Looks cool, but also looks (based on the demos) to be designed for guitar, so I doubt the frequency centers are optimal for bass, and I wonder if low end is preserved. IMO/IME that's the Underground Accelerator's ace in the hole vs other pedal tube preamps I have tried; it doesn't thin the low end.
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Selecting a tube preamp pedal on a $200(ish) budget
- Thread starter bdhoward27
- Start date
Looks cool, but also looks (based on the demos) to be designed for guitar, so I doubt the frequency centers are optimal for bass, and I wonder if low end is preserved. IMO/IME that's the Underground Accelerator's ace in the hole vs other pedal tube preamps I have tried; it doesn't thin the low end.
Quick side track...
What is that Geddy Lee drive Pedal on his board and why can't I find it anywhere? "A Farewell to Cleans". Is that custom?
Oh dear; that's my video and pedal! Yes, it's a one-off custom box. I gave the pedal that name; it is not an official Geddy thing, just my own li'l design. Nothing fancy or special going on there; it's an old MXR Zakk Wylde that got re-housed, with a separate dry signal knob added in.
Right in the front. My pedalboard is
Deep dish -> Hx Stomp -> Mxr M81
It would be interesting if one day I could get ahold of one. Thinking of going - MORE -> dirt pedals -> UA. I read where Sushi Box had a prototype working called "Greenhouse" last summer that piqued my interest. I believe the idea is a tube input -> fx loop -> tube output with clean blend. Sent a message earlier this year asking if it would be something that would hit the market anytime soon (website still says August 2022), but unfortunately got no response...
leaving the sushi-box world and back to the original question - the AMT A-bass is a pretty faithful reproduction of the Alembic F1X (or part of it, there is no crossover or transformer in the DI) in a tiny pedal about that price. To me the F1X is still one of hte top tube preamps on the market (with a price to match), and the AMT A-bass is about 90% of a F1X. No distortion but a nice clean tube sound
AMT Bricks A-Bass
AMT Bricks A-Bass
There's a Slampegg Bee currently on Reverb for $140 (no affiliation) but that'd be a heck of a place to start
I had an AMT A-Bass (never tried the O-bass). I loved the form factor; it was well-built and sounded pretty good, but the Sushi Box UA bumped it off my board very quickly. I found the Sushi box to have much better eq (the A-Bass eq was only minimally responsive) and it has a broader range/ palette of warmth>>>>frank OD.
Yeah but it'll be way outta the OP's price range.
I saw one of those on the wetter bass YouTube channel and became interested. It's still on my radar for a pre-drive, clean tube option with MORE
Thanks for the info! I saw a Space Heater for $199 on Reverb the other day, too. I just don't know much, or anything really, about tube maintenance or how long their lifetimes are. I'd like to go new, or practically mint when it comes to a tube pedal, even though the Sushi Box website has the UA on back order right now.
Preamp tubes (unlike power tubes) last for years.....often MANY years, are relatively inexpensive and easily user replaceable, even by someone like me who knows little more than how to turn a screw. As long as you don't change the tube while the unit is plugged in, you'd be hard pressed to make an error, and a tube change takes about 60 seconds once the backplate is off the pedal. Jus' sayin'
That makes me feel better about going used. The Sushi Box website has the UA on back order right now. Not sure how long the wait will be. I'm not having much luck on Facebook messenger, so I'm going to reach out on the Sushi Box contact page to get an idea how long I'll have to wait. If it's a long wait, I may just try my luck with a used Space Heater.Preamp tubes (unlike power tubes) last for years.....often MANY years, are relatively inexpensive and easily user replaceable, even by someone like me who knows little more than how to turn a screw. As long as you don't change the tube while the unit is plugged in, you'd be hard pressed to make an error, and a tube change takes about 60 seconds once the backplate is off the pedal. Jus' sayin'
I recently pick up a used Space Heater from a fellow TB'er. I originally was going to order a new UA but decided I did not need the tone stack and the SH is the same as the UA with the tone stack bypassed.
I am pleased with the way it enhances my tone. I am a mostly clean signal player but I like the ability to dial in a little bit of dirt when I get the urge.
Note: I discovered that the level of your input signal to the pedal has a lot of impact on whether you get tube drive/breakup or not. (this is my first foray into tube pre amps) I have a Keeley Bassist compressor in front of mine and I can use the compressor output pot to apply a higher or lower level as needed and in conjunction with the SH gain knob.
If you think you can benefit from the tone stack the UA has then it would probably be worth the wait.
Nathan will respond usually within a 24hr period. He's a busy guy but has always replied to my inquiries in a timely manner.
Anyhow- Check around and you can find a good deal on a used unit if you decide to go that route.
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I was also going back-and-forth regarding whether or not the tone stack is worth it, but went ahead and pulled the trigger on a new UA. Nathan @Sushi Box FX was very quick to answer my inquiry on his website and posted 3 UA's for sale (now 2) after I asked the time frame on back order products. Thanks for your input on your experience
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!
Welllllllll.... Just (finally) took the plunge and ordered an Edison. In blue, because everyone knows that blue sounds best.
My band spent the better part of yesterday working with our sound engineer to get a new digital mixer set up and going, and I was able to test out a few things related to several basses and pedalboard stuff. I decided it was finally time to give an Edison an actual try. I debated a bit between a Sushibox More and the Edison, but the Edison won because of my previous not-so-great experience with Sushi. I know a lot of people like Sushibox pedals and more power to him for all the ideas he's got, but posts from people having issues with SB stuff keep regularly popping up throughout the main SB thread as recently as a couple weeks ago... with the More. I guess I just don't have the same confidence in the More that I do with the Edison.
@2saddleslab - Dig that aluminum look on your Edison. I'm tempted to sand off the powdercoat when I get mine.
@JRA - have you had a chance to check yours out yet?
5sg.
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