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Newbie chasing tone. Am I crazy?

#81
I am considering saving up for a good preamp with a DI in it.
There are so many out there but unfortunately my city has very limited selection to try in-person.
I am interested in perhaps the Jules Monique or the Tonecraft 363. I could use it into my Scarlett for playing quietly on my computer but then it could also be used in conjunction with an amp and a cab.

So I have a few questions regarding this:

1.) If I have a preamp like this and want to hook it up to an amp and cab down the road, should I only look at getting an amp and stay away from a combo head? I am assuming if I had a combo head that I would need to somehow bypass the preamp built into the head.

2.) Has anyone ever A/B'd a Jules Monique and a Tonecraft 363? And if so, could you describe the sounds?

3.) Sound I skip buying a separate preamp with DI and just get a head wiht some tubes in the preamp section?

To qualify this, I am planning to purchase sometime in 2020, so lots of time to get better at my playing before investing in this.
 
#82
Hey Bassic Needs, we have a pretty similar set up.
If you are having a good time playing direct with headphones, I highly recommend the Aguilar Tonehammer pedal. I run a Sire V7/P7 5 strings into the Tonehammer and then into my Focusrite Scarlett. The Tonehammer is very flexible, it can be transparent or you can use it to add character to your tone. It has a 3 band EQ with a mid frequency sweep and an interesting AGS switch that has be discussed pretty extensively on TB.

I use Reaper for my digital audio workstation, and there are a lot of extremely high quality VSTs that can be live monitored and used as "effects" when you play along with Youtube. I use a free reverb plugin called Orilriver that has a staggering amount of flexibility, Reaper comes with a powerful compressor/limiter, Delay, EQ, etc.

These two options will greatly increase your tonal options, and hopefully influence your playing in a positive way. I paid around $180 for my Tonehammer and $60 for an individual license for Reaper.

This is also a path to learning how to record your playing. I was in a pretty bad creative rut before I learned to play direct in Reaper; I don't feel like I need anything else now.
 
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#84
Ghook said:
So.. if playing for your own enjoyment I think doing some home recording is a fun add-on and a way to experiment on getting the tone in your head. Mixcraft is an inexpensive Windows based DAW. Lots of tone shaping, cheaper than a Rumble 40.

As to basses. I agree that practice and more practice is pretty needed,, obviously , but if you can afford more than one bass, go for it. Fact is new stuff can keep us motivated. I don't buy high end .... Squire CV level is fine and cheap....under $500. Other than that, strings!!! I love Tapewounds or Flats ( all they had when I was a kid ) great tone ( subjectivly) and so easy on the fingers. So have fun and have at it. :)
Click to expand...

I think this is brilliant. Get a DAW to work with. Record yourself. Mess with EQ, tone shaping, compression, etc. within the DAW. That will allow you to explore tone, AND hear yourself (somewhat) within the context of a mix.

Will a DAW bass patch sound exactly like an Ampeg SVT? Nope. But it will be plenty close enough to decide if you like one or not.
 
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#85
Bassic Needs said:
A Tonehammer looks like a decent option for sure and I really should start looking at DAW's even though I don't intend to record anything. Never say never right?
Click to expand...

Even if you never intend to record anything, you will still have that option.
And if you end up getting an amplifier at some point, the Tonehammer will stay very useful.
I usually always have mine on, DI or amplified.
 
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#87
I've learned that headphones lie, sound wise, If you don't have an amp use monitors to help dial in your sound. As many Amps/PreAmps/DI boxes that I've played on the best tone for me is always straight from my bass. I too have a Focusrite and I simply love the way the bass sounds without any extra, I'm guessing mostly technique and bass to blame, but I fall in love with the tone again and again every time I play
 
#88
labeledbass said:
I've learned that headphones lie, sound wise, If you don't have an amp use monitors to help dial in your sound.
Click to expand...

With headphones, as with speakers, you get what you pay for. Cheap drivers deliver crappy sound that misrepresents the original source. At a minimum, you'll need to spend $100, or more, for phones that will provide a decent approximation of what your bass and your music really sounds like. Double the amount of dollars for speakers that will perform as well as headphones.





As many Amps/PreAmps/DI boxes that I've played on the best tone for me is always straight from my bass. I too have a Focusrite and I simply love the way the bass sounds without any extra, I'm guessing mostly technique and bass to blame, but I fall in love with the tone again and again every time I play
Click to expand...

I feel that's a pretty subjective opinion. Your preferred bass sound won't be to everyone's taste.
 

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