| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic suggestions on a good tube preamp please?
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  suggestions on a good tube preamp please?
Terry Sneed

 

From:
Arkansas,
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2008 5:03 pm    
Reply with quote

I'm lookin for a good quality tube preamp. Don't necessarilly have to have effects. I'm gettin an RV-3, and delay and reverb is about all I ever use anyhow. I just want one that will give me a nice warm tube sound. I've seen the Art tube mic/instrument preamps, and a couple of Blue tube preamps, and a Zoom 9150 tube preamp with effects.

Can you guys help me with these different preamps? I don't know a thing about any of them, so I need some guidance please. It don't have to be any of the tube preamps above, I just want a nice warm tube sound.
Thanks

Terry
_________________
1997 emmons legrande lll 8&5/ Nashville 112 with Fox chip mod LTD 400 / American Tele / John Jorgerson Takamine/ W/S Rob Ickes model dobro/
"May God Bless America Again"
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Ken Fox


From:
Nashville GA USA
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2008 5:19 pm    
Reply with quote

http://eugene.craigslist.org/msg/715981906.html
View user's profile Send private message
Terry Sneed

 

From:
Arkansas,
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2008 7:48 pm     Preamp
Reply with quote

Thanks Ken, but I forgot to add, I don't have but around $200 to spend on one. And that's only if it has good resale value. But I do appreciate your help.
Would you happen to know of one for around that price?

Terry
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
sonbone


From:
Waxahachie, TX
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2008 11:06 pm    
Reply with quote

In that price range I think the only preamp that uses high plate voltage is the Electro-Harmonix LPB 2ube preamp. It has a street price of $189 from a number the usual vendors including Guitar Center, etc. Electro-Harmonixs also makes a tube eq pedal that might work as well or better than the preamp pedal.

Although I haven't tried it yet, a number of guitar players have been getting good results by replacing the 12AX7 tubes in some of the starved plate voltage preamps (ART, Behringer, etc.) with 12AU7s. That might be something to consider as an ART Tube MP Studio preamp can be had for a street price of $30-$40 and a decent 12AU7 will run in the $10-$15 range.

My guess is that you'll probably like one of the Electro-Harmonix pedals better, but I haven't tried them and I can't say for sure.
_________________
Sonny Morris sjm227@hotmail.com
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Brad Sarno


From:
St. Louis, MO USA
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2008 7:36 am    
Reply with quote

The Electro Harmonix tube pedal will be FAR FAR FAR superior to the ART crap. The ART stuff is not really tube. It's deceiving advertising, criminal in my opinion. It's actually very cheap, bottom of the barrel solid state stuff, but they do have a tube in there just barely running, and it's only used to add a hair of tube overtone into the otherwise solid state signal path. They're really not special at all. In a true tube preamp, the very first stage should be a tube because that's where the tube thing best happens. Word has it that they sort of fake the warmth in that unit by darkening the treble response. A true tube unit will be as clear and bright and detailed as anything, but will still have that smooth, silky tube warmth. But for $40, it's worth a shot. They're tremendously popular, so you may want to ignore my personal opinion on the thing.

THe Electro Harmonix tube pedals are true tube devices running at good, reasonably high voltages. No false advertising there. They're actually "tube" preamps.

Brad
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Terry Sneed

 

From:
Arkansas,
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2008 11:19 am     Preamp
Reply with quote

Thanks Sonbone and Brad, I really appreciate ya'lls help. I'll take a look at the Electro Harmonix.

Terry
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Lynn Oliver


From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2008 11:33 am    
Reply with quote

If you do a search here you should find some discussion of the Seymour Duncan SFX-03 Twin Tube Classic Preamp Pedal. It seems to garner a lot of positive comments.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Gary Richardi

 

From:
SoCal, USA
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2008 5:01 pm    
Reply with quote

Are you looking for a mic preamp or a guitar preamp?

For a guitar preamp, I've got an older Peavey Rock Master 2-ch w/boost rack-mount pre that I absolutely love. They're no longer made but you can find 'em on ebay or thegearpage.net every once in a while and they go fairly cheap. It's one of the best guitar pre's ever made, IMHO.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Bill Hatcher

 

From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2008 5:12 pm    
Reply with quote

Pay the extra money for the F2B. One of the greatest sounding preamps ever made. Almost a direct copy of a Fender preamp section that is filtered much better and runs at a good high voltage. I have several of these and for electric bass there is no better pre. For steel it sounds amazing.

If you to to Ebay and look for a used Peavey TG or TB RAXX preamp, you would get more for your money than you might imagine. They usually sell for a little over a hundred bucks. They are a bargain. Don't get the rock and roll Peavey pre with all the channel switching chainsaw stuff.. not what you need for steel.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Darvin Willhoite


From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2008 6:17 pm    
Reply with quote

They may be a little out of your price range, but the Digitech 2112's, and 2120's are great tube preamps and you get lots of nice effects also. I've had two of them for several years and they sound great and have been really reliable.


_________________
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Terry Sneed

 

From:
Arkansas,
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2008 6:44 pm     Tube preamp
Reply with quote

Thanks guys for your suggestions. I ordered the Electro Harmonix LPB 2ube . If I'm not satisfied with it, I can always send it back, and try something else. Smile I'll let ya'll know how I like it after I get it and piddle with it a couple days.

Terry
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron