"Gain only" preamp pedal - any out there?

[sifi2112]

I’ve searched for a long time for the same ... tried boost pedals & tho they do kinda work they either added too much noise or weren’t ‘balanced’ or didn’t give ‘line level‘ or impedance mismatch, I’m no expert on this stuff, read up loads on TB especially 
 

So, bit the bullet & just decided to splash out on the real thing .. really happy except I now want to get a better power amp to match the quality of this preamp lol

sfx m:D3

 

[ezbass]

24 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Ok, in which case I'm still at just how many volume controls you need in your signal chain? 

I'm guessing that in addition to the bass, each of the effects in your chain will also all have individual volume controls. 

So if you want to go with something as simple as the Mooer, it should still be an option?

I’d also expect the monitor/power amp to have a level control, but I could be wrong.

[TwoTimesBass]

If you're outputting at line level from a pedal and not traveling a great distance, an unbalanced jack to XLR cable would be a worth a try?

Edited June 22, 2020 by TwoTimesBass

[AJ567]

2 hours ago, sifi2112 said:

I’ve searched for a long time for the same ... tried boost pedals & tho they do kinda work they either added too much noise or weren’t ‘balanced’ or didn’t give ‘line level‘ or impedance mismatch, I’m no expert on this stuff, read up loads on TB especially 
 

So, bit the bullet & just decided to splash out on the real thing .. really happy except I now want to get a better power amp to match the quality of this preamp lol

sfx m:D3

 

Very tasty! I assume that was a custom order? SFX is very much on my radar if I end up going the custom route.

[AJ567]

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

I’d also expect the monitor/power amp to have a level control, but I could be wrong.

My monitor actually doesn't have a level control! Even if it did I'd prefer to have it on the board.

@Al Krow the end of the chain will be eventide h9 > stereo DI > mono sum > [the thing we are talking about] > personal monitor

I'd generally be running the monitor on the low side so it would be best to have the level attenuated at the very end of the chain for the monitor only, so that SNR is preserved for FOH/recording 

[Al Krow]

Yeah fair enough. 

In your shoes I'd be tempted to get a decent powered monitor with DI out. But if you did that we wouldn't have anything to chew over 😁

[sifi2112]

7 hours ago, AJ567 said:

Very tasty! I assume that was a custom order? SFX is very much on my radar if I end up going the custom route.

No not custom .. I asked about the m:D2 & Max said it was superseded with a newer version, this m:D3 which I believe is standard. As I wanted separate amp & DI level & a HPF this ticked those boxes .. runs off 9v (even a battery but not sure how long) think voltage might be internally boosted ... takes less 200mA or so

[ezbass]

9 hours ago, AJ567 said:

My monitor actually doesn't have a level control! Even if it did I'd prefer to have it on the board.

Ah. I see your dilemma now.

[Al Krow]

Sell your existing monitor. Save the cost of a gain pedal with independent volume control and DI out. And get this for around £200. Job done. No seriously - it's gotta be worth considering?

[AJ567]

6 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Sell your existing monitor. Save the cost of a gain pedal with independent volume control and DI out. And get this for around £200. Job done. No seriously - it's gotta be worth considering?

Food for thought!

[AJ567]

Another wild card option. Could get a cheap passive monitor and use one of those pedalboard power amps. I had no idea such things existed until now!

Mental that you can get 100W out of a 1590b enclosure (it's cheap as well):

   

 https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_custom_line_thunder_99.htm

 

NB this is actually for electric violin, not bass, so power headroom isn't really a concern. 

[Al Krow]

That does look good, but the power pack is double the size of the pedal! 

[ClassicVibes]

On 20/06/2020 at 11:59, MartinB said:

A Spark or similar clean boost takes care of the gain, but if you want a balanced signal you'd have to put something like this afterwards:
https://www.neutrik.com/en/product/na2m-j-tx

Are you sure you need a balanced signal though? My understanding is that the kind of interference that might cause an issue for instrument/mic-level signals isn't really noticeable at line level.

Ooh - I run a Polytune into a Spark Boost and normally leave the EQ on the amp straight up. This gadget looks like a handy solution if I wanted to go in ears only. 

[jezzaboy]

I have an Art Mic Preamp that I stick at the end before going into a RCF 715 powered speaker. It has a valve in it but how much difference that makes I`m not sure. It`s one of these.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/art_tube_mp.htm

[AJ567]

58 minutes ago, jezzaboy said:

I have an Art Mic Preamp that I stick at the end before going into a RCF 715 powered speaker. It has a valve in it but how much difference that makes I`m not sure. It`s one of these.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/art_tube_mp.htm

Thanks, that could work. The 9V AC power requirement is a bit of a pain for pedalboard usage though. 

Funny how a simple version of that without the tube magic doesn't seem to exist!

Maybe this "use case" is more niche than I'd realised...  

[jezzaboy]

23 minutes ago, AJ567 said:

Thanks, that could work. The 9V AC power requirement is a bit of a pain for pedalboard usage though. 

Funny how a simple version of that without the tube magic doesn't seem to exist!

Maybe this "use case" is more niche than I'd realised...  

The mains power is a bit of a pain and if you buy one from Thomman it comes with a Euro plug and an adapter for UK use. It works fine though.

It`s not a problem for me as I use a 9V mains lead, one for my Zoom pedal and one for the Art. I just run a 3 way gang socket with a long lead and just try and tuck it out of the way.

Edited June 24, 2020 by jezzaboy