Double Bass Red Eye Preamp

[Don Kasper]

Which only makes one wonder what the "Blue Pill" Preamp would do.

It would do NOTHING!!

The blue pill describes a continuity of the current state of life i.e. living life without knowing its meaning or running away from the truth in order to stay as is.

 

[bassically_eli]

It would do NOTHING!!

The blue pill describes a continuity of the current state of life i.e. living life without knowing its meaning or running away from the truth in order to stay as is.

Aha! So it's the placebo. I tried a placebo with my bass, and the difference was night an day! More open, even, darker, punchier, and brighter all at the same time. I play just like Christian McBride now!

 

[Ric Vice]

Those of you who are using the Red-Eye single channel, directly into a amp with 1/4” inputs, how are you doing that? Since there is no
1/4” line out, will the effects out provide an adequate signal? I wouldn’t think that using a line transformer that plugs into the amp
end would be a good idea. Let me know. thanks in advance.

 

[John Chambliss]

Yeah, I’m using the effects out into a GK MB112 for midsized gigs with no issues.

 

[flatback]

Yeah the FX out is the amp plug.

 

[Ric Vice]

J

Yeah, I’m using the effects out into a GK MB112 for midsized gigs with no issues.

John,
You are a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks

 

[John Chambliss]

No, if that was true, I would have added that I’m using a Realist Lifeline.

 

[Maple]

For the Red Eye and Twin ... 2 volt peak-to-peak level without distortion.
For the Bright Eye and Dee Eye ... maximum 12 volt peak-peak level.

Yeah, I'm curious about the various volt peaks. some boxes are 2V max and others are 5V and up.
with the Yamahiko, I think peak voltage out of the pickup can be significant. Yama into Felix, I have to keep the input gain around 25% to avoid distortion.

Has anyone had issues with clipping into the 2V max red eyes?

 

[Ric Vice]

No, if that was true, I would have added that I’m using a Realist Lifeline.

As am I on the bass I'm using the Red Eye with. Although I prefer, the Ehrlund EAP because it has a better tone quality to my ears, I find the Life Line
to be a more "forward" sounding pickup, that cuts through the mix pretty well. Since I'm a wooden adjuster guy, the Realist Life Line is my best choice.
Just my take of course.

 

[bdowd]

I moved the trial twin on to the next tester, should be there any day. I was immediately sad to not have the red eye anymore, and with some more db dates recently added to the books for the next two months I went and ordered the single channel version from Gollihur this morning. Very excited. It will live on a powered pedalboard, so the single channel will work perfectly for my needs. I double a lot, but I run my electric through some other boxes before mixing the signals, thinking I might eventually add a single channel unit at the front of my electric signal too, to get the red eye mojo magic at the beginning of the signal chain. High quality stuff, love it. Thanks to flatback for setting this trial up!

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

What effect does the RedEye have on the electric bass signal? It’s my impression that it primarily intended for piezo pickups.

 

[Ric Vice]

What effect does the RedEye have on the electric bass signal? It’s my impression that it primarily intended for piezo pickups.

From all the reading on the Fire-Eye site, the Red-Eye is designed to enhance passive and active piezo electric pickups. So unless your bass guitar has piezo pickups
then I don’t think the Red-Eye would do anything with a magnetic pickup. You should probably contact Fire-Eye if you want confirmation though.

 

[crd]

Yeah, I’m using the effects out into a GK MB112 for midsized gigs with no issues.

Don't you miss your mid eq?

I moved the trial twin on to the next tester, should be there any day. I was immediately sad to not have the red eye anymore, and with some more db dates recently added to the books for the next two months I went and ordered the single channel version from Gollihur this morning. Very excited. It will live on a powered pedalboard, so the single channel will work perfectly for my needs. I double a lot, but I run my electric through some other boxes before mixing the signals, thinking I might eventually add a single channel unit at the front of my electric signal too, to get the red eye mojo magic at the beginning of the signal chain. High quality stuff, love it. Thanks to flatback for setting this trial up!

What is the rest of your signal chain? Were you using anything else as a buffer for your double bass previously?

 

[bdowd]

What is the rest of your signal chain? Were you using anything else as a buffer for your double bass previously?

I usually run full circle to fdeck hpf, to boss bass eq, to radial jdv, and then off to quilter bb800 and barefaced super midget. I am toying with using my hx stomp as tuner/eq after fdeck or red eye once I recieve it.

 

[John Chambliss]

Don't you miss your mid eq?

No, I still have the mid eq knobs available on the GK MB112-ii. Life Line to instrument input on Red-Eye, Red-Eye "effects out" to instrument input on GK.

 

[flatback]

In my experience with the RedEye plugging the instrument piezo into the Redeye FIRST and then into ANY front end (preamp, combo amp, bass amp, Tube amp or preamp, pedal eq etc) makes the knobs of that eq MORE functional and responsive then without the Redeye. SO in addition to whatever impedance matching secret sauce is happening, the signial that comes out of the Redeye sits just right in these eq spaces so that the knobs (Bass Treble etc) have the maximum effect.
As someone who has collected a bunch of preamps/amps over the years looking for the best fit with a piezo, all of them sound better and are more responsive and act more like a perfect eq (and less like the horrible knob twisting nightmare that plugging a piezo directly into it does) with the Redeye.

 

[Ric Vice]

Next week I'll try the Ehrlund, Red-Eye, Grace, MAS route to see how that works for me. Then I'll give the Life-Line, Red-Eye, Headway EDB-2, MAS route to see what that
does. What I love about the Grace is that with the Ehrlund EAP, you can get a very usable and pleasant sounding voice from my bass. Although, I tried the Ehrlund Preamp many times
I just found it had to much low end with the switch set for low and to little on the high setting. Just my take though.

 

[Don Kasper]

Just ordered the Red Eye Preamp.
...because I just can't leave well enough alone.
In a few months I'll either be happier/poorer or sadder/poorer. I'll let you know.
Thank$.

 

[bassically_eli]

Then I'll give the Life-Line, Red-Eye, Headway EDB-2, MAS....

Haha this will be exactly my signal chain if I can get a chance to test the Red-Eye as well.
Although I believe my MAS cabs are different than yours.

 

[Ric Vice]

Haha this will be exactly my signal chain if I can get a chance to test the Red-Eye as well.
Although I believe my MAS cabs are different than yours.

Perhaps the only difference is my MAS cabinets are powered are yours? I guess if wishes were horses I’d want the Red-Eye circuitry to be part of a preamp or amp.