SMS CLASSIC TUBE PREAMP
TESTIMONIALS
Sarno Music Solutions Classic Tube Preamp Review
Being a rhythm Ace myself I wanted the opportunity to see how the SMS compares to my current Weir rig. The preamp is ridiculously light but don't be fooled this stacks up to any of my preamps like the Twin Reverb, Peavey, Mesa, IVP, Dean Markley. Sometimes less knobs are better! It's simplicity makes it very easy to dial in. It's super clean and the higher I turned up the gain the better it sounded. I love it!
Chris Sandell aka- Dozin
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www.dozin.com
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Got it...............played through it.................LOVE it..........and it DOES IT!! Add me to the list of of happy pseudo Jerry guys who can just wink, smile and utter a simple, "Yup."............
You certainly hit a full-count-bottom-of-the-9th-2-outs-2 men-on-trailing-by-2-homer with this one!!
THANK YOU FOR THE DEDICATION AND METICULOUS ATTENTION TO DETAIL !!.(And the crowd goes wild..........)
Les
(oOO\(IIII)(IIII)/OOo)
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"I just thought I'd post a quick review of a great new preamp. I've been using Brad's Classic Tube preamp for a couple of tours and it's been really great (in fact, I've become an endorser!). It replaced an Alembic F2b, which I've had since the early 90s. The tonal response is similar, as it comes from the same basic design, but not only is the sound cleaner (and the preamp is way quieter. No hiss to speak of at all), but it seems to be a tighter sound, as if all the frequencies are arriving at the same time. I've used it with my '67 Starfire and a Modulus Q6 with EMGs as well as a Lakland JO5 with Barts and a J-Retro. All of the basses are very clear sounding and can get a very deep tone. Another thing that I've noticed is that it allows my Starfire tones to develop a lot better. I've got the ACG dual filter preamp in that bass and I've also used an Alembic Superfilter in my rig. With the F2b, I've experimented a lot with the ACG preamp, but I ended up always using a very basic tone and doing more shaping with the Superfilter, but since switching over to the Classic, the ACG preamp settings seem a lot more effective and clear, so I've ended up using the Superfilter a lot less and the onboard filters a lot more. A kind of unexpected thing, but very enjoyable!
As far as the details, it's got volume (which I understand is a combination of input and output volume to maintain optimum gain structure and noise levels), bass, mid, treble and a 3 position switch for bright, dark and flat (although with the tone controls based on the standard Fender Blackface circuit, there is no real flat per se. 2-8-2 (treble-mid-bass) is considered about flat for these circuits, but for me, usually 4-6-5 works out great). There is also a digital reverb built in, which is probably not of much interest to most bass players, but as I also play some guitar, it's nice to have in there. It kind of reminds me of the verb in my Lexicon LXP-1 in flavor. It's got a single unbalanced out. The power supply is built in, as the tubes are run at a full 300 volts. This isn't a preamp to get if you want woolly SVT style tones, it's more for very clean tones, along the lines of the Alembic stuff (or Demeter, etc). My current band plays electric bluegrass, country, reggae, rock, etc and it covers all those realms with ease.
Brad has been really great to work with. He's really devoted to great tone and is very open to discussing the path to getting the sound you want to hear. From what I can tell, the preamp is customizable as far as component choices, carbon vs metal film resistors, ceramic vs silver mica caps, etc. I heartily recommend that anyone who's interested in a good clean tube pre check his work out. If you are anywhere near my gigs (www.greatamericantaxi.net), come on down for soundcheck, I'd be happy to show it to you! Just drop me an email. I don't have the opportunity to check in here much while I'm on the road, but email reaches me quickly."
- Edwin Hurwitz
PS It also sound fantastic with my Gibson ES140 with very early Gibson patent # humbuckers. I look forward to finally getting off the road for a few days and being able to try my strat through it.
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http://www.indra.com/~edwin
http://www.cafemontalban.com
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SMS Classic Preamp
"I got my SMS Classic Preamp by Brad Sarno today. Let me preface this by saying that Brad, like Shad Damron of Quinn who I have dealt with, is a wonderful human being first and foremost, and makes a hell of a product as well, (line). A total joy to deal with.
Anyway, anyone who has enjoyed the best of what Jerry Garcia had to offer to the world of tone should check this unit out. It is a marvel of simplicity, and even a greater marvel of warm clean tone. It's like a perfected Alembic F2-B with reverb. I might add that the reverb is a beautifully lush 24 bit digital hall type, with all the quality of a lexicon.
I understand that Steve Kimock just picked one up as well. I'm anxious to hear his impressions.
This is a very clean, very warm sounding unit. If you want overdrive you'll have to put it in front. That said, I can't wait to get this on stage!"
- John Zias
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