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Preamps question

bassgod76

bassgod76

Garbage bassist, but I love this goofy instrument
Mar 13, 2003
5,329
1,133
South Florida
#1
I was thinking about trading in my Eden rig for a new setup. I want a Bergantino HS322, crest power amp, and a preamp.

I want a simple EQ, effective mids, and tone flexibility. I was looking at the Alembic FX-1.

Any other ideas?
 
#3
well opinions abound

even though it's not exactly "simple" if you like the eden sound a navigator is cool. (just cause those knobs are there doesn't mean you have to touch them!)

i'm a huge fan of the alembic and have found that it has plenty of mids if you know how to use it, BUT the passive interactive tone controls confuse the heck out of people. Any preamp that uses the fender tone stack (e.g. trace v-type) is gonna be about the same. I couldn't reccomend the single space demeter unit highly enough (not the hbp with active eq but the silver one). the aguilar is also a great preamp in both versions. you may find the sound of the single space a bit wooly, but maybe not.

Overall, i would say try as many units as you can, don't stress over it and have fun!
 
#6
Yeah, the Kern and the Alembic are a realm toss up. Both seem more simple to EQ than my Eden Highwayman.

There is an old stock cab at the store near my house, and its tempting to take home. What does the 322 go for nowadays?
 
#9
Modulator said:
I use an HT322 with a QSCPLX1602 and either the Alembic F-1X or an Eden Navigator. They both sound great, but I give the edge to the Navigator due to its versatility. There are just some rooms where I need that extra EQing capability.
Click to expand...

I'm more of a meat and potatoes type guy. I haven't touched my EQ in 4 years, and like it that way. I figure the simple config of Alembic, is a big selling point. Plus I liked its sound on basstasters
 
#10
bassgod76 said:
Yeah, the Kern and the Alembic are a realm toss up. Both seem more simple to EQ than my Eden Highwayman.
Click to expand...

The Eden EQ is very sensitive. Many people use too much, cranking the knobs all over the place, then wonder why they can't get a good tone.

In the rare occasion when I've got to move away from flat with the WT550B or WTX-260, I find one "click" to be plenty.

Have you tried very subtle EQ adjustments?

If it's more power you're after, feed the Eden's headphone output into a power amp. With the WTX-260, however, you must use the FX send; you can't use the phone output this way.
 
#11
Rick Auricchio said:
The Eden EQ is very sensitive. Many people use too much, cranking the knobs all over the place, then wonder why they can't get a good tone.

In the rare occasion when I've got to move away from flat with the WT550B or WTX-260, I find one "click" to be plenty.

Have you tried very subtle EQ adjustments?
Click to expand...

Yup.
From prior Eden experience, 1 click on any of the knobs should get you anywhere you need to go.
 
#12
Yeah, it took me a while to EQ my Eden. My Eden setup always sounds good. However, I've used my amp and A/B'd Eden's 410XLT and Bergantino's HT 322, and the Bergie hands the Eden it's ass. I guess I was looking to something simpler as far as my amp goes. Power has never been an issue. I had my Highwayman upgraded to 800 watts 5 years ago. Best $300 bucks I ever spent.
Maybe I should just look into a cab change. So much good equipment, so little time.
 
#14
If you're looking for a tone change, then try some new cabs. The Eden head has plenty of power and not much sonic coloration, so a cab change will give you a tonal change.

Some folks like to keep changing. I'm on my third major change in 38 years of playing, so I'm not one of them.

I joke that "People update their computer software when they get bored. Now they're no longer bored!" (As they spend all their time getting things working properly again.)
 
#16
bassgod76 said:
Yeah, the Kern and the Alembic are a realm toss up. Both seem more simple to EQ than my Eden Highwayman.
Click to expand...

The Kern and Alembic are very different beasts in my humble experience. The Kern is mil spec in build quality. It can give you incredible line out and DI sounds. It has two 12ax7s for the pre and one 12au7 for the DI. Ceramic sockets. It is capable of hifi or old school sounds. It sounds luscious! I have NOS Sylvanias in mine.
The Alembic can satisfy your tone goals if you are after that Fender Bassman to Showman type sound. Some of them can be quite noisy. It is excellent at what it does.
The difference is not subtle.
If they make some more Kerns or if you find one used jump on it.
Though I don't favor BP reviews often this one on the Kern is very accurate.
 
#17
bassgod76 said:
I was thinking about trading in my Eden rig for a new setup. I want a Bergantino HS322, crest power amp, and a preamp.

I want a simple EQ, effective mids, and tone flexibility. I was looking at the Alembic FX-1.

Any other ideas?
Click to expand...

Review here, and comparison with the Aguilar and others:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=487569

MTDsRig2504.jpg


Cheers,
Cameron
 

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