Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

[dg27]

Full disclosure: Not a guitarist--lifelong bass player; only recently started playing guitar.

I currently use a Tech21 Bass Driver with my bass and use no effects pedals at all.

I tried the same set up with the Les Paul I am using for now (Tech 21 into a 30 watt bass practice amp) and am shocked at how good it sounds after tweaking the settings on the Tech 21.

I bought a HardWire RV-7 and have a couple of other pedals as well, which raises a pretty dumb question: Is it better to go into the Tech21 first or the effects?

Does it matter?

Since I use no effects for bass this never come up before...

dg

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

That is something guitarists squabble over a lot too. If you're going to play a bass preamp (clean, right?) Into a clean amp, you can probably put the verb in either spot. If you are gonna get grit going, a reverb > preamp will carry the grit into the decay of the reverb, producing that hissy surf-rock kind of thing. Reverb after the preamp will leave out clean, which may also leave it sounding artificial and 80s like.

Any beneficial color or character the bass pre gives can be either applied to the verb if its in front or not if its in back.

Preamp > clean amp is very similar to the FX loop of a guitar amp.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[dg27]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

Thanks, Jon--this is very helpful.

If you are gonna get grit going, a reverb > preamp will carry the grit into the decay of the reverb, producing that hissy surf-rock kind of thing.

This was the way I tried it and liked the results.

Reverb after the preamp will leave out clean, which may also leave it sounding artificial and 80s like.

I often wonder why the 80s didn't sound artificial when I was there! :laugh2:

dg

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

I was a clueless kid in the 80s and I still wasn't feeling the Lexicon.

I bet that setup has got some real gutsy oomph. I'm thinkin' I should start going to GC and trying a wall guitar out in the bass room. I'm such a huge fan of the stoner sound, much of which was developed by guys playing Sunns or, like Josh Homme, playing through bass cabs. I like nice and clean picking, but with that saturated tube compression and juuuuust edge of clip and I like it DEEEP and moving a lot of air.

The drone band Earth's guitarist has apparently switched from a wall of Sunns, Oranges etc to a single GK 300w combo...or something along those lines. You can hear the feel of it in The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull.

hmmmm. You got me ta thinkin'....

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

The best guitar amp ever is the Fender Bassman....... Designed for bass. You're on to something.

 

[dg27]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

I bet that setup has got some real gutsy oomph. hmmmm. You got me ta thinkin'....

It does...and I'm glad.

The best guitar amp ever is the Fender Bassman....... Designed for bass. You're on to something.

When I recently started playing some guitar my first inclination was to buy a practice amp with headphones capabilities (and I posted here about it). My practice bass amp (which is ancient but great has no phone input). After trying this out I think I'll just use my Tech21 and my interface to use headphones.

I knew guitarists love Bassman amps, which is why I figured I'd try.

This frees up some cash for other stuff, like a Zoom H6...

Thanks!

dg

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

Back in the 60s my bass player had a blackface Bassman which sounded good when I plugged my guitar into it. But, I liked the sound from my blackface Bandmaster a lot more. (I played through 2 2x12 cabs, each with 2 JBL D120s...it was very loud).

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

Hmm ... You are a bass player!
Any interest in self indulgent prog rock?

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

Back in the 60s my bass player had a blackface Bassman which sounded good when I plugged my guitar into it. But, I liked the sound from my blackface Bandmaster a lot more. (I played through 2 2x12 cabs, each with 2 JBL D120s...it was very loud).

Yep...sometimes old school is darn hard to beat! My old BF Bandmaster was a beast when pushed to 7-8 on the volume knob--but that always seem to provoke the neighbors into calling the cops! LOL!

Miss that amp--it was stolen.

Bill

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

I guess it is a 'blonde, red, brown or black haired chick' thing Some likes FX before the preamp, some likes it after that. I use AMT P1 and M1 preamps both live and recording my own stuff, in many ways it is similar to your Bass Driver. I like to have a wah (and tuner) before them and everything else after them. I also put a noise gate directly after the preamps, I don't want my gear hissing when I don't play. All effects come after that.

 

[dg27]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

Any interest in self indulgent prog rock?

Nada.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

Yep...sometimes old school is darn hard to beat! My old BF Bandmaster was a beast when pushed to 7-8 on the volume knob--but that always seem to provoke the neighbors into calling the cops! LOL!

Miss that amp--it was stolen.

Bill

I hear ya. Miss mine. Wish I never would have gotten rid of it. But I was young and didn't know any better.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Which first: Pre-amp or effect?

In general any distortions, compressors and wah's go before amp. Delays, choruses and the like go in the FX loop.