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Sunn Beta Bass Pre in a Pedal?

ZombiCrow

ZombiCrow

Jun 15, 2006
695
295
Davenport, IA
gentleedwardrecords.bandcamp.com
#1
Does any company currently offer anything like the Sunn Beta Bass preamp in a pedal? The Beta had a great input section, that broke up beautifully and achieved some serious high-gain distortion after about 1 o'clock or so without losing the lows and full-bodied feeling of the signal. If no one currently does, what sounds like a comparable distortion/overdrive?

Unrelated: How long is the Openhaus wait list? :p
 
#5
Great idea!
I bought my first Beta around 1984 and it is still my favorite amp. I modded my 1x15 cabinet and converted it to a smaller 2x10 sealed cabinet.
Killer overdrive and you can set one channel as OD and the other as clean. The amp was always a sleeper with great features: True 2 channel preamp with a nice footswitch, separate send and returns for each channel, killer sounds.
 
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#12
I've been exchanging emails with him, and he actually suggested a Dove for bass distortion instead of the Openhaus, primarily because he says the noise level on the Openhaus is far higher than even a Big Muff with the Sustain all the way up (his comparison). He was sure to be clear that the Dove and Openhaus are distortion, NOT fuzz, and neither are based on a Muff in any way. What do you think, should I get on the Dove list? He even said he'd work with me to get it the way I wanted it.

As far as the Sunn Beta Bass preamp, the schematic is available for free out and about. It'd be really awesome to have the Gain/Bass/Mid/Treble/Level knobs in a stompbox; that amp breaks up with some authority, and I'm pretty sure the 100watt power section isn't particularly responsible for the tone, too.
 
#14
100% feasible, actually. The ideal incarnation of this particular preamp in pedal form would have an A/B switch, an A+B switch, and a bypass (unless is was strictly a preamp, in which case only A/B and A+B). It'd also have two identical channels set up, just like the amp itself, which means a million awesome knobs. And as a tweak to the Sunn Beta circuit, a parametric Mid knob, because that thing is not too useful as it is.

So, pow. And, I'm already talking to someone about this project, and with all the online resources, it shouldn't actually be too difficult. What shall it be named? I was thinking: The Omega Moon.
 
#15
ZombiCrow said:
100% feasible, actually. The ideal incarnation of this particular preamp in pedal form would have an A/B switch, an A+B switch, and a bypass (unless is was strictly a preamp, in which case only A/B and A+B). It'd also have two identical channels set up, just like the amp itself, which means a million awesome knobs. And as a tweak to the Sunn Beta circuit, a parametric Mid knob, because that thing is not too useful as it is.

So, pow. And, I'm already talking to someone about this project, and with all the online resources, it shouldn't actually be too difficult. What shall it be named? I was thinking: The Omega Moon.
Click to expand...

If this really goes underway and you get one built let me know cause I'd be interested.
 
#16
ZombiCrow said:
I've been exchanging emails with him, and he actually suggested a Dove for bass distortion instead of the Openhaus, primarily because he says the noise level on the Openhaus is far higher than even a Big Muff with the Sustain all the way up (his comparison). He was sure to be clear that the Dove and Openhaus are distortion, NOT fuzz, and neither are based on a Muff in any way. What do you think, should I get on the Dove list? He even said he'd work with me to get it the way I wanted it.
Click to expand...

To quote deity-like Effects Forum member Toasted: 'I think he's over-egging his omelet.'

Toasted seemed to like the pedal more than just a little, and said it was the best distortion (read as: separate from Overdrive) he had found for his needs. His reports on Ed's noise level comments were minimal, saying less than he was leading on, about PA white noise level.

Toasted did note, if I recall correctly, that he loved the Dove, but felt that it lost (just a little) lows, and just didn't quiet do for him what his Dredgetone Angler did.
 

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