Which Bass DI should i get?

[iverson763]

I'm thinking of getting a preamp/DI and i'm not too sure which one's good.

I'm using a 2001 made in USA Fender JBass V and a 62's reissue fender Pbass.

i love the sound of my basses, but i need a preamp for the few cases where the amps suck big time, and besides, my basses aren't active. And i feel more comfortable using a pre-amp. Currently i'm using my boss ME50B to act as my preamp.

I was looking at 3, hartke bass attack, sansamp and sadowsky.

I'm looking more for a low to mid-end boost. I play mostly pop/rock... more on the hillsongs stuff..

Will appreciate comments! thanks!

 

[redname]

how bout the new behringer range? they got a preamp/di for bass modelled aft the sanamps one.

of cus highly recommeded is the sadowsky ones

 

[slapadelic]

I would HIGHLY recommend the Tech21 Sansamp Bass Driver/DI. It gives you very very good tone shaping and fattens up your sound without taking away the characteristicsof your bass (after all, u dun pay a few thousand thousand just to get your tone coloured right?).

I have never played with the sadowsky one before... but have heard players using it... and yes, i am also very impressed with the sound it can help produce.

At the end of the day, give all your options a try and make sure your decision is laregly based on what u yourself liked when u test those boxes out. Whats the point of buying something people way is good when u dun "feel" it right?

 

[Colarndo]

Just a simple Graphic EQ will do the trick. You might wanna try some compressors too.

 

[wangdexian]

Be warned that the sansamp has a rather low midrange, if that's what you want.

 

[dude]

Just a simple Graphic EQ will do the trick. You might wanna try some compressors too.

yeah i agree, the BOSS GEB-7 works fine for me.

 

[dude]

sidetracking a little here, how much did you get your ME8B for man?

 

[amnesiac]

I would opt for the MXR DI box. It rocks!

 

[squidospyder]

I would opt for the MXR DI box. It rocks!

Probably this opinion of mine doesn't matter... But one thing I dislike about the MXR M80 bass DI+ is the plastic battery cover at the bottom. The catch breaks off very easily. Almost all the units I've seen being used around already have the battery compartment cover catch broken.

But comparing with the SansAmp Bass Driver DI (that I own): this one needs four screws to be removed to access the battery. So which is better... easy to access battery compartment with a plastic cover that breaks easily or having to remove 4 screws to do that, very troublesome if you find out your battery's dead just before your show at the venue and you can't find a screwdriver (assuming you're not running on phantom power)... Hmmm... But in the end the sound/features will of course be more important than battery compartment issues, but its still a factor even if its a small one...

 

[dude]

i just bought the behringer di today. it effing rocks man. it sounds like a sansamp!

 

[felytone]

i have an mxr m80..

so far so gd, but the batt casing inside broke liao, dats the one hunch.
luv the seperate clean and dist channel. dat one and the mid freq knob win the sansamp over oledi imo , tho the dist remained to be really tested.
wonder how will it sound over a 200w amp huh..??

aniway will update u guys how it is once dis ting is put onstage aitee!!

cheers!!

 

[iverson763]

Woa... thanks guys for the input.

And mine's the me50b, not 8b. got it for a little lesser than 500 bucks.

My game plan now... i'll probably get myself a geb7 first, cos i really love the tone of my jbass, no point fixing something that's not broken right?

Ermm... so, does anyone noe where to get a geb7?

 

[cherns]

I just bought an EBS microbass II - got it at a great price from a friend. It's supercalifragalistically great! I think the Sadowsky DI sounds great as well - but it's got less functions.

 

[felytone]

ok guys gigged with the m80..

my chain:

bass- p pups o/p > zoom 708II > bbe sonic maximiser > swr w'man 15
front pups> mxr m80> roland kbd amp

setting up was a real headache for me esp wen theres pushy ppl ard( ironically its not from the soundman, haha!!)

the roland kbd amp being a colorless amp, was hooked to the m80 so i cud tweak with the eq..i set the bass at 3oclock, mid at 9, treble at 12. and boy do i get a deep rumbling bass tone to accompany my mid hi freq from w'man 15: the closest i cud get to my dream tone so far!! i used the color switch which gave a pretty nice tight tone to it.

i din use the dist for dat gig, but during fun practice, its like the metal zone of bass pedals. u wont get overdrive n the bass tone is still there plus u can get nice feedback wailing sounds with gd or accidental understanding of its properties..

imo, its a sure damn gd tone enhancers for the budget bass or basses wit weak pups. a gd extra for those gd basses too.plus u have the usable dist channel!! 2 in 1!! i wud get dis instead of a pups upgrading actually!!

 

[rylche]

what preamp would you guys recommend for >$100 ? i dont know which one is value for money, for i have no experience in buying preamps/DIs. thanks!

 

[iverson763]

Get the sadowsky DI!

........then you can tell me where you bought it.....

LOL

 

[cherns]

Here's a pic of the EBS microbass II

 

[slapwalkpop]

M-80 bass d.i+ MXR

 

[jbarks]

I'd go with the "all you need is an EQ pedal" train of thought here, because I just sold my Hartke BDI and got a GEB-7 as a booster for my Sansamp Tri-A.C... Honestly if you're not looking to add overdrive that's the way to go. I can't think of a reason to get an outboard preamp just for boosting your EQ, save for needing a DI out.

For DIs under 100, the Hartke is a pretty good bet. I don't know about the Behringers, but I've used a Hartke and while it takes time getting used to, you can get a pretty good tone out of it.