Laney BCC-DB East Pre Bass Preamp

While the Laney name doesn't carry the pedigree of Fender or Ampeg, the company has been around for decades. I always figured they were aiming squarely at budget-conscious customers, but the tonal versatility of this preamp really surprised me. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising, as this UK-made preamp bearing Nathan East's signature is one of the company's flagship products.

There are plenty of great demos online for the Laney clean bass sound, but this particular mode has an incredible amount of very tasteful distortion. If you put any EQ or boost pedal in the front, the high gain bass tones of the Laney are guaranteed to impress you. There are many excellent features on this preamp, many of which are relatively uncommon. There are only two things to point out: there is no dedicated headphone volume, and the stock impulse responses are remarkably bad.

If you buy this product, please make sure to have a bass-specific IR you like. I use the Shift Line pack, but Tone 3000 has many free ones.