resigned Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 Just a question/observation - the sk1 doesn't have an fx loop, so any overdrive is going to be post-leslie, which I imagine would sound a bit odd (though maybe it'll be just what you're looking for?) in my experience that tends to flatten out the leslie sound and make it more phasey. the only way to get od > leslie is to get an external drive AND leslie, and at that point the vent would be the obvious choice. i know you said you don't want a vent, but if you're already adding an external unit for drive it might be worth considering it - it'll do a great drive and (IMO) a better leslie than the SK1. While I was hoping for a little more overdrive on the organ, I am also enjoying the tube preamp effect on my AP's/EP's too - something the Vent wouldn't give me, assuming I would be separating the organ/EP signals. I currently just run the stereo signal from my SK2 through the tube preamp into my Motion Sound amp's stereo inputs, which means my organ and AP/EP sounds are combined. Plus, I got a lightly-used EHX 2ube for about 1/4 the cost of the Vent. The preamp doesn't seem to be compressing the signal so the SK2's internal Leslie sim sounds fine even though the preamp is post-FX. I agree that an FX loop would be helpful but the SK2 is what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Thanks for the review Jim! Just curious, where did you find the second-hand 2UBE? Also, what are your plans for swamping the valves? After reading around, I eventually decided to opt for a pair of JJ ECC803S valves in my ART pre-amps. Cheers, James x Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resigned Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 Thanks for the review Jim! Just curious, where did you find the second-hand 2UBE? Also, what are your plans for swamping the valves? After reading around, I eventually decided to opt for a pair of JJ ECC803S valves in my ART pre-amps. Cheers, James x Surprisingly I found the used EHX 2ube on Amazon. Not sure about the tubes... the current tubes in the unit are Sovtek 12AX7-WB which EHX's support forum says the WB is for low-noise. However the only WB's I can find are ONLY made by Sovtek, but of course I can use any 12AX7's/7035's so I got some shopping to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoooombiex Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Just a question/observation - the sk1 doesn't have an fx loop, so any overdrive is going to be post-leslie, which I imagine would sound a bit odd (though maybe it'll be just what you're looking for?) in my experience that tends to flatten out the leslie sound and make it more phasey. the only way to get od > leslie is to get an external drive AND leslie, and at that point the vent would be the obvious choice. i know you said you don't want a vent, but if you're already adding an external unit for drive it might be worth considering it - it'll do a great drive and (IMO) a better leslie than the SK1. While I was hoping for a little more overdrive on the organ, I am also enjoying the tube preamp effect on my AP's/EP's too - something the Vent wouldn't give me, assuming I would be separating the organ/EP signals. I currently just run the stereo signal from my SK2 through the tube preamp into my Motion Sound amp's stereo inputs, which means my organ and AP/EP sounds are combined. Plus, I got a lightly-used EHX 2ube for about 1/4 the cost of the Vent. The preamp doesn't seem to be compressing the signal so the SK2's internal Leslie sim sounds fine even though the preamp is post-FX. I agree that an FX loop would be helpful but the SK2 is what it is. Ahh, I see. To the extent you're looking for more overdrive for EP's/clav, I could make some recommendations, but I've never tried any with organ since I use a vent. In terms of a rounding and fattening tube sound, you might also look at this: http://www.sarnomusicsolutions.com/products/sgbb.html I use one with guitar, bass, and EP's. As the description says, it's not an overdrive and it's technically not a preamp because it's unity gain. But it absolutely provides that softening and sweetening tube quality. They run about $320 new and $250 used, so they aren't cheap. But they are extremely well built. It sounds like you're happy with the EXH, so that may all be moot. But I thought I'd throw it out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resigned Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 I'm almost happy with the EHX 2ube - I could be happier if I can improve the warmth and overdrive a little. James' suggestion of JJ ECC803S tubes looks promising. Just gotta play with various 12AX7 tubes and see if I can find something that gives me what I want. But yeah, I'm going to stick with the EHX 2ube for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Jim, you're probably aware that you can use alternatives to the 12AX7 that may yield different results in terms of gain and warmth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12AX7#Similar_twin-triode_designs I wasn't too sure which to go for, so decided to play it safe and opt for the JJs. I'm sure there are better, more expensive valves out there (I purchased mine from a Japanese web store), but I'm satisfied with what I've got for the time being. Cheers, James x Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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