• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Do Noble DIs appreciate in price?

#41
I've had my Noble for over 5 years now and its one of the greatest pieces of gear I've ever gotten. Its a great DI and power supply but for me the magic is the preamp! It just does wonders to my basses. I play 90% time with in-ear monitors and with Noble it sounds really nice just straight from DI. I've had multiple times soundguy coming to me and asking about my pedals/signal path because he loves the sound!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ambler, David A. Davis, jebmd and 1 other person
#45
The current situation:
Order it through Noble for $1200 and wait for 40 weeks.
Order it through Noble for $1880 and wait for 6 weeks.
Buy it second hand for whatever the seller is asking.

Given that most people treat their Noble as a holy grail, they take good care of it and the second hand units should mostly be in pristine condition.

Prices for the Noble have been steadily climbing through the years. When I ordered mine, I paid less than what they ask now and I had a Peli case on top plus shipping to Germany.

I think that for the moment it's safe to assume that you can order one, and when you don't like it sell it quickly for the amount you paid, maybe even at a profit. Should the market get saturated, used prices will drop along with the waiting list. Given that the business is run by one man, there's not much chance of Noble upping their output volume in a significant way - and If he switched to different production methods to get more units done faster, the older, handmade ones would likely go up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: David A. Davis
#47
RevOgre said:
I've had a Noble, Reddi, Radial jdi, Sushi Finally and a few others. All of them are great, different but great. Really can't go wrong with any if them. (Reddi is great for recording harmonica in a blues band too!)

But... the Noble is the only piece of gear I've tried in 30+ years that literally made me smile the moment I stared using it.

I sold it because I'm a short sighted idiot.

I'm on the waiting list now and scheduled to get my new one in August.

The doesn't really address the question tho
Click to expand...

I felt the same way when I first used my Khan. I can't imagine a better live sound for my bass than the Khan.
At half the price I'm going the "ignorance is bliss" path.:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jefenator, RevOgre, David A. Davis and 2 others
#51
fretlessman71 said:
I can get a new one from the website for $1200, or a used one for more than that just about everywhere else I find one. Pretty sure they're the same thing. What's going on?
Click to expand...
Reasonable question in somewhat unreasonable times.

The main answer is Supply vs Demand.

Have you checked the prices on used cars lately? They are actually more expensive than new cars in my hood.

Don't think this is the place to debate the merits of one DI/preamp vs another. Suggest re-opening one of those comparison threads elsewhere. YMMV.

Edit: FWIW, Here is a preamp recording comparison thread I happened to have liked for two reasons; 1) it was well done and fairly objective, 2) the posts remained civil, and differences in prefs were respected.

Unscientific Guess-the-Preamp Comparo: Demeter, Monique, Genz (with others later).

There are others as well. This is the mega thread, though there is so much information that it challenging to parse it all. Also, it does not contain my preferred preamp.

Tube Preamp/DI Sound Samples — Noble, Oracle, P-15, Super Stack, REDDI, Tonecraft, Jule...
 
Last edited:
#54
brianrost said:
JHS Owner Sells First-Ever Klon Centaur for $500,000
Click to expand...
Precisely, that's it! :laugh::laugh::laugh:

upload_2022-12-14_14-40-3.png


And here are some units that are being sold for a more "modest" amount:

upload_2022-12-14_14-43-42.png


And the funny thing is that there are multiple pedals today that sound the same as that Klon. Nevertheless some of the people who bought an original still insist that theirs sounds different because of some material that's used for a component. :smug:
 
#56
MrClassicMetal said:
And the funny thing is that there are multiple pedals today that sound the same as that Klon. Nevertheless some of the people who bought an original still insist that theirs sounds different because of some material that's used for a component. :smug:
Click to expand...

An old bandmate (the first person I met with a Klon, back in 2001) sold his not long ago for a few grand. He said for that price, there was no reason to keep it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Charlie Tuna and MrClassicMetal
#58
StayLow said:
Jaco only needed zero DI's, which is exactly how many any bassist needs.

If people want to make it more complicated and expensive than need be, welcome to Talkbassgear.

[Cue slew of justifications]
Click to expand...
Well, I'm not Jaco and don't see anyone on his level posting here. I don't know how bassists in the 70's ran to FOH (mic's?). I'll buy anything (within reason) to help get the sound I hear in my head.
I think most of the hesitation comes from the initial lay out of that kind of cash, rightfully so. But given the popularity and limited supply, it is what it is. Unlike a lot of gear it's going to hold its value.
I think it's popularity partly comes from the fact that
1) it sounds great
2) it has the tube mojo working
3) there are a some really great players singing it's praises
4) there's only one guy hand building them.
There's also the warranty that never gets talked about. Try and find a transferable 5 year warranty somewhere else.
So you're getting a studio quality DI, preamp and power supply in a box you mount on your pedalboard. Does anyone build anything else comparable?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Geri O
#60
fretlessman71 said:
I can get a new one from the website for $1200, or a used one for more than that just about everywhere else I find one. Pretty sure they're the same thing. What's going on?
Click to expand...
All the 'supply and demand' answers are correct.

I've owned 2 Nobles. Both times I paid the 'expedited' fee. When I sold my first one, it sold for more than $1200 but less than I paid for it. No greed there. Just needed the cash for some other gear. When I finally re-bought what is now my current Noble, the wait time was months longer and the expedited fee was higher. I paid it bc I have no intention of selling this one and I needed it sooner than 40 weeks. I guess I could have bought a pre-owned one. But the resale prices you referenced are high enough that I'd rather have one that's not been used.

I genuinely enjoy mine. FWIW, I also own a Khan that is a killer DI/tube pre as well. For half the price, it's still not cheap but a great alternative.

00CDABF7-3D49-495A-9BED-6AB5D018D940.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: andronik, furym, Jamvan and 2 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back