I’m such a cheapskate! Mostly because my budget is pretty thin, but the plus side is I have found ways to not sacrifice tone. The BDI-21 pedal for example. It’s $33. Not only does the real Tech21 pedal not sound $160 better…I’d argue it might not sound better at all, maybe even worse. What you are paying for is a brand name and a metal casing…but SOUND which in the end is what you are going for, isn’t really different. That said, I might get a VMT pedal…it does sound amazing.
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Using one as part of the signal chain into your amp would be a waste of money…however…I’ve just bought one, despite not needed for the same reasons as yourself. I got a TC electronics Spectradrive. The main reason being that it comes with headphones and aux in so it makes a brilliant practice amp that you can take anywhere with you and have full EQ, compressor, and overdrive (of sorts) in a little 5" square box. And with the aux in you can plug your phone into it to play along to songs so in that respect it’s great. As a pre-amp on my main rig, it’s a waste of time
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I’m getting a pre-amp because I play through different amps, but want my tone to be the same, so will just keep the amps on neutral settings. Certainly not essential though. I haven’t had one up until now.
But this is basically a question of if you want an active or passive bass.
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This is the main reason I chose the VMT. Out of all of the demos out there on DG, and I do like their products, the VMT had a sound I craved. Didn’t want to spend the money at the time, so I got the Aftershock for all things OD-Fuzz (it really is an amazing pedal). I have no interest in any of their other drive pedals with what I have.
Their Element is interesting, but I have no use for it right now.
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Yes a preamp as a “pedal” would not be a waste of time. But the on-board built-in preamp that is on active basses I wouldn’t recommend for a Hofner.
The ones you are talking about @chris6 are awesome, I’d totally go for one, for any kind of bass. Lots of tube ones too which are cool!
Is there any disadvantage to the Pro and Live version as opposed to the Bean? I find varying prices, and the Live, I can find as low as $80, and average of about $125.
The PRO I see as High as $600, and as low as $250, but average being (in rough generalized numbers) around $400
The Bean, or Pod itself I find for as low as $135, and as high as $250 new in box.
The Live for $80 is closest to me and I think I might have a trade for it that makes it ideal for location and price, but what would be the reason to NOT get the Live and get the Pod instead, or the Pro instead.
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As far as I know, the converters are not the same and usually the Line 6 ranges are like this :
Pro > Bean > Live
but considering that :
- the Pro are very expensive
- the Live are much cheaper
- the Pro and Live share the advantage of a better connectivity than the Bean
- the X3 range is not very old, so even the converters of the Live are very probably excellent and you won’t likely hear any difference between the versions
… if the format of the Live is OK for you, I’d say go for it !
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For a power brick for my new board I’m working on, I’ve narrowed it down to two choices, but would appreciate any opinions on these two.
Thanks, I have not made any decisions, I just stated looking based on your conversation in another thread with @DaveT.
I won’t have much more then $100 if that to spend, so if I don’t end up liking the LIVE, it might take a while to find one, which is fine with me, it is always good to have things to search for.
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I’m quite happy with this one.
They’re doing smaller models as well. Might be cheaper, even with import taxes 
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It’s interesting how Harley Benton seems to be knocking it out of the park on everything they do. Always seems tremendous value for the money. Everything I look at is highly-rated and highly-purchased. It’s kinda like they are the IKEA of music gear or something. 
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How do you find this stuff??? I could pay you a commission and still save money.
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felt like I got a visit from @terb today. went to visit the highly recommended Chicago fretworks for a small modification and this was lying by the door:
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I look most everything on Offer Up.
The Bean X3 is $135 at cheapest, but it is not even local to me, it is $13.99 to ship.
I even saw a Like New X3 Live, in a gig bag that said NEVER USED, $30.
Too bad the add was 3 years old, and they don’t answer back when asked “is this still available”
Sometimes I find things that have been on for two years and they answer back, and often have it, or say, sorry sold, and only then mark it sold.
Would be so much easier if people would just mark their stuff sold.
What I usually do with a 1 year old post, or 2 year old post, is I look at the sellers other items. If they have listed things within the last month or two, then I reach out, and often get an answer.
But if they listed a bunch of stuff 3 years ago, and that was that was the last time they listed it, they either sold it and never used the app again, or they just never check the adds and are still sitting on it wondering why it didn’t sell.
IDK, people are funny, I just get a laugh out of it sometimes.
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This is $80 and is available, 14 miles
$100 and available, about 30 miles
This is $180 for New In Box, even tho is says $250, they have other adds, later that say $200 and then $180, same seller, so he has lowered it to $180 a few months ago, I just picked the first one I saw to screen shot, that is why it says $250, because like other sellers, he was kind enough to leave his old adds up when he made a new add for the same thing, so it looks, to the untrained eye, like he has 3 for sale, at 3 different prices.
That is about 60 mile drive tho
Yeah, if you want anything, just let me know and if I can find it, I will get it for you and ship it. And really just for the cost of the item, gas and shipping, I don’t look to profit of friends. There are plenty of non friends out there I can profit off. But that X3 new in the box, for $180 if I find the right add, will ship it to your for $13.99, so probably easier to do that one like that. cheaper then spending gas money on a 2 hour trip, and postage that will most likely cost more then $13.99.
When you sell thru Offer Up and check the box that says “sell nationwide”, you have to select a box or item size and it creates the postage for you.
When you sell nationally, you also do the money thru Offer Up so that it is protected like any other site, ebay, amazon, etc… So the seller actually does not get the funds released until you get the item and say it is good.
But you pay for it, with tax and shipping (so it is a little more then list price), but you get it in an easy package.
Offer up lets you print shipping from an e-mail, but you have to box it yourself. If you put something bigger, or heavier then normal, I think they will ship it, but take some money for shipping difference from the sale price.
IDK, I have not shipped anything thru offer up, only once thru Reverb, but I have bought two items thru offer up, and it was smooth and easy, and small items like pedals, the shipping is only like $3.99
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Here is one in great shape with the box and instruction manual, and power supply, and is about 50 miles away.
This one says it listed 10 months ago. Most of the stuff he has listed is all from 9-10 months ago.
BUT…
He just listed something 10 hours ago.
This tells me this would be a good person to deal with.
Has not sold it, has not sold a bunch of things, and is lilsting other stuff right now, so he needs some money.
Probably get that for $125, the whole package.
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Thats how, above, if you need to find some things, LMK, I will keep an eye out.
I don’t have a lot to do these days but practice bass, play bass, watch youtube bass videos (and surf and music story videos), and look for bargains.
It would be my pleasure.
But I need to know things to look for. I can’t just post every good deal I see, I would be making a post every 20 minutes, Heck I could have a WHOLE forum on that.
But LMK how I can help.
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cool @itsratso ! the XT is not my favorite but there are a lot of possibilities with this generation of PODs, I already used mine as a cab sim with an external analog preamp. let us know what do you think ! if it was really $15 that’s a bargain ! with a lot of vintage dust in bonus 
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That actually says $75, but I am sure he made a better deal.
oh, I read $15 ! that’s funny, in France we don’t write the " 7 " like this, we add a horizontal bar to avoid the confusion with the " 1 ".
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