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FENDER TBP-1; AMPEG SVP-CL

B

BACKLINE BOB

Aug 5, 2012
17
0
#1
Looking to update my rig...still using Ashly SC-40 and Qsc31 from 1982. Bought new Crown amp and trying to decide on the preamp...wanted to try Ampeg SVP-CL, but out of production....want to try TBP-1 and/or Alembic F2-B, but none of the stores here in central Ohio have one to demo.

Any feedback (pro or con) on these units?

Lookin for some tube butter!!!
 
#3
I've spent my whole life in the central/southern Ohio area. There isn't much out here. I can vouch for some of Fender and Ampeg's all-tube heads but not the standalone preamps. The SVT-II and Bassman 300 Pro are among my all time favorite bass amps. I doubt any of those preamps will disappoint but I think a hands on demo would be of tremendous service to you. See if any TB'ers around the area have one of these pres. Knowing you bought the right one is worth the price of a couple hours gas.
 
#4
I have the Fender TBP-1

It is a really nice high quality piece of gear, pretty heavy for a 1U preamp but it is due to the robust and sturdy construction. If you are looking for a very tubey vintage tone then this will do it in spades. the tone is similar to what the guys are getting from the REDDI only this is like a full preamp version :)

It does not do the modern clean crisp highs kinda tone, or at least yoou will have to fight to get it.

It really thickens up the notes with tube harmonics and a bit of compression. It has a passive fender tone stack which means that 2-10-2 is the flat setting, which doesn't allow you to add mids unless you use the vari-Q active system to do it, but then you obviously cannot use it to cut any offending room frequencies. The Distortion/Overdrive channel has a certain flavout to it that some will like and some will hate.

I have used it live many times and in studio it is often chosen by the engineers over my other pre's for it's full clean tone and the Jensen transformer balanced DI is super quiet

Lately I have not been using it much as I am after a more modern tone but it is still one of the best pre's I have. Apparently there is a Demeter and BBE tube pre that is similar in tone to the Fender TBP-1 but I have no experience with those

The TBP-1 Pre is now the built in pre in the fender pro (non tube) range of heads
 
#5
Thanks for the info....this is what we wanted to hear...can't find one to demo, but on paper looks like what we are searching for.
No problems dragging it around to gigs?
Have a Crown amp; what cab do you put under it?
 
#8
The REDDI is the long red box shaped DI that gets a lot of love around here because as you say it sounds like a B-15, but as Gillento states it isn't a preamp, it has a gain control, but not enough to actually drive a poweramp properly.

What crown do you have? I have a crown XLS1500 drivecore that I have used the TBP-1 with without any problems, although I haven't gigged them or used them much together. the crowns have quite a high input sensitivity, but the preamp puts out loads of gain, more than I have ever needed with any of my poweramps...

I prefer a cleaner sound so usually run the gain on the pre at 9 o'clock and the output at 2 o'clock with the poweramp open full

One thing I have noticed is that the more gain you use the more of the tube sound you get...
 
#10
Think we have an XLS series also; still new in box 'till we get a new pre....I like the clean sounds, too....but I always have dug the bass trax on Janis Joplin records!...Wasn't that Fender Dual Showman on Patent Pending?
 

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