The Great Bass Preamp/DI Comparison

[scubaduba]

@Bassworship1

Hmm. I don't think it's the brightness that's at play here. The Effectrode LA-1A is plenty bright (unlike the PC-2A). It's more of a phase thing.

 

[scubaduba]

Noble = Simple
Alix = Putting a man on the moon is easier

View attachment 3801254

But the Alix sounds better.

 

[chadhargis]

But the Alix sounds better.

I would imagine it's much more flexible.

 

[Bassworship1]

But the Alix sounds better.

That is Subjectable. Hard to know when there isn't many out there that even use the AliX as a bass preamp. There's a reason why Nobles sale super fast for as much or more than they cost new lol.

 

[scubaduba]

Well of course it's subjective. This whole thread is subjective.

How many sales a product has, or how often it is or isn't used by a bass player is not a direct correlation to whether something will sound good or bad.

There are a whole lot less bass players using Oracles than Nobles so the Noble must sound better.

 

[Bassworship1]

Well of course it's subjective. This whole thread is subjective.

lol. Most of the preamps we are discussing though have reviews and demos for buyers to determine for themselves. I'm Just saying it's hard to know how good the Alix is for bass because it's not documented by users using it. I'm sure it's fantastic as it looks to be a professional looking piece of gear.

 

[chadhargis]

That is Subjectable. Hard to know when there isn't many out there that even use the AliX as a bass preamp. There's a reason why Nobles sale super fast for as much or more than they cost new lol.

I have a hard time understanding why people like Darkglass so much. But then again, I'm not a metal head, so to me...Darkglass doesn't sound very good.

Bass to me will always be Carol Kaye, Duck Dunn, James Jamerson, Joe Osborne, David Hood, Bob Babbit, etc. That's the tone I love. I see the value of other tones such as Flea, Geddy, Vic, and others...but none sound as good as the old school guys to me.

This is my holy grail of tone. David Hood just lays it down on this tune:

 

[Ryno1330]

The Cali76 CB sounds better than the Effectrode in front of the Noble.

View attachment 3801229

Are you liking the noble a little more now?

 

[scubaduba]

Are you liking the noble a little more now?

It's a great device for sure. I prefer the Grace Alix and Arkham Oracle though.

 

[scubaduba]

I would imagine it's much more flexible.

That is true.

 

[chadhargis]

It's a great device for sure. I prefer the Grace Alix and Arkham Oracle though.

The Oracle is magically delicious. So fat and warm. Just what I like. It's like how I remember the Shaw sounding. I'm going to dig up my Shaw clips and take a listen.

 

[Bassworship1]

I kind of wish I hadn't put money down on the Noble before I got a RNDI. I would have gotten a Oracle to pair with the RNDI and saved money. Really like the addition of the RNDI to my collection. Hard to beat it for the money.

 

[PeterH]

Oh my. My terrible cord added some white noise to the Grace section of the demos. I hope you all don't mind that...

 

[PeterH]

Dear god I turned up the mix and it's almost unforgiveable. Going to rerecord ALiX section now, then.

 

[DirtyDuke]

Pre amp testing board. Broughton P15 is not in the pic. It's not really a pedalboard preamp

 

[MascisMan]

Oh my. My terrible cord added some white noise to the Grace section of the demos. I hope you all don't mind that...

Nope, feed me.

 

[MascisMan]

Pre amp testing board. View attachment 3801275

Thats not a board, that is a command center.

 

[MascisMan]

Most of the preamps we are discussing though have reviews and demos for buyers to determine for themselves. I'm Just saying it's hard to know how good the Alix is for bass because it's not documented by users using it.

It is a lesser known company. Also, I'm sure a lot of bass players pass it by when they search "preamp" at Sweetwater and see that the Alix is listed under "Acoustic Guitar Effects." Its byline states, "2-channel Acoustic Instrument/Microphone Preamp."

 

[PeterH]

Pre amp testing board. Broughton P15 is not in the pic. It's not really a seaboard preamp

View attachment 3801275

 

[Turn Em Loose]

I have a hard time understanding why people like Darkglass so much. But then again, I'm not a metal head, so to me...Darkglass doesn't sound very good.

Bass to me will always be Carol Kaye, Duck Dunn, James Jamerson, Joe Osborne, David Hood, Bob Babbit, etc. That's the tone I love. I see the value of other tones such as Flea, Geddy, Vic, and others...but none sound as good as the old school guys to me.

This is my holy grail of tone. David Hood just lays it down on this tune:

Yeah. David Hood doesn't suck, that's for sure.

I'm also a big fan of Tommy Cogbill. His tone and feel were second to none. IMO one of the best session guys of the Kate 60's-70's.