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Double Bass Red Eye Preamp
- Thread starter Pat Harris
- Start date
I've been trying to find a simple solution, not a more complex one.....
you should get yourself on the trial list - I bet you’ll like it. I don’t consider the redeye a preamp necessarily (even though it is), but instead more like a buffer/compressor for the piezo. You don’t get any extra gain out of it, really, but the red soft-click boost button becomes clutch with the loop station once you get used to it.
I also don't have much coming up in the way of gigs right now, just one (almost) acoustic gig at the end of the month. I'd be happy to take it and attempt to record some sound samples, though.
I bought a RedEye recently.
Shen Willow Flatback w/Gamut gut G and D, and Perpetuals A and E. Yamahiko pickup > RedEye > Acoustic Image Focus > MAS18.
The RedEye definitely warms up the Yamahiko nicely.
Played a jazz duo gig with a guitar player on Friday and he commented numerous times on the great amplified tone of my bass. He is a professor of music at the local University, and splits his time between classical and jazz gigs.
Shen Willow Flatback w/Gamut gut G and D, and Perpetuals A and E. Yamahiko pickup > RedEye > Acoustic Image Focus > MAS18.
The RedEye definitely warms up the Yamahiko nicely.
Played a jazz duo gig with a guitar player on Friday and he commented numerous times on the great amplified tone of my bass. He is a professor of music at the local University, and splits his time between classical and jazz gigs.
Take me off the list (statsc); I bought one and am liking it!
I've used the R-E on several gigs now and am still very satisfied- straight from pu to amp with no other pre with minimal EQ and no other issues. The tone is perfectly acceptable to me and the simplicity of the whole thing makes it stress free. The one time I've run it through a PA got favorable response from the sound guy. If he's happy, I'm happy. On an off topic note, I played an unamped rehearsal with keys, drums, and vocal right after one of these louder gigs- excellent young players, fun music, no amp. The bass sounded so nice acoustically that it brought me back to my days as young jazz enthusiast when that was the way I(and every bass player) played all the time: no pickup, no amp to haul, no fussing with all the stuff we take for granted now. I know, I know, but it was nice.
I'm afraid I will already be out of town by the time it would show up. @bassically_eli Do you mind going next and then passing it on to me?
I am looking forward to a/bing it with the Sarno Black Box but don't want it to sit in my mailbox for two weeks while I am out of town for the holidays.
I am looking forward to a/bing it with the Sarno Black Box but don't want it to sit in my mailbox for two weeks while I am out of town for the holidays.
I’ve been messing with this box over the past few days and it shines in almost all configurations using a Lifeline pickup. My Schertler didn’t survive the pandemic for whatever reason.
It really made my WW > EA Mline Wizzy 12 sound fantastic. And mixed with a Sarno BB and AI S4+ into a mAS 45 was the best acoustic tone I’ve ever achieved with the Lifeline. I’m definitely a MBOL kind of guy and none of the Realust pickups have ever really worked for that.
The one combo I could NOT dial in was the RE to a Grace Alix into a MAS 18. For some reason foregoing the Alix and using a series III FDeck instead worked just fine. Weird.
It really made my WW > EA Mline Wizzy 12 sound fantastic. And mixed with a Sarno BB and AI S4+ into a mAS 45 was the best acoustic tone I’ve ever achieved with the Lifeline. I’m definitely a MBOL kind of guy and none of the Realust pickups have ever really worked for that.
The one combo I could NOT dial in was the RE to a Grace Alix into a MAS 18. For some reason foregoing the Alix and using a series III FDeck instead worked just fine. Weird.
I’m excited to get this box out onto a gig. Thankfully, they are finally starting to roll back in for my gypsy jazz group up here in AK. About time!
How are you mixing it with the Sarno BB?
Are you using the WW's with an upright? You might get better results with channel two. I think the eq points are a little different. What is the wattage on the WW? It looks like mine.
Ok, so I've been wasting waaaaayyyyyyyy to much time looking at this thing and feel like I should just buy one; if I don't like it, someone else will get my windfall in the classifieds in a week.
Here is my current loud live setup that I use every weekend, mainly just for my monitor, I also send a line out to the front of house from the AI head:
bass > Krivo magnetic (+ sometimes a Vic's model B) > 8' cable > pedalboard > Acoustic Image Focus III (the last model with a lot of power) >20' cable > ACME B2 + ACME B1 ...sometimes more cabs, all current ACMEs with new drivers within the last six months because of a bit too much enthusiasm on one gig this summer.
I'm pretty fond of the Krivo for loud bar gigs, but it is extremely weak, so I usually run a preamp first. I've tried a bunch of different newer models, but 95% of the time I use an old Baggs Para Acoustic DI that I've played for at least 500+ gigs over the last 15 years, not for any reason beyond it is paid for, works well, & I know how to use it. It is a gamechanger with the Krivo compared to none. It also works reasonable for my guitar & mandolin needs. Then things go into a couple of pedals and to the AI head. The AI has an HPF & notch filters, so I don't use much tone shaping "stuff" on the preamp.
1) Would the Redeye serve the same purpose for me (while imparting all of the mmajic mmojo implied here), and be a bit more simple?
2) If I get the twin, can I use it to blend the Krivo and Vic's to a single output into the rest of the "stuff" on the pedalboard?
3) Is there a specific output that I can use for a pedal tuner (Sonic Research Turbo Tuner) so it is not inline?
Thx for your patience.....
Here is my current loud live setup that I use every weekend, mainly just for my monitor, I also send a line out to the front of house from the AI head:
bass > Krivo magnetic (+ sometimes a Vic's model B) > 8' cable > pedalboard > Acoustic Image Focus III (the last model with a lot of power) >20' cable > ACME B2 + ACME B1 ...sometimes more cabs, all current ACMEs with new drivers within the last six months because of a bit too much enthusiasm on one gig this summer.
I'm pretty fond of the Krivo for loud bar gigs, but it is extremely weak, so I usually run a preamp first. I've tried a bunch of different newer models, but 95% of the time I use an old Baggs Para Acoustic DI that I've played for at least 500+ gigs over the last 15 years, not for any reason beyond it is paid for, works well, & I know how to use it. It is a gamechanger with the Krivo compared to none. It also works reasonable for my guitar & mandolin needs. Then things go into a couple of pedals and to the AI head. The AI has an HPF & notch filters, so I don't use much tone shaping "stuff" on the preamp.
1) Would the Redeye serve the same purpose for me (while imparting all of the mmajic mmojo implied here), and be a bit more simple?
2) If I get the twin, can I use it to blend the Krivo and Vic's to a single output into the rest of the "stuff" on the pedalboard?
3) Is there a specific output that I can use for a pedal tuner (Sonic Research Turbo Tuner) so it is not inline?
Thx for your patience.....
If your AI has a phantom powered mic input, that’s ideal. If not, you can get a XLR to 1/4” adapter and run your tuner (and/or pedal board) through the effects loop of the red eye- inline or not depending on your ultimate needs. Lots of room to experiment. Definitely get the duo for blending your humbucker. Krivo does get enough gain boost through redeye to blend with piezo ok.
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Someone with time should record off the DI on this thing and we can hear how it's sounding isolated from the instrument.
The trial one is on its way to me. I have an interface and DAW that I've put very little time into learning to use, but there's no time like the present. I'll see what I can do.
Just plugging the Sarno into the RE or the other way around. Nothing fancy.
And I actually did try both inputs on the WW and much to my surprise (yours too probably) the better sound was definitely happening in the top channel. The WW is one of the last MI-100-8s and was likely made from leftover parts Walter had kicking around circa 2010.
Next it’s back to the EAP and seeing what works with that.
Nathan, is your Sarno the Black Box or his full preamp? You said “plugging the Sarno into the RE or the other way around”. If you have the Black Box, shouldn’t you be comparing the RedEye to the black box, not combining them?
The Sarno is the Black Box. I think Chris Fs experience with the Noble led Flatback to try the RE after the BB. I was happy to try it out too since I had the various boxes on hand.
Oh wow, Awesome! It looks pristine. I love that pre-amp over the electroacoustic version. With the Realist I don't find the WW needs any sort of buffer but I use the BB when my speakers need the fdeck and things get super loud. I keep hoping someone will reverse engineer it and start making them widely available again.
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