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The Preamp/OD/DI rabbit hole
- Thread starter Ed455
- Start date
This is pretty much where I ended up, although I have other ODs/preamps as well. But the SA deluxe is just incredibly efficient so I’m mostly using that lately. and I got it used for I think $130.
Seems to me what you're looking for is a Sansamp programmable or deluxe. You'll have three or more levels of warmth at your toes.
Save the change so you can take me to lunch when I come to JetBlue Park for a Red Sox spring training game.
I'll chime in here. Others have hinted at what I have to add. OD/warmth pedal is different set of needs from a preamp/DI. I use one of each, my OD/warmth pedal is a Sushi Box Underground Accelerator with a swapped-out tube (12at7 vs ax7 to lower the amount of "grit" in the OD). It works extremely well for both Electric Upright Bass and Electric Bass (P bass). It does not have features that I consider essential for a preamp - an XLR out that is switchable for different output levels, parametric EQ, HPF, etc. For that, I use a Tech 21 Q Strip. It has enough output to drive a power amp, and most of the OD/preamp pedals from what I can tell, do not. You could probably find both of these for $350 with some patience. You may not need all of the features of the Q Strip, in which case you could get away with a lower cost DI. In my case, I need the extra EQ possibilities and the XLR out from the preamp for recording purposes. Live, I can use the DI from my amp, but recording is done without an amp thus the need for a quality XLR DI in my preamp.
Hope this helps....
Hope this helps....
Just get a sansamp, or even a behringer bdi-21. Seriously, both are tools of the trade for adding a bit of warmth in the form of subtle, faux amp/cab tube style overdrive. you do NOT need a real tube to get tube style overdrive, it is all based on the clipping type and harmonics generated, all of which can be done either in the same way as a tube without using a tube in either analog or digital domains.
The behringer bdi21 has been the cheap magic box of many serious professional bassists for years and years, including myself. Straight instrument to xlr (And guitar jack out for your amp monitoring) DI, footswitchable amp/cab simulation that does a very very very good job of sounding like a great expensive system. Subtle distortion, not heavy even at it's higher settings.. just warmth.
the bdi21 has more tone control options if I recall than the sansamp that is copies, and is actually superior imho than the standard sansamp. but both are just great.
The benefit of the behringer is it's cheap, grab one locally or off amazon and try it out, or just keep it as your main or as a backup. For me it, and the sansamp upon which is it is based (although they don't sound exactly the same) have become the standard upon which all other pedal DI/OD/AMP+CABsims are compared.
Most come out lacking compared to either sansamp or the cheapo behringer unit.
The behringer one can even run off a 9v batter in case of emergency (lasts long enough for a long long gig or recording session, but generally that's an expensive way to use the box).
some advantages of the sansamp over behringer include that Sansamp has a bunch of different models, some of which include more than one footswitch so you can have different settings saved for different needs, etc.
However, with this type of pedal, I prefer a set it and forget it setup.
I never leave my home without the bdi21 in my gig bag. Sometimes it's used, sometimes it isn't.
And I use a big helix floorboard modeling system for my main setup... but there are times when it's not necessary (and it IS big, as noted), and also there are times when I'm given a DI and don't want to use the helix, in which case unless it's some showcase 3 songs rush setup/teardown situation, the soundman is normally fine with accepting whatever output the bassist wants to give, as long as the bassist isn't going to futz with the controls all night.
The behringer bdi21 has been the cheap magic box of many serious professional bassists for years and years, including myself. Straight instrument to xlr (And guitar jack out for your amp monitoring) DI, footswitchable amp/cab simulation that does a very very very good job of sounding like a great expensive system. Subtle distortion, not heavy even at it's higher settings.. just warmth.
the bdi21 has more tone control options if I recall than the sansamp that is copies, and is actually superior imho than the standard sansamp. but both are just great.
The benefit of the behringer is it's cheap, grab one locally or off amazon and try it out, or just keep it as your main or as a backup. For me it, and the sansamp upon which is it is based (although they don't sound exactly the same) have become the standard upon which all other pedal DI/OD/AMP+CABsims are compared.
Most come out lacking compared to either sansamp or the cheapo behringer unit.
The behringer one can even run off a 9v batter in case of emergency (lasts long enough for a long long gig or recording session, but generally that's an expensive way to use the box).
some advantages of the sansamp over behringer include that Sansamp has a bunch of different models, some of which include more than one footswitch so you can have different settings saved for different needs, etc.
However, with this type of pedal, I prefer a set it and forget it setup.
I never leave my home without the bdi21 in my gig bag. Sometimes it's used, sometimes it isn't.
And I use a big helix floorboard modeling system for my main setup... but there are times when it's not necessary (and it IS big, as noted), and also there are times when I'm given a DI and don't want to use the helix, in which case unless it's some showcase 3 songs rush setup/teardown situation, the soundman is normally fine with accepting whatever output the bassist wants to give, as long as the bassist isn't going to futz with the controls all night.
yup, exactly, can't go wrong with SA. industry standard for a reason. everybody should own one and use one (or the cheap and good copy bdi21)
I just picked up a ScrDi from Another user on this forum, before that I was using a digitech bad monkey modded for bass, but not being able to control the mids was hard.
Here is a clip of what the Scr-DI could sound like.
Listen to Ampeg Test (Birds Skip) by Birds Skip on #SoundCloud
Ampeg Test (Birds Skip)
Here is a clip of what the Scr-DI could sound like.
Listen to Ampeg Test (Birds Skip) by Birds Skip on #SoundCloud
Ampeg Test (Birds Skip)
if I recall correctly, that's because the ones that sound different on xlr include a cab simulation on xlr out but do not include cab simulation on the 1/4" out since you will be putting that through your amp. The idea is that the XLR out sounds like a miked up amp, and the 1/4" out goes back to your amp for you to monitor with and therefore doesn't need to sound like a miked up amp.
I have always been on the fence about that too, though, since it depends greatly on your amp and how you set it up, and largely on your speaker cab (hifi semi-flat PA style or bass cab that alters tone how you like?).
always a complex decision there.
The v2 update of the Bass Fly Rig has a button to turn off cab simulation, but it ONLY affects the 1/4" out - cab sim is always on using the XLR out. I like the way it sounds into my amp so I leave it on all the time.
Bang for buck, the BFR v2 is a pretty darn good deal. A lot of folks don't care for the Octafilter, I find it finicky but if I fiddle with it just so I can get some good sounds out of it. The Sansamp section includes two character modes and a channel switch, which is really handy, and the chorus/tuner is handy as well. The compressor is a little aggressive for my taste so I leave it on but at the lowest setting. Still, for $330 that's a pretty good toolkit.
awesome info, thx! yea, it was jeremy I was replying to about the bfr to make sure he understood that the competing products he didn't like as much actually were different sounding between 1/4 and xlr on purpose, same as sansamp and bdi21.
The BFR has caught my attention every time I see it online.... tempting, although I don't need more doodads, but I WANT more doodads.
Ok, first candidate ordered. Sansamp VT Bass DI. Thanks, everyone for your input. Based on everything that was said, I narrowed it down to the Sansamp VT Bass DI and the EBS Microbass 3. I picked up the Sansamp for $180 shipped (used) on Reverb. I'll have no problem flipping it at that price, if it isn't what I'm looking for.
I decided on the Sansamp over the EBS based upon many saying that the OD on the EBS was not as good as the OD on the Sansamp BDDI or VT. The videos I watched/heard seemed to back that up, but it was close. The EBS had some features I would have liked. The tuner would have cleaned up my pedal board and the A/B input would have been nice. Every recommendation given in this thread was considered and only one was eliminated outright (due to price). The Behringer was not seriously considered, because I've been burned by Behringer quality (lack thereof). Once bitten, twice shy.
I decided on the Sansamp over the EBS based upon many saying that the OD on the EBS was not as good as the OD on the Sansamp BDDI or VT. The videos I watched/heard seemed to back that up, but it was close. The EBS had some features I would have liked. The tuner would have cleaned up my pedal board and the A/B input would have been nice. Every recommendation given in this thread was considered and only one was eliminated outright (due to price). The Behringer was not seriously considered, because I've been burned by Behringer quality (lack thereof). Once bitten, twice shy.
I think you'll be very happy with that unit. And $180 for a VT is a good deal.
I agree with your take on Behringer. I've come across some acceptable stuff from them before, but more often than not I'm disappointed. The Sansamp won't disappoint.
Tech 21 SansAmp BDDI v2 - $250 at Sweetwater
This will give you a Stomp box format DI with gentle OD (up to a grinding OD), a decent tube emulation, as well as cab emulation.
Also to get rid of string sweep noise as you play, consider flats with the treble boosted a bit - I have a buddy that swears by them. I just live with the noise.
This will give you a Stomp box format DI with gentle OD (up to a grinding OD), a decent tube emulation, as well as cab emulation.
Also to get rid of string sweep noise as you play, consider flats with the treble boosted a bit - I have a buddy that swears by them. I just live with the noise.
I haven't done a deep dive on this, but have snorkeled a bit. Have probably tried about 6 "DI+" and I've also found that the "DI+" pedals hard to work with regarding the built in pre-amp effects. I agree with @Mushroo 's advice to get a nice DI and then you can preamp it however you like. I still use one of the "DI+" pedals on occasion, but have all the preamp stuff turned off in favor of other preamp options.
Recently when though the same search as you. And after a lot of purchase and returns this is the setup that works & sounds best to me:
Geddy Lee DI-2112 and a tuner pedal.
Nothing I've played through retains the bottom end-- AND allows for shaping of the bottom end-- like this pedal. In some ways it acts as a bi-amp pedal
Tech 21 SansAmp BDDI v2 - $250 at Sweetwater
This will give you a Stomp box format DI with gentle OD (up to a grinding OD), a decent tube emulation, as well as cab emulation.
Also to get rid of string sweep noise as you play, consider flats with the treble boosted a bit - I have a buddy that swears by them. I just live with the noise.
My go-to instrument is a Yamaha BBP35 with Cobalt Flats. The string sweep noise I noticed on my Stingray 5HH and My DJ-5. On my SR675 it's not as noticeable with that signature compressed sound of the SR. All three of those ore at home with my pedalboard. My Yammie is at church with just a tuner and a chorus pedal at the moment. I'm working on "my sound" with my pedal board at home. I want to be comfortable with my pedals and settings before deploying them during worship service.
My plan is to be able to travel with just an instrument and pedal board for remote events that have a good FOH system with subs. Currently I travel with a Mesa D800 and TC Electronics RS212. I really like this rig, but I get tired of hauling gear.
