Stanley Clarke’s Signature Acoustic Preamp
Stanley Clarke is one of the world’s preeminent bassists. Throughout his remarkable career, Stanley wrote the book on the role of the bass in jazz fusion. A prolific composer as well as an electrifying performer on both electric and acoustic upright bass, the multiple Grammy winner defined the groove in Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and over the decades has released acclaimed solo and collaboration albums and played to packed houses worldwide. With a résumé like that, you’d think Stanley would know what makes a great bass preamp — and you’d be right. Sweetwater is delighted to present to you the EBS Stanley Clarke Signature Acoustic Preamp pedal.
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Designed by EBS and Stanley Clarke
Designed by EBS in collaboration with legendary bassist Stanley Clarke, the Stanley Clarke Signature Acoustic Preamp addresses the challenges of amplifying an acoustic instrument such as an upright bass. Spec’d with premium studio-grade components, this 2-channel preamp delivers the audio quality, powerful filters, and smart features you need to nail the perfect bass sound onstage and in the studio.
Professional signal level
Because the Stanley Clarke Signature Acoustic Preamp operates at a +4 signal level — the same as professional mixing consoles — it delivers a massive amount of headroom. This pro-grade signal quality makes it ideal for use with any power amp. This headroom advantage, along with certain special features, makes it particularly adept at handling the complex sonic nuances of the upright bass, a notoriously difficult instrument to amplify.
Two channels — and a secret weapon
The A and B channels both have an input Gain control and an EQ strip with Bass, Mid (choose the frequency range with one knob and boost or cut in that range with the other), and Treble. Each channel also features a secret weapon: a knob that can be either a highpass or a notch filter. The HP/Notch switch determines the function, while the control knob selects the frequency range. The notch and highpass filters are excellent tools to prevent feedback and to optimize the sound to suit the characteristics of your instrument and the acoustics of the room.
Handles any and all pickups
With an input impedance of 10m ohms for both the channels, the Stanley Clarke Signature Acoustic Preamp is equipped to handle any instrument with passive, active, or high impedance piezo pickups. When activated via a dedicated switch, channel A also provides support for electret condenser mic pickup. In addition, channel B allows you to use a dynamic or 48V phantom-powered condenser microphone as a source via the pedal’s XLR input. A switch selects between the B channel’s XLR and 1/4-inch input.
Mix and match
The preamp lets you switch between A and B channels to allow for different settings when playing, for instance, arco or pizzicato — and you can even blend the two channels if you’re using two completely different input sources. Mixing two different sound input sources can create polarity issues. If that occurs, channel A’s Phase Invert switch is onboard to solve the problem.
Versatile outputs and smart features
Using a Y-split insert cable, you can hook up external effects in serial or parallel through the Stanley Clarke Signature Acoustic Preamp’s Effects Loop. The pedal is equipped with a Tuner Out jack for plugging in an external tuner. A balanced XLR Out sends a studio-quality, line-level signal to front-of-house, your audio interface, or a recording console. You can use this output with the built-in Speaker Simulator, and activate the Ground Lift to eliminate hum. Backstage or at home, the unit’s Aux Input and professional-grade Headphones output make practicing easy.
Great for any instrument
The frequency range of an upright bass is broad, and its sonic profile is complex, which means a preamp designed to adeptly handle this instrument will work admirably on other instruments as well — be they acoustic or electric. Other acoustic instruments will benefit from its masterful feature set, while electric bass players will find its two channels an excellent way to create individual EQ settings for two different instruments and effortlessly switch between them during a live set.
Take it from Stanley Clarke
Says Stanley: “I have been using this new preamp on every show and in the studio since November 2019, when I got the final sample in my hands. It has become a mainstay to my upright bass sound. I think it is absolutely essential for every acoustic bass player to own one of these. The 2-channel preamp allows you to have a completely different setting for bowing and pizzicato at the push of a button. The effects loop, EQ, 1/4-inch, and XLR input and outputs make it extremely versatile for stage or studio. It even sounds great on the electric bass.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Stanley Clarke has made a monumental impact on modern music. Now go make your own with the EBS Stanley Clarke Signature Acoustic Preamp from Sweetwater!
EBS Stanley Clarke Signature Acoustic Preamp Features:
- 2-channel analog preamp (A/B or A+B)
- Studio-grade signal quality
- 10m ohms impedance inputs (both channels)
- Individual highpass/notch Filter per channel
- XLR microphone input with phantom power (channel B)
- Electret pickup support (channel A)
- Tuner output
- Effects Loop (serial/parallel)
- Balanced Output (with Speaker Simulator and Ground Lift)
- Aux Input and pro-grade headphones output
- Dedicated 9V DC power supply included
