Lol it's good to be back! Life gets in the way of TalkBass some times
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Damn it, and here I thought I was done
Glad I could help, Jefe!
Now I'll make it worse... ha.In my book, this new Empress ParaEQ MKII Deluxe (link) will be a must-have for any electric musician. Why is this a good preamp? +30 dB boost gain - on top of any EQ boost you have dialed in. They operate at 27V internally on only a 9V, 300 mA draw. Better EQ than just about any amp head and most all the preamp pedals out there. Built in adjustable HPF/LPF and shelving boost/cuts. Jacks on the rear panel, yay!
Any possible disadvantages? No built-in DI, no tube. Not all that significant for what this pedal does offer.
It could replace four pedals, potentially: A separate preamp with more limited EQ, a full parametric EQ (of which there are not many small format pedal models on the market), a boost, and LPF/HPF.
I don't have a full parametric EQ, but always loved the idea. I do have a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster which I occasionally use, but I have been using output gains on various pedals as boosts. I also have both the Broughton High + Low Pass Filter and their Resonant Filter Equalizer. An Empress ParaEQ MKII Deluxe would replace all these.
I could put together a minimal, no-overdrive board with my Peterson StroboStomp, the Empress Deluxe, a compressor (maybe the Empress Bass Compressor?) and a DI if I'm not using an amp DI.
Also, if I wanted to further simplify and use a clip-on tuner, I could omit the Peterson (but why?!) and the Empress provides a buffered bypass which I'm using on the Peterson. So it could just be two pedals with an amp DI.
.. but we have to wait 'til December!
I close with a link to the manual, which is already up.
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Yeah, I hear that. I got their Bass comp not too long ago and I love it.Now this.Damn it, and here I thought I was done
Glad I could help, Jefe!
In my book, this new Empress ParaEQ MKII Deluxe (link) will be a must-have for any electric musician. Why is this a good preamp? +30 dB boost gain - on top of any EQ boost you have dialed in. They operate at 27V internally on only a 9V, 300 mA draw. Better EQ than just about any amp head and most all the preamp pedals out there. Built in adjustable HPF/LPF and shelving boost/cuts. Jacks on the rear panel, yay!
Any possible disadvantages? No built-in DI, no tube. Not all that significant for what this pedal does offer.
It could replace four pedals, potentially: A separate preamp with more limited EQ, a full parametric EQ (of which there are not many small format pedal models on the market), a boost, and LPF/HPF.
I don't have a full parametric EQ, but always loved the idea. I do have a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster which I occasionally use, but I have been using output gains on various pedals as boosts. I also have both the Broughton High + Low Pass Filter and their Resonant Filter Equalizer. An Empress ParaEQ MKII Deluxe would replace all these.
I could put together a minimal, no-overdrive board with my Peterson StroboStomp, the Empress Deluxe, a compressor (maybe the Empress Bass Compressor?) and a DI if I'm not using an amp DI.
Also, if I wanted to further simplify and use a clip-on tuner, I could omit the Peterson (but why?!) and the Empress provides a buffered bypass which I'm using on the Peterson. So it could just be two pedals with an amp DI.
.. but we have to wait 'til December!
I close with a link to the manual, which is already up.
The manual is really awesome!
They give these very helpful "Frequency Region Descriptions" for Bass Guitars - really well written IMO:
30Hz – 80Hz: The sub-bass region. Be careful when boosting in this range; your speakers might not be happy if you boost too much.
80Hz – 150Hz: The bass region. Boost and cut in this region to change the amount of bass in your sound.
150Hz – 500Hz: If your bass sounds too muddy, try cutting in this region. If it needs a little warmth, try boosting in this region.
500Hz – 900Hz: Boosting in this region can add mid-range growl to your tone. Cutting in this region can make things clean and pristine.
900Hz – 3kHz: Boosting in this region can bring out attack. Cutting in this region can help create a rounder tone.
Above 3kHz: Cutting can bring down the noise without much effect on the signal. Boosting can add a sense of air and space.
----------------------
They also give a few "Quick start settings", very visual and well explained.
And a template to write down your favorite settings
I wish all pedals have such well designed documentation!
(I'm going to look for the manual of their compressor pedal, to see if it's as good as this one, so I can learn how to set the compressor on my HX Stomp, ah ah)
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I'm a big fan of the compressor as well. I don't have it on a board ATM but can't bring myself to get rid of it just yet.
I run an Empress Bass Comp first in my signal chain. Love it. Even without the Colour switch engaged, it still does a nice ("more than just a compressor") something to your sound.
5sg.
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I'm not the most knowledgeable person on comps but that one Just adds some magic to my bass.
Yeah man I'm the same way. I only really started using compression a few years ago. I always bought into the myth that compression would kill my playing style. But then I tried an Origin Cali76 and the rest is history.
Yeah that empress pre-amp looks interesting since I'm in the market for a pre-amp but I'm not sure exactly what LPF/HPF actually do (I get the concept just wondering real world applications). Since I do not gig a lot maybe no DI wouldn't be a big deal. Also how does this compare with Trickfish Minnow similar price but has a DI. Minnow – TRICKFISH AMPLIFICATION
Good DI only pedals?
Good DI only pedals?
I have heard the Minnow is great, but haven't had the opportunity to try it.
LPF and HPF are essential for me now. HPF cuts on low end noise and boominess - it tightens up your sound and eliminates low frequencies that eat up amp power.
LPF cuts high frequencies - eliminates finger noise, hiss, and other high end artifacts. It's almost like a cab with a tweeter vs a cab without a tweeter (or a cab that you can turn the volume on the tweeter down).
I have that one also and it's great up there with the Empress.I also own the D.G.Hyper Luminal which has a 76 type along with 2 other types so for versatility it's right there..As usual I over do everything gear wise.These 3 however give me a sound and feel I hadn't gotten from any comps I'd previously owned.
I have absolutely no idea what you could possibly be referring to ;-)
I was set on picking up a Minnow, but this empress mkii delux is pretty amazing looking. Full featured 3 band Para, plus hi lo shelving plus hpf and lpf plus boost....
Same here but No DI though ugh its never an easy choice.
Indeed! I absolutely love it here! Hope you saw some good music and ate some good food
Indeed! I absolutely love it here! Hope you saw some good music and ate some good food
I heard a decent zydeco band at Mulate's and several good brass bands here and there around French Quarter and French Market. Cafe du Monde had a really good one out on the sidewalk, but they were playing with rhythm tracks...
My favorite was a very smooth jazz band at Court of Two Sisters' jazz brunch (which gets my best food award). I only had four nights, which was just not long enough. I plan on a return trip next year of at least a full week.
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As an aside, are there any other 3-band full parametric pedals in production than the Broughton? (In-production meaning in Josh's schedule.) I'm sure the Broughton is nice - I own several of their pedals - but it doesn't have the HPF/LPF and shelving controls - it's more like the Empress ParaEQ non-deluxe pedal.
I've done some looking online, but didn't come across any others.
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nice! Yeah, I live two blocks outside the Quarter - close enough to easily walk to gigs - when I have one of course! When you go back HMU and I'll give you some recomendations!I heard a decent zydeco band at Mulate's and several good brass bands here and there around French Quarter and French Market. Cafe du Monde had a really good one out on the sidewalk, but they were playing with rhythm tracks...
Nothing with all these features, but there is the WMD . Revival Electric Metric, Carl Martin, Just found this...
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mesa subway +pedal is 2 with a hpf, bright, deep etc. I think the qstrip is 2 with fixed hpf etc.
