Bass Gear Issue 8 : Page 8

Quick Look Jule Amps Monique Tube Bass Preamp/DI By Tom Bowlus The Company Line I recall the first time I was asked if I had checked out “Monique.” “Of course not, I’m a happily married man.” “No, man, Monique from Jule!” “Jewel?” It was like someone was speaking to me in a different language. Turns out, that was actually a pretty good introduction… Monique is an all-tube bass preamp/DI from Santa Cruz-based Jule Amps. What’s there to get so excited about? Is it just the sultry name? Is it the sexy exterior? Is it the “moth to the flame” lure of glowing tubes? Well, sure, it’s a little bit of all of that, but a whole lot more. Talking to Jule Potter, you can tell right off the bat that this guy knows his stuff. He grew up bouncing around the globe (and bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere) with his military electronics (Navy and then Army) father, and later spent four years in the Navy (two tours of Vietnam) on aircraft carriers and getting advanced electronics training. He’s done wiring work for James Demeter, and he’s been building all-tube guitar amps for years after retiring from the software industry. Okay, so he’s got some cred. Lots of guys do in this industry. But the other thing that strikes you right away is his passion – a passion for doing things “right,” and not just from a mathematics and physics perspective, but from a soulful, musical perspective. This guy cares deeply about every product he has made and put into the hands of a musician. Nothing makes him happier than to hear that something he made is helping an artist to express themselves as they have never been able to do so before. Yeah, this Jule guy has some promise, for sure. But is it all Kool-Aid, or is there more to Monique? First Impressions Monique is available in your choice of two exterior housings. The baseline is a rather utilitarian (but gloriously so) steel housing. For an upcharge, the more organic wood case (made from highly renewable bamboo) is also available. Either way, you get a deceptively simple-looking interface on the front, which has one ¼” input, a Sensitivity knob, 3-band EQ, a Line Level control, and an on/off switch with a blue jewel (Jule?) light. Moving to the back panel, you have the AC input receptacle, ¼” unbalanced line out, and balanced XLR output, with ground lift and independent level control. This interface is “deceptive” because if you just look at that 3-band EQ and what appears to be one gain knob and two output level controls, you will not be at all prepared for the range of tones Monique has to offer. The tone stack – which is driven by a single 6SL7 (aka 6N5P) – is a Baxandall EQ, capably of boost or cut of up to 20dB for each band. The characteristics of a Baxandall EQ are that each band operates independently (non-interactive with the other two bands), and instead of adding/cutting gain, you are adding/cutting level (though if you boost all three bands, you do get some gain boost). This means that you can turn up (or cut back) any one band pretty much all the way without dramatically affecting the overall output. The venerable SVT featured a Baxandall EQ circuit, as well. What really ups the ante is that Sensitivity control (which is driven by the second 6N5P). The Jule Amps webpage states, “Your input ‘Sensitivity’ is fully adjustable from pristine clean to grungy bottom growl for active and passive pickups.” This is done to a large extent by varying the impedance of the input, though it does &#0e; 
 

Jule Amps Monique Tube Bass Preamp

Tom Bowlus

The Company Line I recall the first time I was asked if I had checked out “Monique.” “Of course not, I’m a happily married man.” “No, man, Monique from Jule!” “Jewel?” It was like someone was speaking to me in a different language. Turns out, that was actually a pretty good introduction… Monique is an all-tube bass preamp/DI from Santa Cruz-based Jule Amps. What’s there to get so excited about? Is it just the sultry name? Is it the sexy exterior? Is it the “moth to the flame” lure of glowing tubes? Well, sure, it’s a little bit of all of that, but a whole lot more. Talking to Jule Potter, you can tell right off the bat that this guy knows his stuff. He grew up bouncing around the globe (and bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere) with his military electronics (Navy and then Army) father, and later spent four years in the Navy (two tours of Vietnam) on aircraft carriers and getting advanced electronics training. He’s done wiring work for James Demeter, and he’s been building all tube guitar amps for years after retiring from the software industry. Okay, so he’s got some cred. Lots of guys do in this industry. But the other thing that strikes you right away is his passion – a passion for doing things “right,” and not just from a mathematics and physics perspective, but from a soulful, musical perspective. This guy cares deeply about every product he has made and put into the hands of a musician. Nothing makes him happier than to hear that something he made is helping an artist to express themselves as they have never been able to do so before. Yeah, this Jule guy has some promise, for sure. But is it all Kool-Aid, or is there more to Monique? First Impressions Monique is available in your choice of two exterior housings. The baseline is a rather utilitarian (but gloriously so) steel housing. For an up charge, the more organic wood case (made from highly renewable bamboo) is also available. Either way, you get a deceptively simple-looking interface on the front, which has one ¼" input, a Sensitivity knob, 3-band EQ, a Line Level control, and an on/off switch with a blue jewel (Jule?) Light. Moving to the back panel, you have the AC input receptacle, ¼" unbalanced line out, and balanced XLR output, with ground lift and independent level control. This interface is "deceptive" because if you just look at that 3-band EQ and what appears to be one gain knob and two output level controls, you will not be at all prepared for the range of tones Monique has to offer. The tone stack – which is driven by a single 6SL7 (aka 6N5P) – is a Baxandall EQ, capably of boost or cut of up to 20dB for each band. The characteristics of a Baxandall EQ are that each band operates independently (non-interactive with the other two bands), and instead of adding/cutting gain, you are adding/cutting level (though if you boost all three bands, you do get some gain boost). This means that you can turn up (or cut back) any one band pretty much all the way without dramatically affecting the overall output. The venerable SVT featured a Baxandall EQ circuit,as well. What really ups the ante is that Sensitivity control (which is driven by the second 6N5P). The Jule Amps webpage states, “Your input ‘Sensitivity’ is fully adjustable from pristine clean to grungy bottom growl for active and passive pickups.” This is done to a large extent by varying the impedance of the input, though it does vary the gain at the same time. In addition, you can pull out the Sensitivity knob out for a +4dB gain increase (though I have to say, being a smooth knob in a recessed panel, it is a little difficult to get a good grip and pull it out). Leave it out for passive axes, and push it in if you use an active instrument. A Closer Look With Monique driving a Bergantino IP112, my first thoughts were, “warm, smooth, and clear.” These words kept coming back to me as I spent more time with this preamp. The website makes multiple references to the SVT, but I found myself more often thinking of a B-15 kind of tone (though to its credit, Monique can also cop a pretty nice SVT vibe, as well). Running through the three bands of EQ, none of the controls are what I would call dramatic in terms of how far they shifted from the centerline, but all three offered up a good range of musical variation. The highs did not impart any added “hiss” or noise, even when turned all the way up. The mids also sounded great turned all the way up. My notes read, “When the midrange sounds this good, why would you want to cut any?” When you do cut the mids, though, it doesn’t leave an obvious hole in your tone; it’s just another flavor of good. The Low band was equally impressive. Boosting the lows yielded a luscious and enveloping tone which was not at all “un-tight.” I resist the urge to call the lows “tight,” because that doesn’t express the expansive embrace of the lows (when boosted). There is no sloppiness or mud to be heard, though. Likewise, referring to the tone as “warm” should not be interpreted as implying any lack of articulation. This EQ stack really has a lot to offer, and I ended up preferring the tone with all three bands boosted to some degree. As much fun as I had with the EQ, the real surprise–and real magic– Monique had to offer lay with the Sensitivity knob.This control seems part gain control, part impedance matching, and part clean/harmonics control. Again, though not overly powerful, the range over which it does adjust is very meaningful and musical. The cleanest tones are found at the full counter-clockwise rotation, and the most harmonic content is at fully clockwise. This single knob really changes the character of the signal, and in conjunction with the 3-band EQ,you can dial in an amazing range of clean to growly, or more modern to vintage, tones. The ¼” Line Level output and the balanced XLR output are driven independently, and actually sound a good bit different. The Line Level output is driven by a 12AU7, and it is hot enough to push about any power amp (or powered enclosure) you’d care to pair it up with, but when dialed back a bit,can interface quite well with the input jack on a bass head or combo. The balanced output is delivered via a custom Cinemag output transformer (which can hit a respectable +4dB, turned all the way up). The XLR is definitely more meaty and full, slightly more warm overall, and definitely more rich. The Line Level output is no slouch, though, and has a bit more “air” and “life” up top. Both outputs can be used simultaneously. In addition to the two 6N5P’s and the 12AU7, Monique also employs a JJ EZ81 tube rectifier, which introduces that special “sag” and character that can’t be replicated in solid state rectifiers. This is where the “touch” comes from, according to Jule. Lasting Impressions This is an amazing, alluring gem of a preamp/DI. The more time I spent with Monique, the more I fell in love. Yeah, those technical chops and all that passion have definitely resulted in one heck of a product from the hands and heart of Jule Potter. The price tag may give some pause, but the quality of the components, the integrity of the design, and elegant execution will not leave you wanting. The Jule Amps motto is, “All Tube, All Love,” and that really sums it up nicely.

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