ebs microbass pre amp 2

[33degrees]

i looked at this pedal preamp, it looks really kool, got a blend control for effects in and has a drive nob. why doesnt anyone mention this little beast? it looks way better than the sanamp or mxr preamp.

 

[David Wilson]

I agree it's a great little unit, the main problem over in the US is that it's several times more expensive than the sansamp.

Cheapest I've seen one used here is about $400, I was able to get one for about $300 by importing.

 

[33degrees]

just read that the distortion is the same as the ebs multi-drives pedals circuit, is that good or bad?

 

[Biker4Him]

it's good. It's a very useable distortion. I have one (currently for sale) and I really like it. It's a great little box, extremely flexible, great tone, and amazing for the price. I'm only selling it because of a recent spending spree... and a personal problem (lack of funds).

 

[David Wilson]

just read that the distortion is the same as the ebs multi-drives pedals circuit, is that good or bad?

whether or not you like the actual drive sound, the implementation is flawed.
You can't really bring the od in/out as transparently as I'd have liked.
Channel A has bass/treble, Channel B has midrange and overdrive (I'm simplifying slightly, there are other controls)

You can use the channels in either/or mode (A or B), or chain mode (A+B).
You can use chain mode to get 3 band eq at all times, but you then have no easy way of bringing the overdrive in/out mid song.

 

[Toasted]

Its a nice unit for sure. I think it really brings out some nice natural colour in my basses.

 

[richnota]

Picked one up while in the UK...still cost a fortune. Very nice if you play two basses and like to switch.

I think the controls are meant to compliment your amp's vs a discreet full range control. As mentioned in previous posts, its bass and treble on one channel and mids and "edge" on the other.

The sound isn't a radical improvement over my Sansamp pedal but rather it offers a lot of flexibility (and a cool effects loop).

Verdict: try to compare with the sansamp. The weak dollar makes this a real indulgence. But then again, isnt that the reason we work?

 

[Son of Bovril]

has anyone noticed that when you use it in A+B mode, that there is an added low mid hump to the sound?

Its like I've pushed the bass knob up, just by adding the second channel? It's not there if I use the channels independantly though?

Am I the only one who has experienced this?

 

[Toasted]

I guess it depends where you have the frequency knob on channel B set, doesn't it?!

 

[Son of Bovril]

its set at flat, so it shouldn't be the cause of the extra fullness...

 

[Phyrexian]

I've tried the EBS Microbass II once in a store, with headphones. Although it sounded good, I wasn't blow away or anything... Which I thought I should've felt because of the price tag.
With a good amp/PA setup this unit sounds stellar I can imagine.

 

[David Wilson]

its set at flat, so it shouldn't be the cause of the extra fullness...

then I'd say you must have one of the other channel B controls not flat, since I never experienced what you say.

 

[niftydog]

why doesnt anyone mention this little beast?

I do! I've been plugging it lately as a good way of matching bass outputs to effects pedals without overdriving the effects. (Active basses often don't mix with wah pedals and such.)

it looks way better than the sanamp or mxr preamp.

No comparison to the sansamp, totally different beasts IMO.

it's several times more expensive than the sansamp.

Yes that's hard to swallow, but it's also got a lot more features!

whether or not you like the actual drive sound, the implementation is flawed.

I agree, the main flaw IMO is that it's difficult to set the gain structure so that the distortion doesn't blow you head off when you kick it in! Still, that's not why I bought it, but it could be a useful overdrive for studio work - I like how it sounds once you get it going.

has anyone noticed that when you use it in A+B mode, that there is an added low mid hump to the sound?

can't say I have, set flat it seemed very transparent to me, more so than my sansamp that's for sure!

Although it sounded good, I wasn't blow away or anything... Which I thought I should've felt because of the price tag.

I don't think it's meant to blow you away! The sansamp IMO is an effect, that tube sim is what people like about it and you can't "turn off" the tube sim. The EBS, while it does have some tube sim capability (which can be defeated) it's main purpose is as a preamp not an effect.