V-Tone Bass BDI21 : A huge variety of sounds in a 20 EUR box

As a gigging bass player I do hate transporting my 4x10 cabinet and 15+ kilo amp for smaller clubs since it only takes space and no one from the audience actually cares about your gear. Especially if you don't have too much space in your car, having a proper DI / bass preamp to substitute the amp is a must. Then I bought the ultimate classic MXR M80 - did the job well and I am actually still happy with the purchase.

However, recently I started thinking of changing the type of sound a bit - into something more overdriven than distorted. The well-known Sansamp DI is too expensive for simple testing, and friends have already told me good things about the Behringer, so I decided to give it a go.

The best piece of gear you can buy for this money, really.

I'd say this one is even more versatile than the MXR, and it can easily evolve from a nice bright sound to quite a serious growl, making the bass sound like a guitar if you play with the Treble knob. And without sacrificing the low end! Tested it both home and on stage.

The only bad thing is the unit is made out of plastic and stomping might result in breaking it. So I am simply not switching back to clean channel while playing. Oh yeah - and if it breaks, I can just buy another one. Or two...