Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	Bruce
Experience	30 yrs. electic bass
Review date	August 15 2003
Manufacturer	Raven Labs
Model	PMB-II
Price	$300, shipping included
Item owned for	Less than 1 month

Dimensions	Half-rack width, 1 1/2 spaces tall
Weight	3 lbs.
EQ	Bass, Mid, Treble
Other	Gain adj, master volume, 2 channels (stereo), FX loop, phase switching
	, tuner mute, XLR out

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.

Construction	100%
(Little red box looks pretty solid)
Clarity	100%
Versatility	100%
(blends magnetic pickups, mics, piezos...)
Customer Service	100%
Value	100%
Overall	98%
(Power supply isn't built in. Don't forget your adapter or extra batteries)