hi...I just got a grace m101 pre..I want to get a second pre with a little color..I was woundering if the joe meek stuff is good....Thanks

I've got a VC3q, and I like it. Heard lots of good buzz about the 6q, too.

Don't be misled by the cool green faceplate into thinking Joe Meek preamps are "colorful." I have the Joe Meek VC1Q, and I like it a lot. But it's not as "colorful" as you might expect. Actually it is one of my cleaner preamps-- though not as clean as your Grace. The color in the unit comes mostly from the compressor section, which like many opto compressers, does impart a thicker, softer, gooier sound.

I would recommend the VC1Q to anybody who is looking for a nice cheap channel. Besides its interesting compressor, the unit has an enhancer and also a limited but quite usable equalizer. I like it on bass, electric guitar, and vocals.

But the sound of the Meek preamp is rather neutral. Nothing wrong with that! But if you're looking for something with a vastly different sound than your Grace, you might want to look elsewhere. Unless it's the Meek compressor that you're after...

well I just ordered the art pro vlaII..so I dont think I need another hardware comp...But if it will sound good along side of my grace..I may check it out!

I find imho that most meek preamps tend to be more on the colored side....not super colored but more color then your standard pre...some tend to run alittle "dark" sounding. All the meek compressors are very colorful as well...so combining the two youd definitely get a colored sound. Ive been through a few different meek boxes and right now ive held onto a twinQ and a vc1q and use both frequently.

Have a 3q, good pre for the money. More than the pre, the EQ and the very specific optosounding comp you get alone are worth the little money the unit costs.

got a VC6 (not Q) it overdrives great. lot's of character and depth.
not a highend pre of any sorts.
thumbsup

o.k. thanks..Im looking at a 3q now!!

VC3Q good...TwinQ bad!

I can't remember now which model it is but I love my JM as a DI for bass

Im gonna have a look at the VC3Q to...is it worth the extra doe for the pre..or is the 3q pretty close in the pre?

I'd say the opposite.

I used to have a VC6Q (very cool box) and I've used the VC3. The older units sound more colored to me whereas the newer units are kind of neutral. If you want color, I wouldn't look at the 3Q pre.

However, the other models (6Q, OneQ and TwinQ) can do clean or colored by turning the "iron" switch on or off. Also, the compressors on the newer boxes are capable of faster attack/release times (if that matters to you) and you get a digital out. I never used the EQ all that much, but it's actually decent. Good luck!

TwinQ sounds great to my ears plus a ton of features.

JUST DON'T USE THE BUILT IN AD/DA!!!!!!

AGAIN,

WITH THE TWINQ DO NOT DO NOT USE THE BUILT IN AD/DA

The AD/DA in that box BLOWS BLOWS BLOWS.

If you use the XLR outputs into a good AD/DA you will be blown away.

Well thanks for all the good input..as ov now the twinq is out of my reach..Im thinking maby 3-400.00

I have two of the VC6Q Brittish Channels and they are fantastic for electric guitars.

I sold my One Q: with the Iron in it was pretty cool, and the EQ was actually very good. The De-esser, Enhancer, and AD/DA are all garbage. The compression was good on bass but unhelpful on voice. The final 5db of gain was noisy beyond usability.

If you're interested in a One Q, just get the Six Q...it has all the working parts of the One Q without the unusable garbage.

Well I guess I liked the VC3Q for its colouration and its cheapness(under $100). I'm still using it for certain things and I got rid of the TwinQ to buy an ISA428. I much prefer the VC3Q compression than the TwinQ but thats just my opinion.

If you get the early VC1 the mic preamp isn't all that colored- if you don't route thru the compressor section. Even in the early units there were variations. But I use the one I have all the time and I have a number of preamps to choose from (Langevin AM16, Ampex, custom tube units, Quad Eight and Spectra Sonics).

Some of the versions of the Joe Meek stuff are underated and available for reasonable prices. If you're looking for the Neve or API sound go elsewhere though.

i've got a lovely sounding VC1 - the compressor is coloured but... damn it's a real wtf niiice colour. It's been instrumental in capturing some great sounds - tracked almost a whole album through this one box - my only concern with some new bits of kit is re. electronic noise shielding, i've got to check out some cabling issues - that may well be the cause. frankly i'd do whatever's necessary to keep this in my rack

Ted Fletcher doesn't get many mentions on here. i reckon he's underrated and on the basis of this stuff i'll be checking out the TFPro P110 for sure


(not related or on payroll fwiw )

The VC-1 had various incarnations. The first was a half rack sized unit sometimes referred to as "The Brick" and were identified as VC-1 v1.01. The next model VC-1 v2.** was a full rack width with gold lettering and was followed by the v3.** which had black lettering. After that the VC-1Q was introduced, then the VC-1Qcs...............although it's subjective, over the years, popular opinion seems to point towards the earlier models (pre VC-1Q) as having more acceptable characteristics, changes to the preamp (and I think maybe, they dropped the transformer on the input around this time) contributed the the lesser reputation.



EDIT: Just a personal observation.........over time, there appeared to be a decline in "the quality" of the English Meek gear, as if there had been a change in the design philosophy and "mind set" of the company. Having watched the emergence of the TFPro range, I suspect that it may still be suffering.

i'll sell you a sixq for 400. only been used a few times! still have the box, manual and everything. let me know if you're intersted.

e

Maybe your talking about the older twinQ....the newer model sounds awesome to me...as far as new meek stuff goes.