Thoughts on tube preamps?

[maxwellm]

Hey folks. As it turns out, I'm spending more of my time playing direct, but I'm missing the color of the tube amp in the sound chain.

Any good options for a tube preamp that won't break the bank? I'll be messing around with the aux/speaker out jack on my amp to see if I can work that, but the whole point would be to be able to play in the middle of the night without waking up the wife/kids and not have to go all digital in.

[sonidero]

Peeps are gonna yell at me but I'm first so... I like the EHX 2ube and have used it for years worry free with the Black Finger as support... There are a lot of options and even a $30 ART with a good tube will be miles ahead of where you're at...

[maxwellm]

Pardon the idiotic question. ART?

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

Pardon the idiotic question. ART?

like this:


they are cheap. i have one that ive used for mics/recording vocals and recording guitar direct. sounds pretty damn good for what it costs. atleast gives you something, and the input and output gain is really nice...lots of volume on tap.

i think they make one that is geared for more instruments too.

[sonidero]

Pardon the idiotic question. ART?

You might say "Art is in a constant state of change, so nobody can really pin down what it is"...

i think they make one that is geared for more instruments too.

Yep Sherm knows... They are easy to find and cheap... That and a good tube is a great place to start...

WHOO HOO TUBEZZZ...

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

T00000000BBBBZZZZZ

[new05002]

unless the tube is running with 6.3V heaters and a decent supply voltage of 200-300V, its not really like an amp preamp.

[D.o.S.]

unless the tube is running with 6.3V heaters and a decent supply voltage of 200-300V, its not really like an amp preamp.

Precisely.

Now, if you want a preamp that colors your tone in a way you like, there's no problem with that at all. Whether or not it has tubes in it is mildly arbitrary.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

unless the tube is running with 6.3V heaters and a decent supply voltage of 200-300V, its not really like an amp preamp.

Precisely.

Now, if you want a preamp that colors your tone in a way you like, there's no problem with that at all. Whether or not it has tubes in it is mildly arbitrary.

true thats a good point, ive heard that most of the tube gear out there like these ARTs, or like rack tube stuff, really doesn't have anything running thru the tube that is worthwhile. basically the tube is just for show, cuz u know ppl like glowing things.

bbbut getting a preamp of some kind whether its tube or solid state or whatever, if it makes it sound better to you, it might be worthwhile.
I used to run all my shit thru a little dot, (tube headphone amplifier) w/ some niice tubes in it...made all my stuff sound so FAT. have no idea if it had anything to do w/ the tubes tho.
i also liked how the art sounded on mics n stuff, so I kept using it not just because it had a t00b in it...I think for like $50 or whatever these things cost, its pretty apparent that its not like a real tube amp or something...it would cost a lot more if it was.

[maxwellm]

Yeah, interested to see where the benchmark is. I'm not expecting it to sound exactly like a tube amp, but the preamp in my Focusrite recording interface leaves a lot to be desired, going DI-wise.

[univalve]

unless the tube is running with 6.3V heaters and a decent supply voltage of 200-300V, its not really like an amp preamp.

Just out of curiosity / ignorance, do pedal pres (like that Verellen that's on kickstarter for example) meet these requirements?

yes to the Verellen.

[devnulljp]

The old EHX Hot Tubes, which was CMOS not real tubes, sounds as close as anything I've ever heard when run into a SS amp.
Warms everything up, gives some good tubey crunch.
All the ones with actual tubes in em are a marketing gimmick. Although I like the sound of the Radial pedals as dirt pedals.

Or try the Vstack (or maybe a sansamp) as a headphone amp.

[amorphous]

THIS ^

[IEatCats]

Personally, I recommend a BK Butler Tube Driver. It's a bit more of a tube distortion, but if you turn it down enough, you can use it for a bit of colour. I swear by mine.

[new05002]

yes I believe Verellen is doing a true tube preamp, literally taking his amp preamp and putting it into a box. Its not an easy thing to do since tubes require a certain power supply design. Of course if you like the way it sounds in those ART pres, by all means buy them so long as ur cool knowing its not like an amp preamp persay.