Hey all! Merry New Year! Just a quick question and I thought this would be a better forum than the amp forum. I have been running a GB Shuttlemax 12.0 for a few years and I've really enjoyed it, but recently, I'm seeing signs of imminent catastrophic failure(DI isn't working properly, Tube channel isn't working at all, sporadic thermal shutdowns). I've been toying with the idea of going to a pedal pre with a power amp, to keep the weight down and the power up. That's kind of why I don't want a rack full of gear. I'm ok with carrying a power amp, but I'd really like to keep the rest to a pedal pre, tuner, compressor, & chorus pedals. Anyone run that kind of setup? I'm researching Aguilar Tone Hammer, Sadowsky Outboard Pre, Radial Bassbone, and a few others. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. BTW, I play in a modern rock cover/original band & pop/dance/party band. I'm running the basses in my sig through Mesa Powerhouse 1200 & Mesa 410 cabs. Mods, if you'd rather this be in the amp section, please feel free to move it...Thanks!
The ONE thing you need to be aware of- the output of the preamp pedal must be compatible with the input sensitivity of the poweramp. So, be sure you check these specs before commiting to any pedals.
Building on what Rick was saying: He's correct. The items you mentioned are active DIs with some EQ. The Sadowsky is the same thing that's in my basses. Although you can, they are not intended to drive a power amps input. You need a real preamp. I started this search several years ago. I found one at the time. The EBS Microbass 2. I exchanged several emails with EBS and explained to them that I was pushing into a Crown K1. EBS said they designed it to drive a power amp although most users use it more like a SansAmp Bassdriver. They hooked me up with special artist price. I still use it all the time. It's my pre. Those that use it like a bassdriver are really missing out on the MicroBass's abilities. It's really good. There is a second option now. The RMI Basswitch IQ. I haven't tried one but want to. These are supposed to be incredible. They're also $600 USD.
Thanks guys! This is why I like this forum! There's always someone that will have a good answer. I'll keep doing some research and figure something out.
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