Burriss Engineering Flexoport Bass Preamp

I purchased this amp from Bob in June '04. It is a Class A tube preamp with a definite vintage vibe. It has minimal "bells and whistles" but has a nice organic tone to it. I have owned Kern, Demeter, Ashdown, and Ampeg preamps but this one come the closest to nailing the vintage tone I dig. I play in a cover band that plays everything from old ZZ Top to Creed and this preamp does a good job on representing my "true" bass sound. It isn't totally colorless but it is kind of "vintage meets hi-fi". Easier to hear than explain!!

I complement the Burriss Flexoport preamp with a QSC RMX 850 power amp and a Bergantino NV (New Vintage, no tweeter) 6x10 cab, Fender USA Reissue Jazz Bass, and a Celinder Jazz. I use the outboard Sadowsky preamp with the Fender and the Celinder has an Aquilar OBP-1 preamp onboard. I think onboard or outboard preamps are good if you're using this preamp for extended tone ranges. This preamp is not the most versitile preamp out there but it was based off the old Ampegs which are still sought after. I believe the best sounding amps have the least amount of components in the signal chain and this would explain the natural-sounding, organic, earthy tone found in the Buriss Flexoport preamp. Can you tell I like this preamp?

It seems to be well built but only hours of bar gigs will tell. Anything can break but Bob gives a good warranty so I'm not too concerned.

Bob was very helpful in figuring what type of sound I wanted and building it. My only complaint is that it does take longer than I expected fo custom build an amp but the wait was worth it. Bob is a busy guy but always responds to my questions, calls and e-mails.

I have played bass in various cover bands for the past 15 years. I would call Bob in an instant if it was stolen, lost or destroyed. I'm really glad I had the bass boost switches put in it. That feature really expands the tonal pallete. Check out www.burrissamps.com for more info or drop me an e-mail.

This custom made class A all tube bass pre-amp has everything I asked for. It features a hi-Z input, tuner out with a mute switch for silent tuning, pre-amp volume, treble control, bass control and master volume. There are also treble and bass boost switches for added frequency ranges. It has a D.I. out on the front panel (very convenient) that uses a Jensen JT-DB-E transformer. The back panel provides a D.I. level control and an effects loop with wet/dry mix control.

I run it into a Gallien-Krueger 800RB (effects loop in) bypassing the G-K pre and EQ and only using it as a power amp. Both fit perfectly into a small(six space) SKB rack case. It gives me the sound and convenience I've been looking for. It provides an excellent , warm tube tone without the hassle of lugging around a huge, and very heavy tube bass head. I play in an original rock/funk/jam band and in pretty much any situation (i.e. small club, large club, outside) I can always get the tone and level I want out of this rock machine. Also, the EQ provides an incredibly vast spectrum of tonal ranges which are sure to suit any player's style and needs.

Bob Burriss meticulously hand wires everything he builds. I've seen him at work. For this reason I have great faith in the reliability of this product. I've played alot of gigs with it and never had a problem.

I suggest you go to www.burrissengineering.com to find out more about their customer support and the exciting new products that are being offered.

I've been playing the bass for 17 years and I truly believe that high-end tube bass pre-amps ran into solid state power amps are the wave of the future. You get the warmness of the tubes with the punch of the solid state power amp. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of an SVT, what I don't love is the idea of carrying one around and the cost to maintain it.