Two Notes Le Bass Players Club

[simotek]

I'm in the market for a tube di, since I can't afford any real full tube amps that fit my taste.

I'm into a more 'vintage' oriented sound: P-bass, old flatwounds, pic, and a sweet little breakup distortion, for some parts of our show even full on distortion.

My eye fell on the two notes because its speaker sim seems to give that darker sound, while the 12ax7 could provide some tube breakup. The thing that made me doubt a litte bit however, was the midscoop, because that's all but vintage sounding.

So, the question: anyone with a le bass that can tell me if preamp A has the eq possibilities to bump the mid by lowering the bass and trebble and bumping the gain, or will it stay a bit scooped? And if it is possible, would you call the result rather vintage sounding?

I get this sort of tone from my Ephiphone Zenith (Semi Acoustic) with Nylon tapewounds. I guess one of the main differences is that has a active eq so I give it a mid scoop from the basses eq, if your bass already has pretty much that mid scoop its easy enough to set the Le Bass flat to pass it through but you'll potentially struggle to add much of a extra mid scoop to the A channel if you don't already have one (Although with the cab sim on its a bit easier) Maybe you'd need a extra eq pedal in front if you currently dial in the mid scoop on your amp. Having said that if your always playing with a little breakup you'll probably always be on channel B anyway (Channel A is 100% clean) and it may be less of a issue as you could mostly be running on channel A

I have mine dialed into the point of break up on Channel B when playing lightly `and a bit heavier distortion when playing really hard (I'm running a MXR Bass Comp in the FX Loop to even out the volume after and that seems to work well).

 

[EwoutDecraene]

I get this sort of tone from my Ephiphone Zenith (Semi Acoustic) with Nylon tapewounds. I guess one of the main differences is that has a active eq so I give it a mid scoop from the basses eq, if your bass already has pretty much that mid scoop its easy enough to set the Le Bass flat to pass it through but you'll potentially struggle to add much of a extra mid scoop to the A channel if you don't already have one (Although with the cab sim on its a bit easier) Maybe you'd need a extra eq pedal in front if you currently dial in the mid scoop on your amp. Having said that if your always playing with a little breakup you'll probably always be on channel B anyway (Channel A is 100% clean) and it may be less of a issue as you could mostly be running on channel A

I have mine dialed into the point of break up on Channel B when playing lightly `and a bit heavier distortion when playing really hard (I'm running a MXR Bass Comp in the FX Loop to even out the volume after and that seems to work well).

Hey, thanks for the reply!
What I'm actually looking for is to not have that midscoop. But if A is completely clean, i'll use B as you said and that one has a mid control, so that shouldn't be a problem indeed.

How does the pedal respond to overdrives in front of it?

 

[simotek]

Hey, thanks for the reply!
What I'm actually looking for is to not have that midscoop. But if A is completely clean, i'll use B as you said and that one has a mid control, so that shouldn't be a problem indeed.

How does the pedal respond to overdrives in front of it?

The only other overdrives I have here are in my Boss ME-50b and they sound much better going through it then without (Especially the Fuzz) although they aren't great to start with.

 

[CharlieC]

I'm in the market for a tube di, since I can't afford any real full tube amps that fit my taste.

I'm into a more 'vintage' oriented sound: P-bass, old flatwounds, pic, and a sweet little breakup distortion, for some parts of our show even full on distortion.

My eye fell on the two notes because its speaker sim seems to give that darker sound, while the 12ax7 could provide some tube breakup. The thing that made me doubt a litte bit however, was the midscoop, because that's all but vintage sounding.

So, the question: anyone with a le bass that can tell me if preamp A has the eq possibilities to bump the mid by lowering the bass and trebble and bumping the gain, or will it stay a bit scooped? And if it is possible, would you call the result rather vintage sounding?

For the tone goals you describe, I would not be at all concerned with the more modern sounding Channel A, which to my ears, exists as scooped only because bass and treble are boost only and are flat when both near full-off. Go directly to Channel B.

You will love the wonderful darkness of the Cabinet sim, the tube breakup, the sweepable active mid, and the wealth of tone on that side of the fence. Cold fuse to taste with Channel A.

Buy with confidence, and worst case, undo with a hassle-free return policy.

Cheers!

 

[EwoutDecraene]

For the tone goals you describe, I would not be at all concerned with the more modern sounding Channel A, which to my ears, exists as scooped only because bass and treble are boost only and are flat when both near full-off. Go directly to Channel B.

You will love the wonderful darkness of the Cabinet sim, the tube breakup, the sweepable active mid, and the wealth of tone on that side of the fence. Cold fuse to taste with Channel A.

Buy with confidence, and worst case, undo with a hassle-free return policy.

Cheers!

Haha, that's what I hoped to hear around here! Thank you for you answer!

 

[DennyOnBass]

Just as an FYI from my previous post, I took the initiative today to set up the MIDI programming that I'll be using to switch patches on the Source Audio EQ I'll be getting tomorrow. It was a piece of cake, not a very "normal" process but pretty easy. I tested it by running the MIDI out to an old Boss VF-1, patches switched fine.

I also dug out my ratty old Boss GEB-7 EQ and did some experimenting. I think the Source Audio EQ will be great in front of the Le Bass. I got some great tones, just the sauce I was looking for. The Source Audio should be even better.

 

[EwoutDecraene]

Just got mine, sounds amazing!

Is does give a little plop when switching from fusion mode to a single mode. Not between the a and b mode. Is this normal?

Edit: seems not to happen through headhones, and mostly caused by the excessive gain of the hot fusion mode. Gained it down to a useable level and the pops are almost not happening anymore, say once every 15 switches when using a loud P.A.

First impression after a little bit of time with it: very different than I thought, but awesome.

Love the A channel, which I thought I wouldn't because I was looking for a vintage sound, but with my bass and settings it's really vintage sounding. Gain at max, bass off and treble around 10. Very attacky/ampy sound with a lot of body, really like the eq on it. Reminds me a bit of when i play through my hiwatt custom 100. With the flatwounds, it makes my Pbass sound a bit like a less dry version of a hofner, very nice. Has the possibility of MASSIVE bass.

B channel: I thought this would give me the vintage tones, but i'm not a fan of the distortion when cranked up for the sound of my band. Quite modern sounding distortion. I now have it set to sound like the A channel (which is really hard and still can't get it 100%) but with a little break up and pumped up sound.
Maybe I'll have to experiment a bit with different tubes to see if I can get a distortion that I like better.

Fusion modes
Cold: now just a bit like a boosted version of A and B together, so that's nice. Very very helpfull when you crank up B but still want to retain the low end, really does the trick.
Hot: not a fan for use in my band, otherwise: gnarly grind.

All in all: very happy. The a channel gives me what I need in the band when combining it with my other drive pedals. The B is a nice little step up from that A sound if you set it correctly. A channel alone was worth the money for me.

Don't get me wrong, the B side is very usefull because of it's powerfull EQ, the sound of the distortion is just not what I was looking for. But I can see this work in many different settings.

Speakersim is wonderfull if you play with a pic, but I can see why some wouldn't like it with fingers, I do though

Very sturdy desing also!

 

[CharlieC]

Just got mine, sounds amazing!

Is does give a little plop when switching from fusion mode to a single mode. Not between the a and b mode. Is this normal?

Edit: seems not to happen through headhones, and mostly caused by the excessive gain of the hot fusion mode. Gained it down to a useable level and the pops are almost not happening anymore, say once every 15 switches when using a loud P.A.

First impression after a little bit of time with it: very different than I thought, but awesome.

Love the A channel, which I thought I wouldn't because I was looking for a vintage sound, but with my bass and settings it's really vintage sounding. Gain at max, bass off and treble around 10. Very attacky/ampy sound with a lot of body, really like the eq on it. Reminds me a bit of when i play through my hiwatt custom 100. With the flatwounds, it makes my Pbass sound a bit like a less dry version of a hofner, very nice. Has the possibility of MASSIVE bass.

B channel: I thought this would give me the vintage tones, but i'm not a fan of the distortion when cranked up for the sound of my band. Quite modern sounding distortion. I now have it set to sound like the A channel (which is really hard and still can't get it 100%) but with a little break up and pumped up sound.
Maybe I'll have to experiment a bit with different tubes to see if I can get a distortion that I like better.

Fusion modes
Cold: now just a bit like a boosted version of A and B together, so that's nice. Very very helpfull when you crank up B but still want to retain the low end, really does the trick.
Hot: not a fan for use in my band, otherwise: gnarly grind.

All in all: very happy. The a channel gives me what I need in the band when combining it with my other drive pedals. The B is a nice little step up from that A sound if you set it correctly. A channel alone was worth the money for me.

Don't get me wrong, the B side is very usefull because of it's powerfull EQ, the sound of the distortion is just not what I was looking for. But I can see this work in many different settings.

Speakersim is wonderfull if you play with a pic, but I can see why some wouldn't like it with fingers, I do though

Very sturdy desing also!

Congrats!

I double-checked my Le Bass for "fusion to single-channel switching pop" and could not induce it at all after numerous tries.

 

[EwoutDecraene]

Congrats!

I double-checked my Le Bass for "fusion to single-channel switching pop" and could not induce it at all after numerous tries.

It seems to have disappeared with mine as well! Guess it was a combo of the amount of gain and quite a big P.A. that was a tad too loud to really test it while i was sitting on the subs

Now i've noticed that my internal leds do not switch really well from a to b. Keeps flickering green when going to B. Quite strange. The ground lift button also gives a big plop, not very nice in live situations, but i guess both are nothing to really worry about

I've found a setting for the B channel in which I really like the brealup!

 

[Johnny Mac]

So my Le Bass seems to have died on me it still passes the un-preamplified signal, and the LEDs all work, but none of the controls work and none of the effects in the loop are audible. Tried through both the regular output and with headphones, don't have the means to try the DI but I don't expect a better result.

Was rearranging my board yesterday and it worked perfectly fine when I played through it then. Could it be as simple as a fried tube? Any suggestions?

EDIT: Popped it open to check if the tube was loose. Secured fine, and was also still warm, which would seem to indicate that there was signal going through it.

EDIT 2: Powered it on for a while to see if the tube lights up. The filaments in the back still glow, but the ones up front don't (and they usually do). I'm gonna chalk this up to a bad tube, unless you guys have any other ideas.

 

[CharlieC]

So my Le Bass seems to have died on me it still passes the un-preamplified signal, and the LEDs all work, but none of the controls work and none of the effects in the loop are audible. Tried through both the regular output and with headphones, don't have the means to try the DI but I don't expect a better result.

Was rearranging my board yesterday and it worked perfectly fine when I played through it then. Could it be as simple as a fried tube? Any suggestions?

EDIT: Popped it open to check if the tube was loose. Secured fine, and was also still warm, which would seem to indicate that there was signal going through it.

EDIT 2: Powered it on for a while to see if the tube lights up. The filaments in the back still glow, but the ones up front don't (and they usually do). I'm gonna chalk this up to a bad tube, unless you guys have any other ideas.

Engage Two Notes Support and simultaneously source a new tube to try.

 

[Johnny Mac]

Engage Two Notes Support and simultaneously source a new tube to try.

I'm planning to get a replacement tube tonight. If switching it doesn't fix the issue then I'll be contacting them immediately.

 

[Bellbass]

I also have a problem: there's an unwanted distorsion (fart) that just kills the tone no matter the set-up. The issue is that the problem comes and goes. On top, I've got a complicated set-up that renders troubleshooting very difficult. But I'm now pretty sure it comes from the preamp. I was wondering if anybody as had a similar problem?

I've already written to Two Notes about it and will change the tube (but because of the intermittent nature of the problem I probably won't know for sure if it's solved...)

 

[Johnny Mac]

Since I'm getting a replacement tube, I know some people have experimented with other tube types besides the 12ax7, so I may pick up a few different types, maybe a 12au7 and a 12at7.

I can go back through the thread, but what should I expect with other tube types?

 

[EwoutDecraene]

Since I'm getting a replacement tube, I know some people have experimented with other tube types besides the 12ax7, so I may pick up a few different types, maybe a 12au7 and a 12at7.

I can go back through the thread, but what should I expect with other tube types?

I think the previous post about tubes was mostly about different brands. A lower gain tube might flatten your sound a bit in the A channel a bit, but it could have some cool effects on the B side! Would be glad to hear your opinion if you tried it out, but I think the best sound will still come from a ax7 as it was designed around that tube

 

[Johnny Mac]

I think the previous post about tubes was mostly about different brands. A lower gain tube might flatten your sound a bit in the A channel a bit, but it could have some cool effects on the B side! Would be glad to hear your opinion if you tried it out, but I think the best sound will still come from a ax7 as it was designed around that tube

I wound up just getting a 12ax7, as I didn't want to burn a bunch of cash when I wasn't sure it would fix the problem.

As it turns out, it didn't fix the problem contacted Two Notes and was told it sounds like a broken bypass relay, so off to the shop it goes.

 

[CharlieC]

I wound up just getting a 12ax7, as I didn't want to burn a bunch of cash when I wasn't sure it would fix the problem.

As it turns out, it didn't fix the problem contacted Two Notes and was told it sounds like a broken bypass relay, so off to the shop it goes.

Sorry to hear this, please keep this thread posted as to the resolution.

Do you need to ship the unit to France?

 

[EwoutDecraene]

Man

I wound up just getting a 12ax7, as I didn't want to burn a bunch of cash when I wasn't sure it would fix the problem.

As it turns out, it didn't fix the problem contacted Two Notes and was told it sounds like a broken bypass relay, so off to the shop it goes.

Oh man, that's too bad.. I hope you get it back soon!

 

[Deak]

Hey Le Bass folks. This might seem like one of those foolish questions that you should never feel foolish about asking so here goes. I love what my Le Bass does but since taking delivery on a Mesa D-800 I've been tempted to use the Le Bass pre with it.

Is it correct to think that I can run the Le Bass into the "aux in" on the D-800 with no fears of damage on either unit. I guess I'm being very cautious because of the expense of both.

I could not find anything on line regarding both specifically being used together.

Thanks.

 

[CharlieC]

Is it correct to think that I can run the Le Bass into the "aux in" on the D-800 with no fears of damage on either unit. I guess I'm being very cautious because of the expense of both.

Yes, 1/4" TS out from Le Bass into D-800 AUX IN.