REDDI Tube DI Mega-thread-III

[Bassworship1]

SteveC, the way i look at it I can only play one bass at a time but the quality of sound my bass produces and especially you using the same setup basically we do with House system and IEM its a no brainer lol. paying $700 for a piece of gear that does nothing but produce sweet bass tone is worth it everyday to me. For years I've been searching for the bass tone I've heard in my head and now I'm closer to it than I've ever been.

 

[David A. Davis]

Ok Steve, this is what you do. Sell the JDI ($130), buy a Reddi, buy a Zoom MS-60b ( to fill the spot on the nano) and take the $30 leftover and take your wife to lunch. I'd say the tone you get will make you forget about a fretless and a P for a while. Besides, is there a more important gig than every other Sunday?

 

[Dave W]

Did I miss something?

How would he have $30 leftover after buying a $700 DI and $70 pedal by selling a JDI?

 

[beans-on-toast]

Did I miss something?

How would he have $30 leftover after buying a $700 DI and $70 pedal by selling a JDI?

I use the same kind of math when I'm buying gear. You get way more stuff that way.

 

[f.c.geil]

I use the same kind of math when I'm buying gear. You get way more stuff that way.

I use that self same math! It has worked very well for me.

 

[Bassworship1]

That's the only math to have when your constantly wanting new gear lol.

 

[David A. Davis]

The Reddi is separate

 

[SteveC]

My wife loves these responses...really.

 

[SteveC]

Ok Steve, this is what you do. Sell the JDI ($130), buy a Reddi, buy a Zoom MS-60b ( to fill the spot on the nano) and take the $30 leftover and take your wife to lunch. I'd say the tone you get will make you forget about a fretless and a P for a while. Besides, is there a more important gig than every other Sunday?

Why do I need the MS-60b? I don't use effects.

 

[David A. Davis]

Something to play around with. It's a good, cheap pedal. Great way to experiment with effects. You may be surprised what just a little reverb, chorus and compression will do. And, it'll fill the space left by the JDI.

 

[AMJBASS]

Honestly, I would scour the classifieds for a used one. They hold their value well and you can easily flip it for what you paid. IMO these DI's make such a significant difference tonally that its as worth owning as having another bass. The JDI's sound nice no doubt, but they don't compare to the REDDI. There is a "weight" to the note, and the sound just sits so fat and present in the mix without being overbearing.

 

[BassHappy]

Hey Good Folks

I have been soaking this thread in but have zero experience with the Reddi.

I use an Eden Metro for my stage monitor and our engineer takes the direct out from there - it has a ground switch, and can be pre or post eq and it has a level control. It's a two channel deal, with one channel being tube and the other channel solid state and they both go to the DI tap. I go between the two channels for different songs but hang on the tube channel most of the night.

Since I am already playing though tubes most of the time and feeding the sound into the PA from there would I still benefit in a remarkable way from the Reddi? He is a super audiophile dude - also an in-demand recording engineer - and has always told me how much he likes the sound coming in from there. If his tap would be significantly improved in some way, maybe I should spring for one?

Any thoughts?

 

[svtb15]

You already know what i am going to recommend

 

[Bassworship1]

Well today I got to let my drummer see and here the Reddi for hisself and he was blown away. We done side by side tests with the Reddi through the house and the Ampeg 3pro and as he said the Reddi blows it out of the water. I get to have my first live test with it tonight and get to see how the sound man and church like. I can't state enough how much this DI well worth the money. I mean let's all be honest, as bass layers and musicians were all searching for the best tone. The Reddi makes it to where we can't mess it up. Its the best and I will never be without one..

 

[svtb15]

Im am home now and did a church gig today.. When the FOH guy saw my REDDI he was stoked.. And even more so after their service. They do some rocking stuff so you have to really dig in. And that is where the REDDI shines. Also on the more ballady type stuff is phat sounding.. With HUGE Dynamic Range.. I think that is what makes the REDDI 3D its wide dynamic range..
I pulled out my old Jazz bass with Rounds on it today... I know they like that over a P.. and im a P guy.. But it worked great

 

[JimmyM]

Hey Good Folks

I have been soaking this thread in but have zero experience with the Reddi.

I use an Eden Metro for my stage monitor and our engineer takes the direct out from there - it has a ground switch, and can be pre or post eq and it has a level control. It's a two channel deal, with one channel being tube and the other channel solid state and they both go to the DI tap. I go between the two channels for different songs but hang on the tube channel most of the night.

Since I am already playing though tubes most of the time and feeding the sound into the PA from there would I still benefit in a remarkable way from the Reddi? He is a super audiophile dude - also an in-demand recording engineer - and has always told me how much he likes the sound coming in from there. If his tap would be significantly improved in some way, maybe I should spring for one?

Any thoughts?

Good question. I can't tell you how it would compare to the Metro, but I can tell you that I like the REDDI a little bit better than the preamps of my Ampeg tube amps by themselves. That said, ain't a thing in the world wrong with how my Ampeg pres sound direct to the board, but I find the REDDI to be a shade heavier sounding on the high notes and more all-tube-amp-y overall. So for you, you may consider it a lateral move. I didn't. The things it did to my tone were exactly what I liked and wanted and felt I was missing out of other DI's, even really good ones, so it was worth it to me.

 

[BassHappy]

Good question. I can't tell you how it would compare to the Metro, but I can tell you that I like the REDDI a little bit better than the preamps of my Ampeg tube amps by themselves. That said, ain't a thing in the world wrong with how my Ampeg pres sound direct to the board, but I find the REDDI to be a shade heavier sounding on the high notes and more all-tube-amp-y overall. So for you, you may consider it a lateral move. I didn't. The things it did to my tone were exactly what I liked and wanted and felt I was missing out of other DI's, even really good ones, so it was worth it to me.

Hey Jimmy

Thanks so much for your input....

I mean, three "live" albums including our XM Radio thing were direct off the Metro. Even A-B'd the signal from the Metro with an Avalon pre at the XM show and our engineer opted for the Metro alone - we thought the Avalon was a little too smooth - and somehow took too much of the tube edge and grit off the sound. Tried it through the Avalon direct, through the Metro direct and even ran the Metro tap through the Avalon.

But, hey - your opinion means a lot. I will check around - I am sure someone local has one I can borrow and check out for myself one day soon.

Thanks again, and I must admit - I AM intrigued!

 

[JimmyM]

I hear you about the Avalon...good DI if you like really smooth and clean sounds, but could use a little more hair on the balls.

If you haven't seen it yet, one of the best places I've seen to get a taste of what the REDDI does is [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] . He runs several basses through it and a whole lot of other preamps. Not the Metro, but many others I'm sure you're familiar with. Not the same as playing through one, of course, but you certainly get an idea of what you're in for. I would agree that your sound is already pretty darn happening, though.

 

[BassHappy]

I hear you about the Avalon...good DI if you like really smooth and clean sounds, but could use a little more hair on the balls.

If you haven't seen it yet, one of the best places I've seen to get a taste of what the REDDI does is [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] . He runs several basses through it and a whole lot of other preamps. Not the Metro, but many others I'm sure you're familiar with. Not the same as playing through one, of course, but you certainly get an idea of what you're in for. I would agree that your sound is already pretty darn happening, though.

Hey very cool!

Thanks for the link - I had never seen that link before, or I guess I should say, heard it before. The Reddi does sound pretty wide especially on the upper register.

No limit to what you might learn here on TB, that is for sure~

I also listened to a number of preamps and enjoyed the clip of the Aguilar db680, which is what I use in my studio along with a Summit Audio tube limiter. When I visited Dave in Brooklyn he let me try one out with the PRS and I loved it. He sold me a unit close to cost and it has been my studio box for over 15 years. He told me that they modeled it pretty exactly on a Neve console module but they optimized it for bass guitar. My friend Neil Dorfsman had a small rack of essential gear he used to take with him from studio to studio and he had a db680 in the rack. I know he used it on McCartney and Sting and that is good enough for me!

 

[svtb15]

I my opinion anything that is modeled "pretty exactly on a Neve console module" doesn't need to be optimized for Bass.. Its natural form it already is optimized for bass. Its the classic tone we hear all the time that everyone want to emulate.. I work on Neves weekly, Im real used to them... But what does work is the REDDI into the neve..

But the DB680 Is a great Unit.. I had one of the originals back in the 80s that i used in NYC allot.. I would not say it sounded like a Neve, but it did sound good...

Hey very cool!

Thanks for the link - I had never seen that link before, or I guess I should say, heard it before. The Reddi does sound pretty wide especially on the upper register.

No limit to what you might learn here on TB, that is for sure~

I also listened to a number of preamps and enjoyed the clip of the Aguilar db680, which is what I use in my studio along with a Summit Audio tube limiter. When I visited Dave in Brooklyn he let me try one out with the PRS and I loved it. He sold me a unit close to cost and it has been my studio box for over 15 years. He told me that they modeled it pretty exactly on a Neve console module but they optimized it for bass guitar. My friend Neil Dorfsman had a small rack of essential gear he used to take with him from studio to studio and he had a db680 in the rack. I know he used it on McCartney and Sting and that is good enough for me!