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Jule Amps Monique

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#761
BurningSkies said:
Holy crap, Jule. This preamp is a &$^%ing monster. Its a bulldozer in the best way, and a REALLY fun unit. Really really fun to play.
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Each day, I am more and more convinced that it just has to be fun. :)

First off, it definitely is working properly versus what it was like before. For my setup it worked best with the +4 DB input pulled, and I found it was driving my power amp amply, giving me similar signal to my other preamp, with the Line Out at somewhere between 4 and 5 o'clock. Its deceptive in the fact that it seems that most of the 'action' on that Line Out knob is in the last quarter of it's throw, but once you're up there, its really sensitive to small tweaks. My original observations about its overall tone and feel were reinforced in this round of playing.
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Yes, I understand the observation about running the level controls on the high end. It has to do with the fact that these really are level controls. That is not the case in most of the amplifiers we use. The Monique level controls don't add significant gain to the situation, so you don't lose tone and playing characteristics at the top of the settings. On the other hand, the Sensitivity and the EQ controls will add or subtract substantial gain when they are used.

Tonally, it just has this WEIGHT to what it does. I'd swear I had a 3000w tube amp behind me. With the fEARful 15/6+15sub it was just monstrous, they're so clean that it sounds fantastic, no sense of speaker breakup or harshness. It never felt like it was struggling or bumping up against any ceiling when it comes to headroom...it feels like its idling as it deals out these huge hefty solid natural sounds, just effortless. To me it sounds like everything I want from a tube amp, but without the stuff that I think of negatives of tube amps.
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Monique is fine being described as having "weight." ;)


I spent most of my night with the Sensitivity control between noon and about 3 o'clock. Which gives it thick tube harmonic fullness but keeps things pretty controlled, not too spongy. I could run my bass comfortably in its parallel setting and still not feel like things were too scooped and losing punch.

Oh, and it acts unbelievably like an amp with a tube power section when it comes to dynamics and desirable compression characteristics (not overly crunched or brickwalled and still sounding open). Early on in the evening, I was facing the amp at close range and holding notes while turning EQ knobs. I was working with the treble control, and found that with it turned up to about 3 o'clock, the amp and my bass were singing with really musical feedback swells. I've never had that happen with a non-tube amp in a musical way (and not on many tube amps either), just these sweet, lovely sustained notes that were entirely made of feedback not plucked at all... I was just fretting notes, moving around the neck letting the amp and bass 'sing' along the way.
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The EQ is a whole 'nuther world. There really is 20db +/- available on each of the three controls. Each control gives you access to a very wide pallet. That is why for purposes of description I always talk about Monique with the EQ zeroed (12 noon) out.

So anyway, after about 2 hours of running through some of my favorite riddims, lots of the 16th note Roots Radics style stuff...this preamp really excels in dealing out punch and gravity in the transients while making stuff feel big and 'natural'. It really pushes the notes out, it's like a freight train that just plows ahead full steam. Its going to be the heavyweight boomshot on stage. I have a week off from gigs, then I'll have it on stage a week from Friday.
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:) Again with the "heavyweight" and "boomshot," she is cool with all that. Thank you for posting this. :)

Link Removed
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#763
CDweller said:
Was the tight squeeze in a 19" rack issue addressed?
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Only squeeze Monique had was to get past the curvy plush stuff on the inside left & right sides of a Protec rack bag. It is plushy yet is out of the way of the bolts. The Kern and Glock fit the same. Ain't no thing.

Power back on after six days. Tube rolling Sat.
I dream and get two gigs a Saturday. 'sall good.

Oh, Jule. This is fun!!!!

Monique.
 
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#768
My tonal bliss...she has returned.

C2C95C5F.jpg


I'll have a full review up in a few days or so on ma website (hondobass.com). All I can say now is holy $h!t this thing sounds more hefty than ever! :eek:
 
#770
Thanks for the review Tom! :cool: The Monique is just lovely. I will have some comparison notes to a very old Demeter vtbp-201 dbl soon. My band is relaxin on vaca right now so Ive been comparing them solo a bit. Interesting... Especially with a Moog Taurus III :D Jule is the man!!

Edit:Issue 8 - Andy Lewis is not far from my neighborhood. Excellent guy all around!
 
#771
Fretless5verfan said:
My tonal bliss...she has returned.

C2C95C5F.jpg


I'll have a full review up in a few days or so on ma website (hondobass.com). All I can say now is holy $h!t this thing sounds more hefty than ever! :eek:
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Nice! I hope you can bring her (and the IP) along with you when you head down this way! :bassist:
 
#773
I've been waiting for the new fdeck HPF-3 to go into production. It looks like it will be available in a couple weeks...with a Monique (without an effects loop), I assume I should put it between the output and the power amp?

FDeck_HPF3.jpg

Any ideas? For me this is mostly a speaker protection/efficiency thing...High pass down at the lowest point (35hz) to protect from sub sonic over excursion and unneeded loss of headroom.
 
#774
Also, at this point, I've had a chance to use the Monique in rehearsal with the full band, as well as for a gig. I'm more than happy with the performance of the preamp. It definitely has enough output to drive my power amp to LOUD gig levels. It definitely provides a very different tonal option vs. a 12AX7 based sound.

The first night I used it in rehearsal I had my guitarist comment that it was making HIM play better, and that the sound was 'inspirational'. He noted that I had more 'definition' and punch to my playing, that when I'm running 16th note riddims every note was clearly defined and tighter. He also noted that it sounded more 'solid' and dense. When running stuff like our version of Concrete Jungle, where there are some nice sustained note bombs (the arpeggiated low Em chord, etc) the tubes have that nice compression/sustain characteristic, but then I can tighten up into some rapid-fire passages with tight playing.

Our drummer (a Ghanian native, who's only every played reggae or African stuff), was TOTALLY into it. He just kept smiling and shaking his head. On stage Friday night I was pretty loud. My Peavey IPR-3000 was bridged and while I was being reasonable, it was nice to open it up a bit. Our hand drummer, also from Africa, was about a foot to my right and was having a great time playing off of me and what the Monique was doing...All smiles. Having the 'front end' of the notes jump out and push a bit harder really makes things move on the dancefloor, and having a bit more of that low mid punch without mud is wonderful. You can hold down big low end, yet remain intelligible to the other players on stage.

And just to prove its real:

7590137990_750d9c9661.jpg
 
#775
BurningSkies said:
I've been waiting for the new fdeck HPF-3 to go into production. It looks like it will be available in a couple weeks...with a Monique (without an effects loop), I assume I should put it between the output and the power amp?

FDeck_HPF3.jpg

Any ideas? For me this is mostly a speaker protection/efficiency thing...High pass down at the lowest point (35hz) to protect from sub sonic over excursion and unneeded loss of headroom.
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Why not between the instrument and Monique?
 
#776
Bassguy1 said:
Would a Monique pair up well with one of the new GK powered cabs?
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The GK cabs are not intended to be driven by a 3rd party preamp. It might work, but I do know that the input of the powered cabs is designed to work with the "slave out" on the GK combos, and as I recall, it's not a typical line level signal. My guess is that many pre's will work with those cabs, though.
 
#777
Folks,

Please note that if you click on the link to Bass Gear issue #8 in Tom's post above, you will be able to read their review of the Monique. I would think this would be of interest to anyone following this thread.

Jim
 
#779
Almost a year and 1/2 and not a single Monique has seemingly been listed in the TB classifieds for sale.

Wow! This must be a first for a new product on TB. This says a lot about the Monique!

I know that there likely only a handful of these out there, but still.... the constantly GAS-ing and tone chasing TBers change gear like underwear.:D

I think I will be checking one of these out very soon! Need to look into shipping to Canada.:hyper::bassist:
 
#780
I know of one or two that have changed hands, but only for non-musical reasons. They've been private transactions and not posted.

I know that mine's not going anywhere! :)

I ran a DI for recording last week (nothing that's post-worthy due to poor performance), holy fudge it sounds great. Simply awesome.
 
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