The One Control Crimson Red Bass Preamp is a compact bass preamp pedal designed by Bjorn Juhl. One Control describes it as built to reproduce an old school 60s and 70s electric bass sound, and says it can be used as a preamp with modern bass amplification setups while bringing back the feel of a 60s upright bass and 70s electric bass. The maker adds that the CRB "reproduces the sound similar to a single 15\" or 18\" setup", referring to the big single-speaker bass cabinets of that era1.
One Control's product page lists the Crimson Red Bass Preamp as sold out, so availability is limited at the time of writing1.
The controls
The pedal keeps things simple with three knobs, each with a distinct job1:
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Gain | Boost control |
| Brilliance | Bandwidth control. At maximum, treble can pass; at the most counter-clockwise position, only bass is amplified |
| Volume | Output volume |
The Brilliance knob is the tone-shaping heart of the pedal: rather than a conventional bass and treble pair, it sweeps the bandwidth from bass-only at one end to full-range with treble passing at the other. Combined with the Gain control as a boost, that makes the Crimson Red a straightforward preamp and boost for shaping an old school bass voice rather than a multi-band EQ. Players looking for more conventional tone-stacking in the same maker's range can compare the One Control Hooker's Green Bass Machine or the Minimal Series Silver Para Bass Buffer1.
Power and specifications
Power is undemanding. The pedal runs from a 9V battery or a standard DC power supply, accepts a drive voltage of 9V to 15V, and consumes only 1mA at 9V, a figure low enough that nearly any boost or preamp supply output can run it1.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Input impedance | 650K |
| Output impedance | 25K |
| S/N ratio | -80dBm |
| Size (excluding protruding parts) | 39W x 100D x 31H mm |
| Size (including protruding parts) | 47W x 100D x 46H mm |
| Weight | Approx. 160 grams |
| Enclosure | High quality aluminum |
The 650K input impedance suits passive bass pickups, and the aluminum enclosure and roughly 160-gram weight put it firmly in compact pedalboard territory1.
Videos
Mike Hermans
Hans Johansson
Hiroshi Sakai
Questions
Is the One Control Crimson Red true bypass?
Yes. One Control lists the Crimson Red Bass Preamp with True-Bypass Switching, so when the pedal is off, your instrument's signal passes straight to the output without passing through the preamp circuit. That keeps the pedal out of the signal path until you engage it, which matters on a bass board where preserving low-end clarity is often the priority.
Does the Crimson Red Bass Preamp take a battery?
It does. One Control specifies power from a 9V battery or a standard DC power supply, and the pedal draws only 1mA at 9V, so a battery lasts a long time. The drive voltage range is 9V to 15V, so it also runs happily from most pedalboard power supplies without needing a high-current output.
Who designed the One Control Crimson Red Bass Preamp?
The Crimson Red Bass Preamp was designed by Bjorn Juhl, the designer associated with One Control's pedal range. One Control's product page for the pedal is presented in his name and credits the design to him.
What does the Brilliance knob do on the Crimson Red?
Brilliance is a bandwidth control. At its maximum position, treble can pass through, giving the brightest setting. Turned fully counter-clockwise, only bass is amplified, so the knob shapes how much top end the preamp lets through rather than boosting a fixed frequency band.
What is the input impedance of the Crimson Red Bass Preamp?
One Control specifies an input impedance of 650K and an output impedance of 25K. The high input impedance is in the range that keeps passive bass pickups sounding full, while the 25K output is low enough to feed amplifiers, recording interfaces and other pedals without noticeable loading.
Sources (1)
- CRIMSON RED BASS PREAMP (OC-CRBPn), One Control USA
