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Looking for some instant clean (!) tube warmth.

#22
SFX Micro Red Dragon. Very good for fattening up both electric and upright basses. They're kind of hard to find, but perfect for what you're looking for. Even with the gain maxed it doesn't really have much distortion.
 
#24
Norre said:
Howdy folks. I'm looking for a pedal that can add some clean tube warmth to my sound. I'm a double bass player using an Acoustic Image amp and a MAS45 cabinet. It's super clean and sounds great for upright bass. Recently I'm also playing bassguitar in my band. However, my bassguitar sounds a little sterile throught that amp/cabinet. I'd love to add some clean tube warmth to it. I say clean because I really don't need any distortion extravaganza. Is there such a pedal on the market? Thanks ;-)
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Tech21 VTBass or Ruppert/Lehle Sonic Spark!
 
#25
whatever you try , tube or not , ... make sure it has a Mix/Blend knob .. !! so you can ad just a touch of tube-ness to your sound ...

i have a Eden Glow-Plug tube warmer ( most demo vids suck ) i installed a lower gain tube in mine ...

and my Dark Glass Super Symmetry Comp pedal has a nice warm tubey sound ...

and i have a old ART dual tube EQ if needed .. upgraded tubes

my newest toy is a RMI Basswitch Classic Boost ... very quiet , open , warm preamp pedal
 
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#29
Groove Tubes Brick would be my choice. I use it to add warmth to my mics and bass when recording. I am trying it out on my BG in live situations this year as I am moving towards playing a BG a little this year and don't want to buy anything.
 
#31
There are a ton of these out there. But I am actually going to suggest two comps actually. The DOD milkbox or the TC SpectreComp. These two can add some really nice warmth and growl too if you wanted. There are a couple others I would recommend that are OD/boosts. The BK Butler Blue Tube is really nice for what youre after. The BBBOD by Barefoot is great too. Or the Hookers Green Bassmachine by One Control. The Way Huge pork loin can do this as well. There is a ton out there. These are only a few I know and have played. Also I hear the Orgin effects Cali compressor line it really good for adding warmth as is the Darkglass Super Symmetry from what I hear.
 
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#35
Norre said:
Howdy folks. I'm looking for a pedal that can add some clean tube warmth to my sound. I'm a double bass player using an Acoustic Image amp and a MAS45 cabinet. It's super clean and sounds great for upright bass. Recently I'm also playing bassguitar in my band. However, my bassguitar sounds a little sterile throught that amp/cabinet. I'd love to add some clean tube warmth to it. I say clean because I really don't need any distortion extravaganza. Is there such a pedal on the market? Thanks ;-)
Click to expand...

Take a look at the Eden Gloplug pedal. It uses a 12ax7 for the warmth. First knob lets you dial from cool to hot so you can get the amount of warmth you want (or distortion at extreme levels). Second knob is a crossover control that lets you dial in where you want the tube warmth to appear. Next knob is the Mix which is like a dry/wet type of control. Once you've set the warmth/distortion you want that knob mixes it in with your clean signal. Final knob is volume out.

US price is $199 and since Marshall now owns Eden (any Marshall dealer can order it for you), it's easily available in the UK. Worth a look.
 
#36
Dave W said:
Creation Audio Grizzly Bass
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Just one more vote for the Grizzly Bass. What made it the winner for me is that it's transparent and can deliver subtle tube warmth with all of my basses. Some pedals do not play well with hot instruments: compressors can get too squishy, ODs can get too dirty (NOT subtle).

The Grizzly has hi cut and mid cut controls, but don't let them put you off: if you don't want to bother you can bypass them by dialing them fully clockwise. All you really need is the Gain knob for output level and the Overdrive knob for warmth. (There's also a Distortion knob for a different kind of overdrive, but for simplicity's sake you can ignore that too).
 
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#38
Norre said:
Howdy folks. I'm looking for a pedal that can add some clean tube warmth to my sound. I'm a double bass player using an Acoustic Image amp and a MAS45 cabinet. It's super clean and sounds great for upright bass. Recently I'm also playing bassguitar in my band. However, my bassguitar sounds a little sterile throught that amp/cabinet. I'd love to add some clean tube warmth to it. I say clean because I really don't need any distortion extravaganza. Is there such a pedal on the market? Thanks ;-)
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I sold my AI (although I play EUB and BG). The AI is a great amp, but way to "transparent" for BG for me.
I now us a Mark bass combo most of the time. In order to get 2 channels, I run an Aguilar Tone Hammer into the XLR input of the Mark bass.
If you have a 2 channel AI--- you can run the BG through the Tone Hammer before going into a channel. If you only have one channel, you'll have to swap cords when switching instruments. The Tone Hammer has over drive capabilities, but you don't have to use them. It really adds a tube-like tone to anything you put through it.

If you want to try something cheaper---ART makes a single channel tube preamp/DI. It has gain control, but no eq functions.
Do you like the sound of a Fender Bassman? I used a Fender TBP-1 for a while. It definitely sounds like a Fender, but I found the Tone Hammer more to my liking.
 
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