Noble Amps Preamp

[extreme]

This filter eq looks very interesting. But given that these pedals are, as someone said, unobtanium, does anyone else make something similar?? Would love to try it out!

I honestly don't know what all is out there and available from other pedal builders. The resonant filter EQ is somewhat similar to the Alembic and Wal preamps. Josh Broughton also talks about it being similar to what is in cab sim circuits. But, obviously the controls/knobs offer a ton of flexibility.

 

[Blue Swede]

I honestly don't know what all is out there and available from other pedal builders. The resonant filter EQ is somewhat similar to the Alembic and Wal preamps. Josh Broughton also talks about it being similar to what is in cab sim circuits. But, obviously the controls/knobs offer a ton of flexibility.

This is exactly why they interest me, I did a quick google but mostly found euro rack modules.

 

[extreme]

This is exactly why they interest me, I did a quick google but mostly found euro rack modules.

Broughton will be doing another run of them later this summer...I'm guessing August/September? He will add it back to the website with a release date as it gets closer and he locks a date in. The RFE is definitely a great pedal.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

If you're on the ball on the release date (which he will publish on the website as it gets closer) you should be able to get one.

Broughton is great stuff but I just can’t play the sit by my computer game and pray that I’m one of the blessed few who gets an order in. I’m too busy in the rest of my life to bother with that BS. Tell me the wait time, take my non-refundable deposit and put me in the lineup. It’s the only fair way and the only way I’ll consider doing business with Broughton again.

 

[AngelCrusher]

I just visited Broughtonaudio.com and saw that they currently have 10 different pedals in stock, including two different DIs, as well as HPF, LPF, compressors, overdrive, fuzz, etc.. You could place a PayPal order right now and have a Broughton DI (or two) in your hands in a few business days. Or you could order a Noble and maybe have it in, what, 6-8 weeks?

I think they are both perfectly legit business practices, each with their pros and cons.

Thats not the DI that compares to the Noble. That di is rarely available for purchase which is his point.

 

[AngelCrusher]

Right, it got discontinued and replaced by a newer model with different (and arguably "better") features. It is in stock and you can buy it today if you like.

Am I correct that there is a discontinued 1st generation Noble that is out of stock? Same difference. You can't buy a Broughton P15 and I can't buy one of these, boo hoo.

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Not the same thing. The broughton pre people want is a tube pre called the super stack. I dont believe that this one is related.

So no its not the same difference.

 

[Blue Swede]

I agree and disagree. Josh has some awesome pedals, and while some are available as of right now, some of his more esoteric creations are hard to come by. The ”problem” with Broughton and the nature of limited runs coupled with the fact that some pedals sell out very quickly means that if you aren’t available at the time of release, because of work or differing timezones for instance, you’re out of luck.
I understand he does them as an aside thing ( after working hours etc) and puts lots of love into his creations, its just a shame when you would like to buy something and can afford it, but availability bites you in the behind. Maybe one day he’ll mass produce his little creations, if that happens me and my wallet will be there smiling!

 

[ahc]

Right, it got discontinued and replaced by a newer model with different (and arguably "better") features. It is in stock and you can buy it today if you like.

Am I correct that there is a discontinued 1st generation Noble that is out of stock? Same difference. You can't buy a Broughton P15 and I can't buy one of these, boo hoo.

View attachment 3461250

To the best of my knowledge the Noble pictured in your post is the original version that was repackaged into what the current one is to make it more "road ready" without the exposed tubes and transformer. Other than the packaging they're the same.

 

[Mushroo]

Right on, I deleted my comments because I didn't want to come across as mean spirited or off topic.

Back on topic, I just checked my Noble fund and I'm 64% of the way there. I hope to join the club, if not late 2019, then early 2020.

 

[pfschim]

as a relatively new Noble owner/user, I am interested in how others are setting the controls.

At the moment I have settled on Bass full up with the HPF switch engaged, and Treble to taste .. which tends to be around 3:00.

The Volume output of the Noble seems very robust so I tend not to be able to turn it much past 10:00 before it's just silly loud through the amps I am running. With the Mesa WD800 I set the amp EQ pretty flat and run the Noble into the front end input. The WA is the only amp (so far) where I run the Noble into just the power section via the FX return jack. I believe that when run this way the Noble hits the WA's driver tube stage before hitting the WA's mostfet and torroidial power amp section .. sounds great!

so, how are y'all running your Noble DI's .. particularly when doing live work.

 

[Blue Swede]

as a relatively new Noble owner/user, I am interested in how others are setting the controls.

At the moment I have settled on Bass full up with the HPF switch engaged, and Treble to taste .. which tends to be around 3:00.

The Volume output of the Noble seems very robust so I tend not to be able to turn it much past 10:00 before it's just silly loud through the amps I am running. With the Mesa WD800 I set the amp EQ pretty flat and run the Noble into the front end input. The WA is the only amp (so far) where I run the Noble into just the power section via the FX return jack. I believe that when run this way the Noble hits the WA's driver tube stage before hitting the WA's mostfet and torroidial power amp section .. sounds great!

so, how are y'all running your Noble DI's .. particularly when doing live work.

I have only gigged mine twice and in both instances we had our PA system on an elevated surface. I think this has affected the bass coming out of our subs considerably, in a bad way, more boom and less warmth. As for the settings on the noble I have the bass at around 10-11 o clock and the treble no higher than 9, all with the HPF engaged both times. I also boost the bass a bit on my sadowsky, maybe an eighth of a turn worth, seems to bring out the 2nd order harmonics and compensate for the hpf.

We have another gig coming up this weekend, unless wife happens to be in labor then , and I'm really looking forward to see if having the PA on the floor will make the bass sound better and if I can increase it a bit hehe.

As an aside, I am currently trying to determine whether or not I need my sfx micro thumpinator with the Noble's hpf engaged?

 

[AngelCrusher]

as a relatively new Noble owner/user, I am interested in how others are setting the controls.

At the moment I have settled on Bass full up with the HPF switch engaged, and Treble to taste .. which tends to be around 3:00.

The Volume output of the Noble seems very robust so I tend not to be able to turn it much past 10:00 before it's just silly loud through the amps I am running. With the Mesa WD800 I set the amp EQ pretty flat and run the Noble into the front end input. The WA is the only amp (so far) where I run the Noble into just the power section via the FX return jack. I believe that when run this way the Noble hits the WA's driver tube stage before hitting the WA's mostfet and torroidial power amp section .. sounds great!

so, how are y'all running your Noble DI's .. particularly when doing live work.

Just a bit of EQ on each and no HPF.

 

[Infidelity]

I've been trying to hunt down a Noble Pre for a while now, and I might as well try to look one here. I'm converting to an amp-less set up, so If someone's letting go of their Noble Pre message me.

 

[ahc]

I've been trying to hunt down a Noble Pre for a while now, and I might as well try to look one here. I'm converting to an amp-less set up, so If someone's letting go of their Noble Pre message me.

They do pop up on Reverb and the TB classifieds from time to time but you gotta be fast. They go quickly.

 

[tedw]

as a relatively new Noble owner/user, I am interested in how others are setting the controls.

I use my Noble with no added compression to go direct to the board at our church. Main bass is a Lull P/J 4, and I keep both pickups full up and the tone knob wide open because that’s the way the sound guy likes it. I use chromes that are about a year old and they still sound good. For a long time I set bass and treble at 10:00 and no bass cut. Then, I switched to no boost for bass and treble, thinking that my sound might be a little too fat. The sound guy likes it either way and he is pretty discerning. Lately as my strings have aged and lost some of their sizzle, I have started setting the treble knob at 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock. Once again the sound guy is happy. As long as I am using the Noble, The sound guy is happy. I hope that helps.

 

[tedw]

You might get the idea from my previous post I put a lot of weight on what the sound guy says. That is pretty much it. When I practice at home or play with friends I still pretty much set the tone controls at zero. I like the idea of using the bass cut switch To make room for the kick drum, but every time I do that I get feedback that the sound is not full enough. That could have a lot to do with the nature of our room and sound system.

 

[Ewo]

Just a bit of EQ on each and no HPF.

Likewise. I use the Noble just for recording, and I figure the mix engineer will do whatever high-passing is needed to slot the bass and kick well.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Passing along some info from Jack...

The Noble pre requires about 20 watts of running power and about 25 watts of startup peak power.

That tidbit is not on the spec sheet. I'm spec'ing a home solar power system and going through the process of tallying that information for every electric device in the house. When PG&E kills our juice this summer, I don't want to be without my Noble!

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I have been testing a borrowed Noble from a friend with double bass. Have played a gig and two concerts, and the results have been nice. Trying to better understand how the signal path and flow works, specifically where the HPF is in the path.

So far, I've gotten the best results with an external adjustable HPF in front of the Noble in the FX loop of a PJB Super Flightcase. If anyone could help me answer the following questions, I would be grateful. Apologies for not reading all 2058 previous replies!

1) Does increasing the volume change the tone appreciably, or is it intended to be "volume only"? This is a tricky question when amplifying a double bass, because an increase in any volume level before the power amp will make the signal seem "hotter" and more direct, so it's hard to tell what's what. But it would be good to know the answer for gain staging purposes. I know this is not an overdrive-type tube box, but beyond that it's a bit hard to tell.

2) Since I understand that the EQ points are boost only and set at 150 and 3.5K, it follows that there would be a dip somewhere in the mids when both sides are boosted. I have found minimal boosting to sound pretty good, but getting "woolly" sounding past a certain point.

Thanks in advance!

 

[extreme]

If you boost both bass and treble on the Noble the resulting mid dip will be right around 700 Hz, which is a good place for it if going for a "hi fi" sort of tone.