Preamp recomendations?

[Freddie75]

Hi all,

Thinking of purchasing a crown xls drivecore 1500 and then purchasing a couple of rackable preamps. I have an aguilar tone hammer pedal so gonna start with that - just wouldnt mind a few options for the varius bands I play in. Anyone have experience using the crown and if so which preamps can you recommend to use with it? I play mainly funk/soul/reggae/dance stuff but also in a foo fighters tribute. Also, where is the best place to purchase from?

Thanks for reading and any advice is appreciated.
Freddie

[Bolo]

I'm not very familiar with rackable preamps. Alembic has some popular ones I think, and line6 has a rack pod pro maybe? There must be plenty made for studio use etc.
The Jules Monique gets rave reviews but is not a rack unit I think.
There are also the thirty-odd pedal preamps that would do the trick, and probably cheaper so you could mix&match a couple.
The sale/trade section on here are a great place to start looking.
Can check evilbay, but I have found some good prices by typing the unit name of choice in to google and selecting 'shopping'.

People who actually know about preamps should be along shortly

[sk8]

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1379830111' post='2217068']
I'm not very familiar with rackable preamps. Alembic has some popular ones I think, and line6 has a rack pod pro maybe? There must be plenty made for studio use etc.
The Jules Monique gets rave reviews but is not a rack unit I think.
There are also the thirty-odd pedal preamps that would do the trick, and probably cheaper so you could mix&match a couple.
The sale/trade section on here are a great place to start looking.
Can check evilbay, but I have found some good prices by typing the unit name of choice in to google and selecting 'shopping'.

People who actually know about preamps should be along shortly
[/quote]

Jules Monique is available as a rackmount and is probably top of the tree

[Freddie75]

Great stuff thanks guys.

Regards
Freddie

[lozbass]

I've bought and sold a lot of pres over the past few years. A DB680 might fit the bill (if you can find one) - very versatile overall with extremely extensive tweaking possibilities, and good for on-the-fly adjustments in a gigging situation. The downside is that you won't get much grit or break-up if that's important to you. As noted the Alembic pres are a good choice - well-built and versatile, with the SF2 being my favourite (extraordinary tone-shaping possibilities but you'll need the manual to even make a start). Some of the Ampeg pres are decent and good value second-hand. I was close to buying a Monique myself (as suggested they are available as a rackmount), however, decided that the tone wasn't really for me - that said, a lovely handbuilt pre with some great tones. Of all the pres I've had, all that remain are the SF2 and a Millennia TD-1 (the latter bought in preference to the Monique). The Millennia has twin topology so is switchable from valve to SS - I prefer the SS as it's extremely crisp. The EQ on the Millennia is genuinely of mastering grade - it's a delight and puts almost everything else I've used in the shade.

[dincz]

If you don't necessarily want dirt, or are prepared to use a separate pedal for that, there' s whole range of mic preamps/channel strips that would do the job nicely, e.g. Presonus, ART. Rack preamps typically have more available output level than you'll ever need - no problem at all driving the Crown.

[Mark Dixon]

I'm with lozbass - Aguilar DB680 is very nice sounding, Millennia TD-1 is truly truly epic, and is versatile as it can be used for a range of instruments, not just bass, but I plumped for the Jule Monique, which suits my style of playing and gives me the sound I want..

How much do you want to spend?

[stevie]

Try a Behringer PEQ 2200 5-band parametric equalizer. It's a mono unit, has a jack input that will match your bass and offers balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (jack) outputs to your amp. The EQ section is more flexible than any bass amp on the planet and it also offers a low cut (at 30Hz I think) and bypass switches for each EQ section or for the entire unit. It's totally transparent in operation and very quiet.
The downside is that it has Behringer on the front. Plus, it probably offers more flexibility than anyone could possibly need, which takes a bit of getting used to - plenty of people prefer the simplicity of just bass mid and treble controls.
They don't make them anymore, but you can pick them up on eBay for about £50. I'll stick my head out and suggest that in a blind test you won't be able to hear any difference between this and loz's Millenia (at £1500).