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The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison

#681
Bassworship1 said:
I disagree completely. Sure a good or great player can make cheap gear sound better. Good quality basses, amps, DI's and Preamps can make a huge difference in the ability to make your tone really stand out.
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See so the thing about great tone is that it doesnt matter at all. You ever heard a band that totally sucks but the mix and tone is spot on? O
kesslari said:
I totally agree.

@cosmicevan I'm not sure of you're consciously paraphrasing, but there's a wonderful Rumi love poem that goes something like
"Come to the garden in springtime.
There is wine and light, and sweethearts in the pomegranate flowers.
If you do not come, these do not matter.
If you do come, these do not matter."
~Rumi
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That is not my own. I read those words on this forum quoted from an interview. That said I have about 60 pedals.
 
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#684
That thing sounds fantastic. I also like that there seems to be a lot more tonal control with this preamp than some other tube amps. That was my main issue with the SLO was that it used the Alembic tone-stack, which to me can be kind of narrow. And two channels?! They also have a slightly stripped down version that's cheaper and smaller.
 
#686
Ok. I have been sub'd to this thread for a year now. My top two pre amps are the Shaw TIP and the Broughton Messenger.
I use the Shaw in a straight bass-pre-amp-power amp- speaker cab signal chain. I get perfect tube goodness that way.
The Messenger is used with my other Broughton goodies. It really is transparent while running my Sv-pre or Silver Deluxe thru it. I have reached my tonal Nirvana with these pre amps.
 
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#687
Damn...that Lightstone has some killer tone and I love that it's two channel. It could replace my fuzz pedal!

But I'm most impressed with the Dusenberg hollow body bass. I never know that existed. It sounded freaking awesome...even without the preamp. Great fat tone! I must find one and play it!!

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#688
chadhargis said:
Damn...that Lightstone has some killer tone and I love that it's two channel. It could replace my fuzz pedal!

But I'm most impressed with the Dusenberg hollow body bass. I never know that existed. It sounded freaking awesome...even without the preamp. Great fat tone! I must find one and play it!!

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For the low, low price of $2,700, it can be yours.
 
#694
I used GK amps for a very long time. Plug into it, sounds great, my search was over.
But I joined a band that is ampless. For while, I used my amp without a speaker. It's small rack and not terribly heavy but it seemed like a waste. So I started searching.

I used a number of preamp pedals. I can't even remember them all. I was trying to replicate the GK sound I'd grown accustomed to. I didn't want to try to the Plex. Too many options. I need something I can set and forget. I did order the German 800RB-in-a-pedal kit but it took awhile to get here.

In the mean time, over the course of several months, I was trying everything I could get my hands on. I had the Tech 21 DP-3X sitting at home. I bought it without really planning to use it. I liked the thought. I never really liked the Sansamp as much as everyone else seemed too but I bought it anyway. I LOVE Dug. Anyway, I toyed around with it at home a little bit. It sounded awful. But after a few months, I brought to a gig. I plugged it to a gig & started playing. The other guys in the band looked around & said "that bass sounds GREAT". So I left it plugged it. We played the first set & I was loving it. I'm using it in full OD mode but I'm not fully overdriven. Just enough to make it bark. My soundman, who's watched struggle to find something that worked for me, asks "are you happy?". Of course, I sad "YES"!!!" But he was not. He said it was OK but he wanted more control. So we plugged in a DI started off of my bass dry. And that's been our set up.

WIRELESS
TURBO TUNER
MXR Microamp
MXR Chorus
then it splits
Tech 21 DP-3X & Radial J48

I run 2 lines to FOH but it's really been a great sounding rig. Maybe too good. My sound guy says he can every single note I play........so I need to clean up my act.

Long story & a long road to get to where I can function but it really is a cool setup.
 
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#698
kasbrey said:
I have a Le Bass and it does clean, dirty and everything in between.

However, for the sound you describe, I'd suggest the Quilter Interbass in vintage mode. It's not a tube pre but sounds more like one than the LeBass or any of the other tube preamps or tube emulation preamps I've owned or tried.
The cab simulation is the most usable I've come across too as it does not darken the sound significantly and it's very dynamic and breaks up (if required) very organically.
Plus you can use it as an amp (louder than you'd imagine) if you need to.

Becos Stella into Interbass has completed my quest.
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How is the Interbass in clean (full range) mode? Are you using as a pre amp pedal or an Amp? I am deciding between this and a Tone Hammer.
 

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