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Mike Pope Design MPP-1 Review

#61
Well Peter it is time for a new club... I ordered my new Pope MPP-1 Bass Preamp yesterday... I can't wait... Going to run it through my Crown XTi2000, an Aguilar DB410 and two Aguilar GS112's. I'll add or subtract cabs as the gig requires.
I have been talking about getting one since May and finally bit the bullet. I know my Fodera is going to sound the best it's ever sounded.
thanks for the great review...
 
#62
NickyBass said:
Man, I've been kicking this preamp around in my head for a few weeks now. My 'modern' rig is a Walter Woods MI225 into a UL310. This rig gets most of the work out of all my gear. I'm very very happy with it, so I'm hesitant about picking up more gear. However, I don't know if I can resist.

The thing is, I had an Ultra and the low end wasn't where it needed to be for me. I favor the older WW EQ section. I never need more power, but it would be nice to have more headroom---just in case.

I know the WWU tone very well. How does the Pope compare to the WWU in the low end? I'm thinking (if I can pick one up) of pairing it with a Stewart World 1.2 power amp and running it in bridged to give me ~1000 watts into 4 ohms. (Slightly less on the UL310...which of course isn't rated that high.)

I'm just thinking out loud here, since it is a large investment --- though, I do think that the pre is priced very nicely.

Any thoughts about this rig?
Click to expand...

It is tough for me to be too accurate about this, but I know the WW pretty well. There are many aspects of the WW tone that I really like. It's really clear, pretty punchy, and sounds really musical to me. In some rooms, I found the WW to be a little unfocused. It would sometimes sound as if the tone didn't really come from anywhere...does that make sense? The MPP-1 just seems to carve out the right frequencies so that your tone kind of as a "point" or a "spot". You'll notice that you don't have to be as loud to be heard. I hope that helps.
 
#63
PeterChampagne said:
I hope that helps.
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Yeah, that helps alot. From what I gather, the eq section doesn't 'mask' the frequencies surrounding it. Rather, it lets them equally exsist on a soundscape through careful voicing of each band. Would this be accurate?

Bongo, I'm not too hip about what power amps are available, so I didn't know exactly how to phrase the question. I guess I'm wondering if a digital power amp would be a good choice for the preamp. I had a Crest CA-9 a while back, and it was killer---though it was a beast to carry that whole rack. I'm digging the idea of a small portable rack.
 
#64
chadds said:
Quite true. The Yamaha NS-10s are great for picking apart a mix and are simultaneously fatiguing to listen to. Good points. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I agree with the fatiguing part!


thepontif said:
They are SO fatiguing to listen to. Listening to them is like being aurally vomited upon.
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As a long-time purveyor of both audiophile and studio equipment, I heartily concur!

Great thread!
 
#65
NickyBass said:
Bongo, I'm not too hip about what power amps are available, so I didn't know exactly how to phrase the question. I guess I'm wondering if a digital power amp would be a good choice for the preamp. I had a Crest CA-9 a while back, and it was killer---though it was a beast to carry that whole rack. I'm digging the idea of a small portable rack.
Click to expand...

Sure, there's a lot to be said about one power amp vs. another on their own merits, and the "lead slead vs. lightweight" bass-sound-quality debate still rages on... but what I was indicating was that those qualities shouldn't really have much to do with compatibility with a given preamp. IMO only heavily-colored power amps like certain all-tube or bass-specific power amps would be "less compatible" depending on subjective tonal preferences.
 
#68
Could someone please post some samples that demonstrate how the eq reacts and it's overall character?

Some preamps sound drier than others. I hate that. It almost feels like the strings stick to your fingers alittle when your pluck. Im looking for a very clear preamp that sounds great but feels great as well. Im not sure if that makes much sense.
 
#70
I have a two channel preamp on order from Mike. He's been a great guy to deal with and can answer any question on the product he's selling! Without having it yet I already feel very confident that it will exceed my expectations. I will happily post a review of the pre when I get it. I went for the two channel since I do a little but of upright playing as well as a little Stick playing therefore the two channels may prove very valuable with this preamp.
 
#71
Mike is supposed to be making a demo video for this preamp but until then, SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS The sooner I hear this thing in action, the sooner I can drop the cash on one...... SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS !!!!!!!!:)
 
#73
kringle77 said:
Mike is supposed to be making a demo video for this preamp but until then, SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS The sooner I hear this thing in action, the sooner I can drop the cash on one...... SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS SOUND CLIPS !!!!!!!!:)
Click to expand...

Sorry, dude. I don't mean to drag ass on the sound clips. I've had to put so much time into building current orders and tweaking the current assembly process to make sure this design doesn't take me too long to be able to deliver quickly, that I can't keep track of the promotional stuff that actually sells them! Cart before the horse, right? Just give me a couple more days and I'll get something up there. I've got some of my friends from Sanborn's band coming up to the studio later in the week, so I'm going to try to get it done before that.
 
#74
Thanks Mike, that will give me a few more days to hold on to my dough! It would be great to hear the flat setting and rotate each knob back and forth with the different eq points so that we can really hear what each one does. Then, maybe a good sample setting or two. I really hope these preamps fly out the door for you.
 
#79
I used to own the fodera 2000 preamp pedal. Do any of the few gentlemen who own the MPP-1 have any experience with this pedal? Do they have similarities? I slightly remember what that sounded like. Other than that, Im just killing time until the sound samples are done.
 

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