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BGRA: Raven Labs PMB-II
| Manufacturer |
Raven Labs |
Model |
PMB-II |
| Reviewer |
Bruce |
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| Experience |
30 yrs. electic bass |
Item owned |
Less than 1 month |
| Review Date |
2003-08-15 |
Price paid |
$300, shipping included |
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Dimensions | Half-rack width, 1 1/2 spaces tall |
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Weight | 3 lbs. |
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Other | Gain adj, master volume, 2 channels (stereo), FX loop, phase switching, tuner mute, XLR out |
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If you play 2 instruments or 1 instrument with 2 outputs this Pro Master
Blender preamp sounds as good as the $1000 bass preamps from the big boys,
but it does more than the others. I called Raven and spoke to Steve Rabe
directly for a question. He was really helpful.
As for the tone, with my 2 active basses it's got "growl", is very warm,
and even. The XLR is quiet for recording. At the gig, I am easily
hearing every note up and down the neck now for the first time. It's
small, but heavy enough that securing it into a rack isn't necessary. I
can take it into the studio without hauling my rack now too. The feature
that sold me was that I play a fretted and fretless bass with different
output levels and different EQ needs. Before getting this I adjusted
volume on the bass, and EQ settings on my rig for each bass. This saves me
from checking a single knob when switching basses. I haven't used the FX
loop or the 9V phantom power, or the channel inserts / patches, but
they're also there if needed.
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| construction |
 | (100%) |
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| clarity |
| (100%) |
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| versatility |
| (100%) |
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| service |
| (100%) |
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| value |
| (100%) |
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| overall |
| (98%) |
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