I use the DB751 for alot of my shows. Great tone and power. I use an Avalon U5 for studio work if I don't want my cab included in the mix.
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Noble vs Tube Amp
- Thread starter Jed Green
- Start date
This is a quite specific question.
Do you need an amp in your current situation? Do you have a sufficient one and look to upgrade that or do you lack in that department? Will you be playing in situations that require an amp? Do you have capable cabinets?
I think the Noble is that one device you can buy when you:
1. Played a few preamps and still wonder if you can't squeeze 3% more tone out of a setup, money not being an issue.
2. Play mostly IEM setups and want some magic tone through your earbuds and/or use your rig for recording
After all, it is a clean sound only tube box with a two band boost only EQ, highest quality DI out and a HPF.
It IS a great device and I dearly love mine, but it is pricey for what you get.
Do you need an amp in your current situation? Do you have a sufficient one and look to upgrade that or do you lack in that department? Will you be playing in situations that require an amp? Do you have capable cabinets?
I think the Noble is that one device you can buy when you:
1. Played a few preamps and still wonder if you can't squeeze 3% more tone out of a setup, money not being an issue.
2. Play mostly IEM setups and want some magic tone through your earbuds and/or use your rig for recording
After all, it is a clean sound only tube box with a two band boost only EQ, highest quality DI out and a HPF.
It IS a great device and I dearly love mine, but it is pricey for what you get.
You forgot to add that the Mesa Subway WD and TT also include one of the best DI's made right there behind the tube preamp and next to that powerful power amp.I haven't tried the Noble or any of the other cool kids preamps
I do have a Mesa WD 800 head with a Subway 115. The WD head has a tube preamp and the power amp section has variable damping and enhanced dynamic management that adds a tube flavor to the class D power amp section. The power output runs from 300 watts up to 800 watts.
I like it!
I did, but just not here...You forgot to add that the Mesa Subway WD and TT also include one of the best DI's made right there behind the tube preamp and next to that powerful power amp.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/do...ng-in-popularity.1631281/page-6#post-27996424
I have the DB750 since 2006.
Pros: It's fat, it has tube warm, it"s clean.
Cons: It's noisy, weights 20kg (40Lbs) aprox. It wont get you tube saturation.
I love the amp. But also have a broughton P15 if I need to go Light to some place.
If you have the option to buy the DB750. Do it. That would be my recommendation.
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I keep getting a Noble pre as my input to the IEM system at our rehearsal room. One time the engineer came up to me and asked me what I thought of the awesome bass sound I was getting from the Noble. I pointed to my Sansamp BDDI and asked "You mean this thing I plugged into it?"
The Noble isn't as dramatic as people let on. It's a good DI with bass and treble boost, and a fixed low-cut. It can also power your pedals if you have any... But I wouldn't say it was doing anything tube-like, sonically, whatever that actually is.
The Noble isn't as dramatic as people let on. It's a good DI with bass and treble boost, and a fixed low-cut. It can also power your pedals if you have any... But I wouldn't say it was doing anything tube-like, sonically, whatever that actually is.
And a HPF built in as well.You forgot to add that the Mesa Subway WD and TT also include one of the best DI's made right there behind the tube preamp and next to that powerful power amp.
Lots of neat free goodies thrown in when you buy that Power Amp.And a HPF built in as well.
The Noble is great for recording great sounding basses. It's great for live use when you're going direct, using IEM, and have FOH to notch any room boom frequencies. You have the 1/4" out to use for monitoring if you want to feel the bass. But if you primarily want to use it as a "pedal" to give your rig some tube warmth, there are far cheaper ways to get there. That said, I like the interaction between the Noble and the Cali and use it as my pedalboard. The board is simple, wireless -> Cali76 big box -> tuner -> Noble. If I only wanted to front my rig, I'd probably go with something from Sushi Box FX.
First buy an amp, a good one, and then after a year or two buy a Noble
If you're not playing with IEMs and need to have stage volume to compensate for the lack of PA support and monitoring, a new amp would be my choice. There are plenty of hybrid amps where the tube colors the DI signal if that's a concern of yours. If you were looking at creating the best IEM signal or recording signal then maybe the Noble is the move; personally I've never really had a desire to get one or felt I needed one and instead have picked up offerings from Shift-Line and Sushi Box as well as Radial and Walrus, all of which FOH engineers have been happy with! The couple of times I've maybe considered the Noble I go back to this video and remind myself it's not a necessity:
There’s no best. Good luck. Plenty good options.
Line 6 just released their model of the Nobel for Helix and it’s great! I was really looking forward to this but honestly found that the Helix Mandarin (Orange 200) released at the same time is even better than the Nobel.
Ivan Caranza did a video A/Bing the Helix model and the real thing. In his video, I thought the model sounded better.
Recently bought a previously loved DB751....and I believe they are running approximately double the price of previously love DB750.
There are lots of DB750 VS DB751 threads on TalkBass. My understanding is the main difference in the voicing is the frequency range of the Mid control is a bit higher with the DB751. It's been a long time since I played a DB750, but I am pretty confident that I prefer the voicing of the DB751. Seems most share this preference, but a few prefer the tone of the DB750. IMHO the only way to know for sure is to play both. This goes for comparing these amps to the Noble as well...only you can decide which you like best.
I have seen quite a few DB750s go down, and need repair. Essentially the amps power up, but fail the initial self-check sequence, so they don't turn all the way on.
I don't know if the DB751 is also prone to this problem. Mine is the only one I have ever seen...and so far it's working fine
. Since these amps have FET-based output sections. Getting them repaired could be a problem...if it's not a problem now, it will be. The reason is because the output devices are no longer made.
My DB751 is in the factory head case. It's very heavy and it only has one strap handle, so I feel it's a difficult and awkward lift.
Looks good and sounds great though
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seems like the OP is setting up a kind of odd X vs Y here. If you want a tube amp, that's what you should chase, there are plenty to choose from (mostly used/out of current production). The Noble is a nice box for sure, and does a Fender-ish kind of tube amp thing, but I would not compare it to a full tube amp (tube pre and power section), that's not it's sweet spot IMO/IME. As others have said, the Noble (and other tube pre/DI's) really shine for tracking and live use where IEM's are used. It DOES send a great sweet signal to your amp by way if it's 1/4" out, has a useful HPF, and it will power other pedals, but those are just additional features.
So, if the OP is deciding on a tube amp vs a Noble, I would first choose a tube amp that works for your tone goals, then consider a Noble (or one of the numerous other tube pre/DI's on the market) after that.
That being said, I love my Noble and use it for everything. I also got my Noble used some years ago and did not spend the crazy dough that they go for now.
Bass => Cali76CB => Phat Phuk B => Noble => amp & FOH .... tone goodness!
So, if the OP is deciding on a tube amp vs a Noble, I would first choose a tube amp that works for your tone goals, then consider a Noble (or one of the numerous other tube pre/DI's on the market) after that.
That being said, I love my Noble and use it for everything. I also got my Noble used some years ago and did not spend the crazy dough that they go for now.
Bass => Cali76CB => Phat Phuk B => Noble => amp & FOH .... tone goodness!
If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't pay the going used price for a Noble.
If I were planning ahead for more IEM stages or direct recording - or even just building up a pedalboard - I *might* consider ordering one brand new for the comparatively sane long-wait price.
None of those apply to me just yet, so no Noble for me.
When I want full tube mojo onstage, I use a 50 watt all-tube head which as often as not satisfies my volume requirements (in addition to certain primal tone & feel cravings). When PA support is needed, I've had great results thus far, tapping a DI signal post-power.
Some people think of a 50W tube bass head as a "recording" amp. I would need to invest in a good mic or a load box before using mine in that capacity. (But that could be pretty toob-o-licious - and I'd still be in for less than a Noble.)
I also have a rack mount tube preamp - a holdover from the days when pre + power racks ruled the roost. I'm hanging on to that to see how it might work in a project studio. (I also still have the power amp. I think of that pairing as a poor man's DB750. Pretty glorious way to go hybrid - but a lot of extra work.)
I also have a JDI, which happens to be the sample I picked in the blind over the Noble & others in that YouTube shootout. I'd want to run my own tests before settling on a long-term recording workhorse. But for now the JDI is sufficiently toneful, ultra-dependable - and paid for!
If I were planning ahead for more IEM stages or direct recording - or even just building up a pedalboard - I *might* consider ordering one brand new for the comparatively sane long-wait price.
None of those apply to me just yet, so no Noble for me.
When I want full tube mojo onstage, I use a 50 watt all-tube head which as often as not satisfies my volume requirements (in addition to certain primal tone & feel cravings). When PA support is needed, I've had great results thus far, tapping a DI signal post-power.
Some people think of a 50W tube bass head as a "recording" amp. I would need to invest in a good mic or a load box before using mine in that capacity. (But that could be pretty toob-o-licious - and I'd still be in for less than a Noble.)
I also have a rack mount tube preamp - a holdover from the days when pre + power racks ruled the roost. I'm hanging on to that to see how it might work in a project studio. (I also still have the power amp. I think of that pairing as a poor man's DB750. Pretty glorious way to go hybrid - but a lot of extra work.)
I also have a JDI, which happens to be the sample I picked in the blind over the Noble & others in that YouTube shootout. I'd want to run my own tests before settling on a long-term recording workhorse. But for now the JDI is sufficiently toneful, ultra-dependable - and paid for!
