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Good preamp + not so good amp = ?

A

Anakin

Apr 22, 2014
13
0
41
Massachusetts
#1
Hello,

I am having quite a dilemma here (I tryied googling this subject but not successfully).

I am currently playing with 2 bands and I am trying to get around having two cheap amps that I would leave at the practice spaces and use a preamp pedal in order to have a nicer sound.
The goal is not to have to carry out the amp from one space to the other.

Intuitively it does sound weird but I am curious to hear if anyone has some thoughts or experience about that.


Some details:
- I will not be playing very loud so 75W or 100W amps will probably be enough (maybe a fender rumble or ampeg BA)
- I play the bass guitar and the upright bass
- One band is jazz/blues and the other is more rock/funk


Thank you!
 
#2
In my view, the power amp sections in most bass amps are fairly generic in terms of their tone quality at non-overload signal levels. So, if you bring your own preamp and plug its output into the power amp input of a bass amp, you will get the sound of your preamp from it.

I've used this strategy when I anticipated plugging into some mystery backline amp at a gig, and it worked great.

Something worth considering is to get a micro head such as the GK MB200, and a couple of fairly generic speaker cabs for the practice spaces. You run the risk of somebody using your speakers and blowing them, but that's a matter of how much you trust the people you're dealing with. Fender now makes a little 12" box that has received good reviews on the upright bass forum. Second-hand is another option. For gigs, you can use both cabs for a decent volume boost.
 
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#4
In all but very exceptional circumstances, a solid state power amp contributes nothing significant to tone, as long as it has enough power to deliver the low frequencies at sufficient volume for the situation. The cab and preamp are key, however.
 
#6
Anakin said:
I like your idea (micro head + 2 separate cabs) I will look into that.

What is the fender 12" box you are talking about? It is a combo, a cabinet?


Thanks for your help,
Click to expand...
I thought it was a cab, but it might be discontinued, the Rumble 112 cab. Still, there are other good 112 cabs out there, along with DIY options if you want to go that route.
 
#8
Alright I am convinced by the transparency of a power amp.
I was thinking buying one of these class D amp (like the Ampeg PF350 or the GK M200) but I am intrigued by the DIY option, are you talking about DIY power amp + off the shelf preamp (+ DIY cab?).

I will do my homework and look into all of that it looks like there are some good resources online (http://www.diyaudio.com).

Man, that's exiting.
 
#9
Anakin said:
Alright I am convinced by the transparency of a power amp.
I was thinking buying one of these class D amp (like the Ampeg PF350 or the GK M200) but I am intrigued by the DIY option, are you talking about DIY power amp + off the shelf preamp (+ DIY cab?).

I will do my homework and look into all of that it looks like there are some good resources online (http://www.diyaudio.com).

Man, that's exiting.
Click to expand...
I was thinking a store-bought micro head and DIY speakers. If you don't need to reach the extremes of volume, the "next level down from the top" of 12" speakers in a homemade cab would be quite affordable but serviceable. I've got an Eminence 2512-ii in a small ported box (details at my website) that weighs less than 20 pounds.

If they don't need to leave the rehearsal rooms, then they don't need to be gorgeous, but of course you will like how they sound and want to gig with them. ;) You can also save a fair amount of money by omitting most of the trappings of "pro" speakers, such as casters, corners, feet, jack plate, and custom grille.
 
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#10
A Sansamp Bassdriver can really bring an average amp to life. Be careful with it though, overdoing it can fry your amp. Go easy on the level control until your amp starts squealin, then back down a little. Also go straight up flat on your amp's pre-amp while using the EQ on the Sansamp for bass, treble, drive, etc...
Since it has both a affected signal out and clean signal out, you can run in stereo for some real fun.
 
#11
jeff7bass said:
A Sansamp Bassdriver can really bring an average amp to life. Be careful with it though, overdoing it can fry your amp. Go easy on the level control until your amp starts squealin, then back down a little. Also go straight up flat on your amp's pre-amp while using the EQ on the Sansamp for bass, treble, drive, etc...
Click to expand...
it's not gonna "fry" anything unless it's pushing the overall volume up high enough to blow something (which would happen with the amp by itself, too).

also, ideally you'd run the sansamp into the back of this bass amp, into the power amp in or effects return, which would bypass all the amp's EQ and just give you the straight power amp part.
 
#12
This is why Orange's 50 Watt combo bass amp has a speaker out and the 100W model does not: It would own all the stages and they would sell fewer bigger rigs.

You could get away with a lower watt power section if you had enough cabinet...but if you had a bi-amping option you could get a cheaper power amp for juice and then have the upper crossover (clean guitar amp or acoustic amp...also had for cheap) sound really pretty.

I got myself a sweet little mini front end: Catalinbread SFT into an Eden WTDI. Soon I will have the fDeck HPF to shape a lot of noisy power out of my signal as well so I can eventually run any amp and have 'my tone' and not risk blowing a cheap rig at an open jam with heavy thumping.
 
#13
walterw said:
ideally you'd run the sansamp into the back of this bass amp, into the power amp in or effects return, which would bypass all the amp's EQ and just give you the straight power amp part.
Click to expand...

That works. I meant you could damage the pre-amp. I've seen amps driven into protection mode using them but many amps don't have that feature. My little Peavey practice amp sounds TWICE as powerful with the Sansamp, but I gotta watch the level control because it will distort.
 
#14
Thanks for all your comments that is interesting.

I am currently thinking I will buy a PF350 or a MB200 (these two are available a the closest guitar center so I will get there I try them both).

I still need some thinking concerning the cab.
I like the DIY option (thanks a lot for your link fdeck!) but I have some questions :

- Do I need to electrically shield the inside of the cab? Would that be useful for noise reduction?
- Are there some electronics inside your cab? I guess no because there is only one driver right?
 

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