Aguilar AG Preamp/DI Pedal

In our post-pandemic age in which more and more musicians are recording and collaborating online – or working with larger touring set-ups that frequently require in-ear monitors over back-line amps – this new high-quality preamp and Direct-In box from Aguilar will be welcomed by many bassists. Compact enough to sit on a small pedal board, reside on a desktop, or gig bag pocket, the AG Preamp pedal’s sleek, nofrills design is simple and classy. The fact it functions as a pedal also encourages its use in live performance and therefore offers up the possibility of further onthe-fly tone shaping – regardless of which amp you’ve been given as your backline!

The control layout is simplicity itself: the 4-band EQ has an incoming gain knob on the left, treble and bass at the top and high mid and low mid controls at the bottom, and a master volume top right. These can all be activated via foot switchable broadband ‘deep’ and “bright’ controls for added depth and presence. The latter functionality isn’t revolutionary but is very welcome when wanting to dial between sounds to match the feel of a particular bassline. ‘Bright’ is the obvious setting for mellow melodic playing and soloing, although some may want to dial in some low-mids to avoid the sound becoming too thin – while the ‘deep’ setting offers a lovely warm, bassy tone for those supportive bass parts, shifting towards a present but less obtrusive sound – high mids can be added here too for that classic Jaco finger-style tone. With both bright and deep settings engaged, the AG Preamp shows just how well balanced it can be, with detailed highs, rich mids and full-sounding lows, great for slapped or picked playing.

That trademark Aguilar pristine tone works well from the DI out with ‘Pre/Post’ EQ and‘ground lift’ controls and there’s a handy XLR output, as well as quarter inch input and output jack sockets. There’s also the added bonus of an Aux Input and a headphone output which makes this a great device for silent home practice sessions. The pedal is powered by 18-volt power supply and provides plenty of headroom ensuring a clean and transparent sound. With a wide-range of DI boxes on the market – that vary hugely in quality and price – Aguilar’s reputation of reliability and quality should make this a go-to choice for many bassists, and with a retail price of £335, the AG Preamp/DI offers a solid solution to adding some studio quality tones to your bass wherever you are.

For more info visit www.aguilaramp.com