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Author Topic: Best Known Preamps  (Read 14629 times)

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Iperfungus

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #30 on: Time Format »


But COSM was in those units first, however I think Roland GP8 and GP16 were attempts at amp modelling, kinda.


Naaaaaaaaaaaa....GP8 had physical circuits of ANALOG Boss pedals inside (ok, delay was digital...) + patches + MIDI.  :thumb-up:
GP16 was probably all digital, but no physical modeling...intended as an attempt of EMULATING the output response of some other devices through algorithms executed by advanced DSP processors (Digital Signal Processor).

Line6 started messing with physical modeling...and now I do not remember if COSM appeared after or before first Line6 products...
All that modeling is based on DSP processors, of course: something must run the code...  :lol:
But the equation DSP = modeling is not necessarily always verified.

About the 9030...have a try to 9150 instead: it's better A LOT.
« Last Edit: Time Format by Iperfungus »
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Kim

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #31 on: Time Format »

I can probably only think of 5 preamps that really made a difference.     ;)

ADA MP-1  (of course)
Marshall JMP-1
Engl 530
Rocktron Pro GAP
Mesa Triaxis
Peavey Rockmaster

My very first rack anything was an MP-1.  I wanted something new (to me, then), had some spare money, and a choice between the MP-1 and a Rocktron Chameleon.  I flipped a coin, as the salesperson couldn't give me any info whatsoever about either one of those two choices, and came home with the MP-1.   Later on, I got a Rocktron Pro GAP from a studio that was going out of business.  I liked it enough to keep it around for a few years.  Eventually I sold it to fund other things though.  It was pretty good for not having any tubes. The Noise Gate is one of the best around; no menus, no fuss, reach over and adjust the single knob on the front panel to where you need the Noise Gate set and done.
I've heard about the JMP-1 but the reviews weren't favorable in my eyes.  The going price was just too much for me to "just try out" as well. 
Same with the Triaxis.  I knew a few people with a Triaxis and while they were happy with it for the most part, I couldn't see paying that much for one of those either.  The lag time (as mentioned) was a problem as well as the time needed to really dial your tone in.  But I've never personally plugged into one, and feel like I'm not missing anything anyway.  lol  My general Live guitar tone may be somewhat loosely based on "that" Mesa tone, but I like to spread the tone around a bit anyway.
Also know a local guy with an Engl 530.  He demo'd some of that for me when he bought my Peavey Classic 120 poweramp some years ago.  Seemed pretty good, but fairly one-dimensional IMO.  Kinda set it where you like it and that's all you get.  No program changes available, maybe it had a switch between Clean and Overdrive?  I can't remember. 
Ah, but I do lust after a Peavey Rockmaster.  It's so basic, so primal inside there, I dream of using it for recording some really heavy shit.  A very mild OD setting.....just a pinch of boost at the Input.....multitracked maybe a dozen times........per side......drool....
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #32 on: Time Format »

Wow, did I open a can of worms with my last post or what?!?  :lol:

     I forgot to mention that there have been several people in this forum who have the Zoom 9150 and all have made similar comments about it. Like you Max, they like it too. So in regards to the earlier Zoom gear, these must be a vast improvement over them. I'm just not into them as a matter of personal preference.

    @ Gerry, That is what I have now is amp heads. The preamps and power amps are just integrated components that can be mixed and matched. With the ADA preamps, it's like having a truck load of different amps in one box. That's the beauty of it. It's still all analogue. The ADA's don't model, they are circuits that re-route through different sections to get the tones they produce.
    And I totally agree about the cab sims. I've always turned them off when using the Fender Cyber-Deluxe because I believe the cab sims are only good for direct recording or FOH. I can't use them at all in the Fender because it comes through the speaker when you do, it's not like having a MicroCab that I can place before  or after the power amp and send to a mixer only. Also with the Fender, I never try to dial in the tones I need when I'm by myself and playing, I only do that when I'm working with a band, because it's the only way to get a good overall mix with it.
   @ Richard, I didn't bring up the Line 6 because it's not just a preamp, it, like the Fender I own, has all the effects and cab sims in it too. I did audition one of those when they came out and found that they sounded pretty good until I tried the reverb with the tone I was using and that was the worst one I've heard. I'm sure they improved it since then, but at the time I started laughing when I heard it because it reminded me of the old Silvertone reverb, very boing-y and rubbery sounding. Definitely not my cup of tea.

   I'd like to reply to a few more of these posts, but I have to get ready for work. Before I do, I will just contradict myself here a little bit, by saying that while I'm not a huge fan of the modeling amps, I'm about to take the plunge and buy a modeling guitar. A Fender G5 Stratocaster to be exact. I'll have it here sometime next week, and this is an experiment for me to see if I can get the same concept from a guitar that I get from my amps. i.e. can I get a ton of different guitar tones from one guitar, as opposed to to bringing a car load of guitars to a gig? We'll find out, and that will be posted in a different topic.
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Systematic Chaos

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #33 on: Time Format »

Since I been a massive Triaxis user I´d like to chime in some....
With Triaxis FW V2.0 (units srl# 1701 and up) I never ever ever had any lag in switching or whatsoever.
Dialling in the Triaxis (or any Boogie Mk typology amp) you gotta keep in mind that the initial tone controls are in before/in between the gain stages and not post gain like the Marshall type where you can set everything to noon as a starting point - wouldn't´t work with a Boogie Mk.
Tone wise it all comes down to preferences in the end....I prefer the Mk typo gain/distortion/character over lets say Marshall or the likes... I also don´t like the Recto sound.

My 2 cents - bash away  :wave:

 
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rabidgerry

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #34 on: Time Format »

@Iperfungus

No I didn't mean it like that, I just mean GP8 and GP16 were kinda precursors to the COSM range, which they were.

GT5 and GX700 have analogue drive section just like GP8.

I have the GL100 also and that is every boss OD/Distortion pedal in a rack mount.

@Harley

I'm still not sure what it is you are referencing with Zoom gear.  Vast improvement over which gear exactly?  I already mentioned their MFX pedals did improve from the 90's to the 00's, but their recording units, drum machines and other gizmos were not bad from way back.  In fact no one can squeeze more features into a product than Zoom, this is a trait of theirs from over the years.  Perhaps a lot of early stuff was garbage for guitar, but definitely their was other tech they made that was decent even in the early years.

Mind you Iperfungus is referencing some earlier units that I have no experience off that seem a lot more advanced and professional than the unit I started out with which I guess reeked of digital however plenty of bang for yer buck and as a teenager it was the shit   :poop: for me!

If I could tell with the 9150 was from then we truly would have a starting point as to when they may be nailed a rack preamp with analogue and digital tech inside.  I listened to some demos online and I didn't like the hi gain I heard, sounded pretty fake.  Although some medium gain shit sounded really good.

check this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyUxDyeC2ek

No I dunno if the guy did this recording direct in, but if he did I'm telling you now it would sound even better using actual guitar speakers.  Some of this is not bad at all, especially if it is using some kinda onboard speaker sim, so if you bring real guitar cabs into the picture perhaps the results would better.  The second song sounds like ASS btw!  Smoke on the Water though is excellent.

I get ya though if you'd never use anything Zoom.  I'd never use anything Line 6 for example.

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Guitars:1986 Westone Dimension IV, 1989 Korean Squier Fat Strat Silver Series, 1998 Korean Squier Fat Strat, MIM Fender Fat Strat - FR, Squier Stagemaster Deluxe - Thru Neck x 2, Squier Stagemaster 22 Fret - 1st Gen, 1999 Squier Showmaster - Anniversary Edition, Squier Showmaster, Tokai FV40 Flying V

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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #35 on: Time Format »

Hey Gerry,

      I don't really remember which Zoom unit it was to be honest, it belonged to a friend of mine and he had me plug into it when I was at his house. It wasn't a rack unit though, it was a floor unit. In any event, I wasn't impressed. It certainly didn't sound anything like the 9150.
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rabidgerry

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #36 on: Time Format »

I promise I wil let this go :lol: after this question

do you remember when?  Early 90's? Mid 90's Late 90's or 00's?

The 9150 doesn't sound anything like my old floor unit, I'm wondering if you used a unit from the 90's.  The defo progressed with floor sound gear from late 90's onward.  I just checked out their latest flagship model, ugliest piece of gear I've ever seen!  I bet though it sounds good and has great features.  Looks like the last zoom pedal I had only upgraded.


Since I been a massive Triaxis user I´d like to chime in some....
With Triaxis FW V2.0 (units srl# 1701 and up) I never ever ever had any lag in switching or whatsoever.
Dialling in the Triaxis (or any Boogie Mk typology amp) you gotta keep in mind that the initial tone controls are in before/in between the gain stages and not post gain like the Marshall type where you can set everything to noon as a starting point - wouldn't´t work with a Boogie Mk.
Tone wise it all comes down to preferences in the end....I prefer the Mk typo gain/distortion/character over lets say Marshall or the likes... I also don´t like the Recto sound.

My 2 cents - bash away  :wave:

 

So basically the Triaxis ended you MP1 love  :lol:


Ah, but I do lust after a Peavey Rockmaster.  It's so basic, so primal inside there, I dream of using it for recording some really heavy shit.  A very mild OD setting.....just a pinch of boost at the Input.....multitracked maybe a dozen times........per side......drool....

It is great, I used on our latest album, but finished the rest of the tracks using an MP1.  It's about 60/40 for the Rockmaster on there.  I've modded the one I recorded with.  I think I need to play around with the caps though as if I dial in lots of gain I feel attack is lost on the bass strings a tad ever since I changed out a cap on the tube board to allow more low end through.  The other I own needs a service, it's dropped out put big time  :dunno:
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"whadda ya want? we want Heavy Metal"

Guitars:1986 Westone Dimension IV, 1989 Korean Squier Fat Strat Silver Series, 1998 Korean Squier Fat Strat, MIM Fender Fat Strat - FR, Squier Stagemaster Deluxe - Thru Neck x 2, Squier Stagemaster 22 Fret - 1st Gen, 1999 Squier Showmaster - Anniversary Edition, Squier Showmaster, Tokai FV40 Flying V

Effects:  Ada Mp1, Peavey Rockmaster, Boss GX700 Boss SX700 * Amps:   Rocktron Velocity 300 - Koch ATR4502 - Peavey Classic 50/50
Cabs: 4 x Bugera 2 x 12"
Midi Controller: Behringer FCB1010

Iperfungus

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #37 on: Time Format »

Wow, did I open a can of worms with my last post or what?!?  :lol:

     I forgot to mention that there have been several people in this forum who have the Zoom 9150 and all have made similar comments about it. Like you Max, they like it too. So in regards to the earlier Zoom gear, these must be a vast improvement over them. I'm just not into them as a matter of personal preference.


Personal tastes are something we cannot debate about!  :thumb-up:
No worms around...
I just found that it looks like the 9150 has been designed from people different from whom designed the 9030 or other Zoom stuff: a completely different animal.

It's quite impossible to find some decent clips of the 9150 around and that's a shame...because its tones are way better than what you can hear in those clips.
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Iperfungus

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #38 on: Time Format »

@Iperfungus

No I didn't mean it like that, I just mean GP8 and GP16 were kinda precursors to the COSM range, which they were.

GT5 and GX700 have analogue drive section just like GP8.



You're right!  :thumb-up:
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rabidgerry

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #39 on: Time Format »

Iperfungus  you never answered my question about the Marhsal Valvestate 8008 man?  Back a few posts.
« Last Edit: Time Format by rabidgerry »
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"whadda ya want? we want Heavy Metal"

Guitars:1986 Westone Dimension IV, 1989 Korean Squier Fat Strat Silver Series, 1998 Korean Squier Fat Strat, MIM Fender Fat Strat - FR, Squier Stagemaster Deluxe - Thru Neck x 2, Squier Stagemaster 22 Fret - 1st Gen, 1999 Squier Showmaster - Anniversary Edition, Squier Showmaster, Tokai FV40 Flying V

Effects:  Ada Mp1, Peavey Rockmaster, Boss GX700 Boss SX700 * Amps:   Rocktron Velocity 300 - Koch ATR4502 - Peavey Classic 50/50
Cabs: 4 x Bugera 2 x 12"
Midi Controller: Behringer FCB1010

Iperfungus

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #40 on: Time Format »

Iperfungus  you never answered my question about the Marhsal Valvestate 8008 man?  Back a few posts.

Sorry mate...which question? I missed it...  :dunno:
« Last Edit: Time Format by Iperfungus »
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rabidgerry

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #41 on: Time Format »

Iperfungus  you never answered my question about the Marhsal Valvestate 8008 man?  Back a few posts.

Sorry mate...which question? I missed it...  :dunno:

I have nearly bought one of these 8008s before are they any good?  I know Billy Gibbons uses them and I have been eyeing up this amp for a while and also wondering what the valvestate switch can add to the tone or a preamp????  Do tell guy's since you own them.
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"whadda ya want? we want Heavy Metal"

Guitars:1986 Westone Dimension IV, 1989 Korean Squier Fat Strat Silver Series, 1998 Korean Squier Fat Strat, MIM Fender Fat Strat - FR, Squier Stagemaster Deluxe - Thru Neck x 2, Squier Stagemaster 22 Fret - 1st Gen, 1999 Squier Showmaster - Anniversary Edition, Squier Showmaster, Tokai FV40 Flying V

Effects:  Ada Mp1, Peavey Rockmaster, Boss GX700 Boss SX700 * Amps:   Rocktron Velocity 300 - Koch ATR4502 - Peavey Classic 50/50
Cabs: 4 x Bugera 2 x 12"
Midi Controller: Behringer FCB1010

Iperfungus

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #42 on: Time Format »


I have nearly bought one of these 8008s before are they any good?  I know Billy Gibbons uses them and I have been eyeing up this amp for a while and also wondering what the valvestate switch can add to the tone or a preamp????  Do tell guy's since you own them.

To me, it's a very good power amp...not simply a reliable workhorse.
It delivers 100% Marshall tone, no way.
And today it's cheap.

A friend o' mine (I bought my TA '70 power amp from him) had 4 power amps:

1) Marshall 9005
2) Marshall 9200
3) Marshall Valvestate 8008
4) the TA '70 he sold to me

When he decided to reduce the number of items, he started comparisons and A/B testing with preamps (Marshall JMP1 and ADA MP-1), the power amps and different cabinets.
At the end, he kept the 8008...for the above reasons: it has the Marshall tone, it's reliable, it works fine with anything you connect to it, it has a good amount of power, it's silent, it's just 1 unit and it doesn't weight like a B-52.
9005 and TA '70 have been sold already...and the 9200 has not yet because of some issues on a channel (probably tubes..), but I bet it will go as well.

I bought the TA '70 when the channel B on my B200s had issues, but I already had the 8008 paired with the 9150 and I kept it: that is a very easy-to-use and complete backup rack.

About the Linear/Valvestate, the Linear mode reminds me the B200s in some way....while the Valvestate adds some warmth that can be useful in some cases: it depends on the preamp.
With the MP-1 I liked the Linear more (same tone as with the B200s), while with the 9150 I prefer Valvestate (Linear makes it sound too "bright").

Coming back to the '90s, I remember a lot of people and friends using Valvestate power amps (8004 or 8008) in their racks and none of them was disappointed.
It survived through all these years and some people still uses it with a Kemper (also Rocktron Velocity power amps are renowed in the same way).
There must be a reason why...  :thumb-up:
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Dante

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Re: Best Known Preamps
« Reply #43 on: Time Format »

Preamps I've had:
MP-1 (several) mostly stock
MP-1 Classic : Still my go-to amp
MP-2 Used it for years, even bought a second one for a backup. It didn't sound the same, so i traded it for a guitar...I was bouncing back & forth between the MP-2 and the Classic. Now, it's my backup
Digitech GFX-1 Twin Tube: Surprisingly good. Not fun to set up patches, you literally had to scroll through EVERY damn effect to save a patch.
Peavey Transtube ProFEX: Probably the closest thing to an MP-2, with cool dials for the tone controls. I can't even find them anymore..may have dependability issues, I cannot confirm this, mine worked fine.

Power amps:
Marshall 8004: Great little amp, surprisingly loud. No presence knob :/
ADA B200s: Great SS amp, warm and clean...again, no presence knob :/
ADA MicroFet: meh
ADA MT100: GREAT sounding amp, but too delicate for the road. I killed two of them in seconds
ADA MT200: GREAT sounding amp, with a MF'ing presence knob  :banana-jazz-smiley-emoticon:
ADA T100s: GREAT sounding amp, weighs more than a 2001 VW GTi full of fuel

None of that has anything to do with the initial question, so...the best KNOWN preamps (according to me) are:

ADA MP-1
Mesa Tri-Axis
Marshall JMP-1
Rocktron XXX (Piranha, ProGap, etc.)
Other stuff....
« Last Edit: Time Format by Dante »
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