Why use a preamp (like Sansamp)?

[isteen]

Why are you using a preamp?
To make you amp sound better, for the distortion, as a DI or?
I consider getting a Sansamp Paradriver to get a smooth vintage sound out of my budget TC Electronic BG250 combo. I also like the optional DI solution, for gigs etc. Am I getting the bassdriver for the wrong reasons, and why are YOU using one?
I prefer the Sansamp Paradriver instead of the original Sansamp Bassdriver DI for the smoother sound and more optional mid scoops.

Your comments would be most appreciated

[plunkrock]

I got mine because the venues my band were playing at were often using shared gear so I didn't always get to use my amp head. I play with a lot of dirt and wanted a way to get the same sound with as many different setups as possible, opted for a VT Bass DI.

I don't think there's a right or wrong with it though

[mike_b]

Personally I use my Sansamp BDDI for two reasons:

- It makes my tone a lot nicer IMO and sound more rounded and bulked out. It's a great way to achieve tone without spending thousands on a top end bass and head/ cab. Even though I generally gig with my musicman and Ashdown MAG head with 4x10 cab, you can still notice the difference in tone loss with the Sansamp off.

- The convenience of it being a D.I. box. I played a last minute gig with it on Friday, plugged my bass in the input and D.I'd out to the P.A. and it still sounded great. Much easier than lugging my cabs and head around sometimes!

I was unsure if I wanted to invest that much cash in a stompbox, but it really has been a revalation to me, I don't think I could go back to not using one. Although at the end of the day it is down to you and your personal preference, everyone wants their tone to be what sounds good to them

Edited July 14, 2014 by mike_b

[ahpook]

[quote name='plunkrock' timestamp='1405338408' post='2500887']
I got mine because the venues my band were playing at were often using shared gear so I didn't always get to use my amp head.
[/quote]

I use a Tronographic Rusty Box for just this reason

Edited July 14, 2014 by ahpook

[paul_5]

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1405342264' post='2500950']
I [s]use[/s] WANT a Tronographic Rusty Box for just this reason
[/quote]

[paul_5]

I've got a BB Bass preamp for the simple reason that I'd like a two channel head (one clean, one dirty) that's at least 400W and foot switchable. It's FAR cheaper to do it this way!

[Lozz196]

[quote name='plunkrock' timestamp='1405338408' post='2500887']
I got mine because the venues my band were playing at were often using shared gear so I didn't always get to use my amp head. I play with a lot of dirt and wanted a way to get the same sound with as many different setups as possible, opted for a VT Bass DI.

I don't think there's a right or wrong with it though
[/quote]

This is my main reason. I use my amp as a power amp, and all of my eq and drive (not much though) come from the VT DI. Soundmen love it as no matter what I do on-stage volume wise they are still in control FOH, and no matter what rig I`m using, set flat I can still be "me". And in a 3-piece I find it essential to get my sound, as unusually for me, it`s a main part of the bands sound (I usually have a warm old-school sound, but not in my current band).

Like mike b above I questioned if spending over £200 on a pedal was wise, but now having done numerous gigs on other bands rigs, having had a fair few non-bassists tell me they loved the sound of my bass, and knowing that even if my amp goes down I can still get my sound DI`d, I wouldn`t want to be without it now. If it only had an in-built tuner as well..........

[isteen]

Thanks guys for your input. Yep, it's a bit expensive, but my last gig can pay for it.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1405343603' post='2500980']


This is my main reason. I use my amp as a power amp, and all of my eq and drive (not much though) come from the VT DI.
[/quote]

Same here - although I use the Tech 21 Leeds. I started out using it as a pedal after the amp but discovered it sounded better if I used it as the preamp. Fantastic tone, I love it!

[BassBod]

I use one (or a Sadowsky DI or Aguilar or SFT copy) to get more variety and warmth out of clean sounding amps. And the DI is very useful for travelling light.

[danbowskill]

I used 1 for making my moderate peavey head sound like a high end ampeg ( without the cost) + Consitant sound to front of house.

[Prime_BASS]

I've used the para driver and it's by far their best effort IMO, due to actual mid range control but the sound overall was just caked in too much colour trying to get a big ampeg sound out of it.

Now I use two 'preamps', two BB pres, one is always on overdrive, another for even more dirt. Now I even have a dual distortion on top of that too. I also have a always on clean blend at the minute. This only gets turned off for one section of a song and even then, only when I remember or can be bothered lol.

[thodrik]

I don't generally use mine much these days, but it stays in my gig bag for the following reasons.

1. Works as a back up if your main amp goes.
2. Quick and easy set up for recording.
3. It doesn't take up much space.

[Iain]

I've been using the Sansamp Bass Driver Deluxe - it gives me 6 settings of which I tend to use 3...
- Dirty dirty rock crunch
- Warm, no drive, for mellow moments
- Totally over the top fuzz that's only used for Song2

Saves a lot of space over multiple pedals. Tend to use the controls on the amp then just to compensate between differences in venues.

[Ghost_Bass]

[quote name='isteen' timestamp='1405336999' post='2500865']
(...)
I consider getting a Sansamp Paradriver to get a smooth vintage sound out of my budget TC Electronic BG250 combo.
(...)
[/quote]

Doesn't this combo comes with that toneprint thinghy? Isn't there a SVTish preset for it?

Regarding the main question i can't give you an opinion, i don't use any preamp pedal, for me it's all bout the bass's own preamp and the right hand placement. My amp always DI's to FOH pre-EQ and the amp's EQ is only there to correct any anoying freqs caused by the room.

[isteen]

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1405430197' post='2501814']


Doesn't this combo comes with that toneprint thinghy? Isn't there a SVTish preset for it?

Regarding the main question i can't give you an opinion, i don't use any preamp pedal, for me it's all bout the bass's own preamp and the right hand placement. My amp always DI's to FOH pre-EQ and the amp's EQ is only there to correct any anoying freqs caused by the room.
[/quote]

Yep, TC Ekectronic comes with a built in overdrive - but I also play a GK MB200. The reason of getting a Paradriver should be, If it would give me a better tone from the amp, a tone I can't dial in on the amp itself. Soundmen often tend to avoid the DI-option offered directly out of the amp, and hands out their preferred DI box. At least that's my experience.

[BassBod]

Yep, that sounds perfectly sensible. My experiences are that PA guys don't like to use amp DI's..want you to use their (often not very good) DI...until they see a Sansamp, and then they stop muttering and just plug into it. Makes my life just a little bit easier. Fairly often.

[Ghost_Bass]

Over here i don't have the DI problem, normally the sound guys believe in me when i tell them that my amps DI is of good quality and none has ever asked me to unplug it a hook up to their DI. If someone insists i'll hook up to the BSS, it's the same for me, won't affect my amp's sound and the signal i'm sending to FOH is the same.

There was one time though that the FOH had some noise in the bass channel and the guy insisted that the problem was with the Thunderfunk's DI and hooked up a Behringer DI wich reduced the noise (the -20dB pad was activated on that thing...). Shortly after a tech came up and said that he found the fault, it was one of the lines from their multi-cable. I ended up playing the set with the behringer and didn't bothered. That company isn't known for being the most professional and having the best gear...

[ahpook]

[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1405440732' post='2501931']
...until they see a Sansamp, and then they stop muttering and just plug into it. Makes my life just a little bit easier. Fairly often.
[/quote]

I tell them my EBS MicroBass is 'a swedish-made Sansamp, but better...'

[timhiggins]

I have the tc bg 250 15in ,and the sansamp b.d.d.i ,and although it achieves a really nice tone i cant get a decent reggae /dub sound from it !
i think its hard to get heavier sounds from any of the light weight /neo amps

i have gone back to carting about a 500 watt ashdown evo plus 15 and 2,10 cabs which coupled with jazz bass gives a decent vintage tone
alas it also gives back ache !

[NancyJohnson]

I've used a Sansamp BDDI for live and recording for years, more recently an racked RBI. In all cases, these were/are plugged into the effects return on whatever head I'm using. I just think these pedals give me more of my desired tone than just plugging straight in, so much so, my Ashdown ABM will probably be moved along in favour of a class-D poweramp at some stage. I rarely tweak, just plug in and play.
P

Edited July 17, 2014 by NancyJohnson

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1405631551' post='2503954']
I've used a Sansamp BDDI for live and recording for years, more recently an racked RBI. In all cases, these were/are plugged into the effects return on whatever head I'm using. I just think these pedals give me more of my desired tone than just plugging straight in, so much so, my Ashdown ABM will probably be moved along in favour of a class-D poweramp at some stage. I rarely tweak, just plug in and play.
P
[/quote]

This is pretty much where I'm at now. Tech 21 Leeds into an Ashdown Mibass effects return. The Mibass has more than enough juice but it's actual tone is far too clan and sparkly for me.
In my old band I used to play through an ABM 500 and an 8x10 - bags of character already so I'd probably feel a bit strange about using solely as a power amp. I find a lot of these class D amps are fairly neutral in character making them ideal platforms for a Sansamp (or equivalent).

[JTUK]

I have a decent ( well gegarded ) pedal board with all sorts of modelling and I'l probably sell it.
It doesn't do well enough as a processed sound

So, in general, not a fan of a processed sound into an average processed sounding amp..
If the amp isn't doing it, or is too coloured, get something else, but I don't hear pedals
doing that well...
I take the point that they can be used for bail-outs in certain situations but not as your core sound, IMO.

[Marvin]

I'm currently using my amp as a power amp, currently I can't afford to replace it. I use a rack mount compressor, rack eq unit and a multi fx pedal to sort my sound out. If I change anything it'll be the amp and I'll go down the power amp route.

[plunkrock]

Had my first band practice in ages tonight, and the first with the VT bass. The bass amp in the room was some kind of Ashdown thing into a Hartke cab, I wasn't particularly impressed with it.

VT Bass into the effects return, BOOM, awesome tone! Happiest I've ever been with my sound today