VT Bass - Still on your board?

[Evan J]

The “amp in a box” has become a very crowded market in the last 15 years.

Anyone still have the good old VT Bass on their board?

If not, what has replaced it?

 

[Turtle71]

The “amp in a box” has become a very crowded market in the last 15 years.

Anyone still have the good old VT Bass on their board?

If not, what has replaced it?

View attachment 5363887

It's not going to be the popular answer, but here it is (for me anyway).

I replaced pretty much all of my analog pedals (including the VT Bass) with some form of Helix product, either my Helix LT or my HX Stomp mini board.

I'm not going to say the Helix stuff is better, that fight has been fought to death around here , I will say the Helix stuff is good enough for me to have it as my main source for nearly all of my tones these days...load ins/outs and sound checks are seamless and fast, and I've yet to come across a professional sound guy that didn't like the tone I sent him. YMMV.

But...I do miss the VT Bass and a few other analog pedal from time to time, so there may be an all analog board around my house somewhere.

 

[Evan J]

I replaced pretty much all of my analog pedals (including the VT Bass) with some form of Helix product

Yeah… the hipster in me wants to dislike the helix preamp sounds. But they sound too good to ignore.

I still haven’t taken the plunge into fully digital. But stronger men than me have fallen…

 

[Turtle71]

Yeah… the hipster in me wants to dislike the helix preamp sounds. But they sound too good to ignore.

I still haven’t taken the plunge into fully digital. But stronger men than me have fallen…

Well, 100% transparency, my HX Stomp mini board currently has 3 other pedals on it...Not necessarily because I have to have them, but with the HX Stomps DSP limitations, having external effects allows me to get up to some where near what the Helix LT can do.

 

[bassness]

I bought my V1 VT Bass when it first came out and I still use it as my main preamp. I've tried a few other preamp pedals but the VT always ends up winning.

I also have a copy of Helix Native and I'm not really a fan. I don't play out anymore so I don't have a need for an amp since I just play at home. I use my pedalboard into an Element loaded with some various cab sims and that goes out into reference monitors. That setup beats the Helix or any other amp sim that I've tried for both recording and playing.

 

[LSMFT6]

I bought my V1 VT Bass when it first came out and I still use it as my main preamp. I've tried a few other preamp pedals but the VT always ends up winning.

Ever try the V2? Turning off the speaker sim really opened up the pedal for me, it’s a modern classic for sure.

 

[Evan J]

Ever try the V2? Turning off the speaker sim really opened up the pedal for me, it’s a modern classic for sure.

Would y’all consider any of the newer pedals a “clone” or a “copy” of the VT?

 

[Tom Henrich]

It's not going to be the popular answer, but here it is (for me anyway).

I replaced pretty much all of my analog pedals (including the VT Bass) with some form of Helix product, either my Helix LT or my HX Stomp mini board.

I'm not going to say the Helix stuff is better, that fight has been fought to death around here , I will say the Helix stuff is good enough for me to have it as my main source for nearly all of my tones these days...load ins/outs and sound checks are seamless and fast, and I've yet to come across a professional sound guy that didn't like the tone I sent him. YMMV.

But...I do miss the VT Bass and a few other analog pedal from time to time, so there may be an all analog board around my house somewhere.

This is why I love music. There is no one size fits all, everyone must conform. I jumped on the Line 6 and digital stuff in the '00s.

It's not going to be the popular answer, but here it is (for me anyway).

I replaced pretty much all of my analog pedals (including the VT Bass) with some form of Helix product, either my Helix LT or my HX Stomp mini board.

I'm not going to say the Helix stuff is better, that fight has been fought to death around here , I will say the Helix stuff is good enough for me to have it as my main source for nearly all of my tones these days...load ins/outs and sound checks are seamless and fast, and I've yet to come across a professional sound guy that didn't like the tone I sent him. YMMV.

But...I do miss the VT Bass and a few other analog pedal from time to time, so there may be an all analog board around my house somewhere.

This one of the beautiful things about music. There is no right or wrong. In the '00s I hopped right on board the Line 6 / digital boat. In the '20s I abandoned ship. LOL. Starting with the amps it's solid state or tube amps only. And no on board effects. Pods, Zoom, Moer, etc. processors, into storage you go. The only thing digital I am using is the Line 6 Echo Park. I like having more of the different delay options. The Boss DD3 gets swapped in every once in a while. MXR Dyna Comp -> Sansamp GT2. Sounds amazing. The funny thing is that I was going to sell the GT2. For whatever reason I was looking through the manual and saw the section for bass players showing how to get the VT sound. Holy smokes it sounds incredible. It's my always on, desert island pedal. GREAT as a preamp.

Full Disclosure: On my board is a Sonuus BTM converter that feeds the Roland GR20 guitar synth and the amp it's running into is a Line 6 Spider IV. I'm not overly concerned with the tone for the synth. And at home I run the Behringer Bass V-Amp in the effects loop. I like some of the effects on it. Ultra Bass is like an octave pedal. The Bass Synth sounds kind of cool. Auto-Wah is self explanatory.

 

[klokker]

My VT Deluxe is really the only tone shaping pedal on my small board and I often bypass it. But yes, it's still on my board, and that's it for me. Don't need or want any other pedals.

 

[Evan J]

My VT Deluxe is really the only tone shaping pedal on my small board and I often bypass it. But yes, it's still on my board, and that's it for me. Don't need or want any other pedals.

I have a buddy who uses it the exact same way. He uses it when he wants a little dirt, but often he’s just clean.

 

[Dynacord]

I still have the V1 (Mike Putnam modded with XLR out). I still like it but Shift Line Olympic MKIII bumped it for me (for the last couple years, at least).
If actually playing through an amp, I really like the built in ones - which are tube - in Ashdown Little Stubby and CTM 100, so I don't use an out board one then.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Ditched preamp pedals (including VT) since I switched to active basses. Sadowsky Modern - J48 - desk works great. It is the sound engineer's job to mix, not mine. I don't need to sound like playing through an amp either.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

It went on the shelf for a while, but it's back - both the pedal & DI.
I don't always have it engaged, but it's available - and these days I'll even use the speaker simulator on the DI! (tastes change)

All the other's are gone; BDDI v1 & v2 and the Para.
Eventually... the Pedal version w/Putnam Blend mod is on the list.

 

[JimmyM]

I’ve been using a VT Deluxe lately.

 

[fretno]

Yup its on mine.

 

[arepa_funk]

I've got a V2 and I still really dig it. I switch preamps a lot though, so it doesn't have a permanent spot but it is in rotation. I like going boost into V2 into Finally tube DI. I only play passive basses fwiw.

 

[burgerdj]

My PBDDI hasn’t left my setup since it joined about 15 years ago. Sounds great, FOH knows what it is, bullet proof reliable analog tech. It’s a keeper.

 

[msgoodrich]

I loved the VT Deluxe and used it for a long time. But it died and i never replaced it.

 

[heavyfunkmachin]

Yes. I had that one, the deluxe, and now the DI version. I’ve tried others and nothing compares, I have the stomp but I like the immediacy of having my amo controls at my feet

 

[birminghambass]

Still my main preamp. Bought my VT 15ish years ago. Been through at least a dozen preamps, the VT is the last man standing.