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Double Bass Preamp for Ganz Straight Ahead

Hasty

Hasty

Jul 4, 2014
1,735
3,716
Fort Worth, Tx
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Remic Microphones
#1
Ive been talking to Jay about one of his amps and I’ve been thinking about an effective preamp to pair with it.

A search here showed two potential options, Empress ParaEq and the EDB2. I reached out to one member who said the EDB -2 didn’t provide enough to really drive the Ganz amp.

Has anyone else had luck (or strike out) with other preamps, or even these models when used with the Ganz amp? I’m looking to learn and I’d like to see how others have fared.

My current signal chain is:

Ply bass>Realist Copperhead with F Deck series 2 hpf / can blend magnetic pickup(if needed)>buffered junction box made by Goodwood Audio (2 inputs one output) >Radial Bassbone (first model) >amplifier> Dr Bass 1260 cab @8ohm. With the option for an additional 112 cab to combine (so two 112 cabs@4ohm).

I’m just looking to update the amp and possibly preamp. I think the Bassbone only puts out around 12 dB, so it will probably fall short of Ganz’s requirement of 30dB.

Thanks,

Chris
 
#2
I've used the EDB-2 to drive a QSC K8, a MAS Powered 1/8 and a Monique M700. 30 DB of Gain is a lot. The input sensitivity
on the M700 is -26 DB so you can virtually run it with a active bass guitar. I don't know what the Ganz amp costs but Monique
makes a M500 that runs at -26 DB. It's bigger than the Ganz amp. There's also the Baby Sumo really small. 500 watts at 8 ohms 1,000 at 4
 
#3
Yeah. 30dB is a bunch and I would have concerns about it being able to effectively and cleanly drive an amp, but everyone seems to absolutely love them once they’re dialed in. And the sub $300 price point is pretty attractive.

The Monique M700 is a beautiful piece and of kit, but the $1500 price tag makes it a bit out of reach for my current project.

The baby sumo is one I had considered as well, but I haven’t heard too much about them either.

Thanks for the info. It’ll give me something to ponder for a while.

Chris
 
#4
I've been talking to Jay as well about purchasing one of his amps and he didn't bring up any concerns when I mentioned I'm using a Mesa Subway Preamp. The signal coming from the line level 1/4" preamp out is +4 to +6dB, and the XLR preamp out can do +12dB at "High master volume settings."

Is it possible some wires have been crossed and that he meant that it can not be a DI (mic level) out since they are at -30dBu and that it needs a LINE level signal? Because +30dB is an awful lot of gain that most equipment out there simply is not designed to produce.

The reason I say this is because SansAmp describes their gear, which many of us have used into power amplifiers, as -20db being mic level on their DI (Mesa uses -30dB), -10db as instrument level, and 0db as line level. They even have a switch on the BDDI v2 1/4" out to boost the signal from -10dB to 0dB for the purpose of driving a power amp properly. Something just does not sound right if his amp truly needs up to +40dB above instrument level in order to drive it. You'd need something like an MXR Micro Amp between your preamp and the amplifier in order to come close to that.
 
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#5
Hasty said:
Yeah. 30dB is a bunch and I would have concerns about it being able to effectively and cleanly drive an amp, but everyone seems to absolutely love them once they’re dialed in. And the sub $300 price point is pretty attractive.

The Monique M700 is a beautiful piece and of kit, but the $1500 price tag makes it a bit out of reach for my current project.

The baby sumo is one I had considered as well, but I haven’t heard too much about them either.

Thanks for the info. It’ll give me something to ponder for a while.

Chris
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hear yah, but there is a less expensive Monique, more than the Ganz however, but it has a larger footprint.
 
#6
fauxtoe said:
Is it possible some wires have been crossed and that he meant that it can not be a DI (mic level) out since they are at -30dBu and that it needs a LINE level signal? Because +30dB is an awful lot of gain that most equipment out there simply is not designed to produce.
Click to expand...

Crossed wires is a very real possibility. One disadvantage of aging is that the memory starts to go. I'm wondering if I read that somewhere else then... I reached out to Jay earlier this week, but I think he's knee deep in build phase so he's probably busy.

That was one of the reasons I had started this thread, was to see what had been successful with others. Nothing would make me happier than being able to keep my Bassbone... as a doubler it's a great asset.
 
#7
Hasty said:
Crossed wires is a very real possibility. One disadvantage of aging is that the memory starts to go. I'm wondering if I read that somewhere else then... I reached out to Jay earlier this week, but I think he's knee deep in build phase so he's probably busy.

That was one of the reasons I had started this thread, was to see what had been successful with others. Nothing would make me happier than being able to keep my Bassbone... as a doubler it's a great asset.
Click to expand...

i just sent him a message to see if he can come on here and clear it up. It very well could need +30dB for optimal performance, but I can tell you from my quick research that there are very few products most of us would use that can achieve that. With so many happy customers so far I'm curious to know what the specs really are.
 
#13
fauxtoe said:
Jay is not able to respond directly to the thread here because of forum rules, but he’s great for information. Anyone that has some questions is best to contact him through here privately or on his Facebook business page.
Click to expand...


I talked to him last night. He said he uses the Empress and said he typically sets it at +20 dB but he did also mention the Mesa Pre. So I’m thinking either way there are options.

Worst case, I pull out one of my ZVex SHO clones I built and just throw a disgusting amount of clean boost to it.

Finding the requisite boost isn’t necessarily the issue. I was just hoping others would chime in with what worked for them in the Double Bass scenario.
 
#14
Hasty said:
I talked to him last night. He said he uses the Empress and said he typically sets it at +20 dB but he did also mention the Mesa Pre. So I’m thinking either way there are options.

Worst case, I pull out one of my ZVex SHO clones I built and just throw a disgusting amount of clean boost to it.

Finding the requisite boost isn’t necessarily the issue. I was just hoping others would chime in with what worked for them in the Double Bass scenario.
Click to expand...

He told me the same thing and also suggested one of the clean boost pedals on the market if there really isn't enough. I also asked him if he could build mine with a TRS or XLR input so I can take advantage of the XLR preamp out from my Mesa which has 2-3 times more gain than the unbalanced 1/4" preamp out.
 
#16
I would just put a preamp or boost pedal in between the tonebone and Straight Ahead. That is what I am doing, using a Sadowsky with the treble and bass controls set fairly low and the volume at max. Seems to work well.

The Bassbone is so useful that I wouldn't get rid of it ina hurry, just needs a boost. Spark Boost or similar would do the job.

Cheers

Tim
 

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