What other pre-amps are in use?

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

There are some really great pre-amps out there that sound great for steel guitar. Let's see.....Revelation, Tonic, Walker, Evens, Boogie. What else are you guys using that sounds good?

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I was using an old single rack space Rocktron "Sidewinder" preamp in a rack system. I bought it used and cheap as a temporary preamp and as it turned out it worked great. And as an added bonus with the three different preamp sections (and three sets of controls) it also worked great with my Telecaster and had a Marshall like sound. It even has a "line level" effects loop so you can use line level rack effects units such as the Lexicon's, T.C. Electronic, etc. I had a T.C. Electronic G-Major that I used in the effects loop.

I sold off my rack system, but I've kept the Rocktron preamp. I don't know why since I don't have a rack system - I guess I got "attached" to it.

Don Sulesky · From: Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH

I'm using a BMAX Bass preamp made by BBE and like it a lot.

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Alembic and Demeter also make real nice tube preamps, although the Demeter is more voiced for bass. Then there's the whole digital modeling world with the Boss GT-Pro and the Line6 PODs.

Brad

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

I use all of these with a MosValve 500 power amp:
Blue Tube II, Pod Pro rm, and Boss SE70.

I was surprised to find the SE70, along with having some nice effects, would drive a power amp for my steel programs with the algorithms that do not have an amp sim. I like all of these units because I play a little bass, guitar and slide as well. I can just dial up presets for each instrument on the fly.

The BTII works good for steel and guitar as it is a 2 channel unit with seperate eq's and you can stack them.

The Pod and SE70 can be squeaky clean or as gritty as you need. From pristine sparkle to metal grind.

I would bet the Revelation is the holy grail for steel alone or just clean guitar.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I think you left off arguably the most celebrated PSG preamp/effects rack unit of all - the Peavey Profex, ProfexII, Tubefex, and Transtubefex series. Lots of those suckers out there still, and my Tubefex sounds great for PSG. Perhaps next in line would be the Steel Guitar Black Box. Not rack mount, but very much a PSG preamp.

I also use a Pod and Digitech Genesis 3 from time to time, although I'm using the Pod mostly for guitar these days. Not exactly just preamps, but modelers.

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

I used a Kern bass preamp for a while, until I gave it to my son to play bass through.

I didn't directly a/b them, but I think the Revelation sounds better.

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

I've also used the following preamps:

Boss GX-700
Rocktron Chameleon
Blue Tube
Lexicon MPX-G2
POD 1
Zoom 1000 (I think that was the name)

Non of them sounded nearly as good as the Revelation for clean pedal steel sounds.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

The Baggs Para Acoustic DI works great for electric instruments, including steel. I've used it for steel, upright bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin....really versatile and excellent sound
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

Jim, the Baggs unit looks similar to the Tech21 SansAmp Para Driver DI. That unit has a rack mount version called the RPM, but no telling how they would sound with steel guitar.

Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

I really like my SansAmp PSA1 for recording overdriven sounds, especially for lap steel. With some fiddling around, you can find some pretty nice clean sounds as well though I prefer several of the amps already mentioned for clean sounds.

Tom Mossburg · From: AZ,

I've experimented lately with a couple. The SansAmp Bass Driver. It has a lot of Punch. What I've kind of settled into lately is a Zoom G2 unit. I bought it primarily to use a s a private practice head phone amp since it's got internal effects. I found that it works great on the front end of my NV-1000. For $99 its a steel!

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I've used a Digitech 2112 Preamp / Effects processor for the last several years. These are tube preamps and have really good effects in them. I have 6 or 7 programs for steel, 3 or 4 for guitar, and a couple for acoustic instruments, acoustic guitar, mandolin, or fiddle. They were discontinued several years ago so I have a spare with identical programs in it in case one poops out, but I haven't had trouble with either one of them.

_________________
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.

George Redmon · From: Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.

I am using in my rack system an old Carvin Quad X Preamp. I had it in my studio for a long time, now i have it in my rack setup. I have played through just about every preamp there is, and some were very good, some very bad. But i always come back to my little Carvin Quad X. This puppy has everything on it but the kitchen sink.It has 4 channels. Two clean,one sustained, one over drive. It has the old "Tube Cascade" type of over drive, so so nice on guitar, and when you want to play like RR, also gives a nice string effect on steel.It has 6 effects loops, plus 1 master effects loop. Active Lo Mid Hi controls on your clean channels, pluse a onboard 5 band eq. A 10db switch, for when your tele player decides to step on your toes. Has what is called "Cloaking" to cut out those annoying mid freq overtones. Cabinet voicing for recording, a headphone input jack. This monstor has 9 12AX7 tubes. Reverb memory, a touch sensitive noice gate for those noisy stomp boxes. Although this preamp is crystal clean, and whisper quiet. True stereo or mono output. It is also midi compatible. And a input LED meter. This preamp works equally well with, guitar, steel, fiddle, keyboards.I run this preamp through an all tube carvin TS~100 power amp. This is as warm as it gets folks. This little Quad X preamp is a keeper. I bought mine in 1994, still running perfect today.

My QuadX in my studio

My QuadX behind my daughter Lillie in our studio, with my Nashville 115 cabs in the background

http://www.carvin.com/manuals/quadx.pdf
http://www.carvinmuseum.com/decade/images/93-quadxamp.html

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

FWIW I've had several different Sansamp units and the Baggss sounds far more "natural". It's tonally superior by far IMO.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Scott Appleton · From: Ashland, Oregon

LIne 6 pod live floor pedal to a 100 watt all tube power amp .. to a D130 .. sweet ..
I can switch to any sound from a blackface for my Emmons to a tweed for my
tele to a marshall for my strat .. get it gone baby ...

Tobie Schalkwyk · From: South Africa

You guys are into heavy stuff! Shocked

I've kept it simple up to now. Tried a POD 2, but couldn't get a satisfactory sound from it, so it's sitting on the shelf for now. Reasonably happy with a Behringer Tube Ultragain (MIC200) on the lapsteel & PSG. Using a JoeMeek ThreeQ on my dobro, which does not sound bad at all on the lapsteel. The pre-amps on my mixer does the necessary for my harmonica mic.

I'm probably don't realise what I'm actually missing... Confused

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I have tried several different pre-amps over the years and have always gone back to a Tube Works Blue Tube II.
It has such rich, warm tone and there are a good many connections on the back for effects, etc.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I went through a pile of pre amps and ended up liking an old Furman PQ3 the best. Alembic makes a nice pre amp also.
_________________
Bob

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I was just thinking that I have never tried my recording preamp - an ART Tube MP Studio.

I might have to run that through its paces and see what happens.

I neglected one preamp I use very often because I don't think of it as a preamp - an MXR Micro Amp (the old non-LED model, which sounds very different from the new ones). I use it mainly as a clean boost when I don't have floor space for my Klon Centaur, but it DOES work well as a preamp straight into a power amp. It has NO controls except volume, and puts out a round, smooth, well-balanced signal. It's also a great headphone amp!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Ben Jack · From: Fayettevillle, Ar. * R.I.P.

I'm dumb, where do you get these pre amps.?

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The Tube Works Blue Tube II is out of production.
They are sometimes for sale here on b0bs Forum and oft times on e-bay.
BTW: There were Blue Tube II's made with a steel mod.

Ben Jack · From: Fayettevillle, Ar. * R.I.P.

Irv. are these the preamps now referred to as : REVELATIONS ?

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

No, the Revelation is a different preamp.

www.sarnomusicsolutions.com

Glenn Taylor · From: Denver, CO, USA

after trying numerous preamps, I have been happy for years now with the Alembic f2B.

www.glenntaylormusic.com

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