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Eden WTDI Direct Box/Preamp

#281
#282
bongomania said:
Do you have any idea how few bass amps in existence do NOT have a gain/master configuration? Just a handful of all-tube heads from the 70's.
Hmmm - I would think it's a reasonable assumption that there are a few people who use this preamp with a combo amp, and there are several combo amps without gain/master configuration.

I'll let you guys hash it out - mine works, sorry if yours doesn't/didn't. Sounds like an Eden preamp.
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#284
Sooooo... all those people complaining about the gain stage, why didn't you just roll the gain off a bit?

Am I missing something here? I've run an 18v Thumb Bass with this unit into numerous PA systems; it dirtied up a bit when gain was above 9-10 o'clock, so I turned it down. Most PA guys wanted me to roll off the master, too.

Is there some reason people want to be able to set the gain above 9 o'clock? Something to do with driving a power amp?

EDIT: Just got myself a US-Aus adaptor and tried going into the power section of my WA300 with my Precision. No clipping until gain is at full, mild clipping when popping/digging in after noon on the dial. Solution? Turn the gain down...
 
#285
Ben Wilkie said:
Is there some reason people want to be able to set the gain above 9 o'clock? Something to do with driving a power amp?
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+1. Not much flexibility with the input to push volume into a power amp on its own, even with the master setting all the way up. My solution was to put a clean boost pedal after the WTDI to get some more signal going into the power amp in my rehearsal rig. Solved the problem, but meant one more thing to hook up.

Lonnybass
 
#286
This bears repeating:

It has both unbalanced (instrument cable) and balanced (mic cable, DI) outputs. The DI is strong and clean; in fact the signal is the same level from both outputs. It can drive a PA-type power amp, however in order to do that you have to crank the master volume to maximum and the input gain fairly high--and this can easily result in distortion. I was not able to get adequate levels with a completely clean tone, though you may have better luck if your power amp has a low input sensitivity rating (like 0.7 to 1.0 V). Since there is only one volume level for both outputs, cranking the levels high enough to drive a power amp will mean that the signal from the second output will also be very, very high (line level), which will likely cause distortion in the venue's PA mixer or other gear you plan to use at the same time as the power amp. There are many ways to work around these issues, but you should be aware of them.
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As with LonnyBass I am hopeful that using a Boss EQ Geb7 to boost the signal will give me a clean sound.
 
#288
Ben Clarke said:
-I don't mind the 12-18V power, but why center POSITIVE? at least you can run it with either AC or DC, but come on. Also, there is no indication of polarity on the unit itself so hope your memory's good. I feel for the poor souls down the road who buy them used if the PS is missing.
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Does anyone know if there's an actual reason why this unit has a center positive? If I have the correct voltage coming from a pedal board power supply can I just chop and modify (switch the polarity) on one of the cables? I'm very comfortable with a soldering iron. Anyone see a reason why this wouldn't work?

Thanks!!
 
#289
I actually did that...and I am running it off of my Voodoo II first (1) output. I have the dip switch up...away from normal. I know it shouldn't work. I did it because I was totally frustrated. It didn't want to work with my Gator power supply at 18v. I hated the idea of having to carry the OEM p/s and plug it in. I got the Eden at a pawnshop for $69.99 so I figured I'll try every thing lol. Just don't blame me if you fry yours. BTW I did cut and reverse a cable. I believe if you get it wrong the pedal lights up but won't make any sound...mine did anyway.
 
#290
I almost sold it because of the powering issues I kept reading about. Really glad I didn't. My fret less sounds amazing through it. I use a tone hammer for my fretted 77 J bass....though I like the Eden so much I just got a Submarine on my way to A/B in with tone hammer. I'm hoping the Eden will be my always on (it skunds so big) and then kick on the Submarine for rock tones and then maybe have a simple EQ like a my GEB7 to pop up my mids for the fretless. Great pedal for the price.
I just used it as a no amp di tonight with my acoustic bass guitar. The guys I played with kept tellingly my how awesome my tone was. That ABG is a Carvin 4 string. Always sounded a little thin straight to the pa even though it has an onboard pre with eq. Not bad but we through the Eden....All I can say is wow!
 
#292
Sometimes I really miss my WTDI - it really did sound great.

If only not for the hyper-sensitive gain staging sensitivity issues...just the slightest brush above 9 o'clock for me turned a beautiful fat and warm into nasty clip. Very little margin for error. On a stage you'd better pray your preamp controls don't get bumped, because even a tiny change can lead to it. Also, it bears repeating that I was NOT impressed with Eden customer service when I tried to get them to address what seemed to be for all intents and purposes a well-documented problem.

Lonnybass
 
#293
Hey Lonny, tell us how it went down. I've been hearing good stories about Eden's CS as of late and would like to know how they didn't meet your expectations. I often recommend Eden products because I have had good experiences with them and their CS but their spotted past customer service faults can not be ignored. What happened?
 
#294
Well, I did a whole bunch of research, first on TB, then on the Eden company forums - and found numerous examples of complaints that had been lodged about the nasty clipping problems. Equipped with this info, I sent a letter and tried the customer service hotline several times and never spoke to anyone willing to admit that there might be a known issue, despite it all the evidence to the contrary. When they told me there was nothing they could do for what they claimed was my "isolated" problem, I decided I'd had enough with them (and the gain knob!).

Lonnybass
 
#296
Cool Igor. I also have a Tone Hammer and I am torn between which one to keep; they are both currently on my pedal board. They both sound really good. The Eden sounds
fatter/warmer but is also noisier. I keep the treble around 1-2 O'clock max or hiss starts to show up...I usually leave it a hair past noon/flat. I DO run my horn at full in all my
cabs though. The Tone Hammer is just great but not as fat. I can EQ it. I haven't A/B'd the D.I.s yet, just used one or the other.

I do wish all these pedals had a switch so you can have the levels/gain go only a bit above unity and GRADUALLY LOL.
 

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