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The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison

#1,621
jthisdell said:
Today I ran my P-15 into Messenger with a Dream Crusher and Utility Knife in between along with an octave, envelope, a couple compressors and several overdrives, sorry I did not do a video or audio for ya
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LOL...see that’s thing that gets me though. I haven’t found one demo video anywhere if any Broughton stuff. It must be fantastic but who knows. If it was as good as the cult following you would think someone, somewhere would have done some videos. I tried for a while to get and try the messenger and a couple more but I have no desire to try them now.
 
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#1,623
Here’s the list of preamp pedals I’ve been through:

Le Bass
MXR M80
Submarine Designer
Standard Submarine
Southampton Ictineo
Tri-Logic v1, v2, and v3
Suncoast F2P
Hao Bassliner
Darkglass Microtubes
Pike Vulcan XL
GK PLEX
Meridian Trinity
Marleaux Tonwerk
JHS Colour Box v2
Trickfish Trilobite
Arkham Oracle
Noble
Shift-Line Olympic MKIII
Grace ALiX
Probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting right now.

The Grace ALiX is my choice.
 
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#1,624
scubaduba said:
Here’s the list of preamp pedals I’ve been through:

Le Bass
MXR M80
Submarine Designer
Standard Submarine
Southampton Ictineo
Tri-Logic v1, v2, and v3
Suncoast F2P
Hao Bassliner
Pike Vulcan XL
Meridian Trinity
Marleaux Tonwerk
Trickfish Trilobite
Arkham Oracle
Noble
Shift-Line Olympic MKIII
Grace ALiX
Probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting right now.

The Grace ALiX is my choice.
Click to expand...

Welp. Guess it’s time to check the ALiX out... RIP Tubes, I suppose?
 
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#1,625
scubaduba said:
Here’s the list of preamp pedals I’ve been through:

Le Bass
MXR M80
Submarine Designer
Standard Submarine
Southampton Ictineo
Tri-Logic v1, v2, and v3
Suncoast F2P
Hao Bassliner
Pike Vulcan XL
Meridian Trinity
Marleaux Tonwerk
Trickfish Trilobite
Arkham Oracle
Noble
Shift-Line Olympic MKIII
Grace ALiX
Probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting right now.

The Grace ALiX is my choice.
Click to expand...


I’m gonna need you to stop buying expensive gear. Thanks.
 
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#1,626
scubaduba said:
Here’s the list of preamp pedals I’ve been through:

Le Bass
MXR M80
Submarine Designer
Standard Submarine
Southampton Ictineo
Tri-Logic v1, v2, and v3
Suncoast F2P
Hao Bassliner
Pike Vulcan XL
Meridian Trinity
Marleaux Tonwerk
JHS Colour Box v2
Trickfish Trilobite
Arkham Oracle
Noble
Shift-Line Olympic MKIII
Grace ALiX
Probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting right now.

The Grace ALiX is my choice.
Click to expand...

The Grace preamp is another that looks nice but I haven’t seen any demos out there with anyone using it for bass. Have you ever seen one?
 
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#1,628
scubaduba said:
Here’s the list of preamp pedals I’ve been through:

Le Bass
MXR M80
Submarine Designer
Standard Submarine
Southampton Ictineo
Tri-Logic v1, v2, and v3
Suncoast F2P
Hao Bassliner
Pike Vulcan XL
GK PLEX
Meridian Trinity
Marleaux Tonwerk
JHS Colour Box v2
Trickfish Trilobite
Arkham Oracle
Noble
Shift-Line Olympic MKIII
Grace ALiX
Probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting right now.

The Grace ALiX is my choice.
Click to expand...
No Broughtons on the list? I was hoping to figure out how the SVPre stacks up to some of the preamps I can’t afford.
 
#1,631
scubaduba said:
Here’s the list of preamp pedals I’ve been through:

Le Bass
MXR M80
Submarine Designer
Standard Submarine
Southampton Ictineo
Tri-Logic v1, v2, and v3
Suncoast F2P
Hao Bassliner
Pike Vulcan XL
GK PLEX
Meridian Trinity
Marleaux Tonwerk
JHS Colour Box v2
Trickfish Trilobite
Arkham Oracle
Noble
Shift-Line Olympic MKIII
Grace ALiX
Probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting right now.

The Grace ALiX is my choice.
Click to expand...

Wow, those words really have some weight given the experience behind them. Since the Grace Bix is a really close clone to the Alix without Mid Control, HPF and Phase switch for half the price would you think from your experience with the Alix that it could have the same quality or is there something in those features you really would not want to miss?
 
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#1,633
davejnssn said:
Wow, those words really have some weight given the experience behind them. Since the Grace Bix is a really close clone to the Alix without Mid Control, HPF and Phase switch for half the price would you think from your experience with the Alix that it could have the same quality or is there something in those features you really would not want to miss?
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I would not want to give up those controls.
 
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#1,635
shaggy45 said:
I’m gonna need you to stop buying expensive gear. Thanks.
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I should say that I am really impressed with the NUX Melvin Davis bass preamp. For the $$ it is an impressive piece of kit. It sounds really good and better than many of the more expensive devices on my list. For $179 USD you get sweepable mid control, IR (and you can load your own) cab sim, XLR out with ground lift and more. Plus it is small.

Oh and the gain control with OD sounds really good. Especially with the blend control. From just a hint of hair to all out distortion. It’s all there.
 
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#1,637
scubaduba said:
This is correct. The Noble is about as clean sounding as a tube pre can get I’d say. The Oracle is still in the cleanish side but if you crank the gain dial and hit it hard it will get a little gnarly. But nothing like OD still.

In my opinion the Oracle is the better device.

But the Grace ALiX is even better. It isn’t a tube preamp but somehow it has this spatial, 3D, bottomless sound. The phase reversing switch is magical. It is far more versatile than either the Oracle or Noble and is dead quiet. I mean, it is scary how silent the thing is.
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Tone-wise, how would you compare the Oracle and the Grace ALiX?
 
#1,638
The Grace:
Fuller
More spacial
More flexible with far more robust EQ
Smooth
Bottomless
Punchy but in a less aggressive way
Somehow manages to keep your sound yet adding some sparkle. Really hard to describe but it just sounds better.

Oracle:
More colored
Not as smooth
Not as clear
More aggressive
Punchy
Little hairy (but not much)
Not as full sounding
Didn’t work as well with all my basses

The Grace sounds like a studio console. The Oracle is less refined.
 
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