Just a different approach here, but how about a 2 channel Acoustic Image head using only the preamp and not the power section. Great pre for upright bass and very usable for electric bass as well. Just throwing it out there....
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yeah, I'm taking that kind of approach into account too. Spending $600 or $1000 on a pre when all my amps a kinda heavy and certainly not state of the art. Like I said above, I'm generally not interested in making my setup any more complicated than it needs to be. thanks for reinforcing that.
Sometimes "state of the art" really isn't worth worrying about. The amps you mentioned owning are tried and true. SWR Blonde is a very thoughtfully designed piece, a bit bulky, but boy does it do the job it was designed for. Sounds like the gain issues with your Jazz Bass are possibly because the upright pickup is so much "hotter" in output? The late '60's Jazz Basses are wonderfully warm and clean sounding, part of the charm for me has always been the tones you can get with different pickup blends, and then goosed up at the pre amp. Maybe even with a simple eq pedal into the effects send on the Blonde you's dig it. I've had a few new ones in the last year or so, Empress Para EQ, SansAmp, Acoustic DI and Whirlwind 10 Band Graphic, the bass version. Far and away I am enjoying the Whirlwind. I now have 2, LOL! Sold the others I mentioned, very fine units, just not for me The Whirlwind has a ton of clean gain, enough to drive a power amp as a stand alone unit. The articulation, the way it speaks is very true. With any kind of parametric eq, things can get a bit fishy once you make extreme curves...not so with the Whirlwind.
Yes , lots of gain, easily enough to be used as a standalone pre into a power amp. I've been using it for electric gigs with two basses (fretted, fretless J's) into one channel of my Walter. I engage the Eq for the fretless, a touch of gain and a mild mid bump and cut at 30hz. Input is impedance is 1 meg, so it would be friendly to piezo pu's (though I haven't tried it with my upright). It's very quiet. I bought my second unit used for 125 bucks.
Something like the Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster, maybe?
I'm a Grave Felix user and lover. I purchased it because I needed a good EB/URB preamp and was looking at dropping $600 on a Basswitch. But then I've ended up having a really nice 2016 gig-wise and went the extra yard for the Felix. My point? If you can swing it, buy the Felix. Sounds stupid good.
- Apr 3, 2003
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
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Oh yes, the Flex preamp. I don't know what the cost is of the Flex as opposed to a used AI head with what you'd need on it. Over the years I've found that even when I have a setup that sounds great, if I'm working with it a lot, sometimes simpler is better..... or almost as good....or good enough...or....eh, you get it.
The Acoustic Image Flex Preamp is $600.00 and the Flex System is $2,000.00. I've only seen one of the Flex Preamps come up for sale on Talkbass. So it's quite possible that the Flex hasn't been as sucessful as their heads and combos. Just my take however.
Ric
I had the Flex pre through a powered speaker for a while.
The AI series 4+ EQ is great for double bass and better than the series 3 IMO. Using it as a front end is a lot of cables to manage though. I think the S4+ Clarus would be the way to go, same front end and built in power (traditional amp + cabinet.)
Personally I don't use an amp enough to warrant the cost.
The AI series 4+ EQ is great for double bass and better than the series 3 IMO. Using it as a front end is a lot of cables to manage though. I think the S4+ Clarus would be the way to go, same front end and built in power (traditional amp + cabinet.)
Personally I don't use an amp enough to warrant the cost.
If you at all consider the Radial stuff, check out the PZ-Pre – I think it's a better option than the BassBone (either one, V1/V2). The OD model doesn't have the para-mid (3-position switch), but then the PZ-Pre doesn't have the separate EQ for each channel while the OD does.
Quite a few solid suggestions in the thread already (Headway, Flex etc), but no one had mentioned the PZ-Pre yet.
Good luck with your quest, may you find the solution that works best for you with a minimum of messing about.
Quite a few solid suggestions in the thread already (Headway, Flex etc), but no one had mentioned the PZ-Pre yet.
Good luck with your quest, may you find the solution that works best for you with a minimum of messing about.
okay so, impulsively last night (under a slight influence) I did this: Phil Jones Compact BG-400 Red 2015 model
$750 I think it's a good deal...
$750 I think it's a good deal...
Phil Jones in red – great choice.
Yes, you'll see in my post I mention the three-position switch. However, it's three fixed points; what if you need adjustment between those fixed points? The PZ-Pre can go between those fixed points, that was my point. At that point in my post, I failed to convey that properly.
I like both the OD and the PZ-Pre, they each have their merits – I wish the two of them could be combined together to make the most of those merits.
Yes, you'll see in my post I mention the three-position switch. However, it's three fixed points; what if you need adjustment between those fixed points? The PZ-Pre can go between those fixed points, that was my point. At that point in my post, I failed to convey that properly.
I like both the OD and the PZ-Pre, they each have their merits – I wish the two of them could be combined together to make the most of those merits.
What do you think so far?
This is the exact solution I also came up with. In fact, red, and also lucked into a good price. I use the BG400 for jazz, bluegrass, and theater gigs. No complaints at all--the jury is still out whether *I* prefer a footswitch for instrument swapping, as sometimes getting to the switches in time to mute/unmute the individual channels can be a challenge while also changing between upright and electric. Also, I feel that the combo is underpowered for some of my gigs (though plenty loud for its size and specs!), so I also have two of the C4 cabs and use one or both when called for.
Complications in a tight theater pit: it can be hard to hear myself in a big band when I'm forced to stand right next to the cab or stack. Sound out front is phenomenal (recordings bear out), but it can be strangely difficult to self-monitor.
Love to hear how it's working out!
