• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Noble Amps Preamp

Good move. There's a reason a majority of people use the CaliCB and even Jack acknowledges the Cali is Gold with his creation.

Yep

DE73A092-A365-48B3-A9C8-F13BD704CA11.jpeg
 
Is that the 16" version Metro board? I have a Noble build in the works and I plan on including a few more pedals so I'm spec'ing out new board possibilities. Thanks.
Check out JamboardUSA on Facebook if you want a really nice pedalboard built to your specs. He does wood in any colors or stain and they are amazingly built. Will do any setup you need or any fittings. Prices are really cheap for what you get. Here is the one he built me.
DB7210F5-B202-410F-8132-44703246AAD9.jpeg
BCD8643A-D013-40B4-AAF5-DEF46712F25E.jpeg
2CFA7E27-1B7D-43F3-9C6E-3745562FB115.jpeg
35EB5C93-1AB9-4CBD-BA2F-762FEFF44BCC.jpeg
99EF2E9D-DEBE-4834-A697-0249DEA0B734.jpeg
 
@B-Lo here is my Metro24 pedalboard

View attachment 3882215
Nice! Gotta love options :thumbsup:. I currently have 3 boards because I'm too lazy to switch out pedals lol.

However, I'm going to change up my worship board once I receive my Noble. I recently got an HX Stomp and I plan on running it with the Noble and the Cali76 CB (and possibly my H9), but I have to play around with the HX Stomp a little more to determine if I'm going to keep the H9.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ExaltBass
nice board, but not a Noble to be seen anywhere :cool:

I'm using a Metro 20, but I'm pretty sure I could easily fit my stuff on an 16.

Cali76CB => open space for envelope, chorus or octave pedal depending on needs => Noble DI

View attachment 3882228
Looks like you could fit envelope, chorus, and octave all together if you rotate the Noble 90 degrees and slide the Cali to the right.
 
ha, ExaltBass has a few more than I do .. but in my setup, I just use one HPF, as overlapping them can cause some issues depending on the specifics of each one.

What is not shown by just my board is that the two amps I use the most with this pedal arrangement both have an HPF which is the only ones I use. With the Mesa Walkabout I use an fdeck HPF, and my Mesa WD-800 has one built in. They certainly come in handy too.

FWIW, the HPF on the Cali76CB is not really a typical high pass filter, it just offers the ability to exclude a certain level of lower freq's from being compressed.
 
I wanted to be the biggest doubter of the Noble preamp mainly because of the price tag. But after gigging this preamp for the last month and using it for our Churches TV broadcast and also having it in the studio this week, I can officially say this is the best bass gear purchase I've ever made. It just gives me what I've wanted tonally for years every time. With other preamps I always was fiddling with the dials and trying to get there but something was always missing. Folks if your on the fence about this preamp all I can say is it's worth every penny and then some.
 
Hi all...I’ve been lucky enough to play through one of these and was very impressed but I have a quick question...

If the preamp section of my amplifier contains 1-3 tubes, what can the Noble give my amplified sound that I don’t already have...

thank you in advance and please excuse any ignorance
 
Hi all...I’ve been lucky enough to play through one of these and was very impressed but I have a quick question...

If the preamp section of my amplifier contains 1-3 tubes, what can the Noble give my amplified sound that I don’t already have...

thank you in advance and please excuse any ignorance
I run my Noble into the input of several amps, including a Mesa Walkabout, Mesa WD800 and a Fender Studio Bass. The Walkabout has 2 tubes in the preamp (these tubes each have two stages) ... so it uses 3 tube stages for the gain and EQ and 1 to drive the mosfet power section. The Mesa WD800 has 1 tube (2 stages). The Fender Studio Bass is all tube ... pre and power. So, basically I already have a pretty tube heavy amp selection and yet the Noble still adds some great additional voicing and flavor to my live rigs.

Using the Noble into the front end of an amp you will be stacking/layering EQ's. The Noble brings its very sweet and musical tone whether you use a tube amp or not ... its got a distinct (and wonderful) voice that it additive to your existing amp. You can either set your amps EQ to fairly flat and let the Noble flavor the tone, or you can keep the Nobles 2 band EQ dialed down and let your amps EQ be the primary tone shaping tool ... the Noble still imparts a warmth and presence even with the EQ dialed down. Or, you can combine both EQ's in any combination you want.

I tend to run my Noble right into the front end input of all my amps, so I do get the combined effect of the Noble + the pre of what ever amp I'm using. Other players just run the Noble into the power section of their amps, usually by way of the FX return. In this case, the only pre at work is the Noble's 2 band + HPF.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the Noble DI delivers the Noble tube sweetness to the FOH (and recording console) as well as influencing your amp rig tone ... and there's where a lot of users get the value of the Noble. When you record with the Noble, and then gig with bass in the FOH, you can count on the tone you got in your recording tracks using the Noble to be the same as what you send to FOH for live work.

hopefully this answer helped you. Its hard to talk about tone in a meaningful way as it is a very personal thing.
 
After much experimentation, my preference is to use Noble without adding other preamps. To my taste, layering preamps creates a muddy tone -- "too much" of a good thing. So I leave my Fender Jazz Deluxe V bass with an onboard Sadowsky preamp off in passive mode. Input from Noble goes into the amp's FX Send to avoid the preamp in my Phil Jones combo. Ditto for micing my double bass: mic -> Noble -> FX Send and/or direct to board. Simple is better for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PFAC and pfschim
After much experimentation, my preference is to use Noble without adding other preamps. To my taste, layering preamps creates a muddy tone -- "too much" of a good thing. So I leave my Fender Jazz Deluxe V bass with an onboard Sadowsky preamp off in passive mode. Input from Noble goes into the amp's FX Send to avoid the preamp in my Phil Jones combo. Ditto for micing my double bass: mic -> Noble -> FX Send and/or direct to board. Simple is better for me.
different strokes and all that :thumbsup:

I tend to run my amp and bass EQ's pretty flat to begin with, so I don't find that the Noble is too much for my goals.

I also experimented quite a bit with my Noble when I first got it and did not find I liked running it thru the FX returns of most of my amps. The one major exception is the Walkabout, but in the case of that amp, I believe the FX return does pick up the preamp tube driver stage before it hits the mosfet power section. I still generally run my Noble into the front of all amps, even the Walkabout, but at least with the WA, I find the FX return approach sounds pretty dang nice too.

many flavors of great!:laugh:
 
hey Noble owners, I'm curious about how everyone is using the B T and HPF controls.
I have read that a number of users are barely twisting the B and T controls at all. I have used mine that way a few times and it does still impart some sweetness to the tone, but find I really like more of the EQ.
I guess V is at unity gain right around 10:00. Depending on what I'm using it for (tracking or live use), I have kind of settled on Bass between 10:00 and usually no more than 1:00. Treble is more instrument dependent, but I rarely set it lower than 10:00 and no more than 2:00.

let's hear about where you set the Noble DI controls and why (if you'd like to add that).

thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: jnumme
hey Noble owners, I'm curious about how everyone is using the B T and HPF controls.
I have read that a number of users are barely twisting the B and T controls at all. I have used mine that way a few times and it does still impart some sweetness to the tone, but find I really like more of the EQ.
I guess V is at unity gain right around 10:00. Depending on what I'm using it for (tracking or live use), I have kind of settled on Bass between 10:00 and usually no more than 1:00. Treble is more instrument dependent, but I rarely set it lower than 10:00 and no more than 2:00.

let's hear about where you set the Noble DI controls and why (if you'd like to add that).

thanks!

01A21F96-C714-4BE4-97C6-017813190E3B.jpeg