Surprisingly little talk of the JAD Freer Capo on this thread. It interests me greatly! Anyone using one?
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The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison
- Thread starter chadhargis
- Start date
Would love to try one, but they are pricey new. I haven't seen one pop up used for a good price.
I feel like it is everything the the Tone Hammer could have been. Pricey for sure but man I think they sound good.
OK for @3rdeyep and anyone else interested, the United Vintage Direct Box arrived.
Just tested it quickly through my mixer with my Bass (down tuned P with flats) and a few different pedals.
It has a smooth, warm, deep, and clean sound with a lot of headroom.
To my ears it doesn't have a certain very, very slight edge to the sound that Radial JDI, or Audio Kitchen TST DI have.
The United Vintage is just clean, clean, like driving a big engined car at a slow speed at low revs.
The main DI I've been using most recently for Electric gigs has been a Lehle P-Split III, tapping the ISO output balanced with a TRS-XLR converter cable > FOH.
Comparing at home, the Lehle has a lot more clarity in the top end, extended high frequency/air etc..
But, the United Vintage has a very nice response when you dig in hard in the lows.
I won't get a chance to use it through FOH at a gig for a couple of weeks, but will report back then, as I always chat with the engineer at the venue about my latest setups.
Apart from that, it feels very solid. Similar over hanging lip all around like the JDI has. The metal toggle switches for phase, ground etc feel more robust than the push in/out type buttons on JDI.
Just tested it quickly through my mixer with my Bass (down tuned P with flats) and a few different pedals.
It has a smooth, warm, deep, and clean sound with a lot of headroom.
To my ears it doesn't have a certain very, very slight edge to the sound that Radial JDI, or Audio Kitchen TST DI have.
The United Vintage is just clean, clean, like driving a big engined car at a slow speed at low revs.
The main DI I've been using most recently for Electric gigs has been a Lehle P-Split III, tapping the ISO output balanced with a TRS-XLR converter cable > FOH.
Comparing at home, the Lehle has a lot more clarity in the top end, extended high frequency/air etc..
But, the United Vintage has a very nice response when you dig in hard in the lows.
I won't get a chance to use it through FOH at a gig for a couple of weeks, but will report back then, as I always chat with the engineer at the venue about my latest setups.
Apart from that, it feels very solid. Similar over hanging lip all around like the JDI has. The metal toggle switches for phase, ground etc feel more robust than the push in/out type buttons on JDI.
My gigs have finished for the year so this week has been rejigging pedal boards to implement improvements/changed I have had marinating in my mind for the last little while.
The JAD Freer CAPO arrived also. What a lovely piece of kit with a heaps of options and output. Very tube like. Lots of girth/body to it's tone. That chewy tubiness to it is awesome.
Have also had a Laney Digbeth at home for a bit and I am really digging this thing. Bit of a poor man's CAPO in the way I am using it. Bringing in the tube channel for that breakup/saturation on the front of the note. Very nice. No where near the output of the CAPO. Running the LA-1A in front of it and enjoying the results.
Both of these preamps are an example of what the AGS side of the Tone Hammer could have been. I love the Tone Hammer. It is sitting on my analog board with my Aguilar pedals. I just can't believe Aguilar missed the mark with the V2 also from what I read.
Current stable consists of:
Jad Freer CAPO
Laney Digbeth
Aguilar Tone Hammer
MXR M81
Berg Super Pre
The Super Pre is such a great pre but just not that pedal board friendly. I spend ages trying to tetris it on with everything else I wanted on my Rockboard 4.1 but just could settle on something I was happy with. Pedal play ground is such a good pedalboard planning tool btw.
MXR M81 is not on a board for now. Unbelievable, I love that unit. I could run it with a TC spark booster before it on a tube setting, and the footprint would be smaller than the Digbeth. That could still happen at some point.
The JAD Freer CAPO arrived also. What a lovely piece of kit with a heaps of options and output. Very tube like. Lots of girth/body to it's tone. That chewy tubiness to it is awesome.
Have also had a Laney Digbeth at home for a bit and I am really digging this thing. Bit of a poor man's CAPO in the way I am using it. Bringing in the tube channel for that breakup/saturation on the front of the note. Very nice. No where near the output of the CAPO. Running the LA-1A in front of it and enjoying the results.
Both of these preamps are an example of what the AGS side of the Tone Hammer could have been. I love the Tone Hammer. It is sitting on my analog board with my Aguilar pedals. I just can't believe Aguilar missed the mark with the V2 also from what I read.
Current stable consists of:
Jad Freer CAPO
Laney Digbeth
Aguilar Tone Hammer
MXR M81
Berg Super Pre
The Super Pre is such a great pre but just not that pedal board friendly. I spend ages trying to tetris it on with everything else I wanted on my Rockboard 4.1 but just could settle on something I was happy with. Pedal play ground is such a good pedalboard planning tool btw.
MXR M81 is not on a board for now. Unbelievable, I love that unit. I could run it with a TC spark booster before it on a tube setting, and the footprint would be smaller than the Digbeth. That could still happen at some point.
I have debated the Bergantino Super Pre as it has everything I currently use my HXS for - except I have become fond of the pitch shift effect for some tunes. I like not having to swap basses. I have a Khan (which is also not board friendly as the in's and out's aren't' where I'd like them) for some tube goodness after my HXS. It's a good rig and still only slightly larger than the Bergantino.
I also like Pedal Playground for some GAS experimenting.
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I'm really interested in your comments about the Digbeth. I nearly pulled the trigger on it recently as I wanted a pre that would emaulate some Tube overdrive, but then also be able to clean up if necessary. I ended up grabbing the good ol' BDDI v2 as I know this pedal, and I can't try the Digbeth locally. I do like the BDDI, and I think the v2 brings some nice upgrades but most of the time I still fight the Sansamp tone. Plus - the BDDI has only 1 "channel" (the Digbeth has Tube on or off - I count that as 2!!!), and I like the fact that the Digbeth has an effects loop.
Does anyone know - is the Digbeth Pre's effects loop before or after EQ?
I looked at the diagram in the manual and I believe it to be post saturation and EQ, so I put my Comp and modulation in the FX loop. anything else can go before the preamp IMO.
I have had a VT Bass Deluxe ands RPM, and while they have a baked in sound, the mids don't go completely missing like in the BDDI, hence never owning one.
Sweet - effects post EQ and drive works for me, although I'll probably run my comp upfront inline.
Thanks for the response, I reckon Ill grab one of these in the new year.
Thanks for the response, I reckon Ill grab one of these in the new year.
Not sure about hefty, but it's always given a good representation of what I've put into it! If you set the DI to post EQ you can EQ to taste. It's a very honest, uncoloured DI in my opinion.
Just did some testing on a few preamps. None of them blew me away and they have been relegated to Reverb for sale.
Here's a mini review of both of them.
Walrus Audio Badwater
Picked this up on sale for a great price. With a built in comp and drive as well as a DI...what's not to like? Well...the tone. I just couldn't get a sound I really liked. That's not to say it sounded bad. It doesn't. But it doesn't really have a "flavor". It's just an EQ, like what you might find on an active bass. That's not a bad thing. Some folks love an uncolored clean tone. The drive section is really good. It has a three position switch to let you choose the tone you want as well as a blend control to mix in your clean signal. Then there is the compressor which they call "sustain". I've gotten use to the Cali76, so I'm ruined for all other compressors. To me, the compressor section was a turd. Overall, it's not a bad preamp/DI. It's quiet and the eq has two midrange controls with adjustable frequency. If you are not after an "amp in a box" tone, this is a good option. Just not my cup of tea.
Sushi Box Elementary
I love Sushi Box products. They are well made and always sound good and the Elementary is no exception. My only complaint is not really the fault of the pedal, it's the fault of my ears. The Elementary is a clone of the Hiwatt preamp. I read lots of info that stated the EQ can't be set flat. Guess what..they were right! The closest you can get to flat is treble fully cut, mid fully boosted, and bass flat. Even at that setting, the mids are scooped. It's not that it sounds bad. I think it would be a good slap tone. But I am not a slapper and I have a fondness for mids as they are what get you heard. Really fun pedal to play with and I nearly decided to keep it just to have, but I'll probably just capture it in the Quad Cortex.
Origin Effects DCX Bass
This is a really cool pedal. A great drive pedal, but in my opinion, a really good clean uncolored preamp. It imparts a nice warmth to your tone as it is emulating a UA preamp. It has level, gain, bass, and treble controls. The bass and treble controls are very useable and even dimed out or fully cut the tone is still good. It's not a do it all pedal. It's just a tone shaper. Would be good to use with other pedals. I'd like to have kept it, but like most Origin Effects pedals, it's fairly pricey. No need to have that sort of cash tied up in something that I won't use regularly. There are several captures on the Neural Cloud, so I'll just use those if I want the tone.
Here's a mini review of both of them.
Walrus Audio Badwater
Picked this up on sale for a great price. With a built in comp and drive as well as a DI...what's not to like? Well...the tone. I just couldn't get a sound I really liked. That's not to say it sounded bad. It doesn't. But it doesn't really have a "flavor". It's just an EQ, like what you might find on an active bass. That's not a bad thing. Some folks love an uncolored clean tone. The drive section is really good. It has a three position switch to let you choose the tone you want as well as a blend control to mix in your clean signal. Then there is the compressor which they call "sustain". I've gotten use to the Cali76, so I'm ruined for all other compressors. To me, the compressor section was a turd. Overall, it's not a bad preamp/DI. It's quiet and the eq has two midrange controls with adjustable frequency. If you are not after an "amp in a box" tone, this is a good option. Just not my cup of tea.
Sushi Box Elementary
I love Sushi Box products. They are well made and always sound good and the Elementary is no exception. My only complaint is not really the fault of the pedal, it's the fault of my ears. The Elementary is a clone of the Hiwatt preamp. I read lots of info that stated the EQ can't be set flat. Guess what..they were right! The closest you can get to flat is treble fully cut, mid fully boosted, and bass flat. Even at that setting, the mids are scooped. It's not that it sounds bad. I think it would be a good slap tone. But I am not a slapper and I have a fondness for mids as they are what get you heard. Really fun pedal to play with and I nearly decided to keep it just to have, but I'll probably just capture it in the Quad Cortex.
Origin Effects DCX Bass
This is a really cool pedal. A great drive pedal, but in my opinion, a really good clean uncolored preamp. It imparts a nice warmth to your tone as it is emulating a UA preamp. It has level, gain, bass, and treble controls. The bass and treble controls are very useable and even dimed out or fully cut the tone is still good. It's not a do it all pedal. It's just a tone shaper. Would be good to use with other pedals. I'd like to have kept it, but like most Origin Effects pedals, it's fairly pricey. No need to have that sort of cash tied up in something that I won't use regularly. There are several captures on the Neural Cloud, so I'll just use those if I want the tone.
Give that DCX another chance. Your assessment largely matches my own after a year with it on again off again. Its secret sauce may be in the Drive control and how the pedal can cleanly absorb a hot signal with no noise, narrowing, or compression
I presently have it as the last pedal in a short effects loop chain following two HX Ones, dialing it in as if it were a virtual microphone.
Its HF and LF controls operate with transparence
It's really good...but the nice thing about the Quad Cortex is that it can capture just about any pedal. There are several on the Neural Cloud and I can always capture the one I have.
Speaking from a position of deep ignorance of the Quad Cortex... isn't there character in an analog pedal's i/o impedence and capacitance that's missed by captures and modelers?
Consulted my list and I’ve tried over 35 preamps over the last 5-6 years. The Badwater is probably my least favorite of them all. Doesn’t have a lot of baked in tone, but what it does have, I didn’t like. Didn’t like the compressor or the drive. And it is noisy.
Elementary sounds cool, but way too scooped. Not good in a live situation. I’ve learned I want nothing to do with a Fender/Hiwatt/Marshall type tone stack.
DCX is a nice tone shaper. I liked it as a drive ok, but not at the price point. I could not get along with the bass EQ.
Where I have landed after these years. With passive basses, I like and have kept a BDDI v2, Laney Digbeth, and JHS Punchline.
The Quad Cortex generates a series of tones at various levels and frequencies and passes them through the device being captured and back into the QC for analysis. It takes the results and generates an emulation of the device based on the behavior of the device during the capture. So if the device breaks up at the limit or if it has a EQ curve to it, that will all be captured. If you want to change the impedance, that is an option too. You can change just about any parameter you can think of. It's really amazing.
The only down side to doing captures is that you have to capture a particular setting. It has no way of capturing the functions of knobs and switches. So it's set it like you want it, capture, and that's what you get. You can, of course, capture multiple settings. The QC gives you the ability to A/B test your captures against the real thing. You can set it to automatically switch between them while you play. In many cases, I can't tell the difference. There are limitations. You can't really faithfully capture time based effects or compressors.
After you have done your capture, you can then upload it to the DSP Neural Cloud and share it. There are LOTS (I mean a stupid amount) of captures. Just about any pedal, amp, cab, or entire rigs you can think of. No need to buy anything. All the shared captures are 100% free. So if you want, for example, a Jad Freer Capo...you just download all the captures and use the ones you like. I have a Capo in my signal chain I use for light saturation. It sounds amazing and cost me $0.
I ended up buying the QC because I priced out an analog board with all the effects I wanted and it was going to cost about $2000. I would have no flexibility. If I wanted anything else I had to break it apart and re-wire it. The QC was $1800. I can move "pedals" on the fly. Change their settings on the fly with a button push. If I'm playing on a gig with a tracks rig or video sync, I could have MIDI sent to change my tones for me. It's an amazing piece of gear and of all the preamps I have tired (several dozen), nothing can touch this thing. FOH guys love it too. They are rave about how great the QC is. Also, in a pinch, I can set up a parallel path and the guitar player can run through it too. LOL!
Great observation. The Badwater is what it is. I know several "don't use pedals" guys. One of them is a majorly famous bass player that I know personally. For those who want a good DI with some EQ functionality, the Badwater would fit the bill. Mine didn't have an any noise issues. It was just sort of "blah". Running it in front of an amp or into a DAW running plugins would be a great use case.
You and I share the same opinion of Fender/Hiwatt/Marshall tone stacks. Just don't sound good to my ears. But many folks love them.
Never tried a Digbeth. If I ever see one for sale at a steal of a price I'll pick one up. I've heard lots of good things about them. I don't jive with hardly any Tech21 products. The exception was the Q-Strip. It was really good. But the BDDI products I've tried never tickled my pickle.
The Punchline is PHENOMENAL and I can say without a doubt that it is the BEST analog, all in one, bass preamp/DI I've ever used. I bought one used just to try it because I'm a huge Beach Boys fan. I was stunned! It's SOOOOO good. So good that it's my backup rig. Should my QC ever become a brick, I have another option. I have captured my Punchline rig in the QC and can pull it up whenever I want that tone. It's just tasty, especially with a pick. And I captured it with the compressor turned off and I put my Cali76 in the FX loop in front of it. Oh, it's FIRE!
