Monique Pre Amp Review

On June 20th, I contacted Jule Potter to place my order for a Monique Rack Mount PreAmp. I have to say, Jule was such a pleasure to work with. Jule is such a genuine nice person. He seems to be laid back, yet devoted to building and perfecting his product line. It has been such a pleasure to deal with Jule during the process. He has consistently taken time to answer any questions and keep me updated throughout the process. Plus he has quite an interesting life story to share!  
Monique arrived on Tuesday, August 20th. I got it around lunch time, so I slid it in the rack and hooked it up. It came up and I played a while during lunch. As I was checking the controls, I noticed, as I adjusted the EQ pots, I couldn’t hear a difference. I couldn’t really hear a difference in the Sensitivity knob either. In addition, the output seemed weak.

I had to go back to work so you can imagine that I had a slight sick feeling in my gut. I thought about what could possibly be wrong with Monique. When I got home I took Monique out of the rack and removed the top cover. I reseated all of the tubes. I then connected the power cord and output cable and fired her up. It came on and I started turning up the line level. The volume started increasing. Then I tried the Low EQ pot, it worked! I tested each EQ and they responded properly. I next swept the Sensitivity from full CCW to full CW. I could tell it was working. A big sigh of relief! Seems I only had a loose tube as a result of the long trip from California to Georgia. I think that is a testament as to the excellent build quality of Jule's amps! I carefully replaced the top cover and placed the pre back in the rack. I decided I wouldn’t take Monique to rehearsal since I didn’t have appropriate time to get used to the controls. At the last minute, I changed my mind and decided to take Monique to rehearsal and give her a shot. Besides, I have my TFB750A in the rack as a backup/alternate head.

Man, I was glad I did! In the early stages of rehearsal, I could tell I had something special. This particular rehearsal was devoted to two of the vocalist working on harmonies and such. So I had the liberty to experiment with different EQ settings and to play with the Sensitivity. With every adjustment I could hear a difference. Each adjustment sounded good. It was all very new and difference, but I was having a blast. Although I was having to work on the new song arrangements, I kept trying different settings and enjoying every minute of it.

The thing I discovered during that rehearsal was that each setting sounded great, and Monique had such a full sound. It had a lot more low end than I was used to, but it never got muddy. At first, that was kinda weird to me. I couldn’t get over how clear Monique was. For the last five years, I was used to the solid sound of the Thunderfunk and a clear, cutting mid with a versatile EQ and tone controls. This was different, and I was loving it!

In the time since that first rehearsal, I have played Monique at three other rehearsals, and every spare minute I could at home. I have come to the conclusion that although the EQ and sensitivity adjustments seem subtle, they really make a difference and a small adjustment can make a substantial difference. The Sensitivity adjustment at first seemed to make only a very small difference, but the more I played the more I realized that, although not an extreme adjustment, it really makes a difference. The different combinations of the three EQ bands with the Sensitivity adjustment give me so many options.  

I have also be experimenting with the Line Level settings, varying it and the power amp setting. Yet another option at my disposal. Lately, I have been setting the line level near max and adjusting the power amp as the master.

About 75% of the time, I have been playing my new Precision and my mid 70’s Precision, but my Jazz basses both sound great. I had almost quit playing them but with Monique they have such a musical sound they sound like different basses! I am beyond happy. I can’t quit playing it!

I did not buy Monique because I was unhappy with either of my Thunderfunk heads. They are great heads and I can easily dial in a great tone anywhere I play. I don’t think I will ever sell my Thunderfunk heads. They are so well made and very versatile. Dave Funk is such a great craftsman and a member of a unique club. A club which includes Jule Potter! They are hand-building such great pieces of equipment! The point-to-point wiring in the Monique and the layout of the components are a work of art. But, I'm sure anyone that owns a Monique will agree that it is not just a pretty piece of equipment. It is functional, and I know that the placement of each component has a reason behind it. Jule has built a pre-amp that is destined to become a classic. It is a musical tool that is built to last.  
With all that being said, I don’t see myself ever parting with my Monique! The rich, clear, deep tones are just magical. I have not yet settled into anything close to a “default” tone, since everything sounds so good. I know this sounds like I might be overreacting, however Monique really does sound great. It is something you have to experience. The posts on Talkbass are spot on. I read every post on TB before I ordered Monique. My expectation were set very high, in every area. Build quality, versatility, tone and  functionality. Monique had to deliver in all areas to compete with Thunderfunk. And it did, in every area. I’m not saying that Monique is better than my Thunderfunks, it is just different, a GREAT kind of different. A kind of different that, every time I play it, it is like the first time. The Monique is a very musical pre amp.  

To summarize my feeling about Monique, I can’t see myself replacing it ever! I am set. The only thing I am curious about now, is a couple of the new Bergantino CN112 cabs paired with Monique.

My current setup consists of:

Monique

Crest ProLITE 2.0

Thunderfunk TFB750A

fdeck Series 3

2 (or 3) Aguilar GS112 cabs

SKB 6U rack case

Yeahman cables

I did a great deal of research for a power amp to pair with Monique. Initially, I was favoring QSC. QSC products are high quality and have a great reputation for customer service. Plus, our sound engineer uses QSC exclusively and is sold on them. However, the Crest ProLITE series was receiving rave reviews and the 2.0 series had everything I wanted in a power amp. The Crest won out. The Crest amp is a nice solid match for Monique. I have been very pleased. It is a solid unit with a great feature set. Eventually, I would like to try a QSC and even the new Peavey ISP2 series. But I’m glad I decided on the Crest.

So far, every time I have played through Monique, it is been a pleasant, learning experience. I keep experimenting with the settings, trying new things. I think the most exciting thing about Monique is, no matter which settings I use, they are all musical I haven't found one yet that I couldn't use!

Later,

Dave