Affordable Bass Preamp Pedals Shootout!

[@michaelbonanno7476]

Always great to see Lee playing!

[@johnbehan1526]

Speaking as someone with a similar skinny, nervous, camp, ADHD energy, it's fascinating to watch him go from oversized toddler on tartrazine to composed and competent musician when he plays. (I do not. I fluff.)

[@christopherstorrier5560]

I have gigged the Laney Digbeth & NU-X MLD preamp DI pedals...live both sounded very good, great switching options on the MLD...the Digbeth outputs 660ohm XLR DI, low enough to use live, i really liked both the clean FET & Tube sounding channels...the MLD can be used as a re-amp box, drum machine patterns for practice & aux music player input along with headphones in/output, comes with 3 amp ir's Aguliar, Nordstrum Starlift & MLD's own bass amp & 4 cab ir's, For the price i was impressed with the quality of the Digbeth & MLD..the MLD is very good,75ohm, no matter the price it works really well along with the Digbeth...i'll be keeping mine till they give up or i do...well demo'd....ps, the MLD is great for 5 or those weird 6 string players, MLD plays 4, 5, & 6 string bass's, works well with a 4 or 5 string bass's...the tilt control on the Digbeth is handy live..

[@kloudtunes]

I use the NUX because it was affordable and sounds not overly extreme with distortion. Basically it is hard to make it sound bad. I think you missed a couple of important features. The NUX has various built in amp models and cab sims (or load your own IRs) you can switch between via app. It has a noise gate, a headphones out and the USB port can even be used as a USB audio interface. Outside of that a great comparison video. Thanks!

[@gastronomymonk2168]

Can also go below 45hz

[@daysleeper320]

I still swear by the Sansamp bass driver.

[@fightinthecommentsection]

While others swear at it

[@ElricX]

Same here. 20+ years with mine. It's not going anywhere.

[@ryanslauderdale]

Sounds fantastic with Precision and Jazz basses.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Sounds great parallel on drums too

[@Paddy-t3b]

I couldn’t get a sound I liked out of a sansamp sadly. I much prefer the sound of the bass into the amp.

[@joanrubio4694]

GREAT playing by Lee on this one!

[@AudioWonderland]

I am disputing the presence of a tube in DigBeth. The manual refers to the "tube sounding" channel. The power draw is only 100ma. You cannot power a tube at high voltage on that little voltage. It also has no warm up time. I think you need to revisit this topic. It IS a fantastic pre, but I am pretty certain you have this point wrong

[@christopherstorrier5560]

...there is no Valve, they don't claim it has one bud but i like the sound of the Tube channel...the Eden Glo-Plug does have a Valve at 15v, obviously not driven like a valve amp but the signal does strangely go through the 12AX7 valve...

[@AudioWonderland]

​. Watch it again. Unless they already edited it out they most certainly did say it. It's around 18:29

[@christopherstorrier5560]

@@AudioWonderland ..then there wrong as i opened mine & no "tube" inside, i stated there was no valve in it not they said there was one in it bud..i've known for yrs theres no tube as i stated but the Eden Glo-Plug does use a 15v tube..lol..it works but i don't know how at 15v & about the same 100ma...the signal goes through the tube but also other components that i guess gives it that tube tone, strangely works best when used with Class D bass amps for some reason... they said it had a tube & it did'nt have a tube, i was clarifying there is NO tube in the Laney Digbeth bud....

[@soulstart89]

Like Chris said it doesn’t have value in the pedal. I contacted laney to ask a number of questions. One was if it had a value. It doesn’t. It’s just an amazing tube emulator. Amazing sounding pedal. I was deciding between the nux mld pedal and the laney digbeth. I chose the mld pedal due to the ir’s and high pass filter (I wish you had a option to turn it off). In all honesty as good as the MLD pedal i wish I got the digbeth.

[@johnbehan1526]

For the money, it's a great pre-amp based on the FET side alone.

[@mgr_1138]

Nice one. I've been using the MXR M81 for a couple months now and am very happy with it. I needed a small DI/XLR out for my pedalboard. In most cases I simply use it with the preamp bypassed, just as a DI Box. I enable it and use the EQ if I need to adjust my sound to the room. It does exactly what I need it to do. The only thing that could be improved is the color :D

[@josephbarbato9668]

I gigged with the MLD preamp for a while. I really enjoyed it.

[@DeanFeeney138]

Cicii looks very different without makeup.

[@paulcollingridge8387]

She looks taller, but I'm not diggin' it.

[@indelebi]

Hahaha lost it 🤣

[@andrewpinner3181]

Thanks guys, a well structured review & also with pertinent background info. Nice one !

[@popsfitch7938]

I love my Digbeth and have been using it almost two years in front of my Blackstar U 700 pushing an Ampeg 15” speaker box . I have exactly what I need for any gig. All of my basses sound as I love them and can play all different types of music as required.

[@stevenpape2021]

The EHX nano-Batallion makes a great noise, with my 5-string Jazz Bass in front.

[@Chapusse]

I have a Palmer preamp with cab simulator. It's a sweet and affordable pedal too. Great tone.

[@GranTigerGaming]

1. Lee is a great bass player, always enjoy listening. 2. Boss pedals are unassuming but always sounds great. The other pedals sound great too and are fun, but there is always something so effective yet clear about most boss pedals.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

You can’t mess with the detail-obsessiveness of Japanese engineers

[@petougao]

I agree 100% also, drive is horrible in bedroom but just works against guirasists live.

[@gazfunk]

I was surprised by the Boss when I tried it with my Jazz Bass. Its a really nice clean boost, I'm thinking of picking one up.

[@petougao]

Boss was the only thing doing it for me in a bussy band against two guitars. Sounds poor in bedroom, kills it on stage.

[@AndyRobinson1010]

We need more from "all about the bass", please... Also, a special on the ToneX for bass players would be great!

[@ryanbazeley153]

Enjoy my Orange Bass Butler very much - but these are cool 👍🏻

[@westmanjoel]

I have the MLD and love how subtle it is. I know it says Bass specifically, but I've run an acoustic guitar, and an acoustic ukulele through it with great output sound.

[@zhegwood]

Currently use the Ampeg SGT-DI and love it aside from the compressor and grit aren't great, but when I played more aggro music I used the Darkglass Alpha/Omega & absolutely loved it. Prior to that I had a $100 used SansAmp BDDI that I used for a lot of years.

[@JM_2019]

I have the SGT-DI as well. The grit may not sound good in solo but in the mix it provides exactkly the growl that can be found in many hit records. Great device.

[@vitaminc2161]

@@JM_2019 It is great and among the best but not exactly affordable

[@mikecorey8370]

Boss and MXR are a tie, even though they're a bit different with the Laney a close #2.

[@GingerBass]

MXR M80 DI+ is my go to

[@joaniepeters2565]

Ive used the Melvin Lee Davis for years now my favorite clean tone pre amp, with the IR engaged and the right eq I can get that nice clean recording quality sound live.. and I also record everything with it because it acts as a recording interface and I usually use the focusrite along with it still and man… def the best recording tone I’ve ever had

[@jaribu2758]

The Nux has separate switches for the cab emulation so you can send the IR to front of house but not to the amp.

[@MrDsmith1959]

New color tone for today is Sparkle,great.

[@BassGeekz]

I use the Digbeth plugin for metal and it's wicked. 😋

[@antoniopizarro7670]

I have the MXR, love it, highly recommend.

[@Mashbass1]

Speaking of affordable... I've recently tried 2 preamps from Joyo, the Tidal Wave (based on the Sansamp Bass Driver) and the Monomyth (based on the Darkglass Alpha-Omega) and they both sounded really great, nothing to complain about, but my personal preference are the Sansamps (Bass Driver and VT).

[@bbdph]

review the sansamp xb driver please and also utilize its effects loop for modulation pedals

[@pepmasters-999]

I like the combination of these two presenters. as nice as Cici is, Lee tends to do about 95% of the talking with the usual lineup. More of a balance here, with Lee also going into ocassional Kenneth Williams mode, for some reason.

[@tuxar72]

Really surprised with the Boss, big fan of that brand here. Not for the price obviously but I really like the most the DIGBETH.

[@SeG_VT]

There is a Preamp called "PALMER POCKET AMP BASS". This is the one, I am currnetly using. I whould love to see a comparison with the shown competitors.

[@vitaminc2161]

Yup and I am really satisfied with it using almost daily for practice and gig pedal / DI. The only alternatives to this are I think Sonicake B-Factory, Aguilar AG and Ampeg SGT-DI. I don't know why it isn't featured more in channels or videos like this

[@SeG_VT]

@ I think because Palmer is not as international known as a brand as for example tech21, ampeg, nux, [...]or even radial in terms of di boxes and this kind of stuff.

[@gearforest9746]

Would be great to see and hear all drives cranked. We want at least to hear that for a short time! :)

Shoutout to Joyo American Sound. No DI out, but sounds nice.

[@bassmangab9039]

The nux Mld is amazing

[@lowtone1778]

Would love to see you review the Trace Elliot Transit B (if you haven't already...). It seems to have rather robust functionality at a reasonable price.

[@carwynvan]

No Palmer Pocket Amp Bass? I would have thought that would be perfect for this exact thing (and comes well within the set budget)

[@claybennett5875]

I may be wrong but don’t think Anderton's stock Palmer, think that's gear4musics / thomanns thing

[@carwynvan]

@claybennett5875 they do stock them. Not all of them are in stock but on the website right now the guitar mkII and Bass are in stock

[@Keith-rk4td]

Don't forget Caline Wine Cellar. See for yourself. Howdy from Texas!!🤘🤠🤘

[@AndyA1234]

I have the older Fishman Platinum EQ & a mk 1 Sansamp pedal. Have my Amp tone controls set flat, so using it just like a power amp.

[@MisbehavingChild]

Digbeth sounds great especially for the price.

[@bradleyberdahl6148]

Hello from Minot North Dakota.

[@svenscheil902]

What about using a bass with active pickups electronic together with a preamp pedal?

[@NotThatOneThisOne]

Surprised they don't have the £29 Behringer BDI21. They do sell it. Great preamp.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Electro Harmonix sounds great and very flexible, to my ears. I’d go with that or the MXR, but bizarrely the EH is cheaper and deeper so, I’d probably get the EH. Cheaper and more flexible with the gate and distortion. Also i kinda think any pedal like this should have an XLR out for the desk, odd that the Boss only has 1/4". When using the compression on the EH, you’d really need to bring up the volume (which is normal for compression). And I’d put that in like 60% wet.

[@soulstart89]

I have the nux mld pedal and it’s decent. I will say that the laney digbeth pedal has an emulator tube section. It doesn’t have an actual value. When I was looking to see which pedal to buy I contacted laney direct to ask about what the mod frequency was and the tube channel. A tad disingenuous saying it has a value when it doesn’t. The laney digbeth amp head has the same emulator (not value) also. Both sound killer but again it’s an emulator not an actual value.

[@elbackapacko7138]

Cici looks hella different with a perm…. A lot grumpier too

[@pjotrvoronoi]

Hell yes, bass!

[@mwaythos]

We all go Kenneth Williams when excited. Don't worry.

[@NotThatOneThisOne]

I just don't get why he's pushing the blend towards the drive on each one. We want the dry to be holding up the wet.

[@bradleyberdahl6148]

GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!

[@MrWilson-WithaPbass]

Ya know call me crazy but ... 1) EHX 2)Boss ....IMO (and yeah I own a Sansamp and a Helix stomp)

[@rdvgrd6]

Tech 21 vt bass.

[@miguelfernandes333]

Will yu guys b looking at the Ground and Pound mkii any time soon?

[@johnbehan1526]

Digbeth is my go-to. I am an idiot (this is not proving my point, but bear with me) and burned out the front end of my Ashdown head (we won't go into it, I'm not emotionally ready and i haven't taken her a good repair shop yet) . The DBPre was able to go straight in the fx return and sounded ... Much like an expensive bass amp.

[@rabidgoon]

I really like the walrus badlands or whatever they call it

[@idickman]

Badwater. Haven't used it but it looks like a great DI/preamp. If I were in the market for a new one that would be on the short list

[@danademski3353]

Where is Cici?

[@theruminator691]

She's just bulked up a bit

[@robinstahlbaum9813]

lee you ship to canada? if yes is it alot more cost to a buyer??

[@TheFlutecart]

Shipping to and from Canada is an interesting subject lately.

[@edgelite]

Yeah Canada post is on strike. Good luck getting your stuff. Fire them all. They are hurting small businesses in their make or break season.

[@DadPlaysBass]

When you have a sansamp you need nothing else. Nothing can achieve its tone, and its tone is unique

[@nicolasptrsn]

I use an audio interface to plug my bass into my computer. Are preamps compatible with those, or can I connect the preamp directly to my PC?

You missed the sadowsky sbp2

[@charliedillon1400]

Help a guitar player understand this guys: Are bass preamp pedals what you use if you have a passive bass, but want to emulate an active bass, so you have the pedal instead of the preamp inside the instrument?

[@NamelessSmile]

Not really, they're basically a bass amp without the power amp and speaker. So just the amplification drive and eq

[@pCeLobster]

Since bass frequencies takes a lot of power to reproduce, bass amps tend to be high wattage and therefore difficult to overdrive at reasonable volume. Plus, bass players primarily tend to play clean for their base tone. So for these reasons mainly, we get drive sounds from pedals rather than amps. However, distorting the signal of a bass can often have the effect of shrinking it, declarifying it, or making it less solid in the mix. So, it becomes necessary to mitigate that tendency with additional controls such as clean blend, crossover, and EQ. This stuff becomes pretty much necessary to have a great sounding distorted bass in a band, and pedal builders who care about bass will often lump all of this into one device where it used to require several. Compression is often thrown in too since bass normally can benefit quite a bit from some compression. So, while a simple SD-1 or tube screamer will more than suffice for a guitar player, bass players end up needing these complex "preamps" to distort the bass, solve the problems of distorting the bass, compress it and additionally EQ it in whatever way.

[@idickman]

​@@NamelessSmileplus a few other features sometimes, like the ones on the pedals in this video, but yeah that's the foundation of it

[@charliedillon1400]

Thanks for the info!

[@rzh101]

Also, these DI preamps are generally at the end of the signal chain, whereas active bass preamps are at the start, so it’s more about final manipulation of the sound before heading to the desk or the backline.

[@RubyDimasStudio]

Any pedals pre amp with Pitch Shift ? thanks

[@linkert810]

Raindeer! I didn't know you played behs? - löve Martha

[@jasonmusic9938]

digbeth 😮

[@amitlavon1647]

This is just proof that if you play well, any preamp will sound good

[@Thatbobguy8]

Sans amp Geddy lee Di pre. All you could ever need or want

[@xLAYERSxTHEONIONx]

Very sad there's no sansamp 😢

[@marck7270]

love the humor cockroaches and the thermo nuclear blast ... keep it positive ... 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@petermartin1967]

Where’s Cici ???

[@josearjona3728]

That Boss is not a "preamp" per se, you can use as one, but I think we all can argue that is more a drive than a pre

[@ChristopherOrz]

As a drive pedal it kinda lacks... drive 😅 for my taste ofc

[@AndySkywalkerGuitar]

I thought preamps were made for putting together your own stereo, not for playing bass!

[@zoomzoom3950]

Trace Elliot Transit B. You're welcome.

[@Bobby-wn5yr]

Zoom b1 four half the price and more features, great sounds in there & runs off a USB battery pack. Missing a DI out, but most of these don’t have stage grade DI’s anyway. Can upgrade to the line 6 pod express too for something a bit more robust I guess? Spend the difference on a midrange DI box if you want one and you’re golden 🤷‍♂️

[@ileutur6863]

Stage grade DI? Most venues plug you into a plastic Behringer that barely worksm

[@Bobby-wn5yr]

@ behringer make some decent desk stuff actually. But yeah, a lot of the DI outs on amps and stump boxes are really shit, and yeah you can tell the difference, especially as the distances get bigger or the cables or desk get shorter right? Why we use DI to begin with

[@nachobassman]

Advice from a humble pro bassplayer: Forget about those fancy budget pedals and SAVE for the REAL DEAL: a TECH21 SansAmp BDDI. No need to thank me later. 👍

[@selfactualizer2099]

look at nathan navarro envelope pedals review, notice how he knows to shut his mouth and demonstratethe pedals, waiting until the end for any quick direct vocal explanations extra: british people talk like theyre obsessed with hearing themselves speak.

[@josephwalton487]

Guys...bass players in general.....STOP IMMEDIATELY DIALING IN DIRT ON PREAMPS. Some of us REAL WORLD bassists use external preamps as almost like an "articulation boost" when using it as just a live rig pedal, not a DI. Can we get a vid of that and not completely unusable bass distortion. Bass distortion sucks. I don't care who you are it freaking blows. Even in my Mudvayne-esque metal bands I would never want to purpisefully muddy up already heavily detuned strings. STOP WITH THE FADS people......When I say articulation boost I mean run it with drive or gain control at around 2, jack your mids and highs to well,...articulate more. The point of this whole thing lol. Bass around noon or 1 o' clock. And use the preamps volume to taste. Viola, instant boutique bass sound.... on a Squier. Doesn't matter what brand or the cost. The point is you are essentially "faking" having an onboard preamp on either a passive or cheap active. Want to step this trick's game up? Get a not so common Sadowsky SBP-1 or SBP-2 which utilizes the same exact circuitry as Sadowsky onboard preamps in upper tier basses.