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Topic: Favorite preamp? |
Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2024 6:06 pm |
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| For you guys that are using a rack/component system, what are your favorite preamps? I’ve got a Jay Ganz power amp on the way, and looking for some input (no pun intended). |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 10 Jan 2024 8:13 pm
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Sarno Revelation (JJ 12AX7MG tubes).
I've been experimenting with various PEDAL preamps and have found two that I like:
1) Boss 59 Bassman. Very compatible for steel tone.
2) MXR M81. It has a mid shift control. The bass and treble control frequencies are in a tight range with the Peavey Session 400. Also, very compatible with steel.
Set the master volume (output) control full on and bring your channel volume (gain) up to the same volume or a little higher as with the pedal switched off. You get clean tone this way.
_________________
1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp. |
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David Higginbotham
From:
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 6:19 am
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1-Anything made by Brad Sarno but I’m partial to his tonic preamp.
2-Walker stereo steel blackface preamp.
3-Peavey Tubefex
Haven’t tried the Sesh 400 by TC Furlong yet but anything TC builds is top notch equipment and the reviews are great.
I’m also using the MXR-M81 great little preamp. 🙂
Last edited by David Higginbotham on 11 Jan 2024 7:36 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 7:19 am
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MXR M81 is a preamp pedal. It isn't a power amp. It will work with any power amp. I use it with a Quilter 201 power amp.
_________________
1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 7:27 am
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My favorite is a Tube Works Blue Tube.
Erv |
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David Higginbotham
From:
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 7:42 am
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Dennis said:
| Quote: |
| MXR M81 is a preamp pedal. It isn't a power amp. It will work with any power amp. I use it with a Quilter 201 power amp. |
Guess it was too early for me to post! 
I confused it with the GK MB-200 I used to have. But yes…the MXR is a good compact preamp that would work well with the Ganz power amp and I corrected my post to reflect that.
Thanks for catching that, Dennis! 
You’re the reason I purchased the preamp from this thread you had.
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=395502&highlight=
Dave 🙂 |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 7:58 am
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My favorite was a Furman Sound PQ-3, parametric EQ/Preamp.
Runner-up would be an Evans single rack space Preamp, I believe the model is ESPA(?).
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 8:06 am
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The thought crossed my mind that you were thinking of another MXR pedal. I'm 75 and any time of the day gets confusing for me.
Tom Brumley preferred the 59 Bassman amp to get the tone he wanted. The Boss 59 pedal will get you in that ballpark with the proper speakers. Combined with the tubiness of the Quilter 201 and its modeling selections, it's there. I tap it, a delay and reverb through the effects loop to eliminate any white noise.
_________________
1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp. |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 8:10 am
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I still have a PQ-3. It's also a great old school preamp. Very versatile unit. They are hard to find and pricey today. Emmons used one along with a Session 400 when he recorded the Live At The Convention album.
_________________
1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 10:18 am
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| Dennis Detweiler wrote: |
| I still have a PQ-3. It's also a great old school preamp. Very versatile unit. They are hard to find and pricey today. Emmons used one along with a Session 400 when he recorded the Live At The Convention album. |
I ran my PQ-3 into a Furman RV-1 Rack mount spring reverb. Power amp was a Peavey M3000. Then into a Peavey/JBL 15" in a dead Session 400. Janet Furman gave them to me for free because I was the scheduler at the plating shop in Oakland in the late 70's - Early 80's, that anodized the front panels and cad plated the chassis. I would rush their stuff through.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 11:00 am
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Mine is blackface front, red knobs.
_________________
1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp. |
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kevin ryan
From:
San Marcos, California
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 11:22 am Pre amp
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| Hey Roger, I'm using the Boss GT-1000 core, Sounds fantastic |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 12:40 pm
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| Dennis Detweiler wrote: |
| Mine is blackface front, red knobs. |
Mine too. Those are the one's we anodized. I think the first one's were red panel. Janet was an engineer and designed the PQ-3. They even gave some panels to mount jacks in for front inputs. Janet is an interesting person.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Danny Harrell
From:
Livingston, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 1:21 pm
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| Hey Roger, I guess I’m old school but I’ve been using Evans DP2R Preamps for several years now. I recently bought a Revelation from a Forum Member and it is a great preamp as well. I have used the Sansamp Tech 21 Blonde V2 pedal, I have a couple of those and that works really well, very clean. I have 4 of Jay’s amps and that is what I have been primarily using now for a few years. They are small, lightweight,clean and powerful. Very transparent and do not change your tone……Good choice! |
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 3:33 pm
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| Well, strike the FBM-1 off the list. Discontinued. MXR M81 looks interesting. |
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Carl Williams
From:
Oklahoma
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 4:02 pm
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Roger,
Like Danny Harrell, I’m also using a Jay Ganz 500 watt power amp…regarding a preamp, Brad Sarno’s V8 Octal is what I’m using and going on into the Ganz power amp and finally, a Travis Toy TT 15” speaker in a Tommy Huff cab of course. Sounds good to me…👍 |
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 4:49 pm
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Carl,
Looking at Brad’s page, the V8 doesn’t have the mid control that the SMS Classic has. What lead you to the V8? |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 11:01 pm
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The Boss Bassman pedal is still being sold used or open box on ebay. Some sellers are listing it as an overdrive pedal, but that depends on how you set the pre and post gains. Lead guitarists like it as an overdrive. Price is inching up and near $200.00. The M81 is a good option.
_________________
1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp. |
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Carl Williams
From:
Oklahoma
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Posted 12 Jan 2024 1:58 pm
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Roger,
I bought my V8 Octal used from Jim Palenscar. You’re right there’s no “mid” control but it really hasn’t been an issue to my ears anyway. The Gain, Bass and Treble controls along with the volume control on the rear of the unit make it a simple operation. Jay’s power amp only has a volume control which I normally turn to 9 only…this 500 watt amp can get loud! Finally, the V8 has a relatively small footprint vs its Big Brother, The Revelation. 👌🤔 |
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Ron Funk
From:
Ballwin, Missouri
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Posted 12 Jan 2024 3:15 pm
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Hi there Roger
sent you an email thru Forum
Regards,
Ron |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 13 Jan 2024 6:50 pm
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| Roger Crawford wrote: |
Carl,
Looking at Brad’s page, the V8 doesn’t have the mid control that the SMS Classic has. What lead you to the V8? |
I have a V8 and have never felt the need for a mid range control. It is an astonishing sounding pre amp. Very different basic sound than his fender based circuits. I also have a Spectrum that is fantastic. It does have a midrange control.
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Bob |
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2024 6:22 am
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| I’m a little surprised at the lack of mentioning the SESH400. Is it too new to be on everyone’s radar? The reviews I’ve seen on other posts seems positive. |
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Dennis Detweiler
From:
Solon, Iowa, US
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Posted 14 Jan 2024 7:35 am
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A mid control has always been the most vital aspect of finding my preferred tone. Adding the shift control details it even more. No mid and I'm bound by the manufacturer's choice of mid frequency. The Furman PQ-3 is the only preamp that I know of that has a separate control for bandwidth of a selected frequency.
The other option to a preamp with fewer controls is to try different guitars, pickups and speakers which can be expensive and time consuming. This is probably where most of us go in pursuit of our tone. And we wonder how Buddy could find his tone with the different brands of guitars and amps that he used in later years. His right hand was only the finishing touch. Watching him tweak his amp, he usually found it by picking short scales around the 7th fret.
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1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp. |
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John Macy
From:
Rockport TX/Denver CO
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Posted 14 Jan 2024 8:55 am
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Sesh 400 into the Jay Ganz is killer.
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John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar |
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Steve Hinson
From:
Hendersonville Tn USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2024 9:07 am
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| John Macy wrote: |
| Sesh 400 into the Jay Ganz is killer. |
Yes!Can't leave that combo out!
SH |
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