BT was founded in 2002 by Todd VanSelus and Josh Greegor attempting to discover the variety of tones offered by bass preamps. The bass community went nuts, demanded more, and some bassists loaned us their gear to record and post the results. Our sincere thanks to all you who have been so generous.

Basstasters is all about the vibe of a piece of gear, not a purely scientific exercise. We expose the inherant signature of preamps, basses, cabinets, and more. Don't listen to the tracks thinking, "this is exactly what this gear sounds like"; rather, use the variety of clips as a comparison from which to extract the aural fingerprints of different items. Most of all, have fun!

Disclaimer: we did not use any EQ on most of the tracks - everything is set completely flat, for better or worse. Nor did we think about technique or pesky things like string noise. Raw and real, that's BT.

Currently we're tasting preamps, basses, strings, and effects. If there's something else you'd like to hear, send us email and we'll see if we can find it. Better yet, contact the manufacturer and ask them to provide Basstasters with a sample. Enjoy the site, and thanks for your support!

5.10.07
New Clips! Listen to both the stock pickups and the Nordstrand MM4.2 in the MusicMan Stingray, then dial smooth with the PreSonus BlueTube DP Preamp.

5.5.07
Lots of new basses that many of you may not have noticed: including the Lakland Jerry Scheff Signature Model, Lakland Bob Glaub Signature Model, and the Lakland 55-02 (with NEW Lakland electronics!). That means the pickups section is growing, as is the strings section - lots of new clips to compare.

5.1.07
The tube DI roundup was an overwhelming success, and for those of you that haven't checked it out yet - here's a detail of the contents, here's the list of participants: A-Designs REDDI, Aguilar DB-900, DeMaria ADL300G, ART TubeMP, Behringer Mic200, Demeter VTDB2b, DW Fearn VT3, Eclair Evil Twin, Groove Tubes Brick, Manley Tube DI, Millennia TD1, PreSonus TubePre, Summit TD100, Uncle Albert's VTD3A, Universal Audio SOLO/610, & Valvotronics D19. A huge thanks to all the manufacturers who participated and made this an epic collection!

4.15.07
Thanks to all of you for your kind words and hearty praise on the new site - glad you dig it. There's lots of improvements coming, along with a ton more gear, so stay tuned! Make sure you don't miss BasstastersTV on youtube!

3.30.07
Without further ado, the Tube DI Roundup has been completed! Visit this page to hear clips from 16 of the world's finest Tube DI's. These are the real deal... not just DI's, but serious tone machines. You owe it to your ears to take a listen!

Sadowsky Guitars -- preamp, strings
[my personal choice for traditional style basses, and great strings]

 

Bass Guitar Strings .us -- strings
[amazing prices on strings, and EXCELLENT service]

 

Evidence Audio -- cables
[well priced, exceptional sounding cables - hear the difference (monster killer)]

 

Best Bass Gear .com -- preamps/pickups
[great service, custom-configured preamps, and lots more]

 

Thunderfunk -- amps
[audiophile quality components in a vintage design]

 

Cafe Walter -- headphone amp
[the best sounding headphone amp i've ever heard - practice right!]