Preamp with DI recommendations

[Gareth Hughes]

Honestly - the Tech21 SH1 is turning out to be the best all round pedal preamp I’ve come across. Recently did a gig using it on double bass - blended out the Sansamp circuit and had a great 4 band eq plus tuner all in one. For electric bass it’s a no brainer. I can’t see myself replacing my Fishman Platinum Pro for double bass as the SH1 just does everything righteously.

[redbandit599]

4 hours ago, Tech21NYC said:

That's a signature pedal and the artist would have to request a change. Even at that, we would have to lose the tuner due to the current limitations of phantom power. Personally I'd just add an inexpensive DI box. If you want something similar, the VT Bass DI would be closest but it depends how you dial it in. 

Thanks for the response - I use a VT Bass DI currently, that can sound good but I don't find it intuitive with the Character control being a bit hard to pin down at times. I might use it a bit differently to the norm in that I just have it for control of FOH sound, I use the 'through' output to my amp making the two independent of each other. Works great for the pub and small venue gigs as it's easy to blend and EQ backline and FOH. I could split my signal prior to using an SH1 but it's not as convenient as all being in one unit. Losing the tuner and second channel not an issue for my particular use.

I'll mention it to 'Arry if I see him 😉

Cheers - appreciate your attention.

Edited May 13 by redbandit599

[Skybone]

I still think the Line6 POD Go is a brilliant bit of kit, but no DI though.

 

Just bought a FlyRig v2 from Carlsim, only had a little time with it, but really looking forward to messing about with it a lot more. Some great sounds in there. Definitely has a DI out too.

[Linus27]

16 hours ago, Gareth Hughes said:

Honestly - the Tech21 SH1 is turning out to be the best all round pedal preamp I’ve come across. Recently did a gig using it on double bass - blended out the Sansamp circuit and had a great 4 band eq plus tuner all in one. For electric bass it’s a no brainer. I can’t see myself replacing my Fishman Platinum Pro for double bass as the SH1 just does everything righteously.

 

You can or can't see it replacing your Fishman Platinum Pro?

[fretmeister]

11 hours ago, Skybone said:

I still think the Line6 POD Go is a brilliant bit of kit, but no DI though.

 

 

 

Yes it does - the output sockets are balanced when you use a TRS cable.

 

Electrically no different to using an XLR connection.

[Gareth Hughes]

25 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

 

You can or can't see it replacing your Fishman Platinum Pro?

I can’t - after the sound I heard through the amp, and out front (my son was playing while I listened) - I don’t think I’ve any need to replace the Fishman. The Tech21 SH1 - with blend set fully clean - is a great double bass preamp.

[Linus27]

23 minutes ago, Gareth Hughes said:

I can’t - after the sound I heard through the amp, and out front (my son was playing while I listened) - I don’t think I’ve any need to replace the Fishman. The Tech21 SH1 - with blend set fully clean - is a great double bass preamp.

 

Perfect, thank you. The Fishman is high on my list for my EUB and for a moment, I thought you were saying the SH1 was even better. I'm currently toying over the idea of either a Sansamp Para Driver or Fishman Platinum Pro to cover both my fretless electric and Ibanez EUB.

[Gareth Hughes]

For perfectly clean, and having a good compressor and effects loop, the Fishman is great. But if I had to choose one between the Fishman and the SH1, I’d go with the SH1 as it works great for both electric and upright.

[Nickthebass]

I might be late to the party but … Origin Effects SuperVintage - give in to the SVT!!

@Linus27 - sounds like we’re in the same area tone-wise. This is my “do everything” board, but last time out was with a Pbass, flats and foam.

 

DI goes to FOH and the jack out (going to the Radial DI in the photo) goes to my backline - for the stage only.

 

The aim is to send something as close to “nicely mic’d rig in a studio” as possible. FOH can tune to the room and I can tweak for the stage without us having a falling out.

 

Generally it’s always on with just a little bit of saturation (but not generally very “driven”). For me - all that old school rock(ish) stuff needs something just on the edge of break up. You could leave it off for a clean sound and then switch it on for something dirty.

 

You mentioned Motown - I’ve had this board sounding very close (identical to my ears) to both clean Motown “What’s Going On” and “dirty” Motown (“Uptight”). Most of those tunes were recorded direct not via an amp.

 

I also like the sound of the cab-sim on its own without the “head” part of the circuit. That sound is only available on the DI though. 
 

The cab-sim doesn’t affect the jack out, but the “head” section will (if the light is on).

 

Phil Conrad has a really good side by side of this and the Ampeg equivalent pedal. The Origin was the better SVT model but the Ampeg’s B15 sound was astonishingly accurate. (I have toyed with buying one but it wouldn’t fit on this board.)

 

 

Edited May 31 by Nickthebass

[Paddy777]

On 19/03/2025 at 21:23, thisisswanbon said:

At risk of being devil's advocate here... I had the MB pre for a while, and enjoyed its basic tone however moved it on as I hated the way it clipped.

 

Being a tube pre I assumed it'd compress and slightly break up as you'd expect from tube gear (without the drive on that is) however it seemed to have more of a digital clipping quality to it that was just awful.

 

The logical thing to do was turn the gain down - but that felt like it lost headroom, and I use some loud effects before the pre that would have a similar result.

 

Better players than me have used this to great effect though so of course YMMV.

 

Ive been on a bit of a DI/preamp journey over the past year or so - Laney Digbeth, Sansamp VTDI, Source Audio Zio bass preamp, Joyo Tidal Wave, Joyo Monomyth, Ampeg SGT DI, HX Stomp, Ampero II Stomp, Mark Bass Vintage pre and more... but landed on the Aguilar Tone Hammer V1. Versatile as you like, has a lovely core tone and a really quality bit of kit. For me it'd be a toss up between this or the laney digbeth 👍

Once you get to grips with the AGS (and realise it’s an ‘always on’ and to dial in everything else alongside it, rather than a 2nd channel) the Tone Hammer v1 is an absolutely fantastic pedal, couldn’t be more versatile really and the low gain AGS sound adds some lovely fatness/warmth to the sound. You can dial in pretty much anything with it tho, the main gripe from people was the volume jump when you turn on AGS but it’s designed as always on/always off I think, that’s certainly how it works best. Really excellent preamp/DI, bombproof and pretty cheap second hand

[Pow_22]

I have a Hartke VXL up for sale here.  Great pedal for the price but i recently went with a more expensive Two Notes revolt

[TheGhostofJaco]

The capo is so good I don’t know if I’d gig it. Just use in studio. Debating just using an amp di for anything live, or getting the bass rig pedal. 

Edited 22 hours ago by TheGhostofJaco

[Nickthebass]

1 hour ago, TheGhostofJaco said:

The capo is so good I don’t know if I’d gig it. Just use in studio. Debating just using an amp di for anything live, or getting the bass rig pedal. 

For what it’s worth - I used to run an amp DI live but have moved over to that small board with the BassRig and don’t think I’d go back.

 

The BassRig box is good. The SVT is “a sound” - one that will work for most things - but it was not designed for versatility like the Capo.

 

I’m aiming for two things

 

1) Consistent FOH send every time that already sounds great.

 

2) The ability to EQ for the stage without compromising the FOH sound.

 

For me, “great” isn’t just an unprocessed DI. If I have to use the backline to make the sound I want then I can’t tweak it for the stage without affecting the PA mix. My current set up effectively gives me two amps - one for the desk and one for stage.

 

At the moment the only thing I might swap the BassRig for is the Ampeg equivalent box - but just for the B15 sound.

Edited 20 hours ago by Nickthebass

[TheGhostofJaco]

3 hours ago, Nickthebass said:

For what it’s worth - I used to run an amp DI live but have moved over to that small board with the BassRig and don’t think I’d go back.

 

The BassRig box is good. The SVT is “a sound” - one that will work for most things - but it was not designed for versatility like the Capo.

 

I’m aiming for two things

 

1) Consistent FOH send every time that already sounds great.

 

2) The ability to EQ for the stage without compromising the FOH sound.

 

For me, “great” isn’t just an unprocessed DI. If I have to use the backline to make the sound I want then I can’t tweak it for the stage without affecting the PA mix. My current set up effectively gives me two amps - one for the desk and one for stage.

 

At the moment the only thing I might swap the BassRig for is the Ampeg equivalent box - but just for the B15 sound.

Yep that’s the issue with an amp di. Of course you can feed the pedals into the fx loop but having a di on the floor is so much easier.  Plus you can fly anywhere and have your sound. 
 

it’s tough to beat the versatility of the capo. 

[Nickthebass]

6 hours ago, TheGhostofJaco said:

Yep that’s the issue with an amp di. Of course you can feed the pedals into the fx loop but having a di on the floor is so much easier.  Plus you can fly anywhere and have your sound. 
 

it’s tough to beat the versatility of the capo. 

 

I don’t think of the BassRig and the Capo as equivalent products. I think of BassRig as a mic’d SVT that fits on a pedal board. For recording I often go into a DI first and then to the pedal board - allowing for a blend of the two.

 

If you need the tweak-ability of the Capo then you might find the BassRig frustrating. If you just want something at the end of the chain for a bit of character and cab sound before you hit the board then it’s great. 
 

For me - the tweaking generally comes from the EQ and compressor before I hit the “amp”.

 

I don’t fly really but personally I don’t like the way some engineers treat bass in PAs - loads of low lows and nothing else. I generally dial something in at home using some nice cans - and send that to FOH from the BassRig. If it sounds bad out front it ain’t my fault 😆.

 

I have a plan for a small “different sounds” board that I can patch into channel 2 of the Quartermaster on my main board.

Edited 10 hours ago by Nickthebass