Best Preamp For Bass Guitar (2024 Update)

This box is terrific. My basses sound great through it and there is a wide range of tones available. The scrambler circuit is a real hayride. Im running an instrument, a mic and an iPod through it and it all works great. My cheap electric guitar even sounds worth keeping now. My issue is power. The battery is buried behind the back plate. You have to open the box to get to it. The box does not come with a power supply. Musicians Friend benignly neglects to tell you this. You should talk to MF for power supply suggestions.tomgray56

Overall: I recently picked up an inexpensive Bugera rig for live gigs, which was great "oomf" for the price, but it didn't quite have the tone or character I wanted. Very flat sound, but affordable! Enter the SCR-DI! I wanted something with some crunch built in, that also had DI out. But the headphone out and AUX in on this definitely peaked my interest, as its always nice to have after-hour practice options. I plugged it into my head, and as soon as I switched it on I was in tone heaven. Even with the EQ settings all set flat, this box gave my bass tone that color and chunk I was looking for. Then of course with the Ultra Hi/Lo settings there's even more flexibility on how round, snappy, or smooth you want. The scrambler sounds great. I prefer the drive and blend both set to 12-o'clock, just to give some crunch on the top end, that gets more dirty the harder you play. Cranked all the way is almost fuzz territory. The paint job makes it look plastic but it's a rugged all metal chassis so I'm sure this'll be part of my rig for a while. Overall I'm super pleased with this. Highly recommended if you're in need of a DI box or just looking for an all-in-one solution to make your rig sound more Ampeg-ish.Alexander

Sound: The pedal has a buffered sound. When not using the preamp, you'll need to use another pedal to boost volume levels. That said, I love the tone stack. The SVT sound really comes through. I really like the way my bass sounds through it. Can't really say if the tone stack "colors" the bass tone. For my style and my current bass set up in praise and worship (Yamaha TRBX305 with Aguilar Super Doubles and a Seymour Duncan STC-3P), I begin with my EQ set to noon. If I'm using a lot of finger style that day, I'll boost the mids to about 1 or 2 o clock, and sometimes the bass to about 1 o clock. For slap and funk tones, I like to set the bass and treble to 1 o clock. and mids at noon. Features: I love that I can use it as a practice amp. We went through some struggles recently and had to get rid of a fender halfstack and found myself with nothing to practice with. This pedal made practice possible. I'm not really a fan of the overdrive circuit, and currently have a love/hate relationship with it. The ultra-hi and lo settings are interesting. I don't use the ultra hi boost, but the ultra low I'll use with overdrive to help make up for any bottom end I lose. Sometimes I'll use it too if I need thick bass for something slow but epic. My only wish is that I could have slightly better EQ controls, specifically with the mids, maybe a parametric sweep, or even a switch with preset frequencies. Ease of Use: Very easy to use. Beware, if you put a battery into it, it will buffer your signal even if it's off. I really like that I can unscrew the back pack without the use of tools of any kinds. The rubber pads underneath are designed to also function as thumb screws, very easy to take off and replace, which makes replacing batteries on the fly a very simple task. Quality: The pedal feels heavy and tough, but I cannot yet speak on it's reliability although it hasn't failed yet. Value: It's expensive but worth it. The Wow Factor: No real wow factor. It is a nice solid pedal but nothing crazy or particularly special about it. Overall: I love this pedal. My purpose for purchasing this pedal was to improve my bass tone. I figured the best way was to look for something I could use to split my signal between the stage amp and the house system at my church. I'm not a fan of the stage rig we use, so this pedal allows me to bypass the rig. The best part was the added unexpected bonus of total ground noise elimination! For some reason, utilizing the XLR output from the amp head to the house resulted in ungodly amounts of noise. I now get a cleaner signal to the house and can better control my volume (the stage rig is very old and has sensitive volume controls).Christian

As a bass player who plays multiple styles but also unconventional lines, I needed a device capable of multiple tones. Many reputable companies have sounds they are known for and only that sound. This pedal gives you not only signature GK sound, but loads of available other sounds using the countless features it has available. This is a wonderful pedal that's 6 amazing amps in one lightweight box. Along with tons of sculpting abilities. Also plays so nice with pedals put in its loop and is super sensitive to pick ups of all strengths by using the trim knob.fontkado

I have many amps, effects pedals and di's I am confident that I could get the sounds I need from the Gallien Kruger Plex Bass preamp pedal as a stand alone if necessary.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Exactly as your find in the videos and reviews online. Only issue I had was the power cord. Had to use another which sent buying one. But not enough of an issue not to buy it.csmi8204

I plug the bass into the unit, season to taste, and go into DI or into mic pre to tape. It's all in the name. Aguilar, Sadowsky….fat bass and nice top. M.DempseyStormyCrocodile-55438

The Battalion is great. Spent a long time trying to find the best distorted signal for my playing and finally found the right thing for me. Has plenty of options and a variety of other really useful features. The noise gate, although simple and the envelope being a bit too long is still really useful for it's intention. The Compressor is again basic but works as intended and gives the sound way more punch. The EQ is true and allows for a greater deal of control over the signal. It's just brilliant overall, feels sturdy and can imagine using it for a very long time!Samuel P.

Overall: Excellent sound and flexibility, really love the ability to blend the overdiven and natural bass sounds. good, simple, compressor. XLR output crashed within 6 months. Emailed tech support. literally ZERO response. Very disappointed. We use several of their products but the utter lack of response means we'll be smarter next time.Still gets a 3 for value because it's still usable with the 1/4" but really would like *someone* to reply when I email for help. Cannot recommend, which is a shame because it's a great pedal.James

If your handy with a soldering iron, this pre amp can be used in many ways, not just with the included pots. Nice clean tone.5000bassman

I've only heard good review for this preamp. Which instantly made me skeptical. Well after blowing my other preamp (all my fault) I tried it and man I should have bought it years ago, it's everything I need and them some. I'm not quite sure how to make this sound like a Real review I sure don't want this to sound like a paid review I don't do paid reviews, especially if I'm spending money on a product.The Groovinator

Origin Effects makes some really great pedals and this one is no different. This pedal offers a ton of great tone options without bogging you down with superfluous knobs and switches. It's really a studio quality unit, but built into a pedal format. You can really dial in some fantastic vintage Ampeg-like tones wherever you plug your bass in.B Moore

If your handy with a soldering iron, this pre amp can be used in many ways, not just with the included pots. Nice clean tone.5000bassman

I've only heard good review for this preamp. Which instantly made me skeptical. Well after blowing my other preamp (all my fault) I tried it and man I should have bought it years ago, it's everything I need and them some. I'm not quite sure how to make this sound like a Real review I sure don't want this to sound like a paid review I don't do paid reviews, especially if I'm spending money on a product.The Groovinator

In my opinion, as a bass player since 1967, and a luthier/tube amp tech since 1973 Simon Keats at Origin Effects designs the best sounding pedals (reproductions of vintage amps & compressors) and are the highest quality pedals on the planet. I bought both Bassrig versions which duplicate their respective amps ( the '64, a Fender blackface Showman and the Super Vintage, an Ampeg SVT) which reproduce very accurately these amps from the input to the output jack, and both even have a cab sim on the XLR output. I couldn't be happier with them. Yes, they're pretty expensive, but you always get what you pay for with Origin Effects.johnk

Wasn't expecting more than a good D. I. Box. After using it at my band rehearsal it's now become essential. It has made my ashdown drive pedal obsolete, cleaned up the bottom end in my tone and the whole band. I use a Spector Legend 6 Bass. I'm In a band with two bassists, drums and vocals. We both Bi-amp. A bass amp and a guitar amp. Getting these to all work together can be a real headache… But this has improved things so much, that the other bassist has one now. Tone very comparable to an ampeg type- Growly, very tight and controllable bottom end, doesn't "fart out" on Max. Top end can be moved between airy and crunchy. Build quality It is plastic, but I have no worries. I'm sure if I stomped on the 1/4" Jack, it would damage, but I keep mine on the pedal board anyway. Value Beyond comparison. I can't think of a better spent 20. The sansamp it's cloning is at least 8 times more expensive. And although it's better in some areas, (metal casing etc), sound-wise there's little to choose between them. At this price, in the unlikely event it broke, I'd just buy another. I have recorded using this, and it has very little noise, But massive tone. If it sounds good in an amplifier, it really comes into its own recorded. Save yourself a couple of grandon an svt, and just use this. Yes, really. I would highly recommend this pedal/D.I.snailsetsnail

Obviously with Behringer you are likely trying to save some cash instead of getting something "name brand." When I would record DI bass guitar, I used to run it through a distortion or fuzz pedal to get a more natural sounding gain. The V-Tone pedal is very good in that regard. Turn the presence, drive, and blend knobs all the way up and adjust the EQ to your liking and you get a mean crunch while keeping the clack of loose strings. That is about the limit of this pedal's potential, at least for me. Any adjustment to those knobs to turn down the distortion results in a sound nearly identical with just a clean DI with no pedal or preamp at all. It's as if turning them up from 1 to 8 has no effect until you get them to 9 and 10. Another flaw I've found is the high gain settings bring along a high pitched whistle that occurs randomly during playing, though it seems to happen with a lot of string rattle from long, held notes. It doesn't stand out when it's mixed with drums and a wall of guitars, though. I've only used it as a DI for recording, never as a preamp or DI for a PA or anything like that, it's possible it could be really good for those. I am happy with it to record bass for my doom, black metal, and mathcore kind of music, but wouldn't go to it for anything else.Jacob

I recently purchased the guitar version (GDI21) and was quick to get this bass version soon after. I own a rack mount Tech21 Sansamp RBI unit which has been excellent for me thru the years live. Also, their V1 VT Bass pedal has been a mainstay for me in a live setting. This is a very good clone of the BDDI with potential issues if used in a live setting. These are: Cheezy and fragile On/Off foot switch, and Illegible knobs. I have no idea where the knobs are set at any given time. Aside from that, I like this as a desk top companion to my other tone shapers such as the MXR M80 and M81 Bass Preamps. For little money, you can't lose in purchasing this for a home studio bass pre.Reed in CA

I use this unit with an upright bass and a small bass amp. has a very nice sound. I am able to turn the gain down on the amp and and still get a clean powerful sound. The pro unit works better than the studio unit. I do have both! Works well with other instruments and vocal too.gtinstman1990

Sound: Quiet preamp unless you want a little tube grit. Compressor is very musical. One might want a bit more fine tuning control but at what cost? Features: This one unit can be a mic pre, instrument DI, even a guitar overdrive. Pretty useful. Ease of Use: Tweak a couple of knobs and let this baby sing. Quality: I have several ART products. They're built very well and pass the hard knock test. Value: Excellent bang for the buck. Manufacturer Support: I haven't had to deal with ART for service or repair on any of my items, some of which are nearing ten years old. The Wow Factor: I'm not much on wow. I prefer good quality at a reasonable price. Overall: This is the second Tube MP/C I have purchased. It's such a great value, I had to have another one. I have a small home studio which operates on a tight budget, so inexpensive, good quality gear is a must. I have been a fan of ART products for many years and I have never been disappointed. This particular unit is a real gem. I use several ribbon mics which are notorious for needing lots of gain. These have plenty of gain for any mic and the pre is very quiet. Dialing in just enough tube warmth is simple and the built-in compressor is sweeeet.Mark

Overall: This is the second one of these I have purchased, primarily because I have been so happy with the first one. I don't own any $1000+ preamps so I can't compare this to those high-end units but for the money, this is an awfully good buy. The preamp is quiet within reasonable limits. Maybe with a mic that requires extraordinary drive levels, this would be a bit noisy but for all of the mics I have used with these it's drop dead quiet. The tube drive provides just the right amount of warmth for my needs. The built-in compressor is quite effective. It lacks the ability to really fine-tune attack, comp, etc, but it's very musical and I don't find that I need much else.Mark

I was disappointed in the sound this unit provided. Sounded good at home but was flat live. It pretty much cut my sound probably a quarter of what was normal to me. Had to turn it up which then caused feedback even with the double notch filter on. Had to tweak on the fly. I actually had to put a feedback killer in the soundhole of my Taylor to kill the feedback. This was all during my gig! Not cool. This box would probably be best for home studio stuff but I will Not gig with this unit ever again. P.s I love Boss. I own 2 Katanas and various pedals. I just don't love the Ad10.Frank G

Than-you Josh Estock for getting it to me and keeping me posted on shipping & delivery. I am really liking the Boss AD-10 Acoustic Preamp. I have been waiting for some time for the AD-10 to be available. I like the Boss AD-2 as well. But the AD-10 makes it so I don't need anything else. I can run AC or 6AA batteries for the power. Then adjustable gain in on 1 or 2 channels even 1&2 at the same time. Digital EQ on both channels. Adjustable Low Cut 10-990Hz , Mid adjustable 200Hz-5.0kHz, Treble, Presence, and Level of eq. Anti-Feedback Reduction, 2 notch switches. 3 Types of Acoustic Resonance (Think Aura) kind of. To me it sounds more woody and natural. You can adjust the tonal quality as well. It's a fully adjustable blend with the pickup. Off, Soft or Hard Compression, 3 Delay effects, 3 Chorus effects, 3 Ambiance/Reverb effects, Boost, 90sec Looper, extra Effects Loop, Tuner, 10 memory Preset Banks. Option for volume pedal or switches. Smaller than a iPad. Just played with the mic and pickup on using a Bose Compact 3 ft away at 97bd w no feedback. Fits perfectly in my SKB iSeries case. I Gig with two nylon string guitars a Andy Culpepper Spruce Blanca Flamenco with a LR Baggs Dual Source Pickup (Element and Mic) I run the Element into input 1 and Mic into 2. I mix the signals at 60%pu and 40mic. I do eq each separately. My other guitar is a Cordoba GK Studio Limited with the Fishman Presus Blend pickup. It's two sources a undersadle and mic blend. The AD-10 sounds great with the GKSL . For most gigs I see myself bringing the Guitar, Smal Case with Boss AD-10, and Bose L1s or Compact, with a few cables. For gigs with no AC I'll use same guitars, Boss AD-10 with batteries and a Behringer Europort MPA40BT. Good for outdoor wedding ceremonies or smaller gigs 75-150 people. The Boss AD-10 makes my life very easy. I will try using two Line 6G-30 for wireless functionality soon.Victor

The constant striving to make even a really great acoustic guitar sound as good on stage (especially through other people's PA systems) as it does in a studio with a Neumann mic is probably like looking for a musical unicorn. I've tried LOTS of Acoustic pedals and amps, and the AD-10 is likely to get closest. It sounds fine through my PA, a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Boss Katana 100 and even a little Bose S1 Pro. The upside is lots of functions (meaning you can tweak endlessly); the downside is lots of functions (meaning that it has lots of menu items to get your head around). Other pluses of course: two inputs with separate levels and eq; usable effects, tuner, reverb, comp and boost; noise reduction (gets rid of slight whine when using Boss WL-50 wireless); will run off a powerbank; acoustic resonance (still not a Neumann in a studio but useful) and especially 10 memories: so I already have presets to suit a Taylor, a Fylde, a Seagull, a Sire, a J160E and a Tele with a Fishman Powerbridge and I'm deciding which guitars to use the rest on. The looper would not meet Sheeran requirements but it's handy if you want to solo over a verse/chorus pattern you previously played. So far very good, and the manual is reasonably easy to follow. Nearly 5 stars, but that's reserved for when a pedal is as good as a Neumann.Mick C.

I bought this to beef up the sound of my old Shure sm58 for an online radio show. It took some time to get the levels right between the unit and my dj controller and software. I settled on almost max settings on the unit, around 50% in the software and zero gain on the controller. The result is unrecognisable compared with not using the pre. It sounds full and warm with subtle differences apparent from the different settings. I like the warm vocal setting best. When setting up levels, it's very easy to create background noise and to overdrive the signal, both of which sound awful. If this happens to you, keep adjusting and find that happy place because it's there somewhere. My trusty SM58 has been transformed!dezi-d

I'm a professional drummer playing out on a regular basis that uses a headset mic for singing lead/back up vocals. For the longest time I had issues with my volume not being high enough without feedback or distortion. This product has been the perfect addition to give my headset mic the added boost and fullness that it needs. For not being a big tech head I was amazed at the quality,how user-friendly the product is and extremely impressed with the variety of different instruments it is able to be incorporated with. A MUST BUY and for only $100 you can't go wrong.DKING

Hello , I received the art Pro Tube MP studio V3 . I have not been able to use this item you sent me because I received this item from you that did not Include the Power cable to power it , It had the box that apparently should have Included the power cable to power the unit , , so have been unable to use it . Secondly the packaging was extremely Poor as the Valve UV meter on the Unit was badly Cracked Probably within Transport . I have rang regarding the issues i had when receiving this unit and wrote several Emails to no avail , so i have a Unit i have not been able to use since receiving it ! You will not answer my emails or when I rang someone is always going to call me back , and I have a unit that i have paid good money for that I cannot use because I have no power Cable to power the unit ! On top of that I have a Cracked UV Tube screen !! Would be nice if someone got back to me as this is the forth ( 4 th ) time i have wrote regarding this issue . The next move for me is to place a claim in to payPal to get my full refund back on the item which as it stands now is Useless to me . Cheers for the final time ! Ray McCarthy TasmaniaRay M.

The left and right stereo channels are not sonically matched, i.e. the two channels have slightly different audio qualities. I suspect that this is a result of variations in component values that are inherent in electronics tolerance margins at this price (usually 10%). If by chance you get parts with one channel -10% and the other +10% different than spec (like mine), it's audible. More expensive units use 5% components or better then test/match components before construction. HOWEVER, I consider that I have two different mono preamps. On mine, I choose the right side if I need a little brighter high end, and the left if I need warmth for a harsh, edgy source. The result is that I can't use it for critical stereo mic applications. (minus one star). CONCLUSION: This preamp is an average value for the money. If you need some tube harmonics, it's better than having a similarly priced solid state.chrisix

This was definitely an upgrade to what I was using before. I know that there are better pre amps out there but not everyone is going to spend $3750 on a mic pre. This gear does the job well. I didnt have any noise issues and I enjoyed the sound that it produced. I havent heard it without my compressor connected but if the audio from the pre was trash then it would definitely sound like compressed trash. Overall, Im very satisfied with the gear and the price.wallowejones

This preamp is amazing at its pricepoint. It has all standard features like phanton power, phase correction, and a separate output control, but the variable high pass filter was the deal maker for me. Having a hpf that can go all the way up to 320 makes the preamp useful for many more different sources, like wind instruments, drum overheads, and other percussion instruments. The parametric equalizer is also particularly useful when I need to tame the high-end of cheap SDC mics. I wouldn't really use it for anything but cutting high end though. As for the tone of this thing, I can't really say it's better or worse than some higher end pres I've heard. IMO, preamps don't do enough for the sound to justify spending hundreds or thousands on them unless you've already gotten the best sounding mics and acoustic treatment you can get. This preamp does what it's supposed to do just fine. It is a little bit noisy when I have to crank up the output a bit when using dynamics but I really can't complain for what I paid for it. This is too good of a value. Oh and the LEDs behind the tube really bug me. I'll take them out when I decide to change out the stock Bugera tube. Btw, I don't think the 30v or so going to the tube is really doing much for the sound either but oh well.Mike

Using the settings in the back as a starting point, I was able to quickly and easily dial in my bass sound. In addition, my bass sound is now stronger, punchier and carries more weight than ever before. This unit is something I have been dreaming about for 18 years, and it did not disappoint.StevenTriP

This preamp sounds great for multiple recording applications- I own two 737s, they're versatile and quite powerful when you understand all the functions.D

Ive been used to record guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, vocals in my studio and the sound its always great, warm and fat in all situations. I really like to have a Tube Preamp with EQ and Compressor, I can setup the whole tone using this avalon.Mel the guitar man

All analog, Ampeg SVT in a box. Small form factor l, built in Cab Simulations, all adjustable with knobs and toggles and I’ve been smitten with it. It’s got a parallel effects loop as well so you can really get creative with how you send your effects to itMatt R

Fantasic Amp simulator with parallel DI outs which means you can have a processed and unprocessed single and mix the two.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.