Off Topic tube preamp

[fidooda]

playing that 20th all the time, i really REALLY love that bass. that single coil makes me want to try it through a tube preamp. The thing is i never owned a tube amp, i've always had SS amps.

I got an all Eden gear (wt405, 210XST,212XLT) and i'm sure there must be a way to add some tubey mojo in the equation especially with those twelves! is there a relatively cheap way to have a tube that sounds good (relatively means a price below the price of an amp, not 100$ or less ) ? suggestions?

 

[the unrepentant]

The ibanez TS7 is meant to sound pretty sweet for bass in the way of tubey goodness

 

[MingusBASS]

You should check out the PreSonus TubePre. It's around $99 bucks and is actually pretty cool.

PreSonus

Go to basstasters.com and you can hear some clips compared to other preamps. For the money, it sounds real nice.

 

[the unrepentant]

Oh and sansamps are meant to be pretty good

 

[MrMusashi]

try the universal audio la-610 if you get the opportunity. its a sweet thang for more than microphones. the compressor in it sounds so good and the tube preamp gives ya sparkly highs and plenty of growl down low

MrM

 

[MingusBASS]

try the universal audio la-610 if you get the opportunity. its a sweet thang for more than microphones. the compressor in it sounds so good and the tube preamp gives ya sparkly highs and plenty of growl down low

MrM

I seriously doubt he's going to spend $1500 bucks on a LA-610. It's a great piece but most likely overkill when all he's wanting is a little tube vibe.


Universal Audio does make a single channel Tube Pre called Solo 6-10 that is slightly more affordable at $800.

The Groove Tubes Brick is another one I own and it also sounds great but at $400 bucks that might still be more than you are looking to spend.

 

[fidooda]

wow, plenty good suggestions to go thru. Most of i've never heard about. i hope the music stores around will help me test some of those.

yeah 1600$ or even 800$ is a little much for some tube lovin budget wise.

thanks!

 

[Lonnystingray]

Have you tried the EBS Valvedrive. I know it will probally be more difficult to find in the States, and probally also quite expensive, but I advice to certainly give it a try!

 

[Straight UP]

You should also try a Tech 21-NYC SansAmp RBI.
Just as a comparison.

 

[oli@bass]

You should also try a Tech 21-NYC SansAmp RBI.

+1

And if you can, also try their RPM.

 

[Kirby]

I about choked when I saw the LA 610 listed. I have one of these and love it, but it was by no means cheap. I would also look at the Demeter tube direct box. It can be used live or in studio

 

[MrMusashi]

not exactly cheap, i just wanted people to know that it works for more than just microphones

give it some level boost and it gives ya a nice tube grind..
go heavy on the peak reduction and add some chorus or/and octave pedal afterwards... pick up yer fretless and you have instant paul young / pino sound

also it got a hi-z input which can be switched between 47Kohm and 2,2Mohm. on anything with passive mic's this gives a quite distinctive difference in sound. you get a lot more top end on the 2,2M setting!
cant say i noticed any difference on my active basses though

as for the sansamp vs the ebs.. i must say i prefer the sansamp even if i should root for my neighbor country sweden

MrM

 

[fidooda]

i'm a bit surprised with all the Sansamp support... there's no tubes in those devices, i was still under the impression that real tubes were still better. the sansamp solutions are really low-cost too, interesting

 

[CElton]

I use a Groove Tubes DITTO. Nice tube DI, can also run as a pre to a power amp. It's a little bulky, but with some NOS Telefunkens, it sounds very sweet and thick.

Edit: I just saw your price range. +1 to the PreSonus Tube Pre suggestion. The only thing I didn't like about it was no on off switch. Responds well to tube rolling as well.

 

[fidooda]

i re-read my OP, and it makes sense in my french speaking little head...

i'm NOT looking for a sub 100$ tube preamp. I just don't want to spend as much as a tube amp.

 

[freddy]

The SWR Interstellar Overdrive (IOD) is supposed to be tubey-sweet although may be hard to find as they are no longer made. I'd like to try one with my SM-900.

 

[Straight UP]

fidooda
If you try the two models of SansAmp suggested you will soon find they are not that cheap.. mind you there are cheaper SansAmp products out there.
I was just giving a suggestion for something to compare your tube pick against.
You can also take just the SansAmp into the studio and do your recording from/through it.

Try and compare if you dare ..

 

[oli@bass]

i'm a bit surprised with all the Sansamp support... there's no tubes in those devices, i was still under the impression that real tubes were still better. the sansamp solutions are really low-cost too, interesting

IMO real tubes that sound good are generally used in devices that are:
1.) very expensive
2.) very heavy
3.) produce lots of output (i.e. include a power amp)

fidooda
If you try the two models of SansAmp suggested you will soon find they are not that cheap.. mind you there are cheaper SansAmp products out there.

Yes, but they lack the mid control, and it seems that many players are put off by that. I do have a PBDDI on my second pedalboard which I use in "take as little as possible with you" conditions when I don't have the rack mount F1 & RBI with me. It does not have a mid control and sucks out the mid range a bit, but you can counteract by reducing bass and treble levels.

The SWR Interstellar Overdrive (IOD) is supposed to be tubey-sweet although may be hard to find as they are no longer made.

I tried that unit when it came out. I was absolutely not impressed because it sounded harsh and tinny. Also it was problematic to control the output volume because the gain of the tube was not compensated.

 

[Straight UP]

oli@bass
Follow this link.
and look for the SansAmp RBI, it dose have mid control and is awsome pushing a good power amp. It can model a lot different stuff.
I like mine, a great bang for the $$ I use at all gigs.

sansamp_intro.gif

 

[oli@bass]

oli@bass
Follow this link.
and look for the SansAmp RBI, it dose have mid control and is awsome pushing a good power amp. It can model a lot different stuff.
I like mine, a great bang for the $$ I use at all gigs.

Obviously my posting could be misunderstood. I have both: A rack mount RBI and the floor pedal Programmable Bass Driver D.I. The RBI is more expensive and has the mid control. Many players only know the BDDI or PBDDI floor pedals which do not have a mid control.

- BDDI/PBDDI: no mid control
- RBI: mid control at 500 Hz
- RPM: semi parametric mid control

Really cool units, I tell you. I was looking for a good overdriven tube sound for decades (literally!!) and short of pushing an SVT all tube head to the limit, nothing came close to my idea of perfection. However, I could neither dish out the money for an Ampeg rig (they're insanely priced here) nor have been able to transport it, nor would I've been allowed to crank it to the limit in any band I've ever played . So I looked for alternatives. And for me the SansAmp products are close enough to never again think about an SVT stack.