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One Control Red Crimson Bass Preamp

#4
Stu_Bass said:
Is there anyone using this that can report in on their experiences with it?
Click to expand...

Because I don’t track One Control’s progress, I learned about the Crimson Red Bass Preamp (CRB) only today. Searching now, I see that at least a few TalkBass members were using one since at least last October. I just ordered one from my friend, who is a dealer.

The Hooker’s Green Bassmachine (HGB) is killing it in front of my Subway D-800+. With my D-800+, I plan to use the CRB and HGB as a clean/dirty channels setup, or as alternates singly.

Judging only by the CRB demos I heard: Those two pedals share the same basic low end voicing. They differ in that the CRB retains high frequencies and stays mostly clean, while the HGB is dark and always overdrives.
 
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#5
Snaxster said:
Because I don’t track One Control’s progress, I learned about the Crimson Red Bass Preamp (CRB) only today. Searching now, I see that at least a few TalkBass members were using one since at least last October. I just ordered one from my friend, who is a dealer.

The Hooker’s Green Bassmachine (HGB) is killing it in front of my Subway D-800+. With my D-800+, I plan to use the CRB and HGB as a clean/dirty channels setup, or as alternates singly.

Judging only by the CRB demos I heard: Those two pedals share the same basic low end voicing. They differ in that the CRB retains high frequencies and stays mostly clean, while the HGB is dark and always overdrives.
Click to expand...
Please submit a review if possible. it would be a big help to get an unbiased, hands-on opinion
 
#6
seedokebass said:
Haven't listened to the demos yet, but sounds like an interesting and different approach to the control scheme. Not sure if there's anything else like this on the market?
Click to expand...

Hello. The control scheme looks to be distinctive, I agree. Functionally, though I can't think of other pedals with a similar sonic goal that are as tiny as the CRB, I own some pedals that have audio traits in common:
  • Barber Electronics Linden EQ
  • Diamond Pedals BCP1 Bass Comp
  • Fuzzrocious BDPG (ver. 1 or 2)
  • Fuzzrocious Dark Driving with treble mod
  • Menatone Kar Krash
  • Tronographic Rusty Box
  • VFE runoffgroove Azabache
 
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#10
Stu_Bass said:
Please submit a review if possible. it would be a big help to get an unbiased, hands-on opinion
Click to expand...

Snaxster said:
Unbiased, I can't guarantee. :) But at least I'm not on One Control's payroll, so I'll do my best. :D
Click to expand...

Today was the day. My new One Control pedals arrived this week, and today I was able to pick them up. In addition to the CRB, I got a Tri Loop (very cool, easy to program, and like having four pedals in one).

In summary, the CRB (Crimson Red Bass Preamp) is not quite what I expected, but I like it. This pedal reflects a particular idea of the old machines it purports to emulate; a selective and romantic idea, in my opinion, but in any case musical and useful. I found the CRB to be sexy and gratifying to play, especially with fingerstyle.

Compared to the HGB (Hooker's Green Bassmachine), the CRB is a mid-less bass monster with muted highs, to the HGB being a resonant and articulate growler. And this is from someone who describes the HGB as being a "dark" overdrive pedal.

But dark is not the same as bass-y, and spectral response overall is only one third of the deal. The other two thirds are compression and drive. In all three respects these two pedals differ, though they share an evident sonic relation and apparent conceptual origin. That is, their respective sonic ranges overlap somewhat, and it's easy to believe that the same person designed both.

Here is a quick demo. The setup:
  • Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass with attrib. 1966 Fender pickups >
  • Tri Loop (white mode, buffer always on) >
    • three Tri Loop states: 1. clean, 2. CRB, 3. HGB
  • FEA Labs DE-CL (comp. and limiter on) >
  • Mesa Boogie D-800+ preamp ("Snaxster flat" settings) >
  • TC Electronic Ditto X2
The three instances of the song cycle are, in order, 1. clean, 2. CRB, 3. HGB. The space between cycles is arhythmic because the switching scheme was new to me. The song is one of my favorites by The Ramones. It came to mind, I copped it enough to use for the demo, and... showtime:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
Last edited:
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#11
Snaxster said:
Today was the day. My new One Control pedals arrived this week, and today I was able to pick them up. In addition to the CRB, I got a Tri Loop (very cool, easy to program, and like having four pedals in one).

In summary, the CRB (Crimson Red Bass Preamp) is not quite what I expected, but I like it. This pedal reflects a particular idea of the old machines it purports to emulate; a selective and romantic idea, in my opinion, but in any case musical and useful. I found the CRB to be sexy and gratifying to play, especially with fingerstyle.

Compared to the HGB (Hooker's Green Bassmachine), the CRB is a mid-less bass monster with muted highs, to the HGB being a resonant and articulate growler. And this is from someone who describes the HGB as being a "dark" overdrive pedal.

But dark is not the same as bass-y, and spectral response overall is only one third of the deal. The other two thirds are compression and drive. In all three respects these two pedals differ, though they share an evident sonic relation and apparent conceptual origin. That is, their respective sonic ranges overlap somewhat, and it's easy to believe that the same person designed both.

Here is a quick demo. The setup:
  • Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass with attrib. 1966 Fender pickups >
  • Tri Loop (white mode, buffer on in both loops) >
    • three Tri Loop states: 1. clean, 2. CRB, 3. HGB
  • FEA Labs DE-CL (comp. and limiter on) >
  • Mesa Boogie D-800+ preamp ("Snaxster flat" settings) >
  • TC Electronic Ditto X2
The three instances of the song cycle are, in order, 1. clean, 2. CRB, 3. HGB. The space between cycles is arhythmic because the switching scheme was new to me. The song is one of my favorites by The Ramones. It came to mind, I copped it enough to use for the demo, and... showtime:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
I would LOVE to hear the CRB & the HGB combined.
Johno!
 
#13
Johno Dunn said:
I would LOVE to hear the CRB & the HGB combined.
Johno!
Click to expand...

Johno, though my habit is to not stack processors of the same make or designer, and though I predict that these two pedals' spectral response would conflict (twice the low end and a negation of the HGB's mids), I will try it. If I hear anything nice, I will report. :)
 
#14
emjazz said:
Color me interested in the Hooker's Green.
Click to expand...

It's a good one. At first, about a year ago, I liked the Hooker's Green Bassmachine and mostly filed it away. These past few weeks, though, it won me over. I think it's an excellent example of how much useful power can be packed into an elegant micro pedal; even more so than the Crimson Red Bass Preamp. These One Control micros even take batteries!
 
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#17
Snaxster said:
Today was the day. My new One Control pedals arrived this week, and today I was able to pick them up. In addition to the CRB, I got a Tri Loop (very cool, easy to program, and like having four pedals in one).

In summary, the CRB (Crimson Red Bass Preamp) is not quite what I expected, but I like it. This pedal reflects a particular idea of the old machines it purports to emulate; a selective and romantic idea, in my opinion, but in any case musical and useful. I found the CRB to be sexy and gratifying to play, especially with fingerstyle.

Compared to the HGB (Hooker's Green Bassmachine), the CRB is a mid-less bass monster with muted highs, to the HGB being a resonant and articulate growler. And this is from someone who describes the HGB as being a "dark" overdrive pedal.

But dark is not the same as bass-y, and spectral response overall is only one third of the deal. The other two thirds are compression and drive. In all three respects these two pedals differ, though they share an evident sonic relation and apparent conceptual origin. That is, their respective sonic ranges overlap somewhat, and it's easy to believe that the same person designed both.

Here is a quick demo. The setup:
  • Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass with attrib. 1966 Fender pickups >
  • Tri Loop (white mode, buffer on in both loops) >
    • three Tri Loop states: 1. clean, 2. CRB, 3. HGB
  • FEA Labs DE-CL (comp. and limiter on) >
  • Mesa Boogie D-800+ preamp ("Snaxster flat" settings) >
  • TC Electronic Ditto X2
The three instances of the song cycle are, in order, 1. clean, 2. CRB, 3. HGB. The space between cycles is arhythmic because the switching scheme was new to me. The song is one of my favorites by The Ramones. It came to mind, I copped it enough to use for the demo, and... showtime:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
Thanks for the demo! Do you mind cutting one without additional compression ?
 

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