What's your favourite Preamp/DI?

[dannybuoy]

Whatever you go for, I would say you want something that can do a mild warm wooly/squishy/tubey overdrive with a decent EQ and no inherent baked in mid-scoop. 

I would definitely check the Mesa out, your won't see a ton of recommendations for it just because not that many people own one compared to some of the other units out there. But Bobby Vega makes it sound great here:

 

Edited March 18, 2018 by dannybuoy

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, krispn said:

The AO is quite a versatile unit and I'm not a massive DarkGlass fanboi in terms of how I've heard a lot of folk use their gear. It sounded great in other tunes too as did my Bass Soul Food. I guess knowing the strengths of a piece of gear and maximizing it to work for your rig/band is the key. All those pre-amps bring something to the table. It's nice to have the choice really!I

Sounds good. What settings did you have it on to deliver such a tight bass / low end for most of your set (and then I guess you dialled up the dirt for 7 Nation)?

Interesting the difference of views on P Bass plus 2Notes from two experienced BC'ers above. Just goes to show, eh?  I actually liked the 2Notes best with my Yammy in P-bass mode - I found the naturally less bright nature of a P vs a J took off the high end 'fizz' on the 2 Notes dirt which for me made the B dirt channel just great; but then my VK 210 cab is pretty crisp / articulate and has a tweeter and I suspect that could account for a big chunk of the difference between what me and DB are hearing as he has a more rounded 'retro' BF 210.

[PatrickJ]

To answer a previous question, DI is very important to me.  At home I don't use an amp, I DI into an audio interface and play using studio monitors; this also allows me to record.

I'm looking to set my pedal board out something like this

In -> Tuner -> Compressor -> Envelope Filter -> Boost -> Overdrive -> Chorus -> PreAmp DI -> PowerAmp / Audio Interface

I'm looking for a cleanish sound from the DI but with some vintage colouring, I have a B3K or SFT for the overdrive which I'll kick when I want a more driven sound.   1 band I play with has quite an eclectic set list that jumps from Classic Rock, to Pop, to Indie.  The other group of people I jam with play more modern and heavier rock, and at home I'm looking more at Soul, R&B funk etc.  Versatility from my board as a whole is important.  As @dannybuoymentioned previously the VT sound does this really well.

At this stage I think I'll look into

• Tech21 SansAmp VT DI
• Mesa Subway DI
• Aguilar Tone hammer DI 

[dannybuoy]

58 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Interesting the difference of views on P Bass plus 2Notes from two experienced BC'ers above. Just goes to show, eh?  I actually liked the 2Notes best with my Yammy in P-bass mode 

Dunno if you're referring to me but I only mentioned the B7K not working well with my P. I liked the Le Bass with my BB's P pickup very much indeed!

Edited March 18, 2018 by dannybuoy

[dannybuoy]

33 minutes ago, CygnusX2112 said:

To answer a previous question, DI is very important to me.  At home I don't use an amp, I DI into an audio interface and play using studio monitors; this also allows me to record.

I'm looking to set my pedal board out something like this

In -> Tuner -> Compressor -> Envelope Filter -> Boost -> Overdrive -> Chorus -> PreAmp DI -> PowerAmp / Audio Interface

I'm looking for a cleanish sound from the DI but with some vintage colouring, I have a B3K or SFT for the overdrive which I'll kick when I want a more driven sound.   1 band I play with has quite an eclectic set list that jumps from Classic Rock, to Pop, to Indie.  The other group of people I jam with play more modern and heavier rock, and at home I'm looking more at Soul, R&B funk etc.  Versatility from my board as a whole is important.  As @dannybuoymentioned previously the VT sound does this really well.

At this stage I think I'll look into

• Tech21 SansAmp VT DI
• Mesa Subway DI
• Aguilar Tone hammer DI 

One thing about the Aguilar - I only ever use it with the AGS on, effectively as an overdrive that sounds a bit like your SFT. With the AGS off, it's a very transparent preamp with no grit whatsoever. The other two will probably do a better job of 'cleanish sound with vintage colouring' if you're intending to use a separate overdrive pedal.

[Al Krow]

5 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

Dunno if you're referring to me but I only mentioned the B7K not working well with my P. I liked the Le Bass with my BB's P pickup very much indeed!

My bad, I misread - we're completely in agreement on Yammy BB + 2 Notes then! I also meant to say that the B3K on my DG M900 (which I didn't feel is that different to the 2Notes channel B, which is why I moved my 2 Notes on) works really well with the Yammy BBs P pup, too.

I've never used a B7K - is it quite different to the B3K? 

[Lozz196]

That Mesa sounds great in the Bobby Vega demo.

[PatrickJ]

25 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

One thing about the Aguilar - I only ever use it with the AGS on, effectively as an overdrive that sounds a bit like your SFT. With the AGS off, it's a very transparent preamp with no grit whatsoever. The other two will probably do a better job of 'cleanish sound with vintage colouring' if you're intending to use a separate overdrive pedal.

I was just reading up on the Tonehammer on Talkbass, seems many run with AGS always on at a low gain setting for that vintage colouring.

Edited March 18, 2018 by PJ-Bassist

[dannybuoy]

20 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

My bad, I misread - we're completely in agreement on Yammy BB + 2 Notes then! I also meant to say that the B3K on my DG M900 (which I didn't feel is that different to the 2Notes channel B, which is why I moved my 2 Notes on) works really well with the Yammy BBs P pup, too.

I've never used a B7K - is it quite different to the B3K? 

Identical except for the EQ. The fact the Two Notes drive channel is more that flavour is why I didn't think it was the best fit. Then again plenty insist their B7Ks are great for Motown, but then we're back to soup and forks again!

[Al Krow]

22 minutes ago, dannybuoy said:

Identical except for the EQ. The fact the Two Notes drive channel is more that flavour is why I didn't think it was the best fit. Then again plenty insist their B7Ks are great for Motown, but then we're back to soup and forks again!

Aha - I get what your driving at (excuse the dirt pun) with regard to the OP.

I have to agree with both you and Cuzzie that soup is best not eaten with forks. If I've learned one new thing today, it's that.

[krispn]

I’ve posted before on the Aguilar basically quoting a post eubert form TB discussing how the pedals controls change and interact differently on AGS mode. It’s not really usable as a dual clean/drive pedal due to the massive volume increase. Aguilar missed a trick there but it’s maybe not what they were thinking about in terms of the THDI pedal’s main function. 

@Al KrowI kept things pretty neutral eq wise. Like I say the combination of my rig and pedals just worked well. It could have been the comp and drive just keeping everything nice and tight, the baked in AO tone etc. 

[Callumjord]

For me it's either my DHA VT1 or the tech 21 VT character series. 80% of the time I am mainly using the DHA preamp, it's awesome for silent practice and doing that "warm tube" sound

[foxyFuze]

Has anyone experience of the Shift Line Olympic preamp? I'm impressed with their videos but have seen almost nothing in terms of reviews. 

[dannybuoy]

Not tried one but it does indeed look great, especially if the OP is into the VT Bass. Latest version has a cab sim on board too!

[Jack]

Just to chip in, some preamps have problems driving some poweramps to full volume as the outputs can be too low. In that case, preamps like the Behringer MIC100 and others can be very useful to provide a clean(ish) boost to properly drive the power amp. In other words, don't get too hung up on it. :-)

[Lozz196]

On ‎18‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 17:58, foxyFuze said:

Has anyone experience of the Shift Line Olympic preamp? I'm impressed with their videos but have seen almost nothing in terms of reviews. 

 

On ‎18‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 18:51, dannybuoy said:

Not tried one but it does indeed look great, especially if the OP is into the VT Bass. Latest version has a cab sim on board too!

Just checked those vid-clips out, very VT like, sounded great with the Precision

[foxyFuze]

Highly tempted by the GK plex, although I see it has had mixed reviews here. The headphone option and being able to simulate an 800RB is appealing though (as well as the compressor).

[Jack]

4 minutes ago, foxyFuze said:

Highly tempted by the GK plex, although I see it has had mixed reviews here. The headphone option and being able to simulate an 800RB is appealing though (as well as the compressor).

Shameless plug, but there's one for sale in the classifieds.

[foxyFuze]

6 minutes ago, Jack said:

Shameless plug, but there's one for sale in the classifieds.

Not anymore it seems, but there's one on FB. Shame no-one near me stocks them for a try-out.

[Skybone]

Line6 POD HD500x. It's a pre-amp and a multi-fx.

[Guest adi77]

API tranzformer for sessions and to pair with a power amp and the sansamp BDI V2 for live gigs, these days. 

[TheLopp]

I put my vote on the Shift Line Olympic Tube Preamp.

It’s a great unit and sounds really awesome. It does the pushed tube amp unbelievably good but it doesn’t do overdriven sounds. It’s the best “clean” preamp I’ve ever tried, and I own a bunch. Le Bass, Tonehammer, SCR-DI, Vintage Ultra & A/O, Hartke Bass Attack I &II,  MXR M-80, 3Leaf the Enabler, Verellen Meatsmoke, Noble, Rusty box and probably a couple more.

It takes dirt really good and the cab sim, especially the 8x10, is fantastic. And the headphones is dead silent, perfect for silent practice. And the whole unit breathes quality. I wouldn’t hesitate buying another if something happened to this. 

[xgsjx]

Nobody got a GK Plex?  They look pretty good too.  I've not tried one yet.

[Sibob]

The only preamp/DI I have (if you don’t count my recording interface (which is both)), is my 3Leaf Enabler. Love it, always sounds great on gigs, although for recording I always go straight into the interface as it sounds great? and do the work in the DAW.

Si

[pantherairsoft]

I’ve used so many different ones that I’ve lost track. There are 3 which I have used for long periods of time and each were lovely in their each way, any of those would be a great addition IMO:

3 Leaf Enabler

Ampeg SCR-DI

EBS Microbass II

Thr EBS and 3 Leaf are both very clean, though the 3 Leaf has a little more warmth on tap. The Ampeg is much ‘bigger’ sounding and goes from fairly clean to really dirty.