Avalon 737sp... keep it or loose it...

[buzzaudioguy]

So I've had this pre for about a year and a half and I think it's served me fairly well. It's the first "high end" pre I've ever owned and I think I've learned alot from using it. One thing in particular I think I've learned is that I'm not as wild about it now as I was when I first got it! After using it and learning it and how it works and effects tracks on the way in, I find I use less and less of it's features. I almost never use the EQ anymore because I find if I do later I wish I hadn't. Same goes with the compressor. So that basically just leaves me with the pre itself. I'm starting to like the idea of a tube pre less and less. I like it on vocals & bass but not so much on drums or acoustic tracks. I'm especially mixed on my feelings while using it on electric guitars. Sometimes I feel guitars come off sounding a bit too "mushy" or colored in some unappealing way. I got a great deal on the Avalon when I got it and I know I could basically just swap out for something like a 2 channel True, a Grace or even a Vintech 1272. I wondering if I'd be happier going with something like this or some other stripped down higher end solid state pre. Any thoughts?

[Cyan421]

on a rock gig. put a cheap ldc or mdc right up on the batter side of the kick drum. find the spot where the avalon pumps real nice (in time with the song and all) deftones style. Adds some really cool easy character to a drum sound. and its not an important track so if it dosent turn out right you don't have to use it.

Try using with a room mic. Its allways fun to compress those as many times as possible.

Just some ideas for you to keep loving your Avalon.

[I'm Painting Again]

I can't really tell whats best for you..but trying new stuff is both phun and edumacational as you know..

[sfsonarboy]

Also Avalon fun - plug a Strat into the High Z input, dial in some wacky high end, squash hard, then send to a 'verb or stereo delays. Very wanky, but a hoot!

Just some ideas for you to keep loving your Avalon.

[buzzaudioguy]

I should add that I don't HATE the pre really. I'm just wondering if I'd be happier with something else since I don't use the extra bells & whistles as much as I could. I'd like to just keep this and add more "different" pres, but I guess the curiousity is just getting to me to try new things. Unfortunately there aren't alot of places in my area to demo gear like this. You pretty much have to commit to buying something and order blindly. Maybe a road trip is in order. Too bad gas is so damn high!!!

[A-Barr]

I can't tell you what to do but if I were in your shoes, I'd keep it. I've gone through a ton of gear, buying, selling, trading up, and what I've found is that there is nothing I don't regret trading in. Once you have a piece of gear for a while and get to know it, if you get rid of it, a time will always come when you wish you hadn't.

Stuff I've traded in:
1973 Fender Super Reverb
Fender fretless Jazz Bass
EH MicroSynth
EH Memory Man
Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber

Anyway, the list goes on. It sounds to me like you're just maybe a little bored and disillusioned with the Avalon, which is totally valid. But that doesn't mean it isn't useful. If nopthing else, it can impress potential clients! I'd keep it and take my time saving up for something else,. If you can't audition, you can always order from a place with a good return policy.

[river]

I borrowed a 737sp from a friend for a project I did a while back, and I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be based on the price of it. If I'm not mistaken, the tube is a 12AX7. I have several ART Pro MPA's that I retubed with various NOS tubes like 12AT7, 12DF7.....the difference was astounding. I'd encourage you to try dropping a different flavor tube in it to see what it gives you. I'm with you regarding tube pres not being best for drums, I'll take solid state any day.

[JB]

I keep a 737VT sp chained behind a Distressor just for the EQ. The 737 has it's place, but the EQ is the best part of it. I wouldn't use the comp for shit!

[joel hamilton]

Just remember that we all wind up having cyclical love affairs with all this stuff.
You will eventually put the avalon up in a vocal chain that was just BORN to record a certain singer, and turn around a declare your undying love for this box for two weeks, then try the same thing on someone else, and wind up "hating" the box again. I went through this so many times, and I still do to a certain extent, but now I dont just sell the thing because it wasnt totally awesome on that one or two things...

Just hang on to it. Find new ways to use it. Try it on new things. New things will come to you, see if the avalon records those things well. Seriously, it is a cyclical love affair because it is based on time/place/performance/chain/day of the year/ humidity/golf stats... i dunno. The more albums/recordings I do, the more I see the "magic" go around the studio into each of my boxes week after week, year after year, album after album. If I sold the stuff based on one week's performance score, i wouldnt own anything! ( except my neve 33609 ).

[mermer]

I agree with the last post. I own the 737 and quite a few other quality mic pres/compressors/eqs... OVER TIME and in the context of these other pieces of gear I have come to appreciate ALL aspects of the 737....the flexibility of the 737. Sometimes I
I don't like it-its just not an in yer face, over the top character piece. The 737 is more like a faithful workhorse- does a lot of jobs very well. This week I am using
it as mixdown channel for bass-(high gain button in) ..... the eq is perfect and the compressor does the job-
without me having to reach for the LA2a or 1176 which are my usual choices.
I think too that if you hang with one thing for too long and thats your only
choice it becomes too familiar. familiarity breeds contempt they say.