Desktop Pre

The Desktop Pre combines the front-end (aka preamplifier) sections of both the 5F6-A Bassman and the JTM-45 into a single unit. It's designed to be a stand-alone, analog replacement for traditional amplifiers or software amps. It can be placed on your pedalboard, with large gain and volume knobs for adjusting by foot. Or, it can sit on your desktop and be run directly into the XLR (balanced) or TS (unbalanced) input of your audio interface or console. A built-in passive DI box functions like the "Return" from the effects loop in a traditional amplifier. This allows output of both balanced XLR, and unbalanced 1/4" as stereo, mono, or dual-mono (stereo over two TS cables) for some advanced routing possibilities.

The JTM-45 is virtually identical to the 5F6-A, except for two things - higher gain preamp tubes (12AX7s vs. the Bassman's 12AY7s), and alterations to the tone stack.

My goal was to emulate both of these amplifiers in one unit. To create psuedo dual-channel behavior, the gain and tone characteristics of two Soviet 6N2P valves are modified at the flip of a switch.

The Clean setting is similar to the bright channel on the Bassman. The Crunch setting is reminiscent of JTM-45 normal channel, which omits the bright cap for smoother overdrive.

Development is the next prioirty after the launch of the Butter Booster! Join our mailing list to stay in the loop.