Demeter Pre-amp?

[towsonbassist]

hey guys,
Im considering taking the plung for a Demeter HBP-1 Pre Amp. It runs like 750USD i think. I was wondering if anyone around here has ever used one, or heard one used. I love tube tone, but I hate the tube distortion, and instead of buying a Kustom 70's head (which is IMO a SS with a tube sound) Im going for a tube pre, and a friend of mine mentioned how he saw someone on tour and they had a big no-name power amp and some custom cabs with Celestions, but what really made the set up sick was a demeter pre-amp. The guy said he'd had it for years, and would never trade it away. Also with a pre, i can just uprgade the power amp for more power, no entirely new amp search, right?

Thanks
KM

 

[Figjam]

I used one for a bit. Great preamp. Nice tube tone but with more clarity, especially when paired with a nice clean power amp. I used it with a crest ca6 and that pair had so much punch. Sounds amazing in the mix.

 

[bongomania]

Also with a pre, i can just uprgade the power amp for more power, no entirely new amp search, right?

Yep! That's the best part about separate components, is you can mix and match to meet whatever specs or tastes you want, and change your mind whenever about one part without having to ditch the whole rig.

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

I've been using an HBP-1 for years, with a Stewart World 2.1 power amp. No distortion at all (although I suppose you could use the gain/volume controls to get some overdrive). In fact I recently audtioned a Thunderfunk head and decided to keep the ultra-clean Demter/Stewart rig over the punchier Thunderfunk.

 

[John D Harris]

If I could only own one tube preamp, the HBP-1 would be it -- great tone.

 

[J.Wolf]

+1, Killer preamp, my fave from the days of owning, buying, and selling bass preamps. I liked it better than the VTBP201S that I had recently as well. I never used the parametric too much but I dug that it was a full fledged parametric and not just a semi parametric like most amps and pre's out there. Very well built, reliable as can be, and a great balance of tube tone with just the right amount of bite and clarity.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

+1, Killer preamp, my fave from the days of owning, buying, and selling bass preamps. I liked it better than the VTBP201S that I had recently as well. I never used the parametric too much but I dug that it was a full fledged parametric and not just a semi parametric like most amps and pre's out there. Very well built, reliable as can be, and a great balance of tube tone with just the right amount of bite and clarity.

+1.

I use my HBP-1 with a Crest CA9 through either a Bergantino HT210/HT115 cab setup, or with two Aguilar GS112 cabs, -depending on the size of the room. I really like how responsive it's parametric eq is. IMO it easy to dial in a good sound for the room I'm playing. I've owned more than a few good bass preamps over the years; the HBP-1 is my favorite.