Valve DI options

[Pow_22]

My new band project utilises the drummers own home studio for rehearsals which saves me lugging my amp and cab.  I use a Dr J Sparrow sansamp clone and get a great valvey type sound - not over driven but slightly hairy sound with my flats loaded P bass.  I used to own an Ampeg SVT Tube DI which i loved but let go due to not getting much use.  In view that these are now hard to get hold off ive looked at some 'budget' valve DI options - things like the EBS Valve Drive DI or even the Ashdown OriginAL DI.

 

From what ive read the EBS does that 'tube amp on the edge of break-up' well whereas the Ashdown is a little more 'fuzzy'.  Are there any other obvious pedals ive missed (other than the usual sansamp offerings)?  Furthermore are there any EBS users on here that get on well with the pedal in its current form or even with some valve rolling at all?

[NAS Bass]

Maybe try looking out for a s/h Dave Hall DHA EQ/DI - best I've used. 

[Gwilym]

I have an EBS Valve Drive DI (f/s in the classifieds.)

I bought it looking for low gain hairyness/saturation and it does that well, but that's a very small part of what it does, and largely does way more distorted than that with the stock tube. Not tried tube rolling, but i guess you could tailor it to your specific needs that way if you had the time and energy to experiment. Definitely a "rock" pedal IMO - i think it sounds great, just too much for me.

Similarly i looked at other pedals to do what you describe, and were suggested on the internet - they always seemed to my ears (listening to youtube demos) to always be too much, like an off/on effect with no real subtle response, maybe its how they were demoed rather that the pedal itself.

What i really like is the Durham Electronics Sex Drive which does IMO exactly what i was looking for, and it responds to playing dynamics in a more pleasing way than other stuff I've tried. There's a review of it on the Ovnilab website if tou wanted to read more about it.

(I just double checked the above with my f/l jazz with flats, so this is from recent memory )

 

[Rumple]

I recently sold my old Art Tube Mic Pre, over the years I've used it with both bass and guitar and you can get a bit of tube warmth and even over drive it a bit, I'll probably regret selling the thing but at the moment I don't have a use for it, they are only 12v AC so nothing like a proper tube amp but cheap enough to consider giving one a try.

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 23/09/2023 at 13:51, Rumple said:

I recently sold my old Art Tube Mic Pre, over the years I've used it with both bass and guitar and you can get a bit of tube warmth and even over drive it a bit, I'll probably regret selling the thing but at the moment I don't have a use for it, they are only 12v AC so nothing like a proper tube amp but cheap enough to consider giving one a try.

And the EBS Valve Drive DI is powered with just 9V DC!

 

Absolutely nothing to do with what kind of plate voltage the tubes in these units operate at, a lot of pedals, including this, ramps the voltage up or down internally depending on what the different components need to operate properly, as long as there is enough ampere to do so.

 

Also preamp tubes works fine with so called starved plate voltage, they just work a little differently, not worse, when fed with less plate voltage than what they were originally designed to run optimally at (optimally here means distorting and coloring as little as possible, since that was pretty much unwanted artifacts in the original tube powered units these tubes were used in).

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Rumple]

19 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

And the EBS Valve Drive DI is powered with just 9V DC!

 

Absolutely nothing to do with what kind of plate voltage the tubes in these units operate at, a lot of pedals, including this, ramps the voltage up or down internally depending on what the different components need to operate properly, as long as there is enough ampere to do so.

 

Also preamp tubes works fine with so called starved plate voltage, they just work a little differently, not worse, when fed with less plate voltage than what they were originally designed to run optimally at (optimally here means distorting and coloring as little as possible, since that was pretty much unwanted artifacts in the original tube powered units these tubes were used in).

 

Thank you for that information, much appreciated.

[LeftyJ]

Does it need to be a pedal? The range of options would vastly increase if you'd include 19" preamps. There's a host of great tube preamps out there, some of which can be had used for little money, and most (if not all) have a balanced XLR out.

• Ampeg SVP-CL (the preamp section of the SVT Classic in a 1HE rack space);
• Ampeg SVP-PRO or SVT-PII (the preamp section of the SVT2Pro and SVT II respectively);
• Trace Elliot V-type;
• H&K Fortress;
• SWR Grand Prix;
• SWR Interstellar Overdrive (harder to find, but splendid);
• and several others that aren't quite as affordable but can be found cheaply with some luck, by Demeter, Reussenzehn, Alembic, Aguilar.

I've got the Ampeg SVP-CL, SVP-PRO (paid €400 each, used) and the SWR Grand Prix (paid just €125 used because of a crackling push-pull pot with a defective switch - that was an easy fix by taking the switch apart and reassembling it).

[NAS Bass]

3 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

Does it need to be a pedal? The range of options would vastly increase if you'd include 19" preamps. There's a host of great tube preamps out there, some of which can be had used for little money, and most (if not all) have a balanced XLR out.

• Ampeg SVP-CL (the preamp section of the SVT Classic in a 1HE rack space);
• Ampeg SVP-PRO or SVT-PII (the preamp section of the SVT2Pro and SVT II respectively);
• Trace Elliot V-type;
• H&K Fortress;
• SWR Grand Prix;
• SWR Interstellar Overdrive (harder to find, but splendid);
• and several others that aren't quite as affordable but can be found cheaply with some luck, by Demeter, Reussenzehn, Alembic, Aguilar.

I've got the Ampeg SVP-CL, SVP-PRO (paid €400 each, used) and the SWR Grand Prix (paid just €125 used because of a crackling push-pull pot with a defective switch - that was an easy fix by taking the switch apart and reassembling it).

 

SWR Grand Prix is one of the best sounding clean pre's I've used. The semi-para EQ is a joy!

[Bolo]

How about a Neve RNDI box? Record the best clean tone you can, you can sort out the character on the pc in post production or re-amp through good borrowed or rented amps.

[tayste_2000]

On 23/09/2023 at 06:51, Rumple said:

I recently sold my old Art Tube Mic Pre, over the years I've used it with both bass and guitar and you can get a bit of tube warmth and even over drive it a bit, I'll probably regret selling the thing but at the moment I don't have a use for it, they are only 12v AC so nothing like a proper tube amp but cheap enough to consider giving one a try.

 

I have one of these along with 2 Groove Tube Ditto’s and a Summit TD-100. They are great value for the money. Often I’ve run the Groove Tubes into it so that I can convert the XLR out to a 1/4 inch jack.

 

Either way they are very handy to add a further tube stage to your signal.

 

The Summit TD-100 primarily due to the impedance control is the one that in recent memory made me go wow.

 

The Groove Tubes does appear on my favourite recordings of myself. I’m hoping to get into a studio in December and do a shootout.

 

I did one last year with a Acme Motown, Countryman Type 10, Neve and Radial Stagebug.

 

The results were surprising as I found the Neve “boring” and the Radial very very close in sound to the Motown (this has been confirmed to several other players I’ve sent it on to)

 

However once you start turning on those studio EQs and compressors all the differences easily disappear.

 

Countryman has been my go to for years, Stagebug is my travel DI and then trying to figure out which Tube DI is the main one for studio work.

 

I also picked up a Radial Dragster to stick in front of the Groove Tubes and see if I can get everything I love out of the Summit with everything I love out of the GT.

 

Summit does fit in a gigbag though.

[chris_b]

A few years back I DI'ed my TH500 into Logic. Not a valve in sight but a very "valve" sound, just the same.

[Pow_22]

On 22/09/2023 at 21:15, NAS Bass said:

Maybe try looking out for a s/h Dave Hall DHA EQ/DI - best I've used. 

So to update ive stumbled across a ridiculously cheap DHA VT1 EQ DI that is currently winging its way to me. Need to source an appropriate PSU but looking forward to putting it through its paces

[NAS Bass]

47 minutes ago, Pow_22 said:

So to update ive stumbled across a ridiculously cheap DHA VT1 EQ DI that is currently winging its way to me. Need to source an appropriate PSU but looking forward to putting it through its paces

 

Looking forward to hearing about it!

[Pow_22]

Will report back. I know it needs a 12v PSU with a decent MA rating (?) but is there also something about it having to be centre positive? Im a complete newb at pedals, all I’ve ever really had in my rig is a boss tu2 🤣

[NAS Bass]

21 minutes ago, Pow_22 said:

Will report back. I know it needs a 12v PSU with a decent MA rating (?) but is there also something about it having to be centre positive? Im a complete newb at pedals, all I’ve ever really had in my rig is a boss tu2 🤣

 

Centrre Neg. I got one of these - works great:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/312072256549

[paul_5]

I used to run my DHA kit with a laptop PSU - high current delivery and centre positive meant that they were perfect. Just make sure that you get one that's got a 2.1mm jack.

Edited November 6, 2023 by paul_5

[Pow_22]

So its arrived. Still waiting on the PSU so cant try it out as yet. Lots and lots of knobs to experiment with so any setting suggestions appreciated. Im love for a low gain growly valvey tone using a P bass and mix of fingers and pick.  Looking forward to a good play with it. Thing i did well with the price for under £70 delivered