finally built a hamptone tube pre

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luckybastard
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finally built a hamptone tube pre

Post by luckybastard » Tue Nov 01, 2005 1:14 pm

love the thing. i have used it on everything and it hasn't disappointed me yet. what applications are you guys using it for?

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Skipwave
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Post by Skipwave » Tue Nov 01, 2005 1:37 pm

Did you buy the kit, or build from the old TapeOp article?
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luckybastard
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Post by luckybastard » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:17 pm

i bought the kit

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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:19 pm

I built the JFET a few weeks ago and there is almost nothing I've committed to tape (well, OK, disk) that hasn't gone through it. Vocs, guitar, electric piano, synths...it is going to become THE SOUND on my stuff. I'm delighted by it.

I think the Wurlitzer has benfitted the most from it. It just sounds full and round and clear now.

luckybastard
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Post by luckybastard » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:16 pm

yeah... right now i am still trying to find a shitty mic that is absolutely useless with pre and i'm strarting to think that it's a futile mission...

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Milkmansound
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Post by Milkmansound » Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:29 pm

more praise for the Jfet pre.

At some point in the future I am going to make a stereo line mixer out of the circuit for my live electronic performances. It just sounds damn good. I use mine for just about everything in my little bedroom studio... really, its the only nice pre I have other than some racked PM1000's - but mine do not have a DI yet so the hammy usually gets used.
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AnalogElectric
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Post by AnalogElectric » Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:38 pm

I've used the "Silverbox II" a few years ago on top snare mic and chamber kick mic with great success. One of these days I'd like to build a kit from his webpage considering the Silverbox was a session tester sorta thing.

Has anyone a/b'd the Silverbox with the current line of pres?

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konabuzz
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Post by konabuzz » Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:37 pm

Say, I know this has been covered before, but I , too, built the Hamptone Tube Pre about a year ago, and it also has become my workhorse -- everything goes through it. And yes....feeding my Kurzweil rack sampler and Korg Ex8000 through the Hamptone really gives 'em the spark. Mostly using it with mic's, tho.

Just curious --- been a lot of raving over the Jfet Hamptone, too.....is there REALLY a discernible difference between the Tube and Jfet pre's? I have an FMR RNP that was my workhorse until the Hamptone came into my life and it is now rarely used -- mostly for live recording applications -- am leery of bringing my Hamptone out into the "world" although it is robustly built.

Anybody? Am I missing something without the Jfet? It's occured to me to own both, and I know others in fact, do...lucky bastards.
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luckybastard
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Post by luckybastard » Fri Nov 04, 2005 5:18 am

from what i hear, there are differences but the overall vibe of the 2 boxes are pretty much the same. the jfet gets more distortion than the tube from what scott told me and the breakup is easier.

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T-rex
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Post by T-rex » Fri Nov 04, 2005 7:28 am

Anybody using this for a Bass DI? How's it sound for that?

I was looking at either a Brick or the Telefunken DI down the road, but as I am getting into DIY and going to build some SCA stuff, this looks like it would be a good fit.
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luckybastard
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Post by luckybastard » Fri Nov 04, 2005 8:03 am

my brother has used mine as a di in the studio and live on several occasions with very good results. it smooths the playing out so much and makes the bass sound huge...

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soundguy
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Post by soundguy » Fri Nov 04, 2005 10:37 am

trex-

the dI in the jfet box is awesome awesome awesome.

Havent built a tube one.

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T-rex
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Post by T-rex » Fri Nov 04, 2005 5:56 pm

Hey Dave, that's a ringing endorsement!

Since I am going to get into the SCA stuff, I thought a tube pre/DI would be good contrast, but basically I just want a good sounding DI for keyboards and bass primarily.
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soundguy
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Post by soundguy » Fri Nov 04, 2005 6:18 pm

tube and jfet DI's do pretty different things in my expierence, both have their place though. If you know the sound of a countryman, the hamptone jfet DI is more in that flavor, they are both fet designs.

FWIW, I find the DI in the thing to be a little more useful to me than the mic pre, and the mic pre is really good so...

dave
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one hundred percent discrete transistor recording with style and care.

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