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Fender Downtown Express

#22
mattattack187 said:
I guess maybe but I don't know. I'll have to hear some tones. It is nice to see them get into the Bass DI game however. Really hoping Orange will decide to do that one of these days!
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Yeah Ampeg did a good job with the SCR DI - Tech 21 did it better, IMO, but it's good to see Amp vendors doing preamp/DI's for the bass crowd for sure. Orange would be wicked.
 
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#24
gregmon79 said:
It says there's a valve in it.

"This pedal, we understand, was co-developed by Bruce Egnater and is not an emulation, but a 6205 preamp with NOS tube stuck. There is also a 3-band EQ with additional Tight controls. Level and Gain are global. Another footswitchable boost has its own level and boost controls. It works only via a 9V power supply because of the valve."

I think they meant STOCK, not stuck.
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If it can get that Bassman 500 OD tone it will be a killer pedal.
Man, I don't need another preamp, or do I...?

EDIT: I mistook this coment as if it was about the Downtown Express Preamp. But nevertheless, the preamp seems to be a solid pedal and if this drive can emulate that classic Fender OD from the Bassman it would be great.
 
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#28
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#29
I just found out about the new Fender pedals today due to Sweetwater's InSync email. I'm very interested in the Downtown Express. It looks to do everything I need to front-end my Quilter BB800 on certain occasions.

* Has anyone pre-ordered one from Sweetwater so far?
* Any word on availability?
* Which quality 400 mA 9V supply would you recommend for use with the DE?
 
#35
I generally don’t go in for multi effects because I prefer to mix and match to get what I consider best if breed.

However for a $225 street price, I can’t argue with the ecommomics or good sense in getting three top notch effects for $75 apiece when averaged out. And if you add in the nice touches like being able to switch select where in the signal chain the compressor gets placed, speaker emulation in the OD, and illuminated knobs, it sounds like a pretty compelling combination if you don’t already have a board worth of effects. Or maybe even if you do. Because it certainly has the convenience factor going for it.

I suppose you could argue (and be right) that there are more feature rich and refined effects out there. But for real world purposes, just how much do you really need to get a good sound?

I think Fender has a real hit with this one. For gig use it seems to hit all the sweet spots. Lots to like for less than the price of a single higher end OD or compressor pedal.
 
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