May 4th 2019: New gear alert - GRBass Pure Drive bass preamp/DI pedal 🇮🇹🎛🤓
Whilst I was away with Maysa and Incognito in the US recently, a package from Italy arrived for me at home. I first got to see a prototype of this product at the NAMM Show in late January 2019 but I only got to hold it, not to hear it! Now it is finally ready for sale. I'm referring to the brand new GRBass Pure Drive bass preamp/DI. Gianfranco Rizzi - 'Mr GRBass' - first told me that this product would be in development back in 2018. The idea is to have a lightweight preamp and DI solution than is portable and sonically versatile. It boasts an impressive 4 band EQ with selectable hi and lo mids and an overdrive section for when you need to go turbo... you have full control over gain-staging of the device with input gain control, drive control with low frequency filter and a blend control of the driven signal. The pedal also hosts a tuner and has a mute switch, an on/off switch and drive switch available to at your feet. Although I rarely use overdrive as an effect on stage (but definitely anything goes in the studio) the EQ section alone is a major reason for me to carry this in my gig bag. It's the same EQ found on GRBass' latest range of amps. Low and high bands are accompanied by Ampeg style deep and bright switches respectively, there's plenty of umph and attitude from both. The two mid bands and switchable between two frequencies each and it's really worth playing around here as the mid-low and low bands in particular interact with each other somewhat; it's possible to really focus the low frequency knock of the bass response, if that's what you want. Punchy, fat, warm and clean, what's not to like?!! FH
