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VT + Power amp bass rig

B

brettf

Oct 12, 2008
241
0
Victoria, BC, Canada
#1
Hi, I'm very close to ordering a Carvin DCM1540L power amp so i can run my VT pedal as my head.

But i'm looking for anyones experiences using the VT with a Power amp. Ive never done it, so i just want to make sure its not a terrible idea!

If it works out how i imagine it, it will be a great way to get ampeg tone at any volume while being easier to carry than a SVT or V4.


Still haven't decided on a cab yet so chime in on that also... Looking for something lightweight, medium powered (410 or 212 ish), and vintage type tone.
 
#2
The power amp is going to want to see a line line level signal (not the instrument level signal that the VT puts out). You'll need some kind of preamp. There are plenty of mic pre's around $100-$200 that will work fine. If you're on a budget you can get an ART Tube MP for about $40 until you can afford something better.
 
#3
if it were me, i'd spend the extra $20 and get the DCM2000L. its the same weight, has a little more power and is capable of running at 2 ohms per side or 4 ohms bridged mono. not necessarily that you you'd need all that power, but it does make it more versatile driving the additional lower impedance (like if you eventually had two 4 ohm cabs).
 
#8
The vt has a very high output so it has the ability to drive a poweramp. If they didn't want you to do that they would have given it a more sensible volume range. I wouldn't do it this way because the knobs are so sensitive that I would be afraid they would move during a gig but it is possible (and it probably sounds good too).
 
#9
The VT into power-amp works very well.

In my signal chain I feed the VT into a Carl Martin 3b para EQ (for room adjustments) which has line level 1/4" and XLR outputs. Since my power-amp is quite sensitive, I can use both 1/4" or XLR, which is of course 3dB hotter.

Just be mindful to set EQ / Gain on the VT for minimum noise. Within it's sweet spot the VT produces gorgeous tone, outside it hisses worse than a basket of snakes....
 
#10
Line level is +4 dBu, instrument level is around -20 dBV. That's a lot to make up for. I'm sure you can get enough output from the VT to get some volume, but you'll be working the power amp a lot harder, and I'd imagine there will be some noise issues as well.

As far as the whole "why would they give it such high output" issue, the gain on guitar amps goes to 10. They generally don't sound very good like that. Same with this. I'm not saying it can't work, just that it will work better doing it the "correct" way.
 
#11
Works beautifully with the Carvin DCM2000L. More than powerful enough to drive the amp, and pretty much noise free. The VT is more versatile as a preamp in a live setting than you would think.

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#12
The pedal was designed to be able to drive a power amp. Here is a quote from my vt pedal manual...."AS A PRE AMP driving a power amp. The 1/4" output of the character pedal has enough juice to drive a standard power amplifier. Simply connect the 1/4" output to the power amp input and adjust the level control accordingly. You will probably not use the bypass mode of the pedal in this setup."
I have tried it and it works great.
 
#16
username1 said:
The pedal was designed to be able to drive a power amp. Here is a quote from my vt pedal manual...."AS A PRE AMP driving a power amp. The 1/4" output of the character pedal has enough juice to drive a standard power amplifier. Simply connect the 1/4" output to the power amp input and adjust the level control accordingly. You will probably not use the bypass mode of the pedal in this setup."
I have tried it and it works great.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting that. The "it won't properly drive a power amp" argument was getting tiresome.
 
#20
I use my Ampeg Micro-VR as a preamp (and as an ever-present backup amp) into the return of my Markbass LM-II (using the LM-II as a poweramp). I have also used the Micro-VR straight into the input and preamp of the LM-II. Both methods work perfectly. The VR pedal puts out about the same level as the Micro-VR send, so it should have no trouble driving a power amp as it is well above a line level signal.
 

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