Help me with a new setup

[Gothic]

So, it seems my trusty Behringer bass v-amp pro is dying and I'm looking for something(or some-thingS?) to replace it with.
And before suggesting I get another one, the unit's pretty old and I don't fully trust a used one anymore.

So...

The Behringer did everything I wanted and then some so I'm kind of swamped searching for individual pedals to do its job.
Still, I'll try to narrow it down so maybe you good people can perhaps help me.

So, easy things first. I pretty much never use any effects. I'd MAYBE add a touch of reverb or a very discreet chorus in certain patches but generally, the fx section was pretty much always off in the patches I used the most.

Now on to the difficult stuff... I used pretty much ALL the EQ's the unit had. It had a base EQ parallel to the input level (crazy useful), the amp(preamp, basically) EQ, the cab sim EQ and the dirt EQ. That's four and all of them were very useful in shaping whatever tone I needed.

As for the preamp (amp sim) section, I mainly used the Ampeg equivalent and probably the unnamed Fender ones. Nothing TOO fancy and very little grit from that level, if at all.
What grit I used was from the OD/Dist section, which was a RAT sim, although with the gain pretty much just above zero. Imagine a TS kinda thing, just to add a little "English" to the tone. Apart from that, I have no use for straight up distortion.

Other than that, I always used the compressor. A lot of times as a compressor/limiter kinda deal to "kill" the dynamics. As in, keep a steady attack no matter how hard or soft I played. Other times just to amplify the whole thing just a touch.

Also, one thing is, the unit had a truckload of connections, most useful of which were the DI/XLR outputs where I could run it straight to the FOH with a ready made preset patch and never had to worry about anything. Kept the sound guys extremely happy as well.

So... what I'm thinking. Since money is definitely an issue and I'd like to be as economical as possible, I'm leaning towards getting a single preamp pedal that will include a compressor as well. Apart from that, I'll probably just need an EQ (or two...?) and I'm pretty much set.
The thing is, I'd like to be able to send whatever tone I shape up straight to the FOH, just like I did with the v-amp, so a nice XLR out is a must.

Now is where you guys come in. ANY advice is welcome and will be greatly appreciated!

I've never messed with pedals before and when it comes to pedal preamps, I'd only tried some EBS...something and the Valve drive. I LOVED the Valve drive but it was always too pricey for me.
Other than that, I only had a BBE opto stomp and that was so long ago I can't really remember if I liked it or not!

I've mainly used multiFX units for bass. Mostly guitar mFX units like the Boss GT-8, the VOX Tonelab SE, Digitech... something, whatever I had laying around for guitar at the time. Out of all of those, I think I had the biggest success with the GT-8. Surprisingly, I had the GT-6B unit as well at the same time and I couldn't get a good sound out of that to save my life. Sold it and kept going with the 8.

I also briefly considered just getting an amp (head) but I just can't afford one and doubt it'll be very useful to me, considering venues provide their own amps and don't much like it when you bring your own stuff (ie more work for them...).

So... help?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[Waltsdog]

If you can swing it price wise just get a Line 6 HX stomp it will do everything you are looking for and more, it's not super cheap but will probably be less than buying a bunch of pedals and power supply. Most of your comp/preamp box options are also pretty expensive like the TC Spectradrive etc.

If you just want a basic cheap preamp pedal with a DI then look at the Behringer BDI21 it sounds good and is dirt cheap.

 

[Gothic]

If you can swing it price wise just get a Line 6 HX stomp it will do everything you are looking for and more, it's not super cheap but will probably be less than buying a bunch of pedals and power supply. Most of your comp/preamp box options are also pretty expensive like the TC Spectradrive etc.

If you just want a basic cheap preamp pedal with a DI then look at the Behringer BDI21 it sounds good and is dirt cheap.

Thanks man!

The HX stomp is way out of my price range. I can kinda swing it with buying multiple pedals, I don't have to buy them all at once anyway. But you are right, a single preamp pedal that does everything seems to be pricier than I can afford. I'm starting to think it may be better to get a very mild drive pedal mainly for tone shaping/character, an EQ, a compressor and just send them all through a DI or an ART tube pre or something similar.

The more affordable preamps don't seem to be that... well, to my taste. Say the EHX Batallion seems quite nice but the drive section would be utterly useless to me and the EQ seems a bit fiddly. The Eden WTDI seems quite nice and is very affordable as well but I haven't heard much of it and there's nowhere here to try it. On the very affordable side, there are also a lot of Caline products that seem to fit the bill. I was very satisfied with a Crazy Cacti I had for the guitar (utterly sucked for bass, though) so I wouldn't hesitate to go Caline again.

That Behringer is indeed affordable, seems to be relatively easily mod-able and does quite a convincing BDDI tone, which I do like.

Another afterthought was perhaps one of the Zoom models. B1 or B3. They seem nice enough, have a ton of options but, considering I'm kind of a set and forget kinda player and the fact that I rarely use effects, I don't know whether it'd be worth it. They do pack quite a lot for the price, though.

 

[Snaxster]

So, it seems my trusty Behringer bass v-amp pro is dying and I'm looking for something(or some-thingS?) to replace it with.
And before suggesting I get another one, the unit's pretty old and I don't fully trust a used one anymore.

So...

The Behringer did everything I wanted and then some so I'm kind of swamped searching for individual pedals to do its job.
Still, I'll try to narrow it down so maybe you good people can perhaps help me.

So, easy things first. I pretty much never use any effects. I'd MAYBE add a touch of reverb or a very discreet chorus in certain patches but generally, the fx section was pretty much always off in the patches I used the most.

Now on to the difficult stuff... I used pretty much ALL the EQ's the unit had. It had a base EQ parallel to the input level (crazy useful), the amp(preamp, basically) EQ, the cab sim EQ and the dirt EQ. That's four and all of them were very useful in shaping whatever tone I needed.

As for the preamp (amp sim) section, I mainly used the Ampeg equivalent and probably the unnamed Fender ones. Nothing TOO fancy and very little grit from that level, if at all.
What grit I used was from the OD/Dist section, which was a RAT sim, although with the gain pretty much just above zero. Imagine a TS kinda thing, just to add a little "English" to the tone. Apart from that, I have no use for straight up distortion.

Other than that, I always used the compressor. A lot of times as a compressor/limiter kinda deal to "kill" the dynamics. As in, keep a steady attack no matter how hard or soft I played. Other times just to amplify the whole thing just a touch.

Also, one thing is, the unit had a truckload of connections, most useful of which were the DI/XLR outputs where I could run it straight to the FOH with a ready made preset patch and never had to worry about anything. Kept the sound guys extremely happy as well.

So... what I'm thinking. Since money is definitely an issue and I'd like to be as economical as possible, I'm leaning towards getting a single preamp pedal that will include a compressor as well. Apart from that, I'll probably just need an EQ (or two...?) and I'm pretty much set.
The thing is, I'd like to be able to send whatever tone I shape up straight to the FOH, just like I did with the v-amp, so a nice XLR out is a must.

Now is where you guys come in. ANY advice is welcome and will be greatly appreciated!

I've never messed with pedals before and when it comes to pedal preamps, I'd only tried some EBS...something and the Valve drive. I LOVED the Valve drive but it was always too pricey for me.
Other than that, I only had a BBE opto stomp and that was so long ago I can't really remember if I liked it or not!

I've mainly used multiFX units for bass. Mostly guitar mFX units like the Boss GT-8, the VOX Tonelab SE, Digitech... something, whatever I had laying around for guitar at the time. Out of all of those, I think I had the biggest success with the GT-8. Surprisingly, I had the GT-6B unit as well at the same time and I couldn't get a good sound out of that to save my life. Sold it and kept going with the 8.

I also briefly considered just getting an amp (head) but I just can't afford one and doubt it'll be very useful to me, considering venues provide their own amps and don't much like it when you bring your own stuff (ie more work for them...).

So... help?

Many thanks in advance!

Hello. The TC Electronic SPECTRADRIVE, perhaps. Then you would still be using a Behringer pedal.

 

[Gothic]

Hello. The TC Electronic SPECTRADRIVE, perhaps. Then you would still be using a Behringer pedal.

Thanks but I can only find it on ebay and after taxes and customs it adds up to more than 300 euros and I can't swing that right now. Think more around the 150 euros range.
I didn't get the Behringer reference, sorry...

 

[Snaxster]

Thanks but I can only find it on ebay and after taxes and customs it adds up to more than 300 euros and I can't swing that right now. Think more around the 150 euros range.
I didn't get the Behringer reference, sorry...

Good Luck finding something capable that is in your budget.

TC Electronic was bought by Behringer.

 

[Gothic]

Good Luck finding something capable that is in your budget.

TC Electronic was bought by Behringer.

It's the written word so I can't tell if that was meant as snarky but I'm gonna assume it wasn't and say thank you, I hope so too!
I know I can't afford the big name stuff but there must be something at least decent...

 

[Snaxster]

It's the written word so I can't tell if that was meant as snarky but I'm gonna assume it wasn't and say thank you, I hope so too!
I know I can't afford the big name stuff but there must be something at least decent...

No, no... no snark intended. Not toward you, anyway. I am not a fan of Behringer, I will confess. And I was a big fan of the original TC Electronic, so it was discontent with their end that I was expressing.

I'm sorry for implying any snark. Also I meant "Good Luck" sincerely.

If I think of an alternative, I will suggest it. But for now I think your best bet will be to find a clean, used SPECTRADRIVE.

 

[Gothic]

No, no... no snark intended. Not toward you, anyway. I am not a fan of Behringer, I will confess. And I was a big fan of the original TC Electronic, so it was discontent with their end that I was expressing.

I'm sorry for implying any snark. Also I meant "Good Luck" sincerely.

If I think of an alternative, I will suggest it. But for now I think your best bet will be to find a clean, used SPECTRADRIVE.

Ah no problem at all, no harm no foul!

I'm not a fan of Behringer's... various practices myself but the v-amp pro really did its job and it only cost me 25 euros used, can't beat that!

I don't doubt the Spectradrive's capabilities but it is double of what I can spare right now...

I'm currently looking at the Joyo Sparrow and Caline Wine Cellar (seem to be the exact same thing) and I honestly much prefer them to some more pricey offerings (battalion) where the distortion seems to be the main attraction.

I also listened to a couple of vids with the Joyo American and I must say I was absolutely captivated by the tone! Apart from a few EQ tweaks, this is exactly what I'm looking for! The discreet "drive-EQ-comp-tube pre" path seems quite viable, the more I look at it!

Many thanks again!

 

[bassbrad]

Hello @Gothic the Joyo American is a solid choice for a preamp as long as you don't need a DI. great tube like tones. Building a sound a block at a time is a good way to go. If you can get Zoom pedals I highly recommend them new or used. A Zoom B2 for instance would be a significant but close upgrade to your Behri.

 

[RJ]

I know you said it’s out of your price range at the moment but I can’t think of anything better suited for your needs than the HX Stomp. I seriously think it would be worth saving up for. As mentioned it can do everything you mentioned wanting and the some.

The come up second ha d in the classifieds here pretty often. If you can hold off buying individual pedals I think this would be a cost effective solution.

 

[Gothic]

Hello @Gothic the Joyo American is a solid choice for a preamp as long as you don't need a DI. great tube like tones. Building a sound a block at a time is a good way to go. If you can get Zoom pedals I highly recommend them new or used. A Zoom B2 for instance would be a significant but close upgrade to your Behri.

Funny that you mention Zoom because I'm in the Zoom rabbit hole right now! I saw @andruca 's posts on a few threads here regarding the B1 Four and it dissuaded me from going that route, despite the fact that it's probably the cheapest choice. However, the MS-70CDR would be a great choice, IF the effects manager thingy works and I can turn it into, essentially an upgraded MS-60B. Thing is, I'm not entirely sure if that's possible and that's what's holding me back.

As for the DI... That's a tough one. I LOVED the fact that, with the Behringer, I could just show up, have my presets loaded and send a balanced line out to the sound guy and everyone was happy in no time. I'm thinking I won't have that luxury with discreet individual pedals, even if I do get a preamp with a DI (considering all the pedals help shape the tone).
That's where I was thinking a tube pre (like an Art MP unit) would help, placed right at the end of the chain. Of course, that would also be the case if I go with a Zoom unit/stomp, since they don't have a balanced out, either.

Other than that, I only record at home so a line out would be fine with that.

A big plus of that stomp unit's also the fact that it's so light and I wouldn't have to haul any extra bulky (Behringer...) or heavy units, aside from the bass. Just pop it in the pocket and off you go.

I know you said it’s out of your price range at the moment but I can’t think of anything better suited for your needs than the HX Stomp. I seriously think it would be worth saving up for. As mentioned it can do everything you mentioned wanting and the some.

The come up second ha d in the classifieds here pretty often. If you can hold off buying individual pedals I think this would be a cost effective solution.

I'd really consider it if it were like three or four hundred but the HX costs more than all my basses together... It's just not viable. Perhaps in the (probably distant) future...

Also, the used market here is vastly different to yours. Take the MXR 80, for example. You can probably get one for less than 100 bucks there. Over here, cheapest one would be just under 200 euros (235USD) and there aren't many used offerings, either. Europe's a different beast...


edit: By the way, I'm sorry if this quest of mine seems like a torrent of multiple different approaches but I'm indeed swamped and lost, thinking of all the possible choices. I was really set with the Behringer for quite some time now and didn't pay any mind to research anything else, so... yeah...

 

[bassbrad]

@Gothic +100 on the Zoom MS60B but I advise against trying to hack an MS70cdr pedal unless you don't mind taking the chance of having it brick. The MS60B has all the amp models and effects you will ever need and sounds amazing. Three years ago I did all my SXSW shows with an MS60B and a DI, no muss no fuss and good sound.

 

[Gothic]

@Gothic +100 on the Zoom MS60B but I advise against trying to hack an MS70cdr pedal unless you don't mind taking the chance of having it brick. The MS60B has all the amp models and effects you will ever need and sounds amazing. Three years ago I did all my SXSW shows with an MS60B and a DI, no muss no fuss and good sound.

That's so assuring to hear, thank you! Is it really that risky with the zoom pedal? There are a few sims and pedals on the other stomps that would really be useful. The process seems fairly simple...

 

[bassbrad]

I've watched the vids and yes it looks tempting but I am not a gambler, those few sounds are not worth the risk.

 

[andruca]

However, the MS-70CDR would be a great choice, IF the effects manager thingy works and I can turn it into, essentially an upgraded MS-60B. Thing is, I'm not entirely sure if that's possible and that's what's holding me back.

IDK about the effects manager, but the unofficial firmare editor can do that. Haven't tried the specific model, but am indeed regularly scanning the local used market for an MS-70CDR. According to the Firmware Editor page it's one of the workable models, shouldn't be different than customizing the firmware in an MS-60B/MS-50G, which I've done multiple times (adding guitar amps from the MS-50G to my MS-60B firmware -version available in my Zoom firmware resources page-). If I happen to find an MS-70CDR I'll post to let you know, but I wouldn't worry a single bit, and I'm sure I'll sell my MS-60B the moment I do. I'm confident it'll work, no reason to believe otherwise. AND it looks like Invalid Link Removed.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

So, it seems my trusty Behringer bass v-amp pro is dying and I'm looking for something(or some-thingS?) to replace it with.
And before suggesting I get another one, the unit's pretty old and I don't fully trust a used one anymore.

So...

The Behringer did everything I wanted and then some so I'm kind of swamped searching for individual pedals to do its job.
Still, I'll try to narrow it down so maybe you good people can perhaps help me.

So, easy things first. I pretty much never use any effects. I'd MAYBE add a touch of reverb or a very discreet chorus in certain patches but generally, the fx section was pretty much always off in the patches I used the most.

Now on to the difficult stuff... I used pretty much ALL the EQ's the unit had. It had a base EQ parallel to the input level (crazy useful), the amp(preamp, basically) EQ, the cab sim EQ and the dirt EQ. That's four and all of them were very useful in shaping whatever tone I needed.

As for the preamp (amp sim) section, I mainly used the Ampeg equivalent and probably the unnamed Fender ones. Nothing TOO fancy and very little grit from that level, if at all.
What grit I used was from the OD/Dist section, which was a RAT sim, although with the gain pretty much just above zero. Imagine a TS kinda thing, just to add a little "English" to the tone. Apart from that, I have no use for straight up distortion.

Other than that, I always used the compressor. A lot of times as a compressor/limiter kinda deal to "kill" the dynamics. As in, keep a steady attack no matter how hard or soft I played. Other times just to amplify the whole thing just a touch.

Also, one thing is, the unit had a truckload of connections, most useful of which were the DI/XLR outputs where I could run it straight to the FOH with a ready made preset patch and never had to worry about anything. Kept the sound guys extremely happy as well.

So... what I'm thinking. Since money is definitely an issue and I'd like to be as economical as possible, I'm leaning towards getting a single preamp pedal that will include a compressor as well. Apart from that, I'll probably just need an EQ (or two...?) and I'm pretty much set.
The thing is, I'd like to be able to send whatever tone I shape up straight to the FOH, just like I did with the v-amp, so a nice XLR out is a must.

Now is where you guys come in. ANY advice is welcome and will be greatly appreciated!

I've never messed with pedals before and when it comes to pedal preamps, I'd only tried some EBS...something and the Valve drive. I LOVED the Valve drive but it was always too pricey for me.
Other than that, I only had a BBE opto stomp and that was so long ago I can't really remember if I liked it or not!

I've mainly used multiFX units for bass. Mostly guitar mFX units like the Boss GT-8, the VOX Tonelab SE, Digitech... something, whatever I had laying around for guitar at the time. Out of all of those, I think I had the biggest success with the GT-8. Surprisingly, I had the GT-6B unit as well at the same time and I couldn't get a good sound out of that to save my life. Sold it and kept going with the 8.

I also briefly considered just getting an amp (head) but I just can't afford one and doubt it'll be very useful to me, considering venues provide their own amps and don't much like it when you bring your own stuff (ie more work for them...).

So... help?

Many thanks in advance!

SpectraDrive would do you good. Fully customizable compressor and drive sections, easy to dial in whatever you want.

Or, get a Fractal or a Helix.