I've never had a piece of tube gear.
Not intentionally, just a coincidence of what I've been interested in, compounded by my budget and needs at various times.
I've often considered some, but it just hasn't happened. When I've looked (perhaps in the wrong places), little has caught my fancy. Gear that did get my attention didn't seem to fit well with my needs/wants. And the few things that did were quite incompatible with the contents of my wallet at the time.
I've been mostly happy and satisfied, but as of late I've started thinking there's still something missing. A harmonic richness and thickness. And a certain mid through top end character. The gear that has made me happiest, and gets most of the way there, has always involved some sort of tube emulation. So... perhaps this "lack of tubes" has something to do with it? And I should seriously consider doing something about it?
My conclusion... "yes". I need to add some tubes to my life. And if I'm gonna do it, I don't want to mess around with just dipping my toes in and trying a little. Then maybe going a little deeper, and so on. I've learned that path can be a long and unnecessarily expensive one. As Yoda teaches... "do, or do not". So... I'm going all in.
But which ones, and in what form? Thinking about what I really wanted, as opposed to what may or may not be available, I wanted a "tube pre that is sonically comparable to a 100% tube rig". And boy does that narrow down the field of candidates.
Obviously, that search would lead me here. And yes, I've been lurking here for a while. Not every post, just checking in occasionally. So here goes... "Hello, everyone. I wish to experience this phenomenon, and see if it is for me. I need to meet this lady you call Monique."
Now... I'm mostly a hard rock & metal guy. Given the clips I've heard, there's an element of "going on faith" here. What I've heard has been wonderful, but nothing quite what I'm aiming for myself. But I do hear are a range of qualities that when taken together, add up to "almost positive she is the one". Add in a few posts in here that declare that she is fantastic at the heavier stuff... and I simply must try for myself.
Placed my order yesterday. Thanks, Jule!
In the meantime, anybody got clips of Monique getting raunchy, or angry? I love it when a girl gets a little wild.
Wow that is a piece of electronic art. You and James have a very cool thing going on Jule.
