Double Bass preamp hunting

[flashmasterson]

Hey there,

My GK MB150S combo 12" isn't loud enough. A friend of mine had me try a preamp to increase it's volume capability. I was amazed by the affect ( I haven't dabbled in reamps at all).

I use a plywood Kay with Wiechs for E & A, Velvets for D & G. Medium Action.

Any preamp suggestions, given that little information?

 

[drurb]

Hey there,

My GK MB150S combo 12" isn't loud enough. A friend of mine had me try a preamp to increase it's volume capability. I was amazed by the affect ( I haven't dabbled in reamps at all).

I use a plywood Kay with Wiechs for E & A, Velvets for D & G. Medium Action.

Any preamp suggestions, given that little information?

An outboard pre-amp is not typically used to provide gain over and above what could be achieved with the main pre/power amp. Under some extreme and rare circumstances, one could have a horrible impedance match between the pickup and the combo's input that could reduce the level below what would be desired. That's almost certainly NOT what's going on in your case. I believe the GK has an input impedance of 1 M ohm-- rather ideal for piezo and other types of pickups. What pickup are you using? The pickup could be the problem.

 

[RShew]

Hey Flash...

It could be your input on your amp! Check that first my friend!

Liking the strings?

 

[Sam Reese]

Input buffering helps and is achieved by using preamps such as the Fishman Platinum Pro Bass DI. I just showed a fellow bassist how it would increase his volume. It will make your amp "loud enough"...

 

[Ric Vice]

Hey there,

My GK MB150S combo 12" isn't loud enough. A friend of mine had me try a preamp to increase it's volume capability. I was amazed by the affect ( I haven't dabbled in reamps at all).

I use a plywood Kay with Wiechs for E & A, Velvets for D & G. Medium Action.

Any preamp suggestions, given that little information?

IME, IMHO if you're not satisfied with the tone quality of your pre amp, then perhaps it's time to look at something else. So the question is, " do you like the sound of the outboard pre amp better than the MBE's own EQ? If that's the case, then try plugging the outboard pre amp into the effects return of the GK and see what you get. If it sounds good then personally, I'd go with that solution. When you add a pre amp, in front of the amps own pre amp, it usually does give you a boost, but it also makes the EQ very complicated. The MBE is a nice little amplifier, and for the price, it costs it's become the go to amp for students and upright players who don't need a lot of volume. Unfortunately, 100 watts has it's limitations, especially in that shallow sealed aluminum cabinet. One thing that you could do however, is try using a MBX extension cabinet with the amp. Sometimes having more speaker area coverage will give your sound more presence. Running the amp at a 4 ohm load gives you a little more power.

Ric