A.R.T mp v3 should I bother ?

[clean_and_humble]

A friend of mine is selling two ART Tube mic pre's V3. I read a bunch of reviews on them and everyone seems to say they are awful. I thought I would ask here. He is askin 130 for the pair. I was thinking of using them as mic pre's for recording and maybe DI's. What do you all think?

Is my money better spent on a diy tube mic pre kit ?

[kslight]

For that price I'd say don't bother......that is HARDLY less than new. At least where I am they can be found on Craigslist all day for $25-50 each...

[A.David.MacKinnon]

They can be a fun audio mangler but not at $65 each used. You could probably find a new one at a Guitar Center blow-out sale for that much (or less).
I'd pass.

[JWL]

Overpriced for sure, but I actually like these units for certain things. They make a decent bass DI for some crunch/warmth. Vocals can sound ok through them with the right voice and mic. Room mics can be fun especially if you plan on frakking things up in the mix with squishification and distortion. I prefer the TubePACs (same preamp with an optical compressor) but they are certainly usable.

[austin]

Yeah, I like mine as a bass DI. Worth having around for that application alone, if you can find a cheaper one.

[Judas Jetski]

I use these things all the time.