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I drew a thing-- would anybody buy it?

I use a pedal preamp that has directable loops, 4 band EQ with sweepable mids, effects balance and switchable boost going into a small 800 watt Class D power amp. This has been my main rigs for 4 or 5 years now.

The proposed scheme seems less flexible that what I have now. I don't see the point. Is it just a different colour for the wheel?

What is that power amp you're using? That's the only part of your setup that this unit would hypothetically replace...
 
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Effects returns, sure.

I haven't noticed aux-in's until fairly recently-- but I wasn't really looking for them up until now, when I finally started putting together a rig.
Most (not all) effects returns insert the signal at the input to the power amp, most aux inputs sum the signal right after the effects return. In practice, when using the effects return as a power amp input, the results are virtually indentical.
 
Why not make it more modular, buy the GSS sumo or equivalent and a Broughton filter pedal to do the filtering?

Realistically - If "my tone" comes from the pedal board and I want to accurately reproduce that, I would want a powered speaker with DSP to manage the crossover from driver to horn and flatten out the frequency response. A QSC Q12.2 or RCF Art 745 is what I would be looking at....
The closest in the bass market to what you're describing is that Bergantino B|amp which had the DSP models for all his speakers built in. Plus a free preamp...
 
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I haven't had a need for anything with a power amp in a couple of years - I was doing one "coffee house-ish" gig where I'd use an amp , but at this point, all my gigs are ampless.

I'm not your target market, and I think over time, that market will continue to shrink.
 
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I find the responses here ironic given how it seems like every other week there's a person posting a thread about how they want something like this.

Granted, those threads are also full of all the usual dinosaurs explaining to the OP why he doesn't want the thing he's looking for.

Ummm.....respectfully.......the thread title explicitly asks whether TBers think the proposed product would sell. The responses aren't ironic.
 
Honestly, what I would want is something that looks like proper head, but has "plug and play" modules where you swap out the preamp. You'd then have various preamps you could buy, similar to the Tech 21 Sansamp character emulation pedals.

Maybe even have two different preamp slots so that you could swap preamps on the fly.
 
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Would it be a good idea to add a gain stage? You have line inputs on the rear, which suggests that the front inputs could be instrument level.

I thought about that, but as I thought my way through the signal path, I eventually decided against it-- most preamps already have gain & level controls. Essentially, you would assume a fixed input gain, hence my note about the instrument inputs being padded (-6dB) by default. Thus, if the signal was too hot, I would just back off the Level on the pedal, or roll back the volume on an active bass.
 
Honestly, what I would want is something that looks like proper head, but has "plug and play" modules where you swap out the preamp. You'd then have various preamps you could buy, similar to the Tech 21 Sansamp character emulation pedals.

Maybe even have two different preamp slots so that you could swap preamps on the fly.
That's what the Markbass Multiamp was, a modular system. It didn't sell.
Edit: I meant the Mo'Mark product line. Multiamp did amp modeling, but it didn't sell either.
 
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Honestly, what I would want is something that looks like proper head, but has "plug and play" modules where you swap out the preamp. You'd then have various preamps you could buy, similar to the Tech 21 Sansamp character emulation pedals.

Maybe even have two different preamp slots so that you could swap preamps on the fly.

I used the example of a "doubler" as my explanation of why I included two channels, but really the point-- at least for my own personal application-- was to use a different preamp connected to each of the two channels.

MarkBass did something similar to what you're suggesting with their "Mo'Mark" series of chassis and modules-- and I thought it was a really cool idea, at the time-- but it doesn't look like many other musicians agreed with me on that point...
 
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That's what the Markbass Multiamp was, a modular system. It didn't sell.

Here's a related, theoretical pipe dream that I can't see becoming real, but which I would love (and buy into): the Markbass concept made into a standard adopted by multiple vendors.....imagine if "pedals" came in a few standard sizes with a few standard power requirements and fit into standardized, powered amp enclosures of varying sizes......one could buy an 800 watt powered box with slots to add 2 or 3 or whatever # of signal modifiers made by various vendors........If I could buy a box that would push electrons and house (for example) my Sushi Box preamp, Empress compressor, Korg tuner and a DI, and would allow me to swap each out for a substitute when the itch arises, I'd be all in.
 
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I find the responses here ironic given how it seems like every other week there's a person posting a thread about how they want something like this.

Granted, those threads are also full of all the usual dinosaurs explaining to the OP why he doesn't want the thing he's looking for.

I suspect part of the reason something like this appeals to me is that I'm essentially building a new rig from scratch, thus I'm looking at each component of it with fresh eyes, so questions like "does this do something the head I have been using for 27 years doesn't?" is not part of the equation for me.
 
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Acoustic Image had that modular preamp into either their powered cab or the Focus power amp. And instead of line cables they use CAT5 which also doubled as a power supply for the preamp. You can also use regular 1/4 and XLR. It is called the Flex Pre. 2 channel that can output as stereo as well as dual mono or summed mono. Rick thought of everything except for a drive circuit.

Acoustic Image
 
Here's a related, theoretical pipe dream that I can't see becoming real, but which I would love (and buy into): the Markbass concept made into a standard adopted by multiple vendors.....imagine if "pedals" came in a few standard sizes with a few standard power requirements and fit into standardized, powered amp enclosures of varying sizes......one could buy an 800 watt powered box with slots to add 2 or 3 or whatever # of signal modifiers made by various vendors........If I could buy a box that would push electrons and house (for example) my Sushi Box preamp, Empress compressor, Korg tuner and a DI, and would allow me to swap each out for a substitute when the itch arises, I'd be all in.

Fryette is doing something for guitar not entirely unlike what you just described.
 
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MarkBass did something similar to what you're suggesting with their "Mo'Mark" series of chassis and modules-- and I thought it was a really cool idea, at the time-- but it doesn't look like many other musicians agreed with me on that point...

I'm sure lots of people thought it was a cool idea, they just didn't want to pay the extra it costs to build over the conventional alternatives with the limitation that your preamps can only be used in the chassis.
This is the same problem as your idea will face. It will cost just as much as a conventional bass amp but do less.
Virtually all the class D heads can already be used as a power amp if desired but they also include a preamp if you don't want to take an external one.
 
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