Al Krow

Some very helpful posts, gents. Had a discussion with the OP a long while back as to what constitutes a multi-effect, he was of the view that more than one = multi, whereas for me "a few" = more than one but not many and that multi is more than a few i.e. many. Most pedals describing themselves as multifx do have many fx available (Zoom B1-4, Helix Stomp etc), so I personally wouldn't regard my VTDI as a "multi-fx" in commonly used bass-player parlance. But it does leave me wondering which of the so called "pre-amp" pedals you would agree on being a true pre-amp and which ones you would regard as being merely an EQ with tonal colour added? E.g. Noble, Tech 21 plethora (Q Strip, VTDI, BDDI, dUg DP-3X etc.) MXR M81, DG plethora (AO, B7K, X Ultra), EBS Microbass 2, 3, Stanley Clarke etc

I sense that @ped has taken the concept of "being on the shelf" to a whole new level.

Interesting one. Would you say the same thing about an iPhone?

I felt it was a pretty disappointing review by Juan of the SY1 - he does seem to be a bit hit and miss. I actually prefer the reviews done by the BasstheWorld crew, both entertaining and surprisingly informative.

I find the 3 light tuner on B1-4 to be incredibly whelming! But that pedal was my best gear purchase of 2020, which trumped two basses and a Barefaced cab, so probably entirely inappropriate to be still going on (and on and on!) about it a year later... 😁

I may have just acquired the other half of that once amazing rig that you began dismantling by plundering the amp from. So who is jinxing who now? 😁

Particularly liked the bit right at the end from 3.24 onwards. Love the story of you hearing that tone and thinking "yup that's what I want!"

We definitely need to your hear your clips! 🙂

The preamp / EQ / DI / headphone amp is down to a really good value £125 at GAK. If it can deliver that bottled 'valve' tone @gobasserk shared in his clips of his DB500H (and I'm assuming there shouldn't be any reason it won't?) then I agree it's a very tempting proposition! Only thing holding me back is I've got a Tech 21 VTDI sitting on my board already, but it might be neat to have this as a standalone pedal to slip into the gig bag...

Haha - we maybe need @Chienmortbb to put us out of our misery and share what he thinks the slope is! The Veyron is certainly an amazing value bit of kit and if it's delivering 18dB/octave cut below 30Hz, well that works for me.

It does blur at the edges though as the Q-strip also includes HPF and LPF, albeit not sweepable, whereas it provides a variable/sweepable dual-band mid EQ which the RE/Q doesn't. I was just using the Q Strip as one example of preamp/EQ with DI, obviously there are loads of others similarly featured with a DI e.g. MXR M81 or the excellent value Laney DB-Pre. And then you have something like the Boss EQ 200 which is a 'pure' EQ and doesn't. I'd be interested in whether folk consider the RE/Q to be closer to a classic pedal 'preamp' or a 'pure' EQ of the Boss EQ 200 variety? My hunch is that it may add a little Genzler Magellan tonal colour and would therefore fall into the 'preamp' category, but I'm looking forward to hearing the OP's review when he's had a chance to put one through its paces. In which case @rmorris's point about it lacking a DI out would be spot on.

What you're saying makes very good sense. It seems that 'preamp' pedals will typically have a DI out whereas 'pure' EQ pedals less commonly so. Although at exactly what point an EQ pedal decides it's a preamp is an interesting one! I guess a 'transparent' preamp is basically an EQ and introducing tonal colour marks the transition to being a preamp. The Tech 21 Q Strip, which does have a DI and which I suspect would be a competitor to the Genzler, markets itself as both.

But if an amp can comfortably deliver a higher wattage at 4ohm and the cab can receive it, is there any real downside? You mention headroom, but surely the quid pro quo with a 4 ohm cab is you don't need to dial the amp as much to get the same volume, so doesn't the current headroom point come out in the wash? I've heard folk describe 4 ohm cabs as allowing their amps to "breathe" more comfortably. Is that just wishful thinking?

Thanks very much for that - appreciated! I'm reading approx +3dB at 30Hz and down to -12dB at 15Hz: allowing for my error looks like a very respectable 12dB/octave HPF cut.

Hah, it's not your SY-1 I'm after! 😁

On my upgrade list for 2022, too! Maybe I can get Woody's when he sells his? Not least given that he's been patiently waiting for me to sell my SY-1 for over 2 years now... 😄 In the meantime, I'd best get around to working out how to switch my FI on before @ @Quatschmacher gives me a D-grade...

GR AT cabs - pros: great sound, super light weight, 4 and 8 ohm options; cons: build construction strength, price BF BB2 - pros: great sound, light weight; cons: 8ohm only, price

I've already given a stern warning about rabbit holes. They seem to be proliferating 😁

Yup, it really is that good!

I was kinda thinking that the guy who bought the sparkly one for £100 must be a bit gutted that ped sold his immediately after for £20 less! But clearly he isn't! 😁

Obviously it's great to have the ability to return stuff with online purchases as you can't try before you buy, but generally I try to get most of my stuff used anyway from BC or eBay (where no returns are typically available). I do very much try to avoid returning stuff if I can, as I know it's a killer for retailers' margins, but sometimes a piece of kit you've bought new arrives damaged / in much worse condition than you might expect from the B word (in this case B-stock - see pic posted earlier) and other times the kit is just not as good as the marketing (or even fellow BC'ers' enthusiasm!) has led you to believe. And given the other B word, I would also try to source locally from a UK supplier if I can, but Thomann still have stuff in their HB range which is fantastic value e.g. basses, pedal boards, PSUs and I've loved these too: Minotaur Bass Strap Black – Thomann UK Worth noting that Thomann do charge you for the privilege of returning items these days, where it's not a damage / warranty issue e.g. the piece of kit didn't live up to expectations. I paid £22 to have a HB bass returned so the costs end up being shared on non-warranty return between buyer and Thomann, which is fair enough.

Yes all things are possible 😁

Just received an email from them 24 hours after chasing them and initially being fobbed off with a sob-story about Customs delays, saying: "Dear customer, we received back your return and it will be processed as soon as possible..." I guess all's well that end's well, but it's a bit odd that it's taken me having to chase them up for them to realise that they have the item back! Ah well, maybe there's something useful in this for other readers of this thread, if they find themselves in similar circs.

DC = direct current?