Controls
- Master
- Preamp
- Treble
- Mid
- Bass
- Presence (Internal Trimpot)
- Voice (Toggle Switch) – Toggles between Secret Lead / Stock Bass mode
Specifications
- Designed for a 125B enclosure with top-mounted jacks
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michallaird (verified owner) –
This build is AMAZING. If you want a good demo of how it sounds, check out Andy’s demo for PGS. This pedal nails that sound. Very responsive EQ controls unlike many drive pedals, and you can sculpt & shape your sound to nearly anything you desire. I run this in front of a clean Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue and this thing GROWLS. Sounds like a cranked Bassman or Marshall head.
Word to the wise, the MMBF4393 is becoming increasingly harder to find, no longer in production but if you look around you can still find them. Also, the potentiometer for the bass control can be finicky with the sweep. It can go from very little bass to “Holy moly all that boom at once!” very quickly. It has a “sweet spot”, once you find it. If I knew more about circuits and parts I would perhaps try swapping out that pot for something with a more even sweep.
Another thing I’m unsure about is running it at 18v (some people might be interested in that), but as I see it the pedal sounds perfect at 9v to get that classic Bassman “sag”.
This is a great pedal, you won’t be disappointed. “Amp in a box” comes to mind. Sure, you could buy the Catalinbread Formula 5F6, but isn’t building it half the fun and satisfaction? I think so!
jehern (verified owner) –
I’m so glad you guys put out a pcb of this. A bassman preamp was the last on my list of must-haves. The bass/lead switch is a great touch. Lead mode has a very Marshall lead like sound, which honestly I probably won’t use that often because I really love the grainier and chunkier sound on the bassman side. The eq and gain both have incredible ranges and you can get usable sound at pretty much any setting.
brianthornock (verified owner) –
Love this as a preamp. This never gets completely clean, but that’s ok because it sounds SO GOOD!
benorwin (verified owner) –
Can’t believe how good this sounds – really feels like a tube amp, with a full range of cleans to full-on distortion in the “secret mode” with the gain all the way up. So far I like it mostly as a clean-ish, slightly scooped preamp but tons more exploring to do with this one!