Best Bass Guitar Preamp
Why it's best: The Eden Navigator has all the features you’d expect from a company that makes high-end gear. Ideal for any situation, the Navigator has a tube input stage, compressor with variable threshold, enhance control, parametric EQ, turbo boost and a lot more. Though Eden is known for their clean sound, this preamp runs the gamut from squeaky clean to heavy distortion. It’s all there and then some. Street price: $880. See more reviews, photos, prices, and specs
Why it's a best pick: The Beta Bass offers superior equalization, exceptional noise reduction, an “exciter” circuit, and ISP’s patented compressor, designed to produce a more natural sound. Easy to use, effective and reliable. Street price: $645.... Read Full Review
Why it's a best pick: This stomp box is a 2-channel unit that does all combinations of clean and dirty, using “Class A” tube emulation technology. What’s Class A? It’s a tube circuit made popular by Vox that produces a big, aggressive tone. The MicroBass II also includes a speaker simulator, EQ with sweepable midrange, and a variety of voicing filters. It does quite a bit for its size, and for the price. Street price: $400. See more reviews, photos, prices, and specs
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Why it's a best pick: The BMAX is one of those bang-for-the-buck units that gives you a lot for a reasonable price. And it’s American made—even comes with a 5-year warranty! The BMAX is, very simply, an EQ and compression unit with a Class A/B tube emulator (Class A/B is a close relative of Class A). Nothing fancy, but what’s there is choice. Street price: $300. See more reviews, photos, prices, and specs
Why it's a best pick: This rackmount version of the popular SansAmp is a big upgrade from the original, with more features and an improved EQ. The unit was originally designed as a direct input box that simulates the sound of a bass rig, a useful item in both live and recording situations. As a preamp, the SansAmp adds a tube-like sound with an extended harmonic range, giving you a hotter bass tone. The SansAmp is extremely popular with rock musicians, so its appeal may not be universal, but something this good deserves a mention. Street price: $330. See more reviews, photos, prices, and specs
