DG Vintage Microtubes with P Bass

[TaylorJ]

Can I run my passive bass right into the vintage microtubes? Or would I need a preamp to get the most out of it? I was planning to blend the dry signal and leave it on most of the time for a very slight overdrive sound.

Thanks for any info on this before I place the order.

 

[non]

No need for a preamp. The vintage microtubes is a great always on pedal. That said I do run the DG harmonic booster in front of it as an eq.

 

[TaylorJ]

No need for a preamp. The vintage microtubes is a great always on pedal. That said I do run the DG harmonic booster in front of it as an eq.

Thanks for the info!

 

[gregmon79]

Yeah, you'd be fine doing that. You could almost think of the VM (vintage microtubes) as an overdriven preamp if you wanted to. Those two pair together quite well IMO, the P bass and the VM. Great combo, congrats!

 

[Lowbrow]

That will work fine and it’s a great always-on pedal

 

[NRedman]

I’ve played the VM for about 9 years and found that I like it for my always on overdrive for jazz basses but prefer the B7K for precision style basses. The microtubes infinity offers a lot of good tones and additional options as well (compression, tuner, amp sim).

 

[TaylorJ]

I’ve played the VM for about 9 years and found that I like it for my always on overdrive for jazz basses but prefer the B7K for precision style basses. The microtubes infinity offers a lot of good tones and additional options as well (compression, tuner, amp sim).

Thanks for the info. I haven’t looked at the larger DG pedals as this is specifically for a small board. When I build a larger, more complete, board I will definitely take a look at those. That microtubes infinity looks great. Unfortunately it just won’t fit on this board.

 

[TaylorJ]

Yeah, you'd be fine doing that. You could almost think of the VM (vintage microtubes) as an overdriven preamp if you wanted to. Those two pair together quite well IMO, the P bass and the VM. Great combo, congrats!

My concern was that the blend mode stays at unity gain? Is that correct? So the preamp/drive will need to stay at that same level if I want to keep the overdrive as a subtle effect? Is that how it works?

 

[gregmon79]

My concern was that the blend mode stays at unity gain? Is that correct? So the preamp/drive will need to stay at that same level if I want to keep the overdrive as a subtle effect? Is that how it works?

I honestly don't remember if that's the case with the blend. I remember the more blend I added though introduces more of the era knobs character too so keep that in mind. They all work in conjunction with one another pretty well. Check the manual for more on that blend though. Here's the excerpt from it: (you are correct in your statement)

Controls​

Blend: Mixes the clean input signal with the overdriven signal. The clean signal remains at unity gain while the volume of the overdriven signal is set by the Level knob, allowing for fine control of the blend ratio.
Era: Interacts with the Drive knob to shape the character of the pedal. Dial it down to get the warm midrange tones of the 70s or crank it up to get the punchy metallic tones of 80s and 90s rock.
Level: Sets the volume of the overdriven signal.
Drive: Sets the amount of saturation in the overdriven signal.

 

[TaylorJ]

I honestly don't remember if that's the case with the blend. I remember the more blend I added though introduces more of the era knobs character too so keep that in mind. They all work in conjunction with one another pretty well. Check the manual for more on that blend though. Here's the excerpt from it: (you are correct in your statement)

Controls​

Blend: Mixes the clean input signal with the overdriven signal. The clean signal remains at unity gain while the volume of the overdriven signal is set by the Level knob, allowing for fine control of the blend ratio.
Era: Interacts with the Drive knob to shape the character of the pedal. Dial it down to get the warm midrange tones of the 70s or crank it up to get the punchy metallic tones of 80s and 90s rock.
Level: Sets the volume of the overdriven signal.
Drive: Sets the amount of saturation in the overdriven signal.

So I should be able to use the era and drive knobs to get the tone I like. Then I can use the level knob to reduce the volume to equal unity gain. At that point I can use the blend knob to mix in as much, or as little, overdrive as I want. Am I thinking that through correctly?

 

[gregmon79]

So I should be able to use the era and drive knobs to get the tone I like. Then I can use the level knob to reduce the volume to equal unity gain. At that point I can use the blend knob to mix in as much, or as little, overdrive as I want. Am I thinking that through correctly?

Yes, exactly.

You may or may not find some unity level differences between the blend and level though, depending.

 

[Lowbrow]

Yes, exactly.

You may or may not find some unity level differences between the blend and level though, depending.

And thru experimentation you may find you want to deviate from unity on the drive side.

 

[TaylorJ]

Thanks again for all the info. Order placed. Looking forward to trying it out!

 

[FaithNoMan]

Can I run my passive bass right into the vintage microtubes? Or would I need a preamp to get the most out of it? I was planning to blend the dry signal and leave it on most of the time for a very slight overdrive sound.

Thanks for any info on this before I place the order.

One of the best pairings ever. P basses love overdrive, and the VMT sounds awesome with a P in front. I put a Harmonic Booster in front of it for even more aggressive tones. It's like a B3K but with a lot more depth and amp character.

Here's my P bass and VMT in a "rock track"

 

[TaylorJ]

Absolutely. Love. It.