Rick 4001 through a tube pre-amp (video)

[RobW]

I bought a PreSonus "TubePRE" thing that has a vacuum tube you can see through the vents on top... it was only about $80. I was hoping I could crank it up and get that Beatles White-Album tone with my 4001C64, which I almost could, but not quite (I think McCartney was using his Fender Jazz on this).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c66TLK0EwIU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c66TLK0EwIU[/youtube]

[bassman4001]

Well done sir. Great playing and fantastic tone.

[gibsonlp]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

[ram]

really liked that! Loved the tone!!!

[bassduke49]

Sounds great to me! I never got the Anthology albums, so I've never heard the tune before. Quick questions on your setup: Mute engaged? Which pickups? Which strings? Vol/tone settings?

[woodyng]

That's the stuff! Really does sound great,love the sound of picked flatwounds. Sounds like there may be a compressor in line,too?

[RobW]

That's the stuff! Really does sound great,love the sound of picked flatwounds. Sounds like there may be a compressor in line,too?

Sounds great to me! I never got the Anthology albums, so I've never heard the tune before. Quick questions on your setup: Mute engaged? Which pickups? Which strings? Vol/tone settings?

No mute, it's TI-Jazz longscale flatwounds (TI-JF344) and switch on the neck pickup, then into the tube pre-amp with the "drive" knob almost off but the gain knob turned up so the average signal is slightly into the red; then into an Alesis 3630 compressor turned up to moderate (to get the click tone) then into the Yorkville amp which is mic'd. Then into a little mixer combing that with the mic on my computer speaker capturing the playback, then out into my camera mic in. All the tone knobs on bass, amp and mixer are in the middle (zero), but there is a "scoop" knob on that amp which I put on about 60%. It's pretty much a U-shape equalizer.

In the original it sounded like some weird distortion going on with some tube kind of overdrive, which is why I put that tube pre-amp in there, but I just couldn't reproduce it. I don't think that pre-amp does much for the tone. I think most of it is from the strings and the compressor.

[Benjamin]

Ooh that is particularly tasty!

[Captain Bob]

A good tube DI with 34- 36 db of gain will work wonders for you. To replicate the Abbey Road V72 Telefunken module's the closest you may come is perhaps, a TAB Funkenwerk V71 DI.

Additionally, a Sonic Farm 2DI4, or the Eclair Evil Twin are both superb.

[RobW]

To replicate the Abbey Road V72 Telefunken module's the closest you may come is perhaps, a TAB Funkenwerk V71 DI.

Thanks, but $900 for that pre-amp... ouch. My PreSonus isn't exact, but for $80, close enough.

[Captain Bob]

Yes, they are not inexpensive. (I have all three mentioned, plus a non-active WolfBox III). But, it is possible to find used a V71 in the 5 to 6 hundred range. Having the 36 db gain is the key, they will function as a Pre. Others, like the popular Reddi, IMO suffer from lack of sufficient gain among other things. Or, you could search out a low gain overdrive pedal to place in line.

[jps]

...Others, like the popular Reddi, IMO suffer from lack of sufficient gain among other things...

This might possibly do it.

Tonecraft 363

[Captain Bob]

That looks sweet. And, those Russian tubes are easily replaced with tested NOS tubes. One can't expect these small manufactures to utilize the best tubes, as the price point truly escalates. But, this something that one can do at their own convenience.

The Funkenwerk (who's circuit replicates the V72 module) does sport NOS Telefunken EF86 and EF800 valves. On my other DI's, I re-tubed them with NOS 'MO' GEC's etc., which can make a huge soundstage difference, say when rolling a 12AT7 for a GEC A2900

Thanks for sharing that info ! Looks like a worthy well built unit.

[RobW]

The Funkenwerk (who's circuit replicates the V72 module) does sport NOS Telefunken EF86 and EF800 valves. On my other DI's, I re-tubed them with NOS 'MO' GEC's etc., which can make a huge soundstage difference.

Do you have a link where we can hear this Funkenwerk pre-amp with the 4001? If I could get that exact White Album tone, I'd gladly pay $1,000.

[Captain Bob]

I dont. I suppose at some point I could do that, but I also use DR Sunbeams Ni rounds (.040 -.095) on the '64. The sound cloud recordings I have posted here previously are not that DI and that Rick, but others.
I should do that with my four DI's. If I can make some time in the future I will. Moreover, for some of that White Album tone....you'll need a '66 Jazz Bass It's clearly heard on several tracks.

In the meantime, there are several studio forums you can research on this type of gear. Sadly, last summer Oliver Archut, the brains behind TAB Funkenwerk passed away of a heart attack. He was a tower of knowledge on all things Telefunken and a guru on tubes. Search his posts too. Some of it is way over our heads, but still informative in what may be gleaned.

FWIW, Tony Levin did test 12 DI's at Dreamland with his Music Man. The V71 and Evil Twin among others. He read the same piece of music for all tests. I know which units Larry Devivo preferred for the studio and which Levin liked best, but the tests were designed for the listener to make their own judgement. Hopefully, those test files are still here...


https://www.dropbox.com/home#!/home/Ult ... 6K%20Files