TAR Solstice/HPF-PRE?

#3
Awesome to know. I love the pre, and can't wait to get the Solstice in.

Out of curiosity, how do you "mute" the channel you're not using? I feel like I want to get my volume set up right on each channel, and forget it there. So my solution in my head is to set the volume at both the HPF and my electric to full, and use their volume knobs to turn them all the way down when not in use.

The solstice was supposed to be here today, but...it's December. And the tracking hasn't done anything since Wednesday...and it was sent Priority 2nd Day. Grrr.
 
#8
I agree with Jeff Bonny, the Fdeck HPF works very well with all the tone shaping the Solstice gives you. I'll also use the Fdeck with the Dtar Equinox, in this case specifically for upright on loud blues/rockabilly gigs. The equinox has two overlapping notch filters but lacks a phase reverse that the Fdeck provides.. In my setup I have a two input amp. I run my electric bass straight into the passive input ( it's a passive bass) but use any or all of the above components to shape tone or tame the feedback beast for the upright. That plugs into the active input due to the strong output of the Dtar gear.
On a soft volume gig the Fdeck HPF on it's own really smooths out my piezo pickup. I always, always have it with me!
 
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#10
I use an old Raven Labs PMB-2 preamp, which the Solstice appears to be modelled on, and an FDeck HPF2 and the combination is great. I don't use mine for doubling but for blending a piezo and an electromagnetic pickup on my upright. The PMB-2 has separate phase buttons for each channel--and so does the Solstice!
 
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#11
That was probably the original intention on the piece. Looks like it was made with an acoustic guitarist in mind.

The Upton page says they've been discontinued for upgrade. I wonder if they might have something like this for bass doublers?
 
#16
jmlee said:
I use an old Raven Labs PMB-2 preamp, which the Solstice appears to be modeled on, and an FDeck HPF2 and the combination is great. I don't use mine for doubling but for blending a piezo and an electromagnetic pickup on my upright. The PMB-2 has separate phase buttons for each channel--and so does the Solstice!
Click to expand...

The PMB served me well for years. Foolishly I sold it during a stretch of not playing an acoustic instrument and when I came back to the DB I got a Solstice. I'd like to A/B the two sometime to hear if one sounds better to me. I do like the increased I/O capabilities of the Solstice. A preamp like this is not something I use all the time but it's so versatile it really increases your ability to experiment with different setups. It also saves your butt when using provided amps.

A big +1 for the SansAmp Para DI too. I got one for $75 on CL and while I haven't needed to use it on gigs it's a very powerful tool in an easy to carry size. If all I had was the Underwood and this preamp/DI I could make it work everywhere but a really loud situation. If you had a fairly flat EQ on your electric bass it's definitely something you could put in front of your DB and not only get a DB sound it would give you a separate DB signal to send to FOH. Pretty killer little box.
 
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