Preamp opinions?

[Mosher]

I'm looking to snag a rack rig, and I was wondering: what's a solid preamp for around $300?

My sound is still fairly malleable, so I'm mostly looking for something versatile.

 

[ESP-LTD]

Yamaha PB-1 , discontinued in the 80's . I paid $100 at a pawn shop for mine. Clean, quiet, lots of patch points, well made.

 

[tombowlus]

You can probably get a Trace Elliot GP12 SMX for that price, or perhaps one of the newer BBE units. Heck, for half of that price, the older BBE 383 is a heck of a preamp.

Tom.

 

[ESP-LTD]

Owning only a used Squier Affinity Precision gives you a real appreciation of, well, everything.

There really are worse instruments. I used to play my Squier P in preference to my MIA P because it had better tone and was lighter. The Squier had a few dead spots but otherwise was a better tool (once I shielded it).