For those of you are interested, I just bought the best Direct box I have
ever heard. The thing blows away all others I have ever tried. It's the
Radial J48, and words can't describe how much better it made my bass sound
over the fishman I was using. For only $170 each, I bought two, one for me
and one for the guitar player at my church.

I think my new catch phrase will be, "life's too short to use a cheap DI"

Mark

On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 21:23:06 GMT, "Mark Finley"
wrote:

For those of you are interested, I just bought the best Direct box I have
ever heard. The thing blows away all others I have ever tried. It's the
Radial J48, and words can't describe how much better it made my bass sound
over the fishman I was using. For only $170 each, I bought two, one for me
and one for the guitar player at my church.

I think my new catch phrase will be, "life's too short to use a cheap DI"

Mark

Yup. These Radials are killer. I live not far from the place where
they make them. Everyone in Vancouver knows about them.
The guy who designed them, John Vertasic (I'm not sure of the
spelling) is a living legend here for building major studios and
maintaining them.
The word out is the passive one JDI are exceptional, the active are on
par with the best in there price range, and their Tone Bones is also
made a great impression on those who've heard it.

Paul Gitlitz
Glitchless Productions
www.glitchless.net

In article writes:

Radial J48

The guy who designed them, John Vertasic (I'm not sure of the
spelling) is a living legend here for building major studios and
maintaining them.
The word out is the passive one JDI are exceptional

I know that they use a Jensen transformer. Is there anything in the
box that's not in the Jensen direct box application note? Not that
having someone else construct it isn't worth anything - the Radial box
is a very nice package and something that would be difficult for the
average guitar player to duplicate at home - but unless he's
discovered some secret and potted the insides, there's not a whole lot
to a passive DI. The fact that he didn't mess it up is a good thing.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )

In article znr1060427874k@trad, Mike Rivers wrote:
In article writes:

Radial J48

The guy who designed them, John Vertasic (I'm not sure of the
spelling) is a living legend here for building major studios and
maintaining them.
The word out is the passive one JDI are exceptional

I know that they use a Jensen transformer. Is there anything in the
box that's not in the Jensen direct box application note? Not that
having someone else construct it isn't worth anything - the Radial box
is a very nice package and something that would be difficult for the
average guitar player to duplicate at home - but unless he's
discovered some secret and potted the insides, there's not a whole lot
to a passive DI. The fact that he didn't mess it up is a good thing.

Not at all, it's right out of the app note. BUT, it's really not all
that expensive, and it has a very solid sheet-steel case. Cost you a
good bit to make something like that at home, though you could cheat and
use a diecast aluminum box.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In Article , (Scott Dorsey)
wrote:
In article znr1060427874k@trad, Mike Rivers wrote:
In article
writes:

Radial J48

The guy who designed them, John Vertasic (I'm not sure of the
spelling) is a living legend here for building major studios and
maintaining them.
The word out is the passive one JDI are exceptional

I know that they use a Jensen transformer. Is there anything in the
box that's not in the Jensen direct box application note? Not that
having someone else construct it isn't worth anything - the Radial box
is a very nice package and something that would be difficult for the
average guitar player to duplicate at home - but unless he's
discovered some secret and potted the insides, there's not a whole lot
to a passive DI. The fact that he didn't mess it up is a good thing.

Not at all, it's right out of the app note. BUT, it's really not all
that expensive, and it has a very solid sheet-steel case. Cost you a
good bit to make something like that at home, though you could cheat and
use a diecast aluminum box.
--scott


I'm finding that I like the Groove Tubes DITTO tube direct box a lot.

But then I'm also attracted to pretty blue lights.

Regards,

Ty Ford

For Ty Ford V/O demos, audio services and equipment reviews,
click on http://www.jagunet.com/~tford

I agree.
I run across them all the time at the bigger shows I do.
A couple times a company recorded our set to air on the radio, and I was
hugely surprised by my bass tone.
The band I play with just put out a live CD from one of these shows, and you
wouldn't believe how strong the notes on my B string sounds.

Jay S



"Mark Finley" wrote in message
...
For those of you are interested, I just bought the best Direct box I have
ever heard. The thing blows away all others I have ever tried. It's the
Radial J48, and words can't describe how much better it made my bass sound
over the fishman I was using. For only $170 each, I bought two, one for
me
and one for the guitar player at my church.

I think my new catch phrase will be, "life's too short to use a cheap DI"

Mark

In article 04,
DavidMackBlauvelt wrote:

"Mark Finley" wrote in
:

For those of you are interested, I just bought the best Direct box I
have ever heard. The thing blows away all others I have ever tried.
It's the Radial J48, and words can't describe how much better it made
my bass sound over the fishman I was using. For only $170 each, I
bought two, one for me and one for the guitar player at my church.

I think my new catch phrase will be, "life's too short to use a cheap
DI"

Mark

Thanks for the tip Mark, I still have a JT-DBE sitting around and I
haven't gotten around to locating a box, phono jacks etc. I would pay for
a kit and simple instructions, but at this price, I'm going to buy a few
of these, and build my own later.

Dave


I use the Reichenbach version of these transformers and built a quad DI
for my rig (stereo main out and stereo loops). Every soundperson I have
ever worked with loves it and last week the guy at 32 Bleu in Colorado
Springs said it was the best DI he had ever heard. the low notes were
huge! Ain't no magic, just a good solid transformer in a well shielded
box.


Edwin
--
Remove the obvious to reply

"Mark Finley" wrote in message
...
For those of you are interested, I just bought the best Direct box I have
ever heard. The thing blows away all others I have ever tried. It's the
Radial J48, and words can't describe how much better it made my bass sound
over the fishman I was using. For only $170 each, I bought two, one for
me
and one for the guitar player at my church.

I think my new catch phrase will be, "life's too short to use a cheap DI"

Mark

I've been using a Radial JDI on my NS Electric Upright for a few months now,
and it REALLY improved my live tone - piezo's are notorious for loading
DI's, and the JDI sails with them.

BUT, I used the JDI to record this past week with my Stingray 5, and got the
best tone I've ever gotten on tape, dialed in quickly and painlessly. Those
Radials are amazing. Just simple, clean and pure.

Not at all, it's right out of the app note. BUT, it's really not all
that expensive, and it has a very solid sheet-steel case. Cost you a
good bit to make something like that at home, though you could cheat and
use a diecast aluminum box.

One could save a few bucks & opt not to install the switchable low pass filter
that Deane included in the design. I think it's a 3db rolloff above 4.4k,
intended to mimic the high end response of a 12" guitar amp speaker. I found it
rather pointless.
BTW the Jensen does, in fact, load some piezo pickups a bit unfavorably. I
didn't care for what it did to an already execrable Underwood pickup on upright
bass. Meaning the direct pass through to the bass amp sounded worse than the
pickup plugged straight in, so there is some signal loading.
Scott Fraser

ScotFraser wrote:
BTW the Jensen does, in fact, load some piezo pickups a bit unfavorably. I
didn't care for what it did to an already execrable Underwood pickup on upright
bass. Meaning the direct pass through to the bass amp sounded worse than the
pickup plugged straight in, so there is some signal loading.

That's why they make active boxes, for devices like that. You just can't
build a transformer with an input Z anywhere near as high as you can an
active FET stage. The Jensen is about as good as it's possible to get,
and it's not high enough for a lot of instruments.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

you all peaked my curiousity, so I went to the website. They're very
informative of their products. Here's the link...

http://www.tonebone.com/index.htm

Ian
5bass