Do you like preamps and use them and if so what do you use?

[Kinky Afro]

As a bass player I always wanted a fatter sound so I used a preamp, especially with solid state amps. I was using a pedal that emulated an Alembic F2B and now use an EBS Valve Drive which actually uses a tube. Personally I think they add an extra dimension of fatness and can't play without them.

Do you use a preamp and which do you love?

 

[rjovin]

I love my mesa boogie subway. My board goes direct to my carvin power amp.

 

[NoxNoctus]

I didn't think I'd ever bother with them, but here I am, with 4 preamps in my chain.

My Primary, my love, my eternal flame, is the Verellen Meatsmoke preamp. Hands down the most beautifully sculpted tone I've ran through. Running this into a GK RB700II power section yields an immense sound that makes me fall in love again every time I power on. Pricey, but absolutely worth it to me.

Next up, Darkglass Vintage Ultra, Darkglass Alpha Omega Ultra, and Southampton Ictineo. Each one has it's different uses for different songs to set a different tonal plate.

 

[CapnSev]

Not necessarily a dedicated preamp, but I have a Markbass Super Booster with the VLE on for a sort of cab sim, and my Milk Box compressor which I use to color my sound quite a bit.

 

[Jonny5bass]

I ran BCA for years but now have what some would call an unhealthy obsession with preamps and tone shapers. I’m no @DirtyDuke but my always on gig pedals and pres are Phat Phuk B>cali76 CB>Broughton StudioOne> Broughton P15. Heaven.

 

[Fathand]

Currently:
- Electric: Aguilar Tone Hammer
- EUB: Eden Terra Nova Module

This is the split currently and I've been thinking about getting a looper so that I could bring separate power amps in and out of the signal chain, but I haven't figured out yet how to route DI output signal so that it would change as well. Otherwise the normal output will go to a poweramp without any EQ. Then again, do I really need this kind of modularity... no

 

[fauxtoe]

For tone shaping before my amp? No. I have a Mesa Subway Preamp/DI and my head is a Mesa Subway D800 and they are exactly the same. The only thing that is always on is my Keeley Bassist. The FOH gets the DI pedal and I pass the signal through to the head for whatever I need it for. I've had a SansAmp BDDI in my chain for a while, but it was permanently replaced by the Mesa and it is currently set to drive only mode. It's on its way out soon for a Malekko B:Assmaster or Diabolik fuzz pedal.

 

[bassbrad]

Over the years I have collected a dozen or more preamps that I will use depending on the sound that I want and which bass or instrument I am using at the time. My two favorites right now are the Southampton Ictineo and John K FET-F2B and for studio work I use a dbx ProVocal rack unit as a mic strip.

The Ictineo is super clean and has a very complex tonal system that sounds good at all settings and just seems to make every bass sound enhanced and just sit just right in the band mix or track.

The FET-F2B is John K's take on a super classic clean circuit found in the legendary Fender Showman amps and also used in the Alembic Tube preamps that were a part of the magic alchemy of those exotic basses in a pocket size box.

Honorable mentions
Peavey ProBass 1000 & Ashley BP41 these I am keeping mainly for sentimental reasons as they were in my rack for world travels
Music Electronix Submarine - simple and still sounds good
[sfx]AY2 - Max's take on the Yamaha NE1 preamp, handy too for that vintage mid slump.
Mosky Xp - clone of the Xotic Ep boost pedal has a certain warm sweet magic
Mosky JCM - boost clean gain structure of a JCM800, adds a nice texture before or after
Joyo California Sound - clone of the Tech 21 'Boogie' that goes clean to very saturated

 

[javi_bassist]

I use the Aguilar Tone Hammer. Awesome preamp.

I mainly bought it for the gigs in small clubs with PA support so that I wouldn't have to take my amp. The experiment didn't work because I don't like to play without my amp.

I use it now to "transform" my passive basses into active basses. If I feel that the bass need some frequency to be adjusted, I have a very powerful eq to compensate. Besides, I have a very good DI in the cases of sharing amp with another band.

Another use that I want to try is to take my 75W amp as a monitor (I don't trust venues' monitors in my area) and go direct from the Tone Hammer DI instead of taking my big amp

 

[Karlson541]

I use two cheap ones and then a tube preamp, they secure that I get a great tone no matter what amp I go into.
A Joyo Orange Juice, which is supposed to emulate an Orange amp, set pretty much like the direct signal just making it slightly more articulate and defined then going into a Joyo California Sound, which is my main tone shaper set with a slight bit of overdrive and is supposed to emulate a Mesa Boogie amp, and then finally that going into the tube preamp which has no EQ options and is set to break up slightly when digging in hard.
Both the two Joyo ones analog and technically guitar preamp pedals, but they work great for bass as well.

 

[Alien8]

I do love what preamps can do to an instrument signal, and its pretty much impossible to get away from them. Every amplifier has a preamp built in, every mixing console is a preamp. "Preamps" are a necessary component in the construction of a mix. I honestly love what each and every one of th them does, and naturally they each have their place.

Recently I wanted to do things a bit different for my setup - I was beginning to slide down that rabbit hole of sooooo many preamp possibilities. So many choices - and so many of the great sounds! So many great sounds. Hanging with @DirtyDuke didn't help matters. What I found, because of hearing all these great sounds; from building a few different distortion circuits; amd from adding EQ and tone shapers to multiple stages of FX & amps over the years resulted in this simple formula:

SimpleA + SimpleB + SimpleC = Amazing.

The trick, I found is to have a Bass (A) with or without a preamp. A Volume and Tone control will do (tone options are more important here - like pickup options). Next (B) add a simple Volume adding tone shaper; anything from a one knob boost to a compressor to a ToneHammer or other pre with tons of knobs that set an EQ and gain amount will do (if your bass is really simple, a few more options here can be good). Finally (C) add a Post EQ with Low and High cuts (this is the final gate to the sound, the thing that tunes how it sits in the mix). From there, power your signal however you like - DI or Power Amp etc.

Any one of these components change, and you have a new sound. What I love about this whole system, is that no matter what you put in these three places, you have 3 preamps, stacked making your sound, and that sound can be absolutely satisfying. Having lots of options for A usually doesnt mean that B&C change, but having lots of options at B usually mean C MUST change.

Sure go ahead and add 10 more to the equation, but 3 is the magick number.

My ABC is: Stingray 3EQ, with passive and all pickup options + ValveCaster with a NOS Tube chosen for its Mojo (EQ) + OmniCabSimDlx to polish the sound into the mix.

The Bass EQ lets me hit the Tube to add life, which is emphasized by the OCSD.

 

[DirtyDuke]

Current preamp board has 30 preamps on it .

Missing is the noble (enroute ) and the Suncoast HD3. (In my office getting a Tube swap

Obviously I don't use them all at one . Maybe 2 or 3 at most. The Meatsmoke is almost always on .

Stacking can sounds great .But too much can kill anything you are trying to accomplish

Should be wired up this weekend . Ps do not miss the Albit stuff from Japan .

 

[Matt Dean]

I also use a Southampton Ictineo, except when I am using one of my dirt pedals, which also act as a pre of sorts.

 

[Indiedog]

Current preamp board has 30 preamps on it .

Missing is the noble (enroute ) and the Suncoast HD3. (In my office getting a Tube swap

Obviously I don't use them all at one . Maybe 2 or 3 at most. The Meatsmoke is almost always on .

Stacking can sounds great .But too much can kill anything you are trying to accomplish

Should be wired up this weekend . Ps do not miss the Albit stuff from Japan . View attachment 3078947

Yowsers!
How cool! Other than the Meatsmoke, what preamps are some of your favs?

 

[vivaknoxvegas]

I’m expecting an EAE feT to arrive today, really looking forward to trying it out.

 

[jpTron]

I'm a preamp directly into power amp kinda guy and I'm all in with the Rusty Box.

 

[Jimbob Jones]

I have a 'nothing always on' ethos with my board. None of the pedals are critical to me getting my tone - that's what my amp is for. On the odd occasion that I'm going ampless, I have a preamp pedal that I'll set up next to my board that allows me to do some sculpting if need be. In truth, for my context, my bass does 90% of the work unaided.

This has the added advantage that I can put all of my pedals in one TBP loop and stomp on it to switch everything on and off at once; helpful for complicated patch changes (going from clean to octave + synth + mod for example), but also if anything goes wrong anywhere on my board, I can hit one bypass switch and finish the gig without compromised tone, even if it is without effects.

Of course this is just one approach of many, but it's the one that works for me!

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I am currently using the Source Audio Programmable EQ. It has four channels you can use with different configurations and I am using three of them with my current setup. Before getting the Source Audio, I was using the xotic RC Booster, that works very well also.

 

[DirtyDuke]

Yowsers!
How cool! Other than the Meatsmoke, what preamps are some of your favs?

The broughton archetype and super stack are great.

I have a RocknGlass bass pre DI that I just bought on a whim from eBay .they are from Brazil I think. Haven't seen another but it is fantastic as well . I love tube preamps .

But the alchemy lab series and the Suncoast gold one are solid state and are punchy as can be .

The SFX Diplomat is a ultity box pre with boost, DI routing etc . Super quality pedal.

Also, the ictineo or designer sub is still a personal fav . Not just because I make them. I hunted one down a few years ago and fell in love .

They are like shoes to me. Depending upon the occasion they are all good .

 

[cataract]

I don’t think I use preamp pedals the way they’re supposed to be used, but I’m cool with that.
I currently have a Rusty Box, an EAE Model feT, and a Nunez Annex that I use in tandem (sometimes together, sometimes not.)
The Ictineo I owned was magical but it made me want to buy a 2x15 cab. Haha!
The Darkglass pre’s that I’ve owned were great but added too much of a particular color to my sound that I didn’t fully care for, and as much as I pined and wished for a Meatsmoke, it did the same thing and I had to let it go.
I’m pretty happy with my setup at the moment but it seems there’s always something new that catches my eyes- what a time to be alive!