Lounsberry Rupert Bass Preamp Distortion

[ribbetingfrog]

I was looking for a bass overdrive for my board and happened upon Rupert at Bax shop.

He was nicely priced so I thought I’d take a punt.

They normally sell for just under $200.

Lounsberry mostly make pedals for Hammond Organs ( who knew that Hammond organs used pedals!!! They make one called the Organ Grinder 😂).

They made this inspired by the bass tone at a King Crimson concert and it is based on the Nigel. ( a guitar pedal they make).

i put it on my board to an inauspicious start after my Fender Downtown Express preamp in the chain and it sounded awful.

Moving it before the Preamp pedal and Boom! There it was.

Big, thick bottom end and oodles of grit.

It can do a more subtle thickening right through to more dirt than I’ll ever use.

 

I’ve got the level maxed and the drive about 9 o’clock on my board. This gives a real thickening and a really pleasing growl.

This is now an almost always on pedal as I love the tone but there are a couple of songs my band play that I switch it off for to play cleaner.

My somewhat unusual chain is:

wireless receiver - Rupert - Mooer Bass Thunderball - Fender Downtown Express - Mooer Pitch Box (for the detune chorusy effect) - Mooer Noise Gate - Hughes and Kettering Tubemeister 5 guitar amp DI to mixing desk.

I try to turn it back on ASAP though as it’s puts a real smile on my face.

It certainly delivers the classic King Crimson bass tone and is perfect for my rocky take on the covers my band play.

 

The pedal is really sturdy with chunky Les Paul style knobs.

Inside the pedal is very tidily made and they make a point of through mounting components rather than surface mounting.

It can use a 9v battery (included with mine) or a centre negative power supply.

It could certainly take a battering, well made metal case and very solid build quality.

It looks quite Victorian with its olde worlde graphics.

 

Overall it’s a quirky and unusual alternative to the usual suspects if you fancy having a sound nobody else will have.

Near $200 Price tag means it’s not for everyone’s budget but  it’s cheaper than a Darkglass.

Highly recommended by me if you fancy some more unusual dirt.

This is the only bass pedal Lounsberry make but it’s a corker.