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The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison

#2,062
chadhargis said:
So with such a big fat bottom end, I thought maybe the Oracle might be muddy when you feed it the low notes.

NOPE!

Sounds huge!

This clip is the same settings as the last one. No EQ tweaks or anything. I am using an active 5 string, but the EQ is set flat.

I'm really starting to bond with the Oracle. Listen to the low Db and D. I'm also playing the E on the 5th fret of the B string. Just clear and clean. This isn't my Dingwall either. It's a Warmoth parts bass I built in my basement. 34" scale.

Dropbox - Oracle Demo - Oh Girl - 4:28:20, 6.49 PM.wav - Simplify your life
Click to expand...

I've never wanted a 5-string more than I do right now. Thanks a lot!

(And an Oracle would be nice to have, too.)
 
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#2,063
chadhargis said:
So with such a big fat bottom end, I thought maybe the Oracle might be muddy when you feed it the low notes.

NOPE!

Sounds huge!

This clip is the same settings as the last one. No EQ tweaks or anything. I am using an active 5 string, but the EQ is set flat.

I'm really starting to bond with the Oracle. Listen to the low Db and D. I'm also playing the E on the 5th fret of the B string. Just clear and clean. This isn't my Dingwall either. It's a Warmoth parts bass I built in my basement. 34" scale.

Dropbox - Oracle Demo - Oh Girl - 4:28:20, 6.49 PM.wav - Simplify your life
Click to expand...

Sound good and....this song is a jam.
 
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#2,064
Mushroo said:
I've never wanted a 5-string more than I do right now. Thanks a lot!

(And an Oracle would be nice to have, too.)
Click to expand...

My first bass was a five string. I just added a 4 to the arsenal a little over a year ago. I figured I needed a 4 string P with flats, so I made one. I only have one mass produced bass, and that's my Dingwall. If Rick Wilson of Moonshine Custom Guitars ever finishes my custom build I think I'll be done with buying basses.

IMG_0766.jpg
 
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#2,065
chadhargis said:
My first bass was a five string. I just added a 4 to the arsenal a little over a year ago. I figured I needed a 4 string P with flats, so I made one. I only have one mass produced bass, and that's my Dingwall. If Rick Wilson of Moonshine Custom Guitars ever finishes my custom build I think I'll be done with buying basses.

View attachment 3806648
Click to expand...

Sick flame on that maple neck!
 
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#2,066
alecvbass said:
Did anyone had the chance to compare the Avalon U5 to the heavy hitters in this thread?
(Noble, Arkhams, Shift Line etc.)

I know its not a pedalboard format preamp but it still has some tone shaping capabilities and I've seen them pop up in bass players' rigs every now and then.
Click to expand...
They used to be very popular. They were in a lot of rigs. Nathan East comes to mind. I had one a couple times. I loved it. It is big. Not for a pedal board for sure. I used one in a rack way back In the day with my first IEM experience. It was awesome. If they could put it in a pedal (Noble size) box...
...of course the REDDI is big too, maybe a little more stage ready.
 
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#2,067
Mushroo said:
Sick flame on that maple neck!
Click to expand...

Roasted flame maple. It's amazing. I'm telling you, Warmoth is expensive, but the quality is off the charts good.

That wenge fingerboard on the red bass is covering a beautiful bubinga neck. That red bass would give a T-40 a run for it's money. That sucker could drive rail spikes it's so hard and heavy. But it sounds good!
 
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#2,068
chadhargis said:
Roasted flame maple. It's amazing. I'm telling you, Warmoth is expensive, but the quality is off the charts good.

That wenge fingerboard on the red bass is covering a beautiful bubinga neck. That red bass would give a T-40 a run for it's money. That sucker could drive rail spikes it's so hard and heavy. But it sounds good!
Click to expand...

I'm such a fan of "flame" figuration. I don't have any pics handy of my flame koa Warmoth but she's a beauty. Here's a shot of my FCS neck joint as consolation. :)

insane flame.jpg

On topic? Sounds good through my Studio One and several other preamps. ;)
 
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#2,069
Mushroo said:
I'm such a fan of "flame" figuration. I don't have any pics handy of my flame koa Warmoth but she's a beauty. Here's a shot of my FCS neck joint as consolation. :)

View attachment 3806660

On topic? Sounds good through my Studio One and several other preamps. ;)
Click to expand...

Well everyone knows the prettier the bass is the better it sounds. LOL! :)
 
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#2,073
chadhargis said:
So with such a big fat bottom end, I thought maybe the Oracle might be muddy when you feed it the low notes.

NOPE!

Sounds huge!

This clip is the same settings as the last one. No EQ tweaks or anything. I am using an active 5 string, but the EQ is set flat.

I'm really starting to bond with the Oracle. Listen to the low Db and D. I'm also playing the E on the 5th fret of the B string. Just clear and clean. This isn't my Dingwall either. It's a Warmoth parts bass I built in my basement. 34" scale.

Dropbox - Oracle Demo - Oh Girl - 4:28:20, 6.49 PM.wav - Simplify your life
Click to expand...

Sounds great! Do you have a recording of the bass by itself?
 
#2,075
SteveC said:
alecvbass said:
Did anyone had the chance to compare the Avalon U5 to the heavy hitters in this thread?
(Noble, Arkhams, Shift Line etc.)

I know its not a pedalboard format preamp but it still has some tone shaping capabilities and I've seen them pop up in bass players' rigs every now and then.
Click to expand...

They used to be very popular. They were in a lot of rigs. Nathan East comes to mind. I had one a couple times. I loved it. It is big. Not for a pedal board for sure. I used one in a rack way back In the day with my first IEM experience. It was awesome. If they could put it in a pedal (Noble size) box...
...of course the REDDI is big too, maybe a little more stage ready.
Click to expand...

I used to rock an avalon U5 for many years. I went between that and a Demeter VTBP-201s single space rack. The market is screaming for the VTBP-201s in a pedal form factor. The Demeter Tube DI is cool, but it's no pre-amp. Avalon U5 is a great box though and can be had for a great price used these days. I've since jumped ship for Broughton stuff and rock the pedal preamps and his P-15.

Bassworship1 said:
I enjoy Flame also. Here is a rare piece of Flamed Katalox I picked out for my 2020 Roscoe Buckeye Burl bass.

View attachment 3806671 View attachment 3806673
Click to expand...

Wow, what a beauty!
 
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#2,078
jimfist said:
Does Line 6/Helix also have a pitch-based modifier, so that the frequency of the note played influences the amount of blended effect? I know that Fractal Audio has this feature (among a ton of others). These creative options are great, and I loved spending time doing this sort of thing (though I'm going the opposite direction these days). But it does sort of run contrary to the idea of finding the one or two pieces of gear that have that "it" factor, and keeping things simple. I appreciate that, too.
Click to expand...
Eventide has a DAW plugin that separates the attack of a sound from the rest of the envelope, so you can process them separately. Haven't heard of anyone else doing that but could imagine being very fun. I would also think the SPL transient designer could be super useful on bass, if that were included in a modeler. To me at least both of these would be more interesting then the dynamics based amp switcher...
 
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#2,079
chadhargis said:
Roasted flame maple. It's amazing. I'm telling you, Warmoth is expensive, but the quality is off the charts good.

That wenge fingerboard on the red bass is covering a beautiful bubinga neck. That red bass would give a T-40 a run for it's money. That sucker could drive rail spikes it's so hard and heavy. But it sounds good!
Click to expand...

Are those Jazz on Steroids, er, Big Singles, in the red bass? I had a Squier Dlx Active J5 that I snuck some Big Singles in and took the preamp out. It was pretty sweet!

Oh, and to keep this on topic, what tube in the Oracle for your recordings? Mullard?

Great recordings and tone! Love it!
 

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