Quite fond of the new Presonus TubePre mono pre-amp! This 1/3 space Direct Box/Pre-amp really rounds out the sound and gives any Piezo pick-up that extra oomph to fill up an amp.

Seems a good, inexpensive pre-amp plagues most every acoustic mandolinist elbowing their way to decibel dominance, especially when you compete with an electic guitar and drums in your band. Here you go:

A list price of $129.95 (streets around $99), this is a winner for anyone going either into an amp (1/4" out) or direct into the PA (balanced XLR out). Its sexy blue backlit analog VU meter (a needle indicator!) and sleek brushed alumininum casing are a glimpse of its departure hybrid tube/solid state sensibility.

Tube we tell you, it actually has a small TUBE in it, so that's where the warmth comes from. You will likely never saturate it like an electric guitarist would, and rarely run it into any kind of overdrive, but like the high end vocal tube microphones the pros use, the goal here is to give you something rich and warm.

(Okay, we're not fond of the wallwart plug, but at this price, whadya expect?)

Read more about it on their website.

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Posted by Ted at July 1, 2005 5:40 PM