Naetharu Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Hi folks, I'm new to this idea of a DI-box/Pre-amp and so I am hoping that you might be able to give me a few pointers to help me along. I'm after something that can offer me the following features: Balanced Line-out with ground-lift as the line-out from my amp is horrid (lots of unwanted white noise) A good flexible EQ that will allow me to get some gritty boosted mid-frequencies to cut through the noisy guitars Some nice overdrive / fuzz / distortion that I can subtly blend into my clean signal to give a growl The addition of an Aux-in / Headphone out would be a great bonus but I can live without that if there was a great box that had all the above features nailed. At the moment the boxes I have been considering are: (1) MXR M80: http://www.thomann.de/gb/mxr_m80_bass_di_plus.htm (2) Darkglass BK7: http://www.thomann.de/gb/darkglass_microtubes_b7k_bass_overdrive.htm (3) Ampeg SCR DI: http://www.thomann.de/gb/ampeg_scr_di.htm I'm kind of torn between them and I'm finding it hard to get a good comparison video / review. Does anyone here have experience with these and perhaps could give me some indication of how impressive (or not) they are when used both live into an amp and direct into a mixing desk? I'm especially interested in how effective you found the EQ shaping and whether or not the over-driven sounds on them were usable for getting the kind of mild grit you hear from the likes of Johnny Christ's bass work with Avenged Sevenfold. Also, if you happen to know of any other similar DI/Pre-amp pedals that I could consider I would be really interested to know about them and hear your thoughts. It's pretty confusing to me at the moment so any guidance you can offer would be great. All the best James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfFrink Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) [list] [*]I obviously don't knwo anything about your amp or your setup, but are you sure the noise is coming from the amp? Cabinets tend to act like low-pass filters, so it's possible that the noise is somewhere else in your signal chain but is just more pronounced in your DI out. [*]It seems like "dirt" sounds are extremely subjective, and also depend on your setup. Try to rely less on what people are saying and more on your ears and try to test pedals before buying, or be prepared to shuffle a few of them before you find the "right one". [*]Of the ones you mention, I sort of have the b7k, because i have a b3k, which is the same only without the EQ and DI parts. It seems like some people swear by it and somd don't connect. For me, I've had it for only a few weeks and it seems like an acquired taste for me. When I just got it I didn't understand it at all and couldn't find a usable sound. Now I start liking it more and finding sounds that look like something I can use. The EQ controls on the b7k seems sort of "normal" but the EQ baked into the dirt circuit is pretty weird (I think you're getting both on the b7k). Also if you plan to buy used, take into account that there are a few versions of this circuit out there. The main difference seems to be in the switches. [/list] Edited October 11, 2015 by ProfFrink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I`d also put the Aguilar Tonehammer into the mix to be considerd as well. Have to say though, as soon as I saw the post my thoughts were for the MXR. The Ampeg is great, does a really good Ampeg (well it would wouldn`t it) sound, warm, rich, and rounded - maybe not quite edgy enough for metal though. However I thought it was very good and so did a sound engineer at a gig I did last weekend. The gain, and the blend are very nice, to get a mild grit there are different ways of achieving this and they all sound good, so quite versatile in this respect. Like I say though, take a look at the Tonehammer - it`s a really nice pedal and capable of some very good breakup/grit sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I use one of the Dave Hall Amps EQ/DI pedals & find it to be very good; I use it both for clean EQing in one band and tube over drive in another - have used it both live & direct into the desk for recording and it's performed as desired in both circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Few things are more 'personal' than choice of pedal pre-amp! I've used two of the three you list, plus probably half a dozen more. As of now I have at least three pedals that would tick your boxes if you were me. But you're not me! Basschat is a great resource, especially when you move into meatspace. If you ask around, you'll soon find a dozen Basschatters within a short journey of your front door who'll offer to let you play through their preamp pedals. Don't buy blind (or should that be deaf?), go out and meet real bassists and try their stuff out. If that's not for you, for whatever reason, then add the Sansamp BDDI and The Hartke Attack to your list ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 As above really, try what you can Also when you say "metal" it really depends what sort... there are so many vastly different sub genres of metal that they shouldn't even really fall under the same catagory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Definitely Darkglass. Great pedal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 [quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1444657208' post='2884813'] Definitely Darkglass. Great pedal! [/quote] Yup, you're right, there's only one possible answer. Bwahahahahahahaha!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naetharu Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) Cheers for all the great advice folks! It's been really helpful seeing what you have to say about them. [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1444656309' post='2884805'] Don't buy blind (or should that be deaf?), go out and meet real bassists and try their stuff out. [/quote] Great advice there - I may just have to put out a call to see if any kind souls are willing to let me noodle some metal riffs on their gear. It's just a case of finding the time to do it as the days are busy and the evenings taken up with band-practices at the moment in preparation for a big gig at the end of the month. Out of interest, would anyone recommend skipping a proper amp and simply using a pre-amp pedal into a PA/Power-Amp? Edited October 12, 2015 by Naetharu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 [quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1444667874' post='2884939'] Out of interest, would anyone recommend skipping a proper amp and simply using a pre-amp pedal into a PA/Power-Amp? [/quote] I've just started to do this with my Tech 21 VT Bass (it is into an amp head but straight into the power amp in socket - bypassing the heads preamp section altogether) and the sound I had at my gig on Saturday was probably the best I've ever had so yes I'd recommend trying it very highly. Incidentally, the VT Bass DI is one I'd definitely try too as it's a Sansamp based pedal (I believe the guy from Avenged Sevenfold uses a Sansamp of some kind). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 [quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1444667874' post='2884939'] Out of interest, would anyone recommend skipping a proper amp and simply using a pre-amp pedal into a PA/Power-Amp? [/quote] I do this for 99% of my gigs, don't even bother talking an amp. As long as the PA is full range and there is decent monitoring (nearly always the case with metal venues) you're just lugging an amp and cab around to basically have it as a prop on stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1444719267' post='2885223'] I do this for 99% of my gigs, don't even bother talking an amp. As long as the PA is full range and there is decent monitoring (nearly always the case with metal venues) you're just lugging an amp and cab around to basically have it as a prop on stage. [/quote] I think that he meant pedal>power amp>cab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1444719431' post='2885224'] I think that he meant pedal>power amp>cab [/quote] Oh I see... sorry I haven't had any coffee yet this morning. as you were then... Edited October 13, 2015 by CamdenRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naetharu Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Painy' timestamp='1444692470' post='2885180'] I believe the guy from Avenged Sevenfold uses a Sansamp of some kind [/quote] He (Johnny Christ - gotta love those hair-metal names >.< ) actually uses an MXR-M80 into a GK 2001RB. Found out thanks to Premier-Guitar doing a 'rig rundown' of his stuff. That was where I first got the idea that a pre-amp pedal might well be what I am after. I just want to check the options out before I leap for the MXR one. The Darkglass B7K is certainly looking tempting at the moment too - saw a wonderful demo video of it on YouTube by Patrick Hunter (great bass cover videos btw if anyone feels like checking them out). [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpOeLqBnVSg[/media] [Quote] [Quote] I think that he meant pedal>power amp>cab [/Quote] Oh I see... sorry I haven't had any coffee yet this morning. [/Quote] Aye, I was thinking more in terms of my personal rig here, but it's actually really helpful to know that you gig with just the pre-amp/DI too. Do you not find that you have issues with monitoring on stage that way or do you have some other means of hearing your own sound while playing? Edited October 13, 2015 by Naetharu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naetharu Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 Well after a lot of pondering the Ampeg SCR-DI won out in the end. The addition of the Aux-in/Headphone out coupled with the nice SVT style drive just seemed to work. Cheers for all of your advice folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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