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Preamp for multiple bassists

two fingers

two fingers

Opinionated blowhard. But not mad about it.
Inactive
Feb 7, 2005
33,959
116,685
55
Eastern NC USA
#1
If this belongs somewhere else please move. Thanks.

My church sound guy want a little continuity of signal/tone/sound between all the bassists that rotate through.

Two guys play standard issue Ibanez basses finger style only.

Another plays a Squier VM Jag bass.

I play a 5 string P bass usually. And I play however I have to to get the desired tone. Fingers, pick, whatever.

Two of them like a generally "muffled" tone (in my opinion). One likes a growly, almost distorted tone. I send the sound board something a little brighter than I like so he can mold it. He likes that.

Anyhooooo....

They have given me the assignment of finding one preamp (doesn't have to be a pedal but can be) that we can all run through so there are at least similarities to our tones. Sure, on board EQ, playing style, Yada Yada. I get it. There will be differences.

Budget? Not really a concern. If I find something that will work I will donate anything over their budget.

Requirements.
Para mids. Gotta have them. I need to be able to dial in their mid levels and frequencies.
Outputs for both the board and the stage amp. A couple of them will still use a stage rig at low volumes.
"Warmth" - It doesn't have to have a tube, or even sound like a tube amp, but the baked in sound needs to lean warm rather than clear or unaffected.

Whataya think?
 
#3
unresolved said:
Sansamp RPM rackmount:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

It meets all the requirements, I think. If money's no object (and you can run two lines to board), an Avalon U5 in parallel with an RPM is a beautiful thing.
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea. There's a rack right beside where the bass amp goes that houses all of the IEM stuff. It has a couple extra spaces. Thanks.

Anyone else?
 
#5
A few suggestions: Eden Navigator or a Sadowsky DI pedal or an Aguilar Tone Hammer.

The Navigator has every handle imaginable, which is both a strength and a weakness. The Sadowsky isn't exactly what you called for in terms of sweepable mids, but it is easy to get a usable tone out of and reliable. The Tone Hammer may well hit all your buttons.
 
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#7
inanimate_carb said:
I guess I have to be the first to notice that the OP plays at a church where the sound guy a) hears the bass, b) notices that there are differences between players, and c) acknowledges that bassists exist on a Worship stage!

I'd also suggest a Sansamp as well...
Click to expand...

Scott was like most church sound guys at first.....just a warm body that was willing to stand behind the board with no knowledge whatsoever of what goes on there. But he reads and researches like crazy and has a good ear. Three years later he is actually quite good and knows more about our whole system than anyone else. He has started helping other churches and civic groups dial in their sound as well. The fact that he doesn't have a 37 year track record behind the board keeps him both humble and open minded. But, fear not, he is starting to stand his ground on a few things.

He and I work well together because I have never been one of those guys who needs "my sound" on stage in a band to get my jam on. I'll ask the sound guy what he needs and just give it to him. Oddly enough that thing they need is usually brighter than I like. But, being a sound guy myself, I get it. I can add bass if it doesn't jump out. I can add mids or highs if they aren't there. I just have to love with it.

Anyway, he is a good guy and becoming a great sound guy.
 
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#9
Did you look in the thread for Worship bassists in the Band Management sub-forum. I don't have anything to suggest as the other bassist and I use totally different equipment and sound a LOT different.

Dan
 
#15
pcake said:
if the bassists like different tones, won't they just use the preamp to dial in different tones?
Click to expand...

I think there will be kind of a meeting of the minds about it. The reasons for getting the device will be explained to all. I think they even plan to make accommodations to allow for an additional channel to run your XLR out of your amp if you need "your tone" in the IEMs. It seems this will be one of those rare situations where everyone will work together to find a solution that fits the needs and wants of everyone involved as much as possible.

I don't want to get into a church debate. But if a church bassist got upset because "his tone" wasn't going through the FOH, perhaps he/she may want to rethink playing in church. :D
 
#19
I second the Thunderfunk advice. It was not my thing 100% but it was such a great piece of gear. The DI sounds awesome, better that most others I think, there are 4 bands of para mids, and it sounds very warm yet very clear. It can become a tricky amp but it can be as simple as nothing else, just use the enhancer and timbre knob and you are set.
 
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#20
two fingers said:
If this belongs somewhere else please move. Thanks.

My church sound guy want a little continuity of signal/tone/sound between all the bassists that rotate through.

Two guys play standard issue Ibanez basses finger style only.

Another plays a Squier VM Jag bass.

I play a 5 string P bass usually. And I play however I have to to get the desired tone. Fingers, pick, whatever.

Two of them like a generally "muffled" tone (in my opinion). One likes a growly, almost distorted tone. I send the sound board something a little brighter than I like so he can mold it. He likes that.

Anyhooooo....

They have given me the assignment of finding one preamp (doesn't have to be a pedal but can be) that we can all run through so there are at least similarities to our tones. Sure, on board EQ, playing style, Yada Yada. I get it. There will be differences.

Budget? Not really a concern. If I find something that will work I will donate anything over their budget.

Requirements.
Para mids. Gotta have them. I need to be able to dial in their mid levels and frequencies.
Outputs for both the board and the stage amp. A couple of them will still use a stage rig at low volumes.
"Warmth" - It doesn't have to have a tube, or even sound like a tube amp, but the baked in sound needs to lean warm rather than clear or unaffected.

Whataya think?
Click to expand...

I think that a Zoom B3 is exactly what you need. Fairly inexpensive with a ton of flexibility. It has amp simulation models, but it also has several preamp models. Also has graphic and parametric eq's available. Some of the amp sims sound really good, as do some of the preamps. Plus a tuner and other effects if needed. The B3 is programmable so each bass player could save their tone. Also, it has an xlr out that can be pre or post effects, so your player could run a 1/4 out for monitoring and have his tone, and run a flat sound to the board. You might need to run the 1/4 out to a cheap headphone Amp (Behringer?) if you use an in-ear system and want to run separate signals.
I don't have a b3, but do have both a B1xon and an MS 60b, so I know what the pedals can do. And I have played at lot of churches over the years, and am familiar with a variety of sound systems.
Alternatively, if you want a more analog type preamp, you might consider the Fishman one that is designed for both acoustic instruments and bass. It has a tuner and a very flexible and easy to dial in eq. But the B3 also has a model of it, so personally, I'd just get that.
 

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