Selecting a tube preamp pedal on a $200(ish) budget

[JRA]

...the Nightowl Edison is an always on part of my secret sauce.

you got me with "secret sauce!" i just ordered one: i'm not even a pedal guy, don't care about tone chasing, and i couldn't care less about the tube-vs.-anything-else debates.

i'm looking forward to checking it out! thanks!

 

[fivestringgecko]

Subbed out of curiosity.

I've got an EBS Valve Drive like @bearhart74 mentioned, and absolutely love it. But have also been curious about the Edison for a LONG time.

5sg.

 

[bherman]

OP, just did an a/b at length with the 2 preamps I've been testing and I'm going to sell the Edison. Let me know if you're interested, I'll probably put an ad up this afternoon but thought that I'd put it up for grabs here first.

 

[elgranluis]

@Sushi Box FX, I've got a brilliant idea: why don't you offer an option on your website like "try 3, buy 1", where your send 3 pedals to the client, he tries them, keeps one and sends back to two others?
Of course there would be additional cost, but that would be cool…

this is talkbass , people have been abusing return policies for years.

I can see it now : the company sends out three new pedals , gets returned 3 used pedals … and the owner now wants the company to ship them a brand new one , of the one he liked , because the one he sent back is now “used”.

 

[arepa_funk]

Big fan of Sushi Box. Have these:

- Finally DI
- Slampegg Bee Pre X
- Particle Accelerator Mini
- Underground Accelerator, the success to the PA.

If you want some grit WITH specific tonestacks:
- Slampegg for B15/B25N.
- UA for Fender.

If you want to be able to bypass the tone stack:
- UA (essentially becomes a Sushi Box MORE).

If you want tube goodness without a tonestack option:
- Finally DI.

I really dig the UA though I also really enjoy the Particle Accelerator since it doesn't get as dirty with the gain boosted.

 

[Jared Houseman]

I have the Sushibox Deep Dish which hass the same preamp as the More.

I'd consider it a betterizer pedal. It makes everything sound a little better but you don't get much control

 

[eeyorebass]

Big fan of Sushi Box. Have these:

If you want to be able to bypass the tone stack:
- UA (essentially becomes a Sushi Box Space Heater).

Fixed it.

 

[Moogmelt]

Another vote for the Sushi Finally DI.
I actually prefer it to the Edison, only in that I can throw it last in the chain and go DI, or I can use it first and saturate the rest of my signal afterwards.

Both of these I think are useful for their simplicity.

 

[arepa_funk]

Fixed it.

Thanks for the correction!

 

[bdhoward27]

Thank you

 

[bdhoward27]

I also own a bunch of S-Box pedals, and (attention: shameless plug here) have a Space Heater for a bargain in the TB classifieds. It's the Underground Accelerator circuit without the Fender tone stack-just gain & volume....exactly the same as the UA with the tone stack bypass switch flicked......if you have eq elsewhere in your chain, this can provide anything from kleen tube warmth to heavy OD, with change to spare.

For Sale - sushi box space heater 12ax7 tube preamp

Thank you! I will definitely consider. On Reverb these are going $250+ before shipping. Same with any Broughton Audio pedals...

 

[bdhoward27]

Can't help you on the Edison but I am familiar with the Sushi's.

Slampegg will be the most colored as it is meant to give you that Ampeg tone. If you don't want to change your basic tone, might not be the one for you.

Underground Accelerator is a preamp with Fender Tone Stack so it's going to scoop some mids and give you a nice fat tone and will go into overdrive if you crank up the gain. Newer units have a tone stack bypass which make it basically a clean tube boost like the MORE.

MORE is 100% clean and offers no grit. It's meant to give you some tubey goodness and boost your other pedals. Dead simple with one knob. Has tubes on both the input and output.

For what you want I would probably go with an Underground Accelerator as with the tone stack bypassed it's basically a MORE with 1 tube.

Thank you for the detailed input. Very informative. Leaning towards the UA, but still heavily considering MORE since I have a ZVex Mastotron, SA Aftershock, and JPTR Jive. Like the Fender tone stack, but like the idea bypassing EQ and using low gain on UA

 

[bdhoward27]

+1 for the underground accelerator as a great first try at a sushi box. Hard to go wrong with tube gain plus a legendary tone circuit.

This is very true!

 

[bdhoward27]

Another very satisfied Underground Accelerator user here! I set it so that when I dig in really hard, I start to get a hint of breakup, but otherwise you are just getting that nice, thickening effect from a little tube saturation in your signal, as well as that hint of natural compression.

The More will stay clean all the way through its sweep, whereas the UA can get really quite distorted if you start to crank the gain. Unpleasantly so, IMHO, but that's purely personal preference!

This is good to know. Do you know where I can find any sound demos of MORE? I love tube low-mid grunt, and it's very tempting want to crank it, but I made a mistake playing through my buddy's Noble a while back. Something about a clean(ish) tube sound is so nice!

 

[bassbrad]

All of the @Sushi Box FX pedals I have play well with other effects and I suggest the Underground Accelerator as a starting place unless you are chasing the vintage Ampeg B15 tone then the Slampegg Bee.
I will suggest trying whatever tube pre you choose in more than one spot as your signal chain will make a difference. I prefer my UA after most of my effects, it is next to last in my signal chain.

 

[bdhoward27]

OP, just did an a/b at length with the 2 preamps I've been testing and I'm going to sell the Edison. Let me know if you're interested, I'll probably put an ad up this afternoon but thought that I'd put it up for grabs here first.

I think I'm leaning towards the UA or MORE. I saw a Space Heater in the classifieds that I may consider. I've got too much GAS now! I will consider your offer, though. Thank you

 

[bdhoward27]

All of the @Sushi Box FX pedals I have play well with other effects and I suggest the Underground Accelerator as a starting place unless you are chasing the vintage Ampeg B15 tone then the Slampegg Bee.
I will suggest trying whatever tube pre you choose in more than one spot as your signal chain will make a difference. I prefer my UA after most of my effects, it is next to last in my signal chain.
View attachment 5071968

I've noticed most put theirs last. I have a SA EQ2 and was considering running a tube preamp before. Wanted to see what splitting the signal and running into a DSM Bass Station (haven't purchased yet) to blend clean and dirt pedals + cab sim. I have too much GAS at the moment...

 

[bdhoward27]

I have the Sushibox Deep Dish which hass the same preamp as the More.

I'd consider it a betterizer pedal. It makes everything sound a little better but you don't get much control

That's the only downside I'm seeing. Where have you placed MORE in your pedal chain?

 

[JC Nelson]

Another Sushi Box fan here. I have the Slampegg and Deep Dish and couldn't be happier.

 

[lomo]

I think I'm leaning towards the UA or MORE. I saw a Space Heater in the classifieds that I may consider. I've got too much GAS now! I will consider your offer, though. Thank you

Keep in mind More is a very subtle kleen tube sweetener....superb at what it does, but subtle. The UA can do kleen, subtle harmonics right through peach fuzz and full saturation. I'd recommend it before a More if it's the only tube pedal in the chain, as it's faaaaar more versatile, and if you want it cleaner, just substitute a 12au7 for the stock 12ax7. Be warned....sushi is like potato chips......one usually leads to another