Blue 360 Bass Preamp Pedal

One Control's Blue 360 Amp-in-a-Box (AIAB) pedal reproduces the sound of the legendary 360 preamp. Blue 360 can instantly give your modern, high-tech amp the response of '70s-era high-powered transistor amp. Blue 360 delivers a bass tone that fits in perfects with high-density, powerful band sounds — especially those with high volume, distorted guitar — making it a great option for classic rock, punk, etc.

Blue 360 features a switch on the side marked 0dB / -18dB, which works as a pre-set master volume. All boost is set by the Volume control. At the -18 dB setting, cranking Volume to full will deliver a similar level to bypass mode, allowing you to set the pedal to create distortion tones when on, while keeping your signal at the same volume whether the pedal is on or off. At the 0dB setting, the output level will increase as you turn up the Volume until you reach 360mV of clean sound or 600mV of distorted tone. Typical instrument level is just 60mV, so 600mV is enough to drive a standard power amp.

If you do use the Blue 360 as preamp into a power amp, the sound will start to distort on transients at the full power of the power amp. Just below 600mV, you'll get an almost-clean, compressed sound that amplifies weaker notes but veers into distortion at peak transients. This response is very similar to how transistor powered bass amplifiers were made to compete with roaring tube guitar amplifiers.