# Battle of the Pre-Amp Pedals: Mooer vs AMT



## BlueTrident (Aug 7, 2018)

I am in the market for a pre-amp pedal and have done my research on both Mooer and AMT but cannot decide which one to get. On the one hand AMT has the better reviews although Mooer is more readily available in the UK which makes things difficult.

The Mooer pedals I'm thinking of getting are the 5150 III and/or the Friedman.

The AMT pedals I'm thinking of getting are either the D2, P2 or the Vt2 (not many companies are doing their sims/pedals on a VHT).

What do people here recommend?


----------



## Bearitone (Aug 7, 2018)

The AMT R2 would be my suggestion


----------



## I play music (Aug 7, 2018)

I'm also very curious about the AMT Vt2 as I'm a big fan of tight dry sounds which VHTs are known for. 
Unfortunately I can't help you with a recommendation. The only thing I know is that the P2 is a good preamp, the others I haven't tried.


----------



## Steinmetzify (Aug 7, 2018)

Did this comparo last year maybe?

Had the Mooer Engl, the AMT 5150 and a Hotone Recto copy and just did the same riff/chain to see which sounded best.

Across 4 different forums, the Mooer won, just sounded best to my ears too.

Take a listen, hope it helps.

http://sevenstring.org/threads/clip-comparo-humor-me-im-bored.322584/


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 7, 2018)

Had the R2 P2 and Mooer 005.

Preferred the AMTs. They were much louder and just sounded slighly better. Although the Mooer had a much better cab sim and the channels are programmable.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Aug 7, 2018)

Are the mooer preamp pedals the same Sims as the GE200? If so, the engls are really good. The Mesa marks are garbage. Though I've heard good tones on YouTube from the mkiii mooer pedal so maybe I just can't dial stuff in.


----------



## Bentaycanada (Aug 10, 2018)

I've had the AMT P2, Mooer 001, 002, 005 and 009.

All the Mooer pedals were excellent, especially the 005 (EVH) and 001 (Diezel). Killer quality for their price. Do they sound like the amps their based on? In a way, but not entirely.

The AMT P2 sounded killer close to my 5150. Which was awesome. But like the Mooer's, they die a quick death when put up in band levels. This is a common problem with most high gain distortion pedals, save the Amptweaker stuff, great a band levels.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Aug 10, 2018)

Bentaycanada said:


> I've had the AMT P2, Mooer 001, 002, 005 and 009.
> 
> All the Mooer pedals were excellent, especially the 005 (EVH) and 001 (Diezel). Killer quality for their price. Do they sound like the amps their based on? In a way, but not entirely.
> 
> The AMT P2 sounded killer close to my 5150. Which was awesome. But like the Mooer's, they die a quick death when put up in band levels. This is a common problem with most high gain distortion pedals, save the Amptweaker stuff, great a band levels.



Why do they die at band levels? Are they missing midrange?


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 10, 2018)

What is your rig set up?

The AMT LA2 series pedals are designed to run many ways... into a mixer/DAW, via power amp (or into the FX return) as a true preamp with a dedicated clean channel, or as a drive into the clean channel of an amp.

The AMT Drive or Drive Mini pedals are only designed to be run into the clean channel of an amp.

If you are using the clean channel of your amp, that will greatly color the end result. The preamp series through Fender cleans sound absolutely amazing. Through a Marshall clean they sounded good, but not as great IMO.

And I agree with Bentaycanada... a lot of high gain pedals sound killer at low/med volumes, but remind me of an Engl Powerball or Vetta II where the volume surely increases, but they don't get "louder"... and they lose clarity.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Aug 10, 2018)

All I know is I have 3 AMTs (R2, P2, and M2) and I think they’re all excellent. From what I’m seeing in this thread it sounds like both AMT and Mooer are solid options. /shrug


----------



## Bentaycanada (Aug 10, 2018)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Why do they die at band levels? Are they missing midrange?



They tend to get thin sounding at high volumes. Lacking that punch and power needed at band levels. Unfortunately when it comes to the preamp pedal + power amp setup, just having a big tube power amp doesn’t necessarily mean big sound like a 100w tube amp.


----------



## BlueTrident (Aug 10, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> What is your rig set up?
> 
> The AMT LA2 series pedals are designed to run many ways... into a mixer/DAW, via power amp (or into the FX return) as a true preamp with a dedicated clean channel, or as a drive into the clean channel of an amp.
> 
> ...



At the moment it's just guitar into soundcard. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd hand tiny terror because of funds but it's more the future use I'm thinking of


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 14, 2018)

BlueTrident said:


> At the moment it's just guitar into soundcard. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd hand tiny terror because of funds but it's more the future use I'm thinking of



Check out the new Joyo and Mooer amps as well. Haven't heard anything negative about their new micro amps, as opposed to the older ones that had QC issues. And they are well priced ($120-150).








Also might be worth looking into a micro power amp and preamp pedal solution. Svisound makes a 50w micro power amp pedal ($100-130) and then you could use a preamp pedal like one of the AMT LA2 series ($80-150).


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Aug 14, 2018)

The hotone nano legacy amps are fun too. Only 100 bucks. My "eagles heart" (Engl savage) sounds great with a boost.


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 14, 2018)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> The hotone nano legacy amps are fun too. Only 100 bucks. My "eagles heart" (Engl savage) sounds great with a boost.



That's the other one I was trying to think of... I said Mooer but I meant HoeTone!


----------



## lewis (Aug 14, 2018)

the Horizon Devices APEX preamp pedal sounds unreal. I would rather that personally haha


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 14, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> Check out the new Joyo and Mooer amps as well. Haven't heard anything negative about their new micro amps, as opposed to the older ones that had QC issues. And they are well priced ($120-150).
> 
> 
> 
> ...





LiveOVErdrive said:


> The hotone nano legacy amps are fun too. Only 100 bucks. My "eagles heart" (Engl savage) sounds great with a boost.



Hotone just recently released some pedal amps as well. Supposed to combine their different amps together. They have one that has the Fender amp as channel 1, and the Recto amp as channel 2. 

http://www.hotoneaudio.com/products/Nano_Legacy_Floor/Nano_Legacy_Floor/2018/0115/256.html


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 14, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Hotone just recently released some pedal amps as well. Supposed to combine their different amps together. They have one that has the Fender amp as channel 1, and the Recto amp as channel 2.
> 
> http://www.hotoneaudio.com/products/Nano_Legacy_Floor/Nano_Legacy_Floor/2018/0115/256.html



Thanks asshole... now I have more stuff to buy lol.

[Edit: Hey we can swear now on here?]


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 14, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> Thanks asshole... now I have more stuff to buy lol.
> 
> [Edit: Hey we can swear now on here?]


Says the guy who can't stop buying Peaveys. 

[Yup. Dumbass. ]


----------



## I play music (Aug 14, 2018)

lewis said:


> the Horizon Devices APEX preamp pedal sounds unreal. I would rather that personally haha


I thought that thing is not even available until some time next year?
So...
How do you know if it sounds unreal? Did you get your hands on the prototype?
By the time these will be delivered we are already one NAMM show later meaning lots of new potentially better products. So by then you might regret your preorder.


----------



## I play music (Aug 14, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Hotone just recently released some pedal amps as well. Supposed to combine their different amps together. They have one that has the Fender amp as channel 1, and the Recto amp as channel 2.
> 
> http://www.hotoneaudio.com/products/Nano_Legacy_Floor/Nano_Legacy_Floor/2018/0115/256.html


What I like about this compared to other mini amps is that it has enough power for band rehearsal (and still is compact and affordable)


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 14, 2018)

I play music said:


> What I like about this compared to other mini amps is that it has enough power for band rehearsal (and still is compact and affordable)



Yeah, 75 watts can be pretty loud. So it can definitely keep up for practice or rehearsal. And if you play live, just mic it up.


----------



## lewis (Aug 14, 2018)

I play music said:


> I thought that thing is not even available until some time next year?
> So...
> How do you know if it sounds unreal? Did you get your hands on the prototype?
> By the time these will be delivered we are already one NAMM show later meaning lots of new potentially better products. So by then you might regret your preorder.


because ive watched both live streams with Misha, and seen the official reviews from Ola and Keith etc -


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 14, 2018)

Well if Misha and Ola both recommend it.


----------



## I play music (Aug 14, 2018)

lewis said:


> because ive watched both live streams with Misha, and seen the official reviews from Ola and Keith etc -


Those are not "reviews" but advertisement videos. Ola and Keith can basically make anything sound good. 

Have you seen Ola's video for the Mooer pedals? He also makes them sound "unreal". 
The Mooer stuff actually has a usable cab sim...
And their preamps cost not even a third of what the Apex costs...


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 14, 2018)

I play music said:


> Those are not "reviews" but advertisement videos. Ola and Keith can basically make anything sound good.
> 
> Have you seen Ola's video for the Mooer pedals? He also makes them sound "unreal".
> The Mooer stuff actually has a usable cab sim...
> And their preamps cost not even a third of what the Apex costs...




^this lol





^ Here's a pic of the final BRJ run Misha recommended.





^ Here's a timer to keep track of the Ola Washburn endorsement window





^ Bonus - picture of the inside of a Misha endorsed Pro Tone pedal


----------



## lewis (Aug 14, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> Well if Misha and Ola both recommend it.


Now you get it.


----------



## Vyn (Aug 14, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> ^this lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You sir just won this thread xD


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Aug 14, 2018)

I was really really disappointed with the mooer ge200. Everything was really bloated and I couldn't get a decent palm mute chug because of it. The engl models were alright but the Mesa stuff was real bad. Even with good IRs. 

I haven't returned it because I'm still hoping someone will pop up and say "oh yeah you just have to change this one thing in the settings and then it's great" but I think it's just not great.

It's a shame. I really wanted to love it. Great form factor and look, and I can tell the CHARACTER of the amp is there. But the input is really really bloated.


----------



## KnightBrolaire (Aug 14, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> ^this lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...


pure savagery


----------



## I play music (Aug 15, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> ^this lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That post is pure gold. Also, in the first pic I think you can also see some of Misha's signature amps ;-)


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 15, 2018)

USMarine75 said:


> ^this lol
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You sure that ain't the timer showing how much time is left before Washburn goes belly up?


----------



## Beheroth (Aug 15, 2018)

never forgetti


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 15, 2018)

Beheroth said:


> never forgetti



Man, Ola's the kiss of death when it comes to endorsements. 

S7G, Washburn, Randall...

At least his own brand's rockin' pretty hard right now.


----------



## Carl Kolchak (Aug 15, 2018)

I play music said:


> I'm also very curious about the AMT Vt2 as I'm a big fan of tight dry sounds which VHTs are known for.
> Unfortunately I can't help you with a recommendation. The only thing I know is that the P2 is a good preamp, the others I haven't tried.



I had one. It didn't sound especially tight or dry to me.


----------



## BearOnGuitar (Aug 15, 2018)

I owned both a P2 and B2, and while these pedals are pretty cool I sold them off fairly quickly due to the complete lack of a clean channel (I was going direct into my interface). I played a Diezel Zerrer through a Marshall Poweramp into an Engl v60 cab recently and was blown away by the amazing tone, so that's what I suggest to have a look at. Don't trust the reviews on YouTube which sound pretty bad imo, the Zerrer sounds like a modern Diezel preamp and is to my knowledge, the only preamp pedal with both seperate clean and distorted channels.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 15, 2018)

BearOnGuitar said:


> I owned both a P2 and B2, and while these pedals are pretty cool I sold them off fairly quickly due to the complete lack of a clean channel (I was going direct into my interface)



The Legend 2 series *does* have a clean channel, and it sounds pretty decent.


----------



## I play music (Aug 15, 2018)

Carl Kolchak said:


> I had one. It didn't sound especially tight or dry to me.


Did you compare it to other models?
Apart from not sounding especially tight or dry, did you like it?


----------



## BearOnGuitar (Aug 15, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The Legend 2 series *does* have a clean channel, and it sounds pretty decent.



You're right, it's a while I have been using them. I now remember what really bothered me was the lack of clean channel controls, so I didn't even consider it a proper clean channel being stuck to only one clean sound I didn't like much, if that makes sense. If the op doesn't play cleans much then it won't likely be an issue for him as the overdrive channel was sounding great.


----------



## Bearitone (Aug 15, 2018)

There’s the AMT SS30 Bulava. 2 channels. One clean, one dirty. Independent EQ for each. 

Or you could always get 2 preamp pedals and an a/b loop switcher.

It’s 3 pedals instead of 1 but, it still fits on a pedalboard and it’s a very flexible setup.


----------



## cGoEcYk (Aug 15, 2018)

Have you looked into ISP Theta?


----------



## Soya (Aug 15, 2018)

BearOnGuitar said:


> I owned both a P2 and B2, and while these pedals are pretty cool I sold them off fairly quickly due to the complete lack of a clean channel (I was going direct into my interface). I played a Diezel Zerrer through a Marshall Poweramp into an Engl v60 cab recently and was blown away by the amazing tone, so that's what I suggest to have a look at. Don't trust the reviews on YouTube which sound pretty bad imo, the Zerrer sounds like a modern Diezel preamp and is to my knowledge, the only preamp pedal with both seperate clean and distorted channels.



I hope it would sound good, it's an enormous $600 preamp pedal. Might as well buy a used axe ultra and stick it on the board.


----------



## Vyn (Aug 15, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Man, Ola's the kiss of death when it comes to endorsements.
> 
> S7G, Washburn, Randall...
> 
> At least his own brand's rockin' pretty hard right now.



Off topic but I thought Ola was still with Randall and the Satan's were still being produced?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Aug 15, 2018)

Vyn said:


> Off topic but I thought Ola was still with Randall and the Satan's were still being produced?



They are, it's just they lost Mike Fortin and they seem kinda lost ATM. The last new amp they released was the Satan 50 and that's it.


----------



## USMarine75 (Aug 16, 2018)

BearOnGuitar said:


> I owned both a P2 and B2, and while these pedals are pretty cool I sold them off fairly quickly due to the complete lack of a clean channel (I was going direct into my interface). I played a Diezel Zerrer through a Marshall Poweramp into an Engl v60 cab recently and was blown away by the amazing tone, so that's what I suggest to have a look at. Don't trust the reviews on YouTube which sound pretty bad imo, the Zerrer sounds like a modern Diezel preamp and is to my knowledge, the only preamp pedal with both seperate clean and distorted channels.



I have both of those AMT pedals and they have legit decent clean channels as already mentioned. Maybe you had a drive or LA1 pedal?

I also have the Zerrer and my feelings are mixed. One of the pros is that it has a really good clean channel. I also really like the flexible output options, including a headphone out. However, the pedal is absolutely huge - it is truly a preamp on the floor. It is also relatively expensive. I got a great deal on mine otherwise with shipping they are usually >$500. At that point you are in the range of a decent micro or mini amp, especially once you factor in the need to purchase a power amp. Lastly, I am undecided on the tone. It sounds okay, but in the limited time I've had with it I don't think it sounds any better than a good Diezel clone pedal. Maybe I'll have to put in some more time with it, especially at higher volumes.


----------



## devastone (Aug 16, 2018)

BearOnGuitar said:


> You're right, it's a while I have been using them. I now remember what really bothered me was the lack of clean channel controls, so I didn't even consider it a proper clean channel being stuck to only one clean sound I didn't like much, if that makes sense. If the op doesn't play cleans much then it won't likely be an issue for him as the overdrive channel was sounding great.



FWIW, the Mooer pedals also have clean channels. The clean channel on the AMTs sounded good to me, but yes, there are not controls for it other than volume and the boost button which thickens it up some. 



kindsage said:


> There’s the AMT SS30 Bulava. 2 channels. One clean, one dirty. Independent EQ for each.



The SS-30 has 3 channels, clean, crunch, and lead. The crunch and lead channels share EQ but have their own gain and volume controls.


----------



## Bearitone (Aug 16, 2018)

devastone said:


> FWIW, the Mooer pedals also have clean channels. The clean channel on the AMTs sounded good to me, but yes, there are not controls for it other than volume and the boost button which thickens it up some.
> 
> 
> 
> The SS-30 has 3 channels, clean, crunch, and lead. The crunch and lead channels share EQ but have their own gain and volume controls.


Bam! ^^^ even better


----------



## Dantas (Aug 17, 2018)

Regarding the Mooer 005 low volume issues stated earlier in the thread, I own one since December/2017, and I can say it gets really loud (and not thin at all) in the effects loop from some amps I rehearsed...at least countless Peavey 5150's and 6505's heads, and I even A/B compared with the the EVHIII 100W (Mooer 005 in the effects loop).

Both the Mooer 005 red channel and the 5150III lead channel were ridiculously close, with both at noon in the EQ, except the EVHIII was at 11o'clock in the bass knob (guess the power amp of said amp played a big role in making the channels sound similar).

But, I do feel the blue channel from the Mooer doesn't get as loud as I want with a really clean sound while playing at home in my soundcard. You have to turn up a lot of the gain on the blue channel to give volume, and the red channel sounds louder with less volume, but still maybe not loud enough for some people here. I have to turn up the output volume of my soundcard when casually playing with the Mooer, but the signal in my DAW is good enough for recording. The built in IR sounds really bad for recording, though it really helped me in a live situation when I had no amp to use (played through PA's in a small bar)....the IR sounded better through PA's.

You may disagree and had different experiences with the Mooer, which I totally understand...but I just wanted to give  from my perspective using this pedal for 8 months so far, and I'm really pleased with it.


----------



## Carl Kolchak (Aug 17, 2018)

I play music said:


> Did you compare it to other models?
> Apart from not sounding especially tight or dry, did you like it?



No. I didn't personally like the pedal, and returned it, as it sounded both under-gained and underwhelming to me. Not at all what I was expecting from the YT demos I'd heard.

As for comparing it to other models, I've previously owned the AMT R2 and M2 pedals, and thought they both sounded better than the VT2. "Better", of course, being in this instance totally subjective, but I do remember thinking the R2/M2 had better sounding low/mid tone sweeps.

Also, I was using these in front of some IRs. So as to how they would react in front of a real amp/cab, I can not say.


----------

