Favorite Preamp Pedal for Stingray?

[GrooveWarrior]

I play a MusicMan through a Euphonic Audio, which can get dead clean. Just looking for your thoughts on your favorite preamp pedal to pair with a MusicMan. I like to explore new tones sometimes and I’m feeling bored. Not looking for anything modeling or digital.

 

[SpyderX]

My go to preamp (for pretty much everything) is the Dicosimo 800RB. It doesn't have multieffects. Just a pretty accurate representation of the classic Gallien Kruger 899RB sound. I can add or remove grind to whatever my current preference is.

 

[GrooveWarrior]

My go to preamp (for pretty much everything) is the Dicosimo 800RB. It doesn't have multieffects. Just a pretty accurate representation of the classic Gallien Kruger 899RB sound. I can add or remove grind to whatever my current preference is.

I’ve seen those. Very curious about them. MusicMan and GK is a pretty classic combo.

 

[Lo-E]

My favorite preamp for a Stingray comes built into the Stingray.

The only reason I would add another preamp to the chain in between the onboard preamp and the preamp that is the input stage of my amp would be to add some sort of coloration that wasn’t already available to me. In my case that could either be additional EQ or some mild drive.

For me personally, that would be pretty seldom as all my amps have pretty comprehensive EQ and a couple of them can provide some drive.

If I really had a need for more EQ I’d use the GUPtech pPTSD parametric EQ/preamp. It’s very clean and is a solid, no-nonsense 3-band parametric.

If I wanted to use a pre to add a little drive I’d go with a BDDI.

I’m also a fan of the Zio preamp but I tend only to use it with passive basses. Again, I don’t typically use redundant preamps.

 

[GrooveWarrior]

My favorite preamp for a Stingray comes built into the Stingray.

The only reason I would add another preamp to the chain in between the onboard preamp and the preamp that is the input stage of my amp would be to add some sort of coloration that wasn’t already available to me. In my case that could either be additional EQ or some mild drive.

For me personally, that would be pretty seldom as all my amps have pretty comprehensive EQ and a couple of them can provide some drive.

If I really had a need for more EQ I’d use the GUPtech pPTSD parametric EQ/preamp. It’s very clean and is a solid, no-nonsense 3-band parametric.

If I wanted to use a pre to add a little drive I’d go with a BDDI.

I’m also a fan of the Zio preamp but I tend only to use it with passive basses. Again, I don’t typically use redundant preamps.

The Euphonic head has great EQ, but is also very clean. I love the growl of a GK head, but the Euphonic is really good with my Warrior.

 

[GTHintz]

gk plex owner here. Definitely can’t not recommend it. There are many good options so I could list several. I’d say to look into what your favorite stingray tones are and how they got them and work from there. Most of the well known amp manufacturers have nice preamps. Gk, mesa, hartke, Aguilar, darkglass, ampeg, tc, Eden just off the top of my head. Tech 21 is hard to go wrong with as well.

 

[GTHintz]

Something to add to this is that for the longest time I’ve loved clean HiFi tones to compliment the natural growl of the stainless steel strings and bring out the natural character of my basses. Lately I’ve enjoyed switching between the cleaner gk tone and the more smooth tone of the mesa. I also blend them with my dark glass stuff or my mxr m80. Also the Aguilar tone hammer ads something nice to a signal chain.

 

[SpyderX]

gk plex owner here. Definitely can’t not recommend it. There are many good options so I could list several. I’d say to look into what your favorite stingray tones are and how they got them and work from there. Most of the well known amp manufacturers have nice preamps. Gk, mesa, hartke, Aguilar, darkglass, ampeg, tc, Eden just off the top of my head. Tech 21 is hard to go wrong with as well.

Some good choices there. if you like the MM sound, it should sound good with pretty much anything. Its just a matter of flavors

 

[GTHintz]

Some good choices there. if you like the MM sound, it should sound good with pretty much anything. Its just a matter of flavors

Exactly. That’s why it’s better for the op to go with something close to whatever his favorite stingray tones is. Or since he’s got a crystal clean preamp already just find something to blend in with it. I love being able to toggle between tones and blend them together.

 

[jdthaddeus]

I use the Darkglass microtubes X Ultra with my Stingray and couldn't be happier. I use it clean, with the gain down. It makes my tone sound HUGE.

I used to play metal but lately I've been gigging light rock and country and it sounds great clean.

 

[GrooveWarrior]

I use the Darkglass microtubes X Ultra with my Stingray and couldn't be happier. I use it clean, with the gain down. It makes my tone sound HUGE.

I used to play metal but lately I've been gigging light rock and country and it sounds great clean.

I’m one of those guys who can’t stand the sound of the Darkglass stuff. It just isn’t my thing.

 

[InhumanResource]

I play a MusicMan through a Euphonic Audio, which can get dead clean. Just looking for your thoughts on your favorite preamp pedal to pair with a MusicMan. I like to explore new tones sometimes and I’m feeling bored. Not looking for anything modeling or digital.

Like other posters, I like anything GK flavored after my stingray. I’m using a model on my Helix Stomp now, but played through an 800RB on a 410HLF and boy did that thing slam.

 

[elgranluis]

I’m an SVT guy…. so I naturally recommend the mk 1 sansamp.

 

[Chris Wilke]

I agree with a previous poster that having a second preamp has little utility unless you are trying to add some color.

But the main functions would be

Drive
Cab sim
different Eq points than the bass has
HPF
DI

Some offer compression

For me its a Tech21 VTBass. I use mine with both passive or active basses including stingrays. I played a stingray 5 fretless as my number 1 bass for a few years and was quite happy with the pairing. I like using it to add some subtle color and drive. I like to get it so you can barely tell it's there, until you switch it off, and then you just know you need to turn it back on again!

 

[TOOL460002]

My favorite preamp for a Stingray comes built into the Stingray.

The only reason I would add another preamp to the chain in between the onboard preamp and the preamp that is the input stage of my amp would be to add some sort of coloration that wasn’t already available to me. In my case that could either be additional EQ or some mild drive.

For me personally, that would be pretty seldom as all my amps have pretty comprehensive EQ and a couple of them can provide some drive.

If I really had a need for more EQ I’d use the GUPtech pPTSD parametric EQ/preamp. It’s very clean and is a solid, no-nonsense 3-band parametric.

If I wanted to use a pre to add a little drive I’d go with a BDDI.

I’m also a fan of the Zio preamp but I tend only to use it with passive basses. Again, I don’t typically use redundant preamps.

I too mostly go clean but it can be nice to hit a switch and dial off the aggressive tone and add a little warm OD. I used a BDDI until it died and currently use a Two Notes Le Bass. Just bought a ZVex Basstortion which is supposed to be SVT-ish.

 

[Dusky Bass]

I also love the 'natural' sound of my Stingray 5 Special, and play through both an HX Stomp GK preset and (separately) a GK MB112. But, I've been curious about adding some color to the tone.

Anyone try a Stingray with a JHS Color Box/V2?

 

[HelpImaRock]

Isn't the entire point of buying an active bass to have the preamp built in?

 

[TOOL460002]

Isn't the entire point of buying an active bass to have the preamp built in?

I'm taking this as more of a way to change tones in the middle of a song. I'm also not the kind of person to ever touch my EQ. I go 9/10 on every knob of every Stingray I have owned. Straight into mild compression and a solid state amp is my natural state but it can be nice to kick a switch and tame things.

 

[whiskyjim]

Deco Strymon V2. This is digital but not modern, and a tone sweetener that I have found works amazingly on many very different basses including a EBMM Stingray Slecial H 5.

The right side is tape deck wobbles, but I use it as a “thickener” where It’s slightly widens/fattens your sound as if you’re playing on top of yourself and very near perfect unison. Hard to describe, but it’s great.

The left side basically adds tape saturation to your pre-existing tone. So it doesn’t color the tone super hard the way a Sansamp does but makes it sound like you’re plying through an old school tape machine. The knob that controls that saturation, I find really sensitive in a good way so that you can make it subtle noticeable, but not heavy, or having in a way that will add a little bit of unique tape distortion, I’m not sure how to describe it.

There are bases specific videos out there, I took a chance on this and I couldn’t be happier. It is in my permanently on my pedal board and almost always on.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...e-saturation-and-doubletracker-delay-pedal-v2

 

[whiskyjim]

This Broughton resonant filter is another unique direction that has zero overlap with any onboard preamp unless you have the very rare few makes that use pass filter preamps.

The ability to combine HP and LP filters with boosting the frequencies right at the cut of create very unique and super cool sounds you can’t really get another way. You could use this as an always on thing but I use it as a “press for a special moment” pedal.

basically fully boost, then play with the cut off until you get an awesome or fun tone (often 400-600hz or 800hz-1.2khz) then lower the volume boost until it’s a great usable tone.

This is THE way to get the abilities of an AC Guitars/Wal/Alembic resonance filter preamp onto any bass. And it’s super fun.

Resonant Filter Equalizer

The Resonant Filter Equalizer creates unique tone control by combining a high pass filter, low pass filter, and middle equalizer. Both filters have their own resonance control, allowing a bump at the cutoff frequency, accentuating the effect of the filters. The semi-parametric middle eq includes...

www.broughtonaudio.com