MXR Bass Preamp vs MXR Bass DI+

[Painy]

I quite fancy trying the MXR Bass Preamp as I generally like the tones when I hear other people using them but I'm wondering if the trade off of gaining the distortion channel on the Bass DI+ against losing the sweepable mids from the Bass Preamp might be worth considering. I'm just not sure how close the two pedals actually are in core tone.
Has anyone used both that can shed some light for me?

Edited September 18, 2016 by Painy

[Iheartreverb]

Hello.
I have the M80 (DI+) but have never used the M81 (bass preamp). Because of the sweep mids on the M81 you could probably get it very close to all the sounds available on the M80 and more but not the other way around.
That being said the things I find very very usable on the M80 is the colour switch which is kind of a 'make it sound a bit like a Sansamp/ stop it sounding a bit like a sansamp' switch.
It also has the distortion channel which because it has the " colour" always on you can use it simply as an EQ change as well as a clean boots in addition to the heavy mid scoop distortion (with clean blend) on offer.
You can also take three outputs from it if you want an affected and unaffected signal to desk while still going to an amp.

Hope this helps

[Painy]

Thanks for that. I did like the sound from the color switch on the YouTube demo videos (as far as that goes) so I'm now leaning more towards the DI+ as the second channel also means I could move another overdrive pedal off my board to make room for it.

Any other thoughts from anyone?

[Painy]

Right, Bass DI+ now on its way to me so I'll soon see for myself if it's what I'm after

[LayDownThaFunk]

You won't regret it - been using mine for years to have more control over my sound out front and the odd quick home recording.

[Painy]

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1474570011' post='3138929']
You won't regret it
[/quote]

Glad to hear it now I've spent my hard earned cash on one!

I'm hoping it'll arrive before the weekend so I get a bit of time with it. I'll report back with my findings once I've had a bit of a play.

[NoirBass]

I have both pedals. I find the 81 much brighter and more hi-fi sounding than the 80. The 80 has the added distortion if that's what you need. I do find the two quite different if set totally flat. The 80 is noticeably darker.

[Painy]

Well it arrived yesterday and I'm pretty pleased with it.
I'd agree it can sound fairly dark - especially with the colour switch in. I'd also agree that the color switch does have a kind of Sansamp vibe to it.

The colour switch apparently is mainly boosting a lot of bass and a little treble whilst scooping the mids but there is clearly more to it than that. I found it too boomy in the lows and lacking in clarity with the mids gone but by cutting the bass back down a bit and boosting the mids back up I was able to fix that and it was then adding loads of aggressive, tight punch and the lows still seem warmer and fatter- which is exactly what I was looking for.

The distortion is probably a little bit fizzy for my taste to be honest but I was able to squeeze it onto my board alongside my other dirt pedals in the end anyway so it's all good and I might still find a use for it at some point.

All in all I'm a happy bunny!

[moonbass]

There was a trick I saw on YouTube where you engage the distortion and turn it to zero to give a little valve warmth like sound. I found it quite good, but agree the distortion itself is pretty unusable.

[Painy]

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1474808064' post='3140635']
There was a trick I saw on YouTube where you engage the distortion and turn it to zero to give a little valve warmth like sound. I found it quite good, but agree the distortion itself is pretty unusable.
[/quote]

I'll have to give that a go. Thanks .

[LayDownThaFunk]

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1474808064' post='3140635']
There was a trick I saw on YouTube where you engage the distortion and turn it to zero to give a little valve warmth like sound. I found it quite good, but agree the distortion itself is pretty unusable.
[/quote]
That does work quite well. I wouldn't use my DI+ as a full on distortion.