electric nate Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Looking for a preamp to drive my QSC RMX2450 power amp. I guess what i'm after is something that will just allow whatever I put in front of it to shine though. I play a fairly wide range of genres and I get most of my drastic tonal changes from pedals and settings on my bass, so I'm really just looking for something to help my sound reach the power amp. I'm not after massive tone shaping - but some kind of eq can be useful if I end up playing a boomy sounding room or an outdoor gig or something that requires a little tweak to retain clarity. This isn't a deal-breaker though cuz i can always buy a separate eq if needs be. I really like what i've heard of the Avalon U5 but it's slightly pricey - especially with the rack mount kit, are there alternatives I should be considering? I'm open to any and all suggestions as long as they can drive a power amp, they don't have to be bass-specific, they just have to sound good . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 (edited) You need to be aware of the ohm ratings and the wattage to make sure you don't overload whatever you're powering or underpower whatever you're sending in to it as from what I've heard, you can "strain" the equipment and damage it. Also, if you're not really looking for something fancy, why don't you try getting a rack mount equaliser, run your bass into that then send the equaliser to the power amp. That's worked for me before on many occasions. Something like [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Behringer-Ultragraph-Pro-FBQ1502-15-band-Graphic-EQ-/130571620981?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Outboards_Effects_MJ&hash=item1e66acd275#ht_525wt_1139"]this[/url] will do the job. Just shape your EQ on that and your ready for action! That's my two pence... haha Edited September 4, 2011 by StevieD_FenderP2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 It really depends what your bass sound is like... but if it were me, I'd be looking at an old Demeter or Aguilar valve pre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electric nate Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 [quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='1361987' date='Sep 4 2011, 06:02 PM']You need to be aware of the ohm ratings and the wattage to make sure you don't overload whatever you're powering or underpower whatever you're sending in to it as from what I've heard, you can "strain" the equipment and damage it. Also, if you're not really looking for something fancy, why don't you try getting a rack mount equaliser, run your bass into that then send the equaliser to the power amp. That's worked for me before on many occasions. Something like [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Behringer-Ultragraph-Pro-FBQ1502-15-band-Graphic-EQ-/130571620981?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Outboards_Effects_MJ&hash=item1e66acd275#ht_525wt_1139"]this[/url] will do the job. Just shape your EQ on that and your ready for action! That's my two pence... haha[/quote] will an eq take an instrument level signal ok? and will it output a big enough signal for the power amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I used to use an Ampeg SVP-Pro in front of my PLX1202. Alas, it proved to be utterly unreliable. Noisy and cut out/in again. I've been using a cheapo 8/12 track mixer as a pre-amp with very good results. Cost me all of £80. Gives enough gain for passive basses. No noise. On one occasion, when my set-up was the only one in play, each of the three bands bassists had a channel each, eq'd to their liking. A very flexible way to do things- but not specifically "voiced" for bass, which can be a good thing. Nor is the U5 for that matter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 [quote name='electric nate' post='1362139' date='Sep 4 2011, 08:11 PM']will an eq take an instrument level signal ok? and will it output a big enough signal for the power amp?[/quote] EQs are normally designed to be operating at Line level. There are a few exceptions, like the TC 1140 which are designed to take an instrument input AS WELL as a Line level, and has a preamp stage to drive power amps. Some EQ's offer unto 12dB of gain, and will drive a power amp, but most proper preamps designed to feed a power amp will offer upto 40dB of gain to drive a power amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Well mine worked fine. I was running a passive Precision bass copy with seymour duncan spb-3's in to it then it went from the EQ to the power amp and out to a cabinet. I used that set up for 6 months while I didn't have an actual amp head. It was quite a good tone I got from it too. Just plugged the instrument in to the "input" of the equaliser then took a cable from the "output" of the equaliser into the input of the power amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 [quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='1362187' date='Sep 4 2011, 08:45 PM']Well mine worked fine. I was running a passive Precision bass copy with seymour duncan spb-3's in to it then it went from the EQ to the power amp and out to a cabinet. I used that set up for 6 months while I didn't have an actual amp head. It was quite a good tone I got from it too. Just plugged the instrument in to the "input" of the equaliser then took a cable from the "output" of the equaliser into the input of the power amp.[/quote] It would work as a fix but it is not at optimum setting. You can us a cheap mixer, and that would work better to drive the power amp. A passive bass should be better matched with a DI if you want to preserve its original tonal spectrum, but if you don't , it would still work as a fix, but it is not ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I've got a friend who has a Trace Elliot preamp that he may well sell. Its just like the amp heads in size and form but just without the amp section. I think he thought it was an amp when he got it... (well he IS a guitarist!) That would do the trick for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Aguilar onboard preamps sound awesome, so I'd assume their outboard pres are great too. I like the Sansamp offerings too, in pedal form or their rackmount jobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 In an emergency once I used a graphic eq pedal into a power amp and was very surprized by how good it sounded. I've got a Trace Elliott V type preamp but I don't like the sound of Trace Elliott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Trace V-types are great, they are a Fender bassman circuit. Sansamp VT bass is also great. Pretty much consider the V-Type for clean an the VT for grit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 [quote name='bertbass' post='1365735' date='Sep 7 2011, 08:41 PM']In an emergency once I used a graphic eq pedal into a power amp and was very surprized by how good it sounded. I've got a Trace Elliott V type preamp but I don't like the sound of Trace Elliott.[/quote] If you don't like it I'll have it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I use an Ampeg SVT 2 P pre amp in the studio which has always served me well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) Mate, I have a tip for you. If you're into the Avalon U5 kinda vibe, you should give the Focusrite Platinum Trakmaster Pro a try. Class A solid state preamp, like the U5, a very basic but quite effective eq, plus one of the best compressors out there. They have recently been discontinued, but you can find them often on ebay for cheap. Like [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOCUSRITE-TRACKMASTER-PRO-PLATINUM-/140601512440?pt=Midi_Controllers&hash=item20bc80d1f8#ht_500wt_1156"]this one[/url] for example. I have the dual channel version of this baby, the TwinTrak Pro, and I couldn't recommend it more. Great piece of gear! Cheers Edited September 7, 2011 by eddiehoffmann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzyGreg Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 . The BBE BMax has incredible tone, especially when you hit that "Sonic Maximizer" switch! ..... and the non-valve version is very cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electric nate Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 Thanks for all your help and suggestions guys, I've done a lot of searching and research and trawling through youtube and basstasters and decided it HAS to be a U5, other preamps are great, nice tone, good features etc - but when I hear the U5 something just clicks and seems "right", it's the only one I keep coming back to. I've hopefully now got a sale arranged soon with a fellow BC member! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 [quote name='electric nate' post='1369443' date='Sep 11 2011, 02:28 PM']Thanks for all your help and suggestions guys, I've done a lot of searching and research and trawling through youtube and basstasters and decided it HAS to be a U5, other preamps are great, nice tone, good features etc - but when I hear the U5 something just clicks and seems "right", it's the only one I keep coming back to. I've hopefully now got a sale arranged soon with a fellow BC member![/quote] If I were not into ulra portable setups my preamp of choice would be the sansamp BDDI rackmount - would give you the best of clean and "valve" tones and anything in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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